ConnectTheKnox Julia Hurley

Marissa Kalsey is a pole vaulter and Olympic hopeful who moved to Knoxville to train with world-class coaches. In this episode of ConnectTheKnox, we explore how living in a central southern location like Knoxville affects training for track and field athletes. Marissa also describes the risk involved in pole vaulting, and the intense qualifying process athletes like her go through to compete at the Olympics. Tune in to learn more about the track and field community in Knoxville, as well as Marissa’s favorite local hangouts. 
00:00 Intro
00:36 Marissa explains how she moved to Knoxville for Olympic pole vault training 
02:04 Marissa describes what the Olympic training process looks like here in Knoxville for the pole vaulting program
05:30 How Knoxville differs from where Marissa grew up in Pennsylvania, and why our central location makes travel for fun and pole vault meets convenient
08:26 Julia asks the question on everyone’s mind: How heavy are pole vaulting poles?
10:24 The equipment used in pole vaulting and the potential for injury in the sport
14:55 Marissa explains the process of qualifying for the Olympics
17:31 Ad - Just Homes Group Realty Executives
18:14 How the pole vaulting and pro athlete community is growing in Knoxville
24:38 Marissa’s favorite spots around Knoxville, including Three Rivers Market, downtown restaurants, and more
26:06 How the ConnectTheKnox audience can support Marissa’s Olympic dreams
 
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Zane Chavez is a former pro baseball player who has traveled all over the U.S. and to 5 different countries in his career. So what made him decide to settle in Knoxville and open up a training facility for aspiring young athletes? Zane answers these questions and more in this episode of ConnectTheKnox. Tune in to learn the role No Chance HQ has had in multiple marriage proposals, why Zane feels the networking opportunities in Knoxville are an untapped resource, and the future plans for No Chance HQ’s baseball training facility. 
 
Highlights:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Zane describes how he came to Knoxville by way of his lifelong baseball career
05:10 What about Knoxville stood out to Zane amidst all his travels, and why he decided to settle here
07:35 Zane tells the story of how the No Chance baseball cap has played a role in multiple proposals
08:46 Ad - Dr. Joe Chiro
09:36 What Zane thinks of the biggest misconception he hears about Knoxville 
12:18 Zane’s thoughts on the value Knoxville’s networking opportunity presents to the younger generations
16:23 The types of training that Zane offers at his facility in Knoxville
20:33 Ad - Just Homes Group 
21:08 Zane fields Julia’s lightning round of questions about his favorite Knoxville spots
 
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Transcript:
 
Julia: Hey everybody, welcome to Connect the Knox. I’m your host, Julia Hurley. Today’s guest is one of my all-time favorite baseball players, Zane Chavez. Zane, thank you so much for being with us today.
 
Zane: You got it. Anytime.
 
Julia: Absolutely. Well, I am super excited that you’re taking time out of your day for us here in the Knoxville Tennessee market. I’ll see you got your Tennessee flag back there. Thank you so much for repping the UT Vols. Hey, Zane, let’s start this whole thing off with, tell us, you’re—basically, just tell us your whole life story. Where’d you come from? Where did you grow up? How did you end up in Knoxville, Tennessee?
 
Zane: So, I’m originally from San Diego, California. Played baseball my whole entire life. I was drafted out of high school. I did not sign out of high school. I went on to play junior college, Division One Baseball, and then NAIA Baseball.
 
And then I started my professional career in independent baseball. So, I did that for four years. It’s gonna be a lot of baseball stuff. I went down to Nicaragua for a winter to play winter ball. And then I came back to the states and then that’s when I signed with the Baltimore Orioles at 26 years old.
 
Made the high all-star team that year. Got hurt with an oblique injury. That kind of set me back that year. Came back the next year in Double-A with the Orioles. So, I played two years with the Orioles, in the Orioles organization.
 
They released me. I went back to independent baseball for two years, actually got released in independent baseball, and then started doing, like, Uber Eats in Dallas, Texas, where I was living at the time. The manager of that, of who I got released actually called me back and wanted me back that year, so we negotiated me going back down there. So, I went back down there to Laredo, Texas, actually, and then actually made the all-star team there for that year. And that was my eighth year of pro ball.
 
I decided that was—I played eight years I got to play in affiliated baseball with the Orioles, so I was going to hang them up. And then that winter, the Pittsburgh Pirates ended up calling me and purchased my contract. I was 30 y

Kole Cottam is a professional catcher for the Boston Red Sox and a long-time Knoxville resident. On this episode of ConnectTheKnox, Kole describes why he loves Knoxville compared to all the other cities in the country he’s traveled to as a professional ball player. Kole also reveals what he thinks can be done to attract younger residents to Knoxville, and why he feels Knoxville is a perfect place for his growing family. Julia gets Kole to open up about some of his favorite Knoxville spots, and Kole gives some encouragement to all the up-and-coming baseball players at UT.
 
Highlights:
00:00 Intro
00:23 Kole describes his journey to Knoxville and how he became a pro baseball player
04:07 Julia and Kole discuss Kole’s growing family
05:22 How is Knoxville different from Boston in Kole’s point of view 
07:49 Kole reveals his favorite city in the country (besides Knoxville, of course!)
10:11 Ad - Dr. Joe Chiro 
13:22 What Kole thinks Knoxville can do to attract younger residents
18:00 Ad - Just Homes Group
18:35 Kole answers Julia’s fire round of questions about his favorite Knoxville spots
21:55 Kole shares his favorite experience at a Knoxville sporting event
26:17 The advice Kole would give to up-and-coming baseball players at UT
 
Links Mentioned:
The Never Ever Give Up Jessie Rees Foundation: https://negu.org/
 
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Transcript:
 
Julia: Hello everybody, welcome to Connect the Knox. I’m Julia Hurley connecting you locally here in Knoxville to the nation. And today’s guest is Kole Cottam. Kole, tell us a little bit about you, how you’re connected to Knoxville, and what you’re doing now?
 
Kole: Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you very much for having me. I was born in Memphis, moved here with my family. I was around two. I've lived here since. I currently play for the Boston Red Sox and in their organization, and currently living in Knoxville, spending my offseason here. So, it’s uh… I love it. I love it. Lived here my whole life and I don’t really know much else.
 
Julia: Well, tell us a little bit about that entire journey because becoming a pro player in any sport requires so much, and Knoxville, as far as the nation is concerned, it’s just a really small town. How does the guy from a really small town get to go play for a pro team?
 
Kole: So, I grew up—like I said, I grew up here. I went to Knoxville Catholic High School just down the road. And fortunately, the University of Kentucky gave me a chance, so I played there for three years, had an unbelievable time there. And you know, I had a few good years, and so the Red Sox, they drafted me back in 2018 and then have been playing for them since.
 
Julia: That is so fantastic. What’s your position?
 
Kole: I’m a catcher.
 
Julia: Oh, my goodness. Okay. Somehow, magically—I’m going to tell you this story and tell the whole world this story—I don’t know what it is about baseball players that are catchers, but you all seem to be the crowd of people that I know. Another friend of mine who I’ll be doing another podcast with, I relocated him here and he was a pitcher—a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. And then he trained other catchers. And so, now there’s this gaggle of kids around us at all the UT baseball games, we have season tickets, they’re all catchers. They’re all being trained.
 
Kole: Yeah, I’ve known Zane for few years now, so—
 
Julia: Yes.
 
Kole: —so he’s a good friend of mine. So, I’ve known him for

Episode Summary 
Gloria Johnson, State Representative in House District 90, is a former educator who ran for office after seeing certain political issues not getting the attention they deserved. On this episode of ConnectTheKnox, she describes what that journey was like and how important it is to get involved politically if there’s an issue that’s important to you. Gloria also reveals her deep roots in Knoxville, and shares wonderful insights into why people love our city.


Highlights

00:00 Intro
00:19 Julia introduces Rep. Gloria Johnson, who describes her Knoxville roots and why her and her family were eager to return to Knoxville
03:31 How Gloria went from being an educator to running for a seat in the state legislature
07:06 Ad - GoSeeDrJoe.com
08:30 Julia and Gloria discuss why it’s important to speak out about political causes you care about
12:20 How children’s mental health affects the classroom 
14:20 Gloria discusses the importance of teaching children how to think, not what to think
16:47 The big issues that Gloria is planning to push for this year in the state legislature
19:26 Ad - Just Homes Group
22:21 Gloria and Julia discuss the importance of women running for political office
23:50 Gloria’s favorite memory of growing up in Knoxville
24:39 Gloria describes some of her favorite restaurants and spots in Knoxville

 
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Transcript:



Julia: Hey everybody and welcome to another episode of Connect the Knox. I am your hostess with the mostest, Julia Hurley, connecting Knoxville to the nation. Today’s guest is one of the top performing state legislatures in Nashville, Tennessee, the Honorable Gloria Johnson who represents Knoxville, part of Knoxville city. So, Knoxville has gotten so big now there are several people. We’ll let her explain that to you. Gloria, welcome. Thank you for taking the time. And if you don’t mind to introduce yourself, and your connection to Knoxville and just tell us your whole story here and how you ended up where you are.
 
Gloria: [laugh]. I don’t know we have time for the whole story, but thanks for having me on. I’m excited about doing this and having this conversation. Yeah, well, I am Knoxville. My family has been here for generations, my father’s family, and after dad graduated law school, they live down in Fort Sanders and then they lived in Norwood.
 
But when dad graduated law school, instead of going into practicing law, he went into the FBI. And so, when you go into FBI, they start you out in a large city and then they move you to—you have to go after that to a top ten city. So, we moved to Denver—or my parents moved to Denver—after law school with the FBI, and I was born in Denver. And then Denver was the large city we went to. Then he got transferred to Los Angeles, and that was the top ten city he got sent to.
 
And you know, my dad is a Tennessee—he was a Tennessee boy, and so his goal was always to get back to the city. And so, we went from Los Angeles to San Diego. There was an opportunity to come back to the southeast in Jackson, Mississippi, so we came back to Jackson. But we got back to Knoxville when I was in the sixth grade. So, I’ve been here since the sixth grade and my family’s been here for generations and Knoxville is definitely who I am.
 
I lived in Denver briefly and I love that, but I always miss the people. The thing that is so different are just the people here. And so, I stayed in Denver for three years when I moved th

Tammy White, President & CEO of Leadership Knoxville, came to Knoxville in 1990 and has been working to shape the growth of the city ever since. On this episode of ConnectTheKnox, she describes the incredible work that Leadership Knoxville is doing in our community, including the many programs they offer for UT Students, business executives, and the leaders of tomorrow - the youth of Knoxville. 
 
Highlights:

00:00 Intro
01:06 How Tammy came to Knoxville and what it was like as a newcomer and now
03:40 The history of Leadership Knoxville 
06:53 Ad - Dr. Joe Chiro www.goseedrjoe.com
07:25 Tammy walks through the programs that Leadership Knoxville offers and their focus on diversity as an organization
11:56 Tammy describes a partnership with UT Knoxville called Leadership Knoxville Scholars 
13:37 Leadership Knoxville’s fourth program, Youth Leadership Knoxville
17:09 Tammy describes Connect Knox, a civics solutions lab, started by Leadership Knoxville
18:57 What is The Big Table program, and how it brings people together throughout the community
22:58 Ad - Just Homes Group 
24:01 How people can get involved with Leadership Knoxville and find more information on their programs
25:56 Julia takes Tammy through a lightning round of questions about her favorite spots in Knoxville
 

Links:
Leadership Knoxville: https://www.leadershipknoxville.com Email: https://twhite@leadknox.com


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Transcript:
 
Julia: Welcome everybody to another episode of Connect the Knox, connecting the nation to Knoxville, Tennessee. I am your hostess with the mostest, Julie Hurley, and today’s guest is a true leader in the Knoxville area. You will want to connect with her, promise when this is all done with. Who we are interviewing today is the president and CEO of Leadership Knoxville, in itself one of the coolest entities in the Knoxville market, Mrs. Tammy White. How are you today? And thank you for being here.
 
Tammy: I’m doing awesome, Julia. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to be with you.
 
Julia: Absolutely. Tell us, aside from number one just signing your daughter to a lacrosse scholarship who got recruited—congratulations, Courtney—aside from all that amazing that’s going on, you stay so busy. Tell me about Leader—tell us all, tell us all about Leadership Knoxville and how you found your way into that, and kind of your backstory of Knoxville.
 
Tammy: Yeah. It’s kind of a crazy story. So, I will tell you I came to Knoxville in 1990. I was born and raised in South Carolina, and yes, I’m a Gamecock. That was my—I grew up really close to Clemson, right, so, so I still don’t wear orange just because it’s sacrilegious at this point, you know from that Penn State rivalry of Carolina/Clemson.
 
But I do pull for UT every game except for this one game every year that when they played my Gamecocks and I have to pull for my alma mater. So, needless to say, this past weekend, I was very surprised. I didn’t see a single play because I was in Dallas with my daughter at a lacrosse tournament. So, we never saw any of it.
 
But anyways, I came to Knoxville in 1990, and I remember coming up and visiting a friend when I was in college and I remember thinking, “Wow, Knoxville is, like, this really cool, fun place I would love to live here.” Never had any thought, you know, that like, six years later, I would end up here. And I did. And it was just, you know, it’s just kind of been a God thing and I love it. It’s been a great plac

Randy Boyd, legendary Knoxville entrepreneur and current President of the University of Tennessee, is a lifelong Knoxvillian who’s dedicated to giving back to his community. On this episode of ConnectTheKnox, he describes how an early failed business in his career lead him to where he is today, and the work he’s doing to help send Tennessee kids to college free of charge. Randy and Julia discuss how UT is growing along with the rest of Knoxville, and ways that the local community can get involved in their Everywhere You Look, UT campaign. 
 
Highlights:

00:00 Intro
00:50 Randy introduces himself and describes his dedication to Knoxville and family
2:13 Randy describes his entrepreneurial journey and how he started his non-profit, tnAchieves
05:12 Why Randy launched the “Everywhere You Look, UT” campaign 
10:32 Randy describes the partnership between UT and Oak Ridge National Lab 
12:33 The Tennessee Promise program and how it inspired Randy to create something similar for UT
16:10 The growth plan for UT Knoxville and the rest of the UT campuses state-wide
19:13 Ad - Just Homes Group
19:58 How people can help support the Everywhere You Look, UT campaign
21:03 Randy describes his running career and his favorite marathons
23:46 Julia fires off her lightning-round questions on Randy’s favorite local spots

Links:
tnAchieves: https://tnachieves.org/
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Transcript:


Julia: Welcome, everybody to Connect the Knox. I’m your hostess with the mostest, Julia Hurley, connecting the nation to Knoxville, Tennessee. Today’s guest is literally my all-time favorite Knoxvillian. I don’t know how everybody else feels about it, but that’s just how you’re going to get it today. Mr. Randy Boyd, University of Tennessee Knoxville’s president, all-around most amazing father, most amazing son, most amazing husband, most amazing friend, I think the best president UT has ever had. I’m going to keep going. But we’re going to start and let him talk a little bit about himself. Randy, can you tell us a little bit about you, about your family, your Knoxville history, and how you ended up where you are today?
 
Randy: Oh thanks, Julia. And I’m going to go back and check your other podcasts and see if you introduce all your other guests exactly the same way.
 
Julia: [laugh].
 
Randy: But for the moment at least, I’m going to suspend disbelief and say thank you for that very kind introduction. But yeah, I’m a Knoxville native, born and raised, president of the University of Tennessee. I tell everybody all the time that I’m going to be a resident long after I’m a president. This is where I was born and this is where I’ll finish the rest of my lives. I guess if I started with the most important thing to know about me is that I’m a grandfather.
 
I’m called Poppi and I have two granddaughters that are the most adorable in the world. One’s four-and-a-half; she’s [Wiley 00:01:23]. Another that’s two; her name is Penelope. I have two sons. One is the father of my granddaughters, Thomas, and his wife Lindsay, and my younger son is Harrison.
 
Both live in Fourth & Gill in Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve been married to Jenny now for 37 years. We’ve known each other for 39 years, and we built this wonderful life here in Knoxville. She’s the talent in the family. She plays the clawhammer banjo, the fiddle, the mandolin, and owns Boyd’s Jig and Reel. That’s her place where she has—
 
Julia: My favorite restaurant.
 
Randy: Oh, thank you for t