Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-06-27 Euless ArticlesEuless Trinity grad’s summer sports camp expands, draws 350 By Shawn Smajstrla ssmajstrla@star-telegram.com Moses Vakalahi (right) speaks with Speltar Tonga at the annual summer Ikuna Sports Camp. Chris Chatterton Upswidedown More than 350 kids turned out in Euless recently to take advantage of the annual summer Ikuna Sports Camp. It was the seventh year for the event, which provides free instruction to kids from all around the Metroplex. The camp, which this year moved beyond football to include rugby, baseball and soccer, was the brainchild of Moses Vakalahi, currently an assistant football coach at Euless Trinity. Vakalahi graduated from Trinity in 1997 before playing at Texas A&M, where he later was a graduate assistant in the athletic department. “I always wanted to come back home at some point, especially for the opportunity to coach at my alma mater, and do something to give back to the community and give back to the kids,” he explained. “It was always in my mind to have the foundation as a platform to do the camps.” Patrick Vahe (77), who now plays for Texas, is shown doing the haka during his Trinity playing days. Vahe was a guest instructor at this year’s Ikuna Sports Camp. Ron T. Ennis Star-Telegram Archive In 2010, he was given that opportunity to join Steve Lineweaver’s staff. That first year, he set out to establish the foundation that would run and support the camps. “The first two years were tough,” he said, noting that there was a lot of fundraising and out-of-pocket expenses while the foundation’s nonprofit status was getting finalized. Some 100 kids showed up for the first football camp in 2011. “It was well worth it for us,” Vakalahi said. “It showed us we could do this.” The Trinity community is a special one, and that shows in one aspect that makes these camps unique. Vakalahi’s focus was for kids who go through the camps to someday be the instructors teaching the new kids. “Having the kids go through the program, graduate, go on to college and once they graduate or even during their career, come back in the summer and give back their time to the kids. Kind of that full circle,” he explained. Examples this year include Lamaefe “Junior” Galea’i from Oklahoma State, Patrick Vahe from Texas, and Sam Tevi, who was recently drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers. Tevi was a camp participant for seven years in junior high and high school. Another important aspect of the camp is the cost, which is nothing. It was a vital part of the vision, inspired by a lack of affordable options when Vakalahi was growing up. “I wanted to give the kids the same opportunity [as other camps] for free, to help them realize they can achieve their goals and dreams.” Ikuna plans to expand the camp to include basketball next summer, with other sports to follow in the future. And, of course, let’s not forget how it benefits the Trojan football program. “I think it’s helped them tremendously,” Vakalahi said. “We teach them a lot of detailed skills. They spend time with their skill position. There are a lot of volunteers. To get that type of experience for free, that’s a benefit to a lot of these junior high kids as they’re developing.” New Euless Main Street bridge means no more detours, more traffic for businesses By Elizabeth Campbell liz@star-telegram.com After a lengthy constuction the Euless Main Street bridge will re-open allowing customers to more easily get to the businesses affected by the closure. (Star-Telegram/Rodger Mallison) rmallison@star-telegram.com EULESS Drivers and business owners can breathe a sigh of relief after the new Main Street bridge opened Sunday. After Ahmed Ramadan opened the Hala Cafe on Main Street in Euless last year, the bridge over Texas 183 was demolished, and he worried that customers wouldn’t find his restaurant. But Ramadan, who serves Mediterranean dishes like hummus and kabobs, said he worked hard to promote his restaurant on Facebook and other social media sites, and handed out coupons and loyalty cards. “It has been a very challenging year for us,” he said as he greeted the dinner crowd last week. Ahmed Ramadan, owner of Hala Cafe, talks with customers Thursday. The Euless Main Street bridge reopened to traffic Sunday. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com On Sunday, the bridge reopened to its original capacity, Southgate Constructors said in an email. When the work is finished, there will be eight lanes: including two northbound and two southbound, a dedicated left turn northbound onto westbound Texas 183 frontage road, a dedicated left turn lane from southbound Main Street onto eastbound Texas 183 frontage road, one dedicated U-turn from eastbound Texas 183 frontage road to westbound Texas 183 frontage road, and one dedicated U-turn from westbound Texas 183 frontage road to eastbound Texas 183. Replacing the Main Street bridge is part of the $847 million Midtown Express project to reconstruct Texas 183 from Euless to Interstate 35E in Dallas. The project, an extension of the North Tarrant Express in Hurst and Bedford, includes rebuilding main lanes on Texas 183, improving access roads and ramps and adding one toll lane in each direction. Work continues on the Euless Main Street bridge Thursday. The bridge opened to traffic Sunday. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com When the work is completed, the 28-mile corridor of Northeast Loop 820 and Texas 121/183 will be rebuilt from Interstate 35W to Interstate 35E in Dallas. Ramadan and other business owners along Main Street stuck it out during the construction, which meant little traffic and long detours for customers. “I am very happy that the bridge is going to open. Just the fact that we can come north and south again is a big impact on my business and to Main Street,” he said. When the bridge was demolished, north Euless was cut off from the southern portion of the city. At Styles Barbershop, owner Herb Ridgley said he has been cutting hair on Main Street since 1998 and his customers know how to find him. Yet he got lots of complaints from customers about the long detours to get to the barbershop. Nick Collazo, who lives in Hurst, said he is used to coming across the Main Street bridge to get to the barbershop, which took around five minutes. Now, he has to drive an extra 10 to 15 minutes for his haircut. “It’s not significant, but it’s still a pain,” Collazo said.