Sandy Deel (LL '12), director of HR services and benefits, Thorntons Inc.
Leadership Louisville 2012 April program day
Our Leadership Louisville program day started at Valhalla. My husband considers it almost hallowed ground and I would agree that, even under construction, it is an impressive facility.
As a mother of a college bound football player and budding basketball player, I thought I knew a little something about sports in our community. However, I learned quite a few things that I didn’t know from Steve Higdon, Chairman of the Kentucky Sports Commission. For instance, I didn’t realize that our community doesn’t have a facility large enough to host the NCAA Final Four or Championship Game. After visiting the YUM Center I can’t imagine that we would need a facility that would hold four times the amount of people needed for one of those games.
I think perhaps my favorite part of the day was when Scott Martin, Parks Director of Parklands of Floyd Fork, gave his powerful presentation. I am not someone who is easily “sold” the first go around. It usually takes a vendor a few times to get me on board. However Scott Martin had me at Hello! He sold me lock, stock and barrel on the Parklands of Floyds Fork, and the visit to the Beckley Creek park facility sealed the deal. There is so much thought process that goes into planning each and every detail of the parks and Scott took us through some of those details. He described to us the thought process behind the playground equipment choices. Scott envisioned children playing together and working as a team. This was proven out when a few of my classmates had to work together to go around and around on a piece of the equipment. Some of my more competitive fellow classmates climbed to the top of the playground equipment (Go Tori Murden McClure and Mark Hogg!) and had a great time doing it.
I loved the visit at the Iroquois Amphitheater. I had not visited there since I was in high school and I didn’t know the amphitheater had been remodeled to the extent that it has been. It is a beautiful facility and I plan to make it a point to visit for some performances. The free Monday night movies in the summer caught my attention and I think that would be a great family outing – a day in the park finished off with a movie in the park!
I must say that I love being part of the Leadership Louisville experience and I think the staff gets so much great experience packed into just one day. I am always mentally exhausted at the end of these days but it is a good mentally exhausted and I will miss that. This was another GREAT program day and I hate to see the program (for me) come to an end.