Ten Minute Warmup News
When we aren't playing with TMW, you can catch us playing with some other cool folks. Mark plays occasionally in Michiana either solo or with "Mark Ficks and some dudes". He leads worship for Overflow Church in Benton Harbor . Roger, who also does some solo work, plays with the worship band ConneXion at Forest Chapel Methodist in Forest Park, Ohio and with Crosspoint at Northminster Presbyterian in Cincinnati. Bill is now working in Vincennes with the Wabash Sound. Pete plays with Crosspoint at least once a month as well.
Roger, Janis, Emma and Peter toured Turkey, (yes, I said Turkey) . The UC Criminal Justice Division were guests of the Turkish National Police. In addition to some amazing adventures, they also brought back a beautiful copper Darkuba drum for TMW. Emma has managed to study in England and visit Norway, Wales and China this past year.
Mark will be honored as Michigan's USPTA Tennis Professional of the year at this year's Midwest Conference. Scott has recieved the United States Tennis Professional Association's Faye Tooley Award for service to the tennis profession. We are all proud of him for this well deserved honor. We are now hoping for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a bassist. We will let you know how that works out.
Also on the tennis side of TMW's world, Mark was a featured speaker at the USPTA Chicago Tennis Workshop. We are sure that the most impressive part of his resume' is his involvement with our band. Mark has recently taken the tennis director's position at the South Shore Athletic Club in St. Joseph, Michigan.
TMW has been honored to play some amazing benefit gigs. We were the closing act for the Katrina Hurricane Benefit in Niles, the Niles and Vincennes Relay for Life and last fall Pat Johnson joined us as we played for a unit of Army Reservist from Cincinnati who left for an 18 month tour in Afghanistan the next morning. We recently learned that unit has returned home safe and sound. All of them. This past summer we joined Scott Marshal for a great evening for the Council on Aging.
We entertained the folks at the Krasl Art Fair and the Venetian Festival on the St. Joseph River in Michigan. Both events, which hosts over 100,000 guests feature great music, art, shows, crafts and food. We also had the honor of playing for the 633rd Battalian of the U.S. Army Reserve in Wilmington, Ohio. Though we all had to slosh through some bad weather, it was an awesome event and we performed for about 700 of our fighting men and women.
Roger has rocked on a four state tour with the Crosspoint Worship Band. The tour included eight concerts, eight days, eight cities and 1800 miles. Check out the cool photos.
Emma, who coached varsity girls tennis at Cincinnati Christian High School in Fairfield, Ohio is now going to take over the head coaching duties at her alma mater, Finneytown High School. . She studied Criminal Justice at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England in the fall of 2006. While she was there, she hooked up with a worship band across the pond and played at the Edge Hilll Christian Union.
Peter continues to play tennis for Finneytown. This past year he was second team Cincinnati Hills League. Last year he was named All Star -1st Team. As a freshman with the LaSalle Lancers, the Cincinnati Enquirer listed Peter on their weekly Division I High School Tennis Honor Roll . He is the youngest player in the Greater Cincinnati area receiving the honor. While playing for the LaSalle High School Lancers, he also earned 2nd Team All League in the Greater Catholic League. He is also playing varsity golf for Finneytown.
Scott is the Director of Tennis at the WRC/Moorland Park Tennis Club in New Berlin, Wisconsin. If he doesn't freeze to death, he still plans to chop his Ibanez bass, “Falluja” out of the ice and play with us when possible.
Roger will make his fourth solo engagement for the TASS/Teaching Academic Survival Skills Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida this spring at the Hilton.
Professor Janis' book on the Ohio court system has been published and is now officially in the U.S. Library of Congress. She and Roger have co-written a criminal trial preparation text which is at the publisher now.