What’s recently happened?
As New Prairie High School (NPHS) has free time this summer, many athletic teams are taking advantage of this time and preparing for their futures. Cougar Camps are one-to-two-week long camps that many athletic teams organize for kindergarteners to eighth graders to have fun while learning about the activity and the rules while also partaking in the sport.
The majority of sports at NPHS offer a Cougar Camp, from co-ed camps with golf and tennis to both Boys and Girls Basketball offering individual camps for a more individualized experience. One of the most enjoyed aspects of the camps is that high school students that are actually on the team volunteer to teach the kids.
When asking local parents that have had children participate in the Cougar Camps, the responses were positive and fond of the camps.
For Renee Chojnacki, a parent that has had children participate in many different camps for the past seven years, NPHS Cougar Camps were an amazing experience, especially for her daughter, Abby Chojnacki.
“This year, Abby did the Cougar Volleyball Camp. She absolutely loved it and said that the high school girls were super nice and helpful and made them feel comfortable and not nervous. Abby said she learned a different technique to help get her overhand serve stronger and her form for hitting,” Renee Chojnacki said. “I truly enjoyed the camp and felt that Abby did learn a lot that will help her in her goal to make the middle school volleyball team at NPHS. The time worked out great, and I liked how they had groups so each camper got some individual help.”
Amber Clark and Rachel Kalicki, moms who both have had sons participate in multiple camps this past summer, both recommend the Cougar Camps highly.
“It’s fun and gets kids out of their comfort zones,” said Clark.
“It’s a fun experience for the little kids, to try out different sports and things to see what they could potentially like later on,” added Kalicki.
Overall, all parents mentioned that their children had a blast and would recommend Cougar Camps to everyone.
What’s coming up?
In New Carlisle, IN, the Hometown Days Festival has been a region-wide non-profit attraction for the past 18 years. The last full weekend of July is reserved in New Carlisle for all of the festivities that occur at the festival. Many members of the community and in surrounding towns look forward to the festival all summer.
Festivities include many events for the whole family. The entire duration of the festival will feature many small businesses and vendors in Memorial Park where people can buy unique creations and food from select vendors. The recent addition of Memorial Park’s splash pad will also be open, along with the park, each day of the festival.
This year’s festival opens on Friday, July 28, where there will be live music featured in the main gazebo at Memorial Park, the “Hometown Derby” featured at the New Prairie Little League field (NPLL), as well as fireworks later that evening.
Saturday, July 29, has many exciting features for all ages. The annual parade and inflatables are especially exciting for younger children and numerous bands live throughout the day. There are many other special features of the festival throughout the day.
Hometown Days even attracts people from out of state for its Wiffleball Tournament held at the NPLL field on Sunday, July 30. Many teams come out to the field in hopes to win the Hometown Cup. As teams get further down the wiffleball bracket, the championship is held on the Migley Field further into town.
The excitement and attractions cannot be fully explained so the best way to learn about the festival is to go and find what is most interesting.
Community member spotlight:
Dr. Bruce Watson has been the New Prairie Ladies Golf (NPLG) coach for the past five years, and he is not planning on stopping anytime soon. The NPLG team was established in 1972, just a few months after Title IX was passed. Title IX was passed and granted women in high school and college the right and availability to play sports competitively.
In 2018, Watson saw that NPHS would not be able to have a golf team because it did not have a coach. Although he had not played golf in high school, Watson previously coached Boys Golf at his previous school years prior. Since 2018, Watson has been the NPLG coach.
Since becoming the head coach, Watson has changed the NPLG program forever. Starting with only five members on the team in 2018, NPLG now has enough players for a Varsity and Junior Varsity team. The team has also advanced to the Regionals multiple times in the past five years, placed in the top three at the Sectional level, and had ladies go to the State Competition individually.
Watson also has a large presence in the community of New Carlisle, from placing flags with the Sons of the American Legion at a local cemetery to honor fallen soldiers for Memorial Day to organizing a large golf outing at the Birch Tree Golf Course in New Carlisle.
Due to his significant contribution to the history of NPLG legacy, as well as showing tremendous sportsmanship to other teams, Watson has been named Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) Coach of the Year.
“It is my honor to be selected by my coaching peers to represent New Prairie Schools and the entire New Prairie Community,” said Watson.
Even though Watson has taken the NPLG team to a 21-2 record in its 2022-23 season and had his team advance to Regionals, he says his proudest moment to witness these past years is his team’s academic performance.
“Five years in a row, the Ladies Golf Team has the highest GPA of all sports teams at New Prairie,” he said.
Watson plans on sticking around for the foreseeable future.
“I will still be coaching and the Ladies Golf Team will continue to be competitive at the conference, sectional and regional level,” Watson said.
There is no doubt that Watson has taken the program very far, but he has also made a great impact on all of his players and the community around him.