Fit2BTide S09.E07: Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. [00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'. [00:00:10] Speaker C: All. [00:00:10] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And Nika, my friend, I just don't know what we're going to talk about in this first five minutes because I know you and I are both biting at the bit to have our guest on in our next segment. [00:00:26] Speaker C: I know. I am so excited. Got an OG from back in the day. Yes. [00:00:33] Speaker B: I, I mean, I don't know. I mean, we, we're, we're definitely going to be doing a lot of teasers with this for now because we'll do the official introductions after the break. But Na, my friend, how are you? [00:00:47] Speaker C: We are in March and it is all of the madness that I said it was going to be. Yes. How about you? [00:00:53] Speaker B: Same. And I am assuming because, you know, as our listeners know, we pre record the show. So by the time this airs, we have sprung forward with that time and I just, I don't know if I'm ready for it. I'm ready for the longer days, the longer sunlight, but just that first day, it's a little bit of an adjustment, I'm not gonna lie. [00:01:12] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I'm waiting for them to pick a time and stick with it and stop doing this back and forth stuff. [00:01:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:01:19] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:01:20] Speaker B: Well, you know, I was thinking about what we would be discussing in this first segment and I was like, okay, well, I'll, I'll make it tie in somewhat to our guests that we'll have on the today. You know, we talk so much about nutrition and movement and all those good things on the show, but Nika, I don't know if I've ever asked you directly what is, what are your favorite forms of movement for yourself? Like if you are thinking about, you know, a perfect day of movement or how you like to get that heart rate up, something that is enjoyable for you, what does that look like? [00:01:56] Speaker C: Anything that does not include a bicycle. [00:01:59] Speaker B: That is fair. [00:01:59] Speaker C: Yeah. I love to walk. I love to walk. I don't, I don't run. Run spelled backwards is nerd. And it's a nerve for me. I, I completely respect those who can, but I just, it hurts. I like to walk. I like to dance and I like to swim. [00:02:18] Speaker B: Really? I didn't know the swimming I do. [00:02:21] Speaker C: What about you? [00:02:22] Speaker B: Okay, so I. Some good old walking. Really love that. And you know, it's actually funny because I remember from, you know, a past time that you were on the show, but you were wearing your guest Hat instead of your co host hat that you were talking about walking specifically for women. So ideal because you can do it anywhere. It promotes good posture. You don't have to. Yes. You don't have to have special equipment. It's a great social way to catch up with a friend. Yeah, all of those things. So I do like some walking. I do like me a good group exercise fitness class. There's just something fun about somebody just telling me what to do and it's pre programmed and then getting my heart rate up. And I will say listeners, especially if you've been listening to the show for quite some time, you remember our previous co host Whitney Pape who was on the show for quite some time and I would say she was a dynamic duo with NA in terms of some power walking, you know, them catching up that way. And then y' all also co teaching a group exercise class. This was back in 2011. It was that body blast class. [00:03:34] Speaker C: Right. We did two 6am and 12. We did two boot camps and we did it with you guys. [00:03:42] Speaker B: Yes. Well, so I was in that lovely 6am cohort and I think a core memory for me now I remember the two of y' all were like, okay, ladies, we are going to take it out of the studio today. We're going to go down to the basketball courts. We have these sliding disc and I remember you had us put those sliding disc on the, on the tips of our toes and we had to get in a plank position and we had to race each other by pulling ourselves with our arms and race across the basketball court in a plank position. [00:04:15] Speaker C: We had a lot of really unique fun things we did. But hey, I mean we got y'. All, we got y' all ready. Yeah. [00:04:25] Speaker B: I mean there was definitely, you know, I could see, see the inspiration from some Billy Blanks, Taebo. [00:04:31] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:04:31] Speaker B: And some other stuff. But I don't know, I'm just, I'm planting that seed because I'm, I'm hoping it gets brought back in some way. If you are ever feeling like adding in an additional extracurricular activity and you want to go back to some group exercise instruction, I would be here for it. [00:04:49] Speaker C: I would love to have that energy again. [00:04:51] Speaker B: It could be a little, well, bama class, I'm just telling you. [00:04:54] Speaker C: Or we could just power walk. [00:04:55] Speaker B: Yeah, we could just power walk. I actually maybe, yeah, maybe we could power walk. [00:04:59] Speaker C: We'll start with that power walk. [00:05:00] Speaker B: Go for some Mexican afterwards. [00:05:02] Speaker C: How's that? I'm all. That's balanced. [00:05:03] Speaker B: Right. Okay, well, I tell you what. Guys, if you aren't spending your march that way, I don't know how you should spend it. But thankfully, we've got to take a quick break, you guys, and when we get back, we are going to introduce our mystery guest. You have been listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. [00:05:27] Speaker A: Wvuafm, tuscaloosa. [00:05:36] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And I am so excited. For the first time, our captain, our fearless captain has given me the honor to introduce our guest. So just a little background. This is one of my dear friends from you hear me say all the time when I used to work at St. Vincent's Bill Holmes, who is the executive director of the governor's commission on physical fitness and sports for the state of Alabama. Bill, welcome. [00:06:15] Speaker A: You have no idea what treat this is, being with you both. Oh, this. I've been looking forward to this. [00:06:20] Speaker C: I was so excited. So Phil used to be right across the hall for me back in the. [00:06:25] Speaker A: Back in the day. [00:06:26] Speaker C: Yeah. 2010, 2011. And now our worlds have collided because Sheena met feel. [00:06:36] Speaker B: That's right. Through the Alabama wellness Alliance, through Alabama department of public health. And so, you know, as we were talking about people we know and then Nika, your name had been brought up, and, you know, we're both giddy, and every the first time we realized the connection, and then it was this long standing conversation of, oh, Phil, you got to come on the show. You got to come on the show. Well, now we're finally making it happen. [00:06:59] Speaker C: Y' all can tell you how we finally made it happen. Phil has a son that is a student at the University of Alabama. So we can get him down here with, you know, dangling that carrot. [00:07:11] Speaker A: Any excuse to get to Tuscaloosa to spend time with my son is, hey, I'm all for it. Yeah, it's worked out good. [00:07:17] Speaker C: Thank you so much for joining us today. So feel even though Sheena and I know who you are, our listeners need to know. Tell us about, you know, your hometown, your educational background, how did your career path lead you to your current position, you know, at the governor's commission on physical fitness and sports. [00:07:37] Speaker A: Okay. Well, I was born and raised on the west side of Birmingham and grew up there, spent my life there, got into sports. Sports was such a big part of. Of my growing up. We were outside. If we weren't on the ball field, we were outside swinging in trees, riding a Bike, skateboard, lots of visits to the er, but we all survived. So after that, that's. That led me to playing sports in college and then some after that. And so after baseball, realized I had to have a real job to make a living. So was offered an opportunity to get on at St. Vincent's in the marketing and wellness department. So that's when I met Nika. Had the pleasure of working with her and just noticed from there that there was such a need. We did a lot of community outreach at St. Vincent's which was awesome. But doing that, doing the health fairs, doing the community work, you see such a disparity in different. Different classes and the haves and have nots, and, you know, not just about health care offerings, but also, you know, the schools and what they were lacking and sports. I didn't see a lot of people having the same opportunities I had growing up. And, you know, I was fortunate enough. My dad coached a lot of my baseball teams growing up. So, you know, I love that. And. But back then, you played one sport for three or four months, then went on to another sport. You played multiple sports a year. [00:09:08] Speaker C: Right. [00:09:10] Speaker A: And, you know, because of that, and we can talk more about this later, but, you know, we've seen such a increase in younger kids and athletes, boys and girls, having to get operated on, having to go into under the. Under the knife, you know, 10, 11, 12 years old. That's crazy. [00:09:27] Speaker C: Or like overuse injuries. [00:09:29] Speaker A: Yeah, overuse. Because now it's all about travel ball. It's all about who's got the next private coach, who's got the this and then that. And when I was at St. Vincent's I also started doing work for Andrew Sports medicine. And we went out to all the schools and universities that we covered. And Dr. Andrews was a big proponent of not being overused. And even college scouts, pro scouts, will tell you that the athletes they look at, they want athletes that have played multiple sports, not just one sport all year round, because those are the kids that are going to wear out. They're going to be having surgery and. And think about it. When we were young, it was, you know, you were playing all the time. You were on monkey bars. You were on, you know, doing different movements. Right now these days, a lot of my friends that have kids in travel baseball, they do it 10, 11 months a year. [00:10:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:25] Speaker A: And they're doing, you know, private hitting and pitching coaches when they're not at practice. And then a lot of them are getting worn out, they're just tired of playing. And then what does that lead to? Kids are dropping out of sports and fitness before they get to high school, especially if they're not going to be the next big thing. So, yeah, we. We see that a lot. And then there's this aspect of, you know, phones and computers, social media, that's really contributed to his inactivity. So with Sheena at the Alabama Wellness alliance, that's what we're pushing towards. We're trying to get more people out moving. And y' all were talking earlier on break about, you know, walking, power walking, just getting out walking. I do that every night. I've got two German Shepherds, and if I don't walk them every night or they let me know about it. So that's how I get a lot of my exercise in. But that's. That's a big problem we're having to deal with right now, trying to make sports fun again for kids and not being so serious, you know, because you got any game, I'll go to my son's high school soccer game or, you know, basketball games, anything. And you got parents out there acting fools, yelling at the referees, fights all over the place. That's not fun. [00:11:42] Speaker C: Yeah. Too much pressure, right? [00:11:44] Speaker A: You know? [00:11:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:11:45] Speaker B: And you're right. [00:11:46] Speaker C: You don't want a child to get burnt out and then go home and sit down and get up and do anything again. Right. [00:11:51] Speaker A: Because I bet y' all were probably like, me, if I was home, I was outside. My parents didn't see me until late after the, you know, the street lights came on. And then I even fought that. But I was, you know, if there was something to do outside, riding bikes, skateboards, whatever, you know, we were doing it. And now it's, you know, I know parents feel. I know. I, me and my wife feel the same way. These days, you can't just let your kids out, right, and let them walk somewhere or ride to the next neighborhood. I mean, it's. I know times are different, but that's definitely missing. [00:12:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:24] Speaker B: Well, Phil, you know, you brought up so many good points just in regards to, you know, students and sports and, you know, having someone who has played multiple sports and not getting burnout in one. What would you say to the parent that is trying to, you know, help their child explore what sports they're interested in? Because I'll even speak from personal experience, you know, I have in my head, oh, I want my 7 year old to play tennis, because that's what I played. And then, of course, I'm getting discouraged because early on they're saying, I don't know if that's what's for me. And then you probably see a lot of parents that regardless of how interested their child is in a specific sport or not, they may force them to play that because that's what the parent wants them to play. Do you run into that? [00:13:09] Speaker A: Such a great question. My dad, you know, he coached several of my baseball teams, but it's not like he ever forced me to play a sport I did not want to play. This kind of let me choose. So my wife and I really tried to all three of our kids from the very start, just not pressure them, anything, because we've got friends and we see, you know, parents that do what you say, they, they pressure and just until the kid just hates it. And that's never a good thing. But my son played baseball the first two years and I was like, oh, excited. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna get to coaches baseball teams like my dad coached me. And this is, we're gonna be at the park every day. And he came to me one night, he said, dad, I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but baseball is so boring, I can't play it. So he played basketball and soccer. I had to learn how to soccer. I coached his little soccer teams. Now it's one of my favorite sports. But I think that's so key is just not, not forcing, forcing your kid to do something just because. And now with the advent of, you know, nil money deals is filtering down now, younger and younger, seeing grade school kids being recruited and they're, you know, there's, they're going to be offered money under the table or above the table, it doesn't matter. But you know, these kids, they, their parents, when the parents get involved and start pressuring, that's when you're setting your kid up for failure. [00:14:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:14:34] Speaker A: Because they're not going to enjoy it. [00:14:36] Speaker C: No. And they're going to want to please you. [00:14:38] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. [00:14:39] Speaker B: Well, I know, Phil, we've got to take a quick break, but, you know, definitely on the other side, we want you to talk more about your role as executive director of the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports and what that exactly is because, you know, for our listeners are like, man, that is a fancy sounding name for an organization. What do they do? So we are going to answer that question, but we're going to take a quick break, get hydrated, run to the restroom, do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. [00:15:15] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa. [00:15:24] Speaker B: Happy Sunday. [00:15:25] Speaker C: You are listening to 50 Tides with Sheena and Mika on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:15:30] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, you have got to go back and listen to our last segment where we introduce introduced Phil Holmes, who is the executive director of the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports. And Phil was telling us about his background. And Phil, now we really want to focus on the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports. Tell us a little bit more about what the organization does in your role within the organization. [00:15:57] Speaker A: Sure. Well, our organization is we have seven board members from east district across state. Bobby Humphrey, former Alabama alum, is our chairman of the board. And he's just, he's amazing. Anything that we need help with or speak to school kids or any of our senior groups, he's always there. And we've got such a good board who really do a lot. But we're the bottom line for our commission is to promote and encourage everyone, all citizens to compete in sports, to be active in physical fitness as a part of a lifelong health journey. I mean, it's very simple. It sounds simple, but, you know, it's 2026 and I'm still surprised at how many communities and especially schools we go to, a lot of rural schools and, you know, inner city schools all over the state. And there's just still a lot of places that don't have the basics. So as we we partner a lot with different organizations, different corporate partners on helping provide, you know, PE equipment, basketball goals, soccer nets, just, you name it, just trying to give everybody the same opportunity for sports. So another big part of our program is the Alabama Senior Olympics. And I hope I'm not jumping ahead here, but it is for 50 and over. You got to be 50 years old to sign up. And we have everyone from people that just decided to pick up a new Sport in their 60s or get active again. We've got ex pro athletes. We've got a lot of ex college athletes who have made it their lifelong mission to stay healthy and live a healthy, active lifestyle. [00:17:51] Speaker B: I appreciate the fact that you talked about like just the, the wide spectrum of, of, I guess, you know, levels with the athletes, whether it's somebody who's just, you know, getting back into their physical fitness and have found a sport they enjoy or someone who is a former college athlete. Just so that for our listeners who may be interested in participating, whether it be now or in the future, it's like, okay, Well, I know. I kind of know what the playing field looks like, you know, and there's. [00:18:20] Speaker A: We have over, see 21, 22 Olympic style sports. We started back, back when the office was in Montgomery. Years ago, I think it had the number dwindled down to about 200 athletes. It was located mostly in Montgomery. We decided to move the office, the commission office, to Birmingham to be more central for the state and hire Deanna Pack. And she has turned the Senior Olympics into one of the top states in the whole country. Now We've got almost 1,000 athletes participating in those 21 sports. Pickleball, track and field, bowling, archery. We've added powerlifting, power walking. [00:19:01] Speaker B: I was about to say, did you have power walking? [00:19:03] Speaker A: See y' all out there in about 10, 15 years. [00:19:05] Speaker C: I wish it was that long. [00:19:07] Speaker A: But we've got basketball, men's and women's softball. And speaking of basketball, Buck Johnson, that played at Alabama years ago, played with the Houston Rockets. He's. He's on one of our men's teams. So it's. You see every level of athlete. We've got. Mr. Bo Karwell, who's 99 this year, will be 100 in 2026. He does track and field, hammer and discus throw, and he is a World War II vet that helped liberate some of the concentration camps. He also lit the torch for the 2017 National Games here in Birmingham. And he tells me now, he goes, phil, you know, I can't go anywhere. I can't. I can't go anywhere from here to Texas because I go somewhere into. I go to Walmart or I go to a restaurant, and people want to come up to me and want to [00:19:57] Speaker B: autograph or ask, oh, my lantern. [00:19:59] Speaker A: He's a little bit of attention ham. [00:20:02] Speaker C: But, hey, when you make it that far and I can still run track, he does long jumps, you can be an attention hog. [00:20:11] Speaker A: He long jumps, too. [00:20:12] Speaker B: Long jump, long jumps. [00:20:14] Speaker A: Now, I will say this. His wife passed away when he was about 87. Okay, 87. He hadn't participated in sports since he was younger. Probably when, you know, right when he was in the war, right before the war, he started exercising because he just didn't want to just sit there and feel sorry for himself. Well, 10 years later, he's lighting the torch for the Olympic Games and on every TV and radio show you can think of. So. [00:20:42] Speaker C: So what I'm hearing is you don't have an excuse. [00:20:44] Speaker A: No excuse. No excuse. We will take some of our gold medal winners, some of our athletes from all ages and we'll take them to schools and we'll, we'll walk up, especially track and field and, you know, we'll, we'll walk up with our athletes and we'll challenge some of the young kids in some of the track and field events or basketball, free throw, shooting. We're just, you know, we're just trying to show the young kids, especially any age, there is no excuse. Because if you're going to pick up a Sport at 87. [00:21:14] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:21:15] Speaker A: And Excel at it and have fun. But you know what it's about competition Machine is all about. It's also about the camaraderie. [00:21:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:21:24] Speaker A: Every year, nationals or the Alabama Games, these athletes get together and it's like a high school reunion. They have so much fun. There's, you know, lifelong friendships they've developed and they help each other stay accountable for going to practice or work out or run or jog or shoot basketballs or shoot archery. So it's, that's what I love, seeing the friendships that are made about this. [00:21:48] Speaker C: That's what I was going to ask you, you know, what aspects of your work bring you the most joy or motivation. But it seems like, you know, you answered that unless you have something to add. [00:22:00] Speaker A: I did. That's a big part of it. And Dee, if Dee was sitting right here with us, she would, she would definitely say she loves working with the seniors and they love her, too. I mean, she pours her heart into it and it shows. You know, we're already busting at the seams right now for our games, which is a good problem to have. But another part of our job that we love is getting to go. Like, we'll get a call up. We had one from Demopolis, a town in Demopolis, and they said, hey, we, we've got the young kids, don't have anywhere to shoot basketball because the older kids, they come and they take over the basketball court. And we have like 20 or 30 little kids that they just sit there and watch. They won't play. So we partner with Albone Power and we found a basketball goal, went down, put the ball, put the basketball goal in, and we just had the 2017 national game. So we had like two or three dozen nice basketballs. So we load up, take all that down there and have a little grand opening for their basketball court that's fenced in by the community center. So now when they come, they don't sit inside or just play cards. They get to play basketball out there and, you know, things like that. Then we had one school and I'll make this quick. But we had one school in downtown Birmingham that the boys team soccer team, they, they had goals, but the girls team, they just started, didn't even have soccer goals to practice on. They were practicing on makeshift goals like wood and whatever they could find. So called up my, my friend Coach Ryan Libe at Broadwood Soccer, and he said, hey, we just, we're getting new goals in that, so you take these. So we loaded up some soccer goals, night official size goals, new nets and took them down. And that's what it's about. It's about working with partners. And, you know, because we're just one small office, but there's so many groups in Alabama like yourself who's trying to make a difference that, that, you know, they are making a difference. It's just, we're trying to really connect the dots and connect everyone. So, you know, because this is a, it's a lot of work, but when you partner with people, the right people who want to do things, you have corporations that want to give money for projects. [00:24:09] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:24:09] Speaker A: And so that, that has been a, you know, a very good blessing right there having, finding those people that do want to help and make a difference. [00:24:18] Speaker B: Well, I know, you know, we're, we're about to come on another break, Phil, but just, you know, as you're talking about all of this and the magnitude of everything that has to be orchestrated, how far advance are y' all planning for the next Olympics? Is it already, you know, a full year out that y' all are planning for the next time around? What does that look like? Because I'm sure, as you alluded to, there's so many different partners that, and agencies that you're, you know, you're partnering with for those resources and, and finding those spaces to hold those activities. [00:24:52] Speaker A: That, that's a great question. We, you know, a lot of planning goes into it. Before, like maybe 10, 12 years ago, it was, hey, just make it to the next Games and see what we can do to get, you know, just make sure everybody has a good experience. But now the Games have grown so much, we're having to find venues that can hold the people we've got, like table tennis and tennis that's going to be here on campus in Tuscaloosa coming up this spring in April. But when we're talking about cities in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, Opelika, these places, you, you've got to find the venues that are large enough and, you know, the sponsors, the directors who are going to run the track and field, which, you know, I found that is no easy task the couple of times that I've helped run it. It is. It is no joke. So Dee does a great job finding these directors, planning for out. And we've also have the National Senior Games is coming back to Birmingham in 2029. Now, that'll be, you know, Birmingham, surrounding area. So we're expecting about 15,000 athletes from all over the world, not just the US but from all over the world competing in that. So 2017 was such a success. They want to come back to Birmingham in 29. So we're already planning towards 2029. [00:26:11] Speaker B: Well, hot dang. Well, on that note, y', all, we gotta take a break. I know we're gonna continue some conversation on this, but get hydrated. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied, which Sheena and Nika on 90.7 capstone, [00:26:29] Speaker A: Wvua fm, tuscaloosa. [00:26:38] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. [00:26:39] Speaker C: You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we are joined today by with our guest, Phil Holmes, who is the executive director for the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports for Alabama. That's right. [00:26:54] Speaker B: And also, if you didn't get to hear our earlier parts of the show, we, you know, dropped some information on the fact that Na and Phil go way back. Me and Phil, we've known each other in our different circles, and so we're just having a grand old time. [00:27:09] Speaker C: We are having a grand old time. We are. But I do want to ask this question because it's in the, you know, the forefront of my mind here. So for listeners who are unfamiliar with the event you talked about, the Alabama Senior Olympics, how would a listener say, I think I want to get involved with that. How do I find out more? [00:27:30] Speaker A: Very simple. All they have to do is go to AL seniorolympics.org AL seniorlympics.org There is volunteer opportunities, a listing of all the sports, when they will be, what city they will be in. We've also have now have an ambassador program for ambassadors that people, you know, want to volunteer or help promote the Games, get some free swag, talk about the Games. So this is really taking off to the next level. So the website is the easiest way. It's got every information, tidbit you can think of. [00:28:08] Speaker B: So I'm kind of curious, you know, knowing that the games are happening in multiple Alabama cities. So how does that work? You know, are all of the sports replicated in Each of those cities or certain cities hosting certain competitions. [00:28:26] Speaker A: That's a good question. We were speaking earlier about the director. So we'll find the venue that's large enough. We try to find the nicest venues available that can hold the amount of people that we have registered. So it comes down to a selection process. And we have maybe five or six cities. And say each city might host three or four, five sports. So there are different sports played. A total of 21 sports will be played in those cities. But like Tuscaloosa will have tennis and table tennis here. [00:29:01] Speaker C: Okay. [00:29:01] Speaker A: And then say Huntsville might have volleyball and then Opelika, pickleball, archery. [00:29:07] Speaker C: You might have to do a little traveling, a little travel. [00:29:09] Speaker A: But, you know, a lot of our senior athletes, they're at that point where, you know, they can, they can do the traveling. [00:29:16] Speaker C: Right. [00:29:16] Speaker A: And you know, we try to make it easier for those, you know, the, the younger seniors that, you know, we try to plan a lot of events on the weekends where it is convenient. [00:29:27] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. They may not be retired, especially if you can start at 50. [00:29:30] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. [00:29:32] Speaker B: Now, I don't know if you know this off the top of your head. I know you're talking about some, you know, some, some athletes from teams here in Alabama that have, you know, have quite the stellar resume. But I'm curious, you know, do you have any athletes that compete in multiple events and do you know the record number of events that, you know, one senior has competed in by any chance? [00:29:55] Speaker A: We do. We have quite a number of seniors that will compete in multiple sports, even multiple sports at the national level and some that have won gold medals at the national level. So we have Dr. Larry Delucas, our very own astronaut from UAB and from the state of Alabama. He, he competes in multiple sports, actually in playing basketball. He won't mind me sharing this, but in a 3v3 basketball state qualifier, broke his nose going up for a layup in a. In a collision. And two days later he was due to speak to over a thousand people at a NASA conference. So he had a good story to tell. With a black eye. [00:30:40] Speaker C: Yes, there. [00:30:41] Speaker A: But we, A lot of, we have a athlete, Ms. Mary Kemp, who was 100. She passed away a year ago, but she was featured on NBC Sports at the Fort Lauderdale Games. She ran track and field and I think she might have been over 100, so. And we have 90 year old pole vaulters. You need to see that. [00:31:02] Speaker C: Yeah, I was gonna say how if we don't want to actually do, because we're not 50 yet. How do we go watch? [00:31:10] Speaker A: Yeah, the skip. We've got the schedule online. We'll have schedules, you know, around campus and you know, volunteer opportunities and you know, we've got videos on our website. You can go and just see some of these amazing athletes. I mean, when you're talking about 85 to 90 year old pole vaulters, which I couldn't do that now in my 50s, like you said, you said earlier, there's no excuse. [00:31:33] Speaker C: Yeah. I want to say this with my eye. [00:31:35] Speaker B: I know, I really, really do. Now, aside from the Senior Olympics, Phil, are there other large scale initiatives that the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports manages each year and overseas each year? [00:31:48] Speaker A: Yeah, we, we were real close with the Masters Games of Alabama, which is, it's competitive. It's not quite as competitive as the Senior Olympics do. A lot of the senior centers across the state, great turnout for that as well. That's held every year around October. And then the Alabama State Games, which is with Alabama Sports Festival, it's for all ages and Alabama Sports foundation puts a great, great event on and that, that's usually in June and that will be held in Birmingham this year. So everything from, you know, soccer to Ninja Challenge to, you know, all the other, all the other sports that they have and do a tremendous job. And we're also very involved with Alabama 100 mile challenge that we were working on, on the Wellness Alliance. In a lot of schools we work real close with a spirit, which is the PE teachers organization for the state. They do a tremendous job. So we try to be a resource for them and help with their fitness assessment testing for all the students that I'm sure you had to take when you were younger. [00:32:57] Speaker C: So like the sit and reach and [00:33:00] Speaker B: shuttle running, you know it. Oh, yeah. Phil, would you say that this is your dream job? [00:33:11] Speaker A: You know, if I had to pick one, if I had to sit down and map one out, this would have to be it. I mean, getting to work with seniors one day, elementary kids the next day. And I forgot to mention earlier, we do baseball camps with Randy McGilberry, who pitched for the Royals, who's from Alabama. He's got an initiative, Pro Instruct, that wants to provide baseball camps with former major leaguers to kids at no charge. But it's more than about baseball. It's about going into a community, helping the, the kid, the PE teachers one day or reading to the kids and then bringing the kids out and enjoying a camp with major leaguers. So getting that working with Special Olympics Miracle League is every Day is so different, but, you know, there's so many. Even though there's. There's a lot of work to be done in the state, trying to get. Get our word out and what we're trying to do as partners like, like you guys that, you know, make it, make that possible and helping get our message out and so many people again that, that want to see the citizens of Alabama, you know, have the same opportunities and to get out and exercise and no matter what it is. [00:34:25] Speaker C: Yeah. And have fun. [00:34:26] Speaker A: That, hey, that is the name of the game is having fun. People have tried to make this too, too complicated. Right. [00:34:32] Speaker C: Right. [00:34:33] Speaker A: Just get out, walk. Just do something outside. [00:34:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:34:37] Speaker A: Get off the phone. Go. Or you can take your phone, listen to music. Just go do something outside. So. But yeah, I would say this, this is my dream job. I didn't think I'd ever leave St. Vincent's but, you know, as. As Nick can tell, you know, the hospital world, the landscape changes, acquisitions, different, you know, management, different leadership, you know, and. And that. I saw that when I was. I love what I did, but there's. I knew there was something, you know, my wife and I prayed for two years about. There was just something I felt like I needed to be doing. And God put this opportunity in front of me and getting a chance to meet with Bobby Humphrey. Growing up, you know, being a big Bama fan, I mean, that was a no brainer. [00:35:18] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:19] Speaker A: And then meeting the board members and seeing the passion. Yeah. So long winded answer. Yes, it is. Yes, it is my dream job. [00:35:27] Speaker B: Well, I love that. I mean, you know, like, Nika has been smiling ear to ear the whole time. Just, you know, we've enjoyed this topic today. We've enjoyed getting to see a friend on the show. And Phil, I hope that you're willing to stay with us in our last five minutes. [00:35:44] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:35:45] Speaker B: All right, you guys, we're gonna take a quick break. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 to Capstone. [00:35:57] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. [00:36:06] Speaker C: Thanks for listening. All. You've been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. [00:36:12] Speaker B: That's right. And today we have had the wonderful Mr. Phil Holmes, who is the executive director of the governor's commission on physical fitness and staff sports and a dear friend to Nika and myself. And it has just been so much fun. [00:36:27] Speaker C: It has been such a nice. I mean, I love all our guests, but this has been like a sweet little blessing. To kind of catch up and, and, and promote physical fitness, which, you know, I love. But Sheena is also giving me the honor to get to ask the random question question to our guest. But I will say I'm going to pull one out of Sheena's playbook and I'm going to ask one that's been asked before to our guest. But feel. [00:36:57] Speaker A: Yes. [00:36:57] Speaker C: When we're talking about exercising or getting ready for the day. What is your go to hype song? [00:37:08] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. [00:37:09] Speaker C: Like if we throw it on, if we throw that. [00:37:11] Speaker A: Really? You throw it on right now. If I give it to you, can you put it on? [00:37:14] Speaker C: I wish we could, but like, you know, maybe the magic of the, the studio engineers. [00:37:20] Speaker B: I know, I know. So if our producers are listening, maybe they can, they can make this happen. [00:37:24] Speaker C: They can make this happen. But if you're like, you know what? I've got to get my mind right. I gotta get hype. Coffee's not doing it. I gotta put on that song. [00:37:33] Speaker A: You know, that's, that's a good question because I have a lot, I have a lot of hype songs. Yeah, a lot of them probably. I would say ride the lightning. Metallica. [00:37:44] Speaker C: Okay. [00:37:45] Speaker A: I'm a big 80s hair metal. [00:37:47] Speaker C: Okay. [00:37:48] Speaker A: You tell with all my hair metal. [00:37:51] Speaker C: Yeah, y' all can't say he's got the greatest mullet right now. [00:37:54] Speaker B: Yes, yes, yes. [00:37:55] Speaker A: If I could grow it, I would have it. But yeah, probably that because in my another lifetime, I think I was a lead singer of a heavy metal Hades band. I think I was. [00:38:05] Speaker C: You think you are. [00:38:06] Speaker A: I would say Metallica. Metallica, definitely. Anything fast Metallica gets me going. [00:38:11] Speaker B: Okay, I could see that now, Phil, you know, you were, you've played baseball before now does that with what you mentioned with Metallica? Does that trend with your walkout song when you played. [00:38:23] Speaker A: That is so funny. [00:38:25] Speaker C: Did y' all have walkout songs? [00:38:26] Speaker A: Oh, we had the walkout songs. [00:38:28] Speaker C: Well, you know, I don't know much about, you know, boy sports because I have girls. I mean, I've always liked baseball, but I've never paid attention to the fact that there's walkout songs until I have nephews now. [00:38:38] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, of course now they get, you know, they have a lot more fun with their walkout songs than we had. But back then I just thought that was the greatest thing. But what I was about to answer, before I went Metallica, my walkout song was Motley Crue kickstart my Heart. So. [00:38:52] Speaker B: Oh, my six year old is obsessed with that song. [00:38:56] Speaker A: No way. [00:38:57] Speaker C: I could. [00:38:57] Speaker B: I could see that. That's a good. That's a good walkout song. [00:39:00] Speaker C: That is a good walkout song. Sheena, what would your walkout song be? [00:39:03] Speaker B: You know, I don't know. You know, I'm trying to think, you know, there's so many different ones because I'm thinking of, like, good classic, like, pop from the 90s and, like, early 2000s. Now, if I wanted to connect my Filipino heritage, there is this song by the Black Eyed Peas. And I forgot what the name of it is, but, like, in the chorus, they go Filipino, Filipino, Filipino. So, yeah, if that was my walkout song, when I'm about to come out to bat or whatever else, it would probably be that or, you know, or some. There's Jody Watley. I'm looking for a new love. Like, not that that's even. What. Just something about the beat of that song. I don't know, you know, or. Or Bobby Brown, like, my prerogative. [00:39:52] Speaker C: Oh, you can't go wrong with somebody. [00:39:53] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. How about you, Nika? [00:39:55] Speaker C: You know my hype song? [00:39:57] Speaker A: Anything? [00:39:58] Speaker B: Prince. [00:39:58] Speaker A: Purple Range. Oh, yeah. [00:40:00] Speaker C: Bombs Over Baghdad. [00:40:01] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:40:01] Speaker C: But now, if I had a walk outside, it had to be some Prince. Gotta be Prince now, you know. It's gotta be Prince. I will have to tell you guys this. I was pregnant with my second child the day that I was standing in line to get lunch at St. Vincent's when I found out that Prince had died. [00:40:14] Speaker A: It was a bad day. Bad day. [00:40:16] Speaker C: It was a bad day. Phil remembers it. I was like, I can't. [00:40:19] Speaker A: We were in mourning. [00:40:20] Speaker C: I had to go home. [00:40:21] Speaker A: I did. Yeah, I think I did, too. [00:40:22] Speaker C: I cried and had to go home. And so I'm big pregnant and not handling it very well. And our sweet friend Phil sends me a gift. And it is a Purple Rain T shirt with Prince's face on it. And can I tell you, it's come full circle because that little girl that I was pregnant with last year at school during homecoming, they had 80s day, and she asked to wear that shirt. [00:40:48] Speaker B: Oh, that's the best. [00:40:49] Speaker C: Is that not the best? [00:40:51] Speaker A: I needed that today. [00:40:52] Speaker C: Is that not the best? I love me some prayers, dude. [00:40:55] Speaker B: On that full circle note, we've got it in the ship. Like, that was the bet. I know. [00:41:00] Speaker A: We're just getting going. [00:41:01] Speaker B: Well. Well, it just means you got to come back. And listeners, we talked about this on the break because we were just planning ahead. But next time, Phil's gonna bring one of his sons, the one that is a student here. At the university of Alabama, so I [00:41:16] Speaker A: might have to pay him, but I'll bring him. [00:41:17] Speaker B: Hey, well, we're just, you know, we're already prepping you ahead of time, you know, one year out. But, you guys. Phil, thank you again for being on the show. [00:41:24] Speaker A: Thank you. It was a treat. [00:41:26] Speaker B: Listeners, thank you always for being with us. You have been listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. [00:41:38] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.