AD Korner

Welcome to Homecoming Week!

While it may look a little different, it remains a week of tradition and special meaning to our athletics community. We have a number of virtual programs available to help us connect with one another and to share our love for all things Prairie Fire. Our sport reunions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will allow alumni to catch up with each other and will provide friends of the program a chance to learn a little more about our teams through conversation with our head and assistant coaches. I invite you to view the full slate of events which can be found on the Homecoming webpage.

Throughout September and October, all 18 of our teams have returned to practice and it has been wonderful to hear the sounds of sports back in our building and on our fields. The Prairie Fire have been slowly moving through various phases of training protocols following NCAA, Midwest Conference, National Athletics Trainers Association, CDC, state, and local guidance. While none of our teams are experiencing a “normal” practice environment yet, we are to the point where the student-athletes are being challenged and skills are sharpening. Weekly COVID testing is a way of life for our student-athletes and will remain as an important part of our protocol as we continue to progress to more permissive practice sessions.

I cannot stress enough how impactful it has been to have student-athletes’ return to practice. It has allowed them to connect with each other on a consistent basis, which is something that was missing in the COVID dorm and campus environment as at no point in a dorm or other on-campus environment can our teams bond as a larger group. As some teams have begun slowly progressing to larger practice units this month, this has been the first opportunity provided to first-year student-athletes to connect and spend meaningful time with their upperclassmen teammates. The return to practice has also allowed the student-athletes to connect daily with their coaches and trainers. This has been critical as we want to be sure that as an athletics department we are offering a comparative experience for our student-athletes with other schools practicing and even some competing. Our hope is to return to competition in late winter or spring, but for now, we will focus on providing as robust a practice environment as possible within the set guidelines. As a department and as a College it has truly taken all of our efforts to retain our student-athletes, address their need for structure and a sense of athletics community, and for their overall wellness. But those efforts have paid off as I can tell you that our student-athletes have consistently voiced to me their pleasure with being back on campus and most especially, their return to more typical practices – well, typical in the COVID era.

Go Fire!

Daniella Irle
Director of Athletics

K Club Update

Homecoming Notes: 

Homecoming week is here and I hope you are just as excited as I am about the full slate of events that the College has to offer! Among the many virtual events that are taking place this weekend, we’ve planned plenty of opportunities to engage with Prairie Fire sports and I do hope that you’ll join us. The athletics centric offerings include: a live virtual reunion for each sport hosted by each head coach, a live panel featuring two Prairie Fire student-athletes, a chalking contest with prizes for the winners in each division, and a live chat with Knox icon, Harley Knosher. For more details and event registration, please visit the main Homecoming webpage!

Please note that the Zoom links for the sport reunion events will be emailed out from each head coach approximately 24 hours prior to the event, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. Additionally, the Zoom link for the ‘Chat with Harley’ event will only be available to those who register on the main homecoming webpage, so be sure to register as you don’t want to miss out on this event! 

If you have any questions regarding acquiring a Zoom link for an athletics event, email me at ckeller@knox.edu. 

Learn From The Prairie Fire Series Update:

Did you miss last week’s debut featuring women’s soccer player Michaela Thawley ‘22? No worries, you can check out the Learn From The Prairie Fire homepage which will be home to every video in this series. This fun and interactive series with your Prairie Fire student-athletes will run the length of the 2020-2021 academic year so be sure to keep an eye on your monthly FireWires, all Prairie Fire social media channels, and the occasional Gizmogram to catch one from every sport! Please share the links with your children, grandchildren, or perhaps you prefer to perfect your own skills! 

Introducing the Forever Fire Series:

Also starting this October and running the course of the 2020-2021 academic year is a brand new career development series open to all current student-athletes made possible by the K Club Engagement Council. Monthly Forever Fire events give Prairie Fire student-athletes the unique opportunity to listen, learn, openly ask questions, and connect with K Club Engagement Council members across a wide range of professional backgrounds in live virtual events. This month’s kick-off event featured K Club Engagement Council member Jordan Anderson ‘19 who offered helpful insight about his path to landing a job with the National Football League as a social media production assistant, as well as the crucial role that his experience as a Prairie Fire student-athlete played in helping him get there. This brand new series is another example of a great and exciting way that K Club Engagement Council members are getting involved with Prairie Fire student-athletes. 

Fall Fundraising Campaign:

This fall we plan to build upon the positive momentum that donors, and the athletics department have built over the past three years. Our athletics department and our sports teams largely operate on your support, and this year, even more so than others, your support is critical in helping us continue to trend in the right direction. This year your annual gift will help pay for COVID-related adaptations to our facilities, additional training and leadership programming for our coaches, equipment, and gear for all teams, and, most importantly, our coaches’ efforts to recruit next year’s class. Meet the moment, and give to K Club this fall to continue to positively move the trajectory of Knox athletics for years to come. 

I look forward to 'seeing' you at an event Homecoming weekend, and as always, Go Fire!

Crew Keller
K Club Coordinator