Hometown Huddle: The Promotion of Jenks Athletics

By: Kali Crowe

Dunk tanks, water balloons, and the aroma of barbecue in the air—what do they all have in common? Hometown Huddle. Each year, Jenks holds a fundraiser that brings students together in downtown Jenks to form a community and raise money for Jenks students and their sports.

While experiencing my second year at Jenks, I’m also experiencing my second year at Hometown Huddle. Last year I got to experience the community and different ways my peers promoted their sport to those who attended Hometown Huddle. As a bystander, I find Hometown Huddle interactive and fun, but this year I wanted to get athletes’ perspectives on Hometown Huddle and how it helps promote their sport.

Starting off with the Lady Trojans Lacrosse team, they have a fun way to promote their team by having people throw water balloons at them with lacrosse sticks. Not only does this fundraiser promote the team and help raise money, but it also gives you a chance to practice your lacrosse skills—and who knows? You might even unlock skills you never knew you had!

When interviewing Amber Kinsey, a lacrosse player since the 4th grade, she said that while Hometown Huddle does help promote the Lady Trojans Lacrosse team, they don’t have the turnout they’d like to.

“A way to get students to interact and go to Hometown Huddle would be if teachers offered extra credit to students who attend,” said Kinsey when asked what she would do differently in order to get the turnout they’d like. 

Overall, Kinsey did agree that Hometown Huddle was a way to promote Lady Trojans Lacrosse, but she also felt that there could be some improvement in order to draw more attention to her team.

Next, we head over to the Jenks Baseball Team. With an opportunity to practice your pitching, the baseball team uses a dunk tank to draw attention and raise money for their team.

“This helps the baseball team connect with our community and be a mentor to the younger kids,” said Manny Ward, a Jenks junior baseball player.

As someone who attends Hometown Huddle rather than participating in a booth, I value that the baseball team is aiming to reach more than the typical teenage audience.

“I personally wouldn’t change anything about what we do for Hometown Huddle. We connect with the community and give back to them,” said Ward.

So far, we’ve looked into two viewpoints from student-athletes involved in Hometown Huddle. Our final gain of insight will be from Jenks basketball player Ryan Goodwin. In Goodwin’s interview, he tells me that the basketball team normally sells Cane’s lemonade, but this year their coach is adding barbecue to the equation.

 “We get a bunch of donations and it really helps the basketball team and gets our name out there,” said Goodwin when asked if Hometown Huddle is good for drawing attention to the basketball team.

Goodwin also stated that Hometown Huddle is an opportunity to inspire kids to play basketball.

Jenks basketball players gather together to show their hometown huddle spirit.

You heard it best from our Jenks student-athletes. If you’re looking for not only a promotion of your sport but also a connection with your community, Hometown Huddle is the place for you. Join the Jenks student-athletes and community downtown to participate in these fun activities and help these students gain the attention they deserve!