Knights begin with facility upgrades

Posted Aug 9, 2010 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 9, 2010 at 03:10 PM

Robinson’s football team began the 2010 season in style.

When the Knights showed up for their first practice Monday they were able to view their refurbished 800-square foot locker room, which had been outfitted with 61 freshly-painted wooden lockers (complete with personal lock boxes and name plates), new carpet and a flat-screen television.

The project, spearheaded by assistant coach and Robinson grad Shawn Taylor, took nearly a month to complete and came at a big bargain – all of it was done for $7,000 – thanks to the help of some local businesses.

One of the biggest contributions was in terms of labor, which was provided for free by On The Level, a company owned by Dan and Joi Lovely, the latter of whom is a Robinson alumnus. The couple also has a son, Brooks, on the Knights football team. In addition, Grow Financial kicked in $3,000, the largest single monetary contribution to the cause. All of the funds were raised through donations.

Taylor said the project was meant as a reward to the team, especially the seniors, for all their hard work.

“We wanted something nice for them. We expect a lot out of them, both on the field and in the classroom, and we didn’t want to just take, take, take,” Taylor said. “We wanted something they could be proud of.”