Author: Erica Walters

An inside look at Under Pressure.

Chris Haley and Curt Franklin started reading comic books at an
early age. Now, roughly two decades later, they’ve written a comic book
about comic books.

Under Pressure was published in September by Createspace, an
extension of Amazon.com. Franklin and
Haley also publish weekly strips at letsbefriendsagain.com. (After the
line “Let’s be friends again” was written in one of their first strips,
both Franklin and Haley decided that it should be the strips’
name.)

“The book is a collection of our online comic strips with some
extras, such as commentary and pinups from friends,” Franklin said.

Both men began reading comic books when they were very young.

“For whatever reason, my family started getting me comics when I was
about 2 years old,” Haley said. “I can’t remember a time when I haven’t
had comics.”

Franklin, who started reading comics around age 7, does the writing,
while Haley illustrates the strips.

“I feel like the whole spectrum of my education was influenced by
the reading comprehension and vocabulary I learned from comics,”
Franklin said.

They said their comic strips are a reflection of whatever they’re
interested in that week.

“Art is essential to the success of a comic book,” Franklin said.
“It’s a visual medium, so the art conveys everything to the reader
except for the dialogue.”

But as Haley maintained, the strip is a collaborative effort.

“It’s ultimately a visual medium like [Franklin] said, but that’s
not to say that brilliant writing can’t make up for mediocre art,”
Haley said. “In other words, us.”

“Under Pressure” is available on amazon.com.

Randy Alexander has trouble getting around Memphis in his
wheelchair, and the city of Memphis isn’t helping.

“The curb ramps have long been an issue here in Memphis,” Alexander
said. “Currently, there are some real questions as to whether or not
the current way curb ramps are done is fully compliant. … The city
had 19 years to meet ADA standards.”

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act enacted new standards
for right-of-ways and curb ramps that require state and local
governments to make pedestrian crossing accessible to people with
disabilities. Cities had two years to complete a self-evaluation and
transition plan.

Memphis fell behind, and in 1998, local residents filed a federal
lawsuit against the city for failing to renovate its ramps. A few years
later, the Department of Justice and the city of Memphis entered a
consent decree that required the city to comply with the curb cuts
cited in the lawsuit. Since then, Memphis has replaced 14,000 of the
30,000 city curb ramps.

Wain Gaskins, director of city engineering, said the delay in
updating all the ramps is due to the large scope of the project. Each
year for the past 10 years, the city has set aside $2.5 million for
curb ramp improvements. Each curb cut costs the city around $1,650 to
replace or update.

“We are removing and replacing any exiting curb ramps that are not
ADA-compliant,” Gaskins said. “The curb ramps are being installed to
meet ADA requirements.”

The city is replacing curb ramps in areas deemed most urgent to help
with the mobility of people with disabilities. However, because of a
city ordinance, Memphis is not responsible for the sidewalk around the
ramps.

Memphis is one city where residents are responsible for fixing
sidewalks,” Alexander said. ” It’s not fair to us or them
[residents].”

The city expects to miss the deadline set forth in the consent
decree, but Gaskins believes that with the city exceeding the 1,000
curb ramps per year requirement, the Department of Justice will grant
it an extension.

“There are some parts of town that I avoid because they are not
accessible,” Alexander said. “The city is incredibly far behind in
access for a city its size.”

Memphis dog owners have panted over the possibility of a dog park
within city limits for years. But a new plan might have them breathing
easy.

Out of its 167 parks, the city of Memphis does not have one
designated dog park where canines are allowed off-leash. But with the
revamping of the parks and recreation services’ master plan, a dog park
is a possibility.

“We decided to update the master plan because of recent trends, such
as the need for skate and dog parks,” said Mike Flowers of Memphis park
services. “We’re looking for locations now.”

Many mornings at Overton Park, dogs run loose on the golf course
before golfers arrive. The area around the park’s Rainbow Lake also
functions as a de facto dog park, but it lacks a fence and trash
cans.

“We have to go where no one will notice us,” said Lisa Trentham of
Good Dog Rescue.

According to current regulations, dog owners are required to keep
their pets on a leash while in city parks. Those who don’t can be cited
by Memphis police.

Dog parks in other areas of the county charge fees and come with
stiff regulations. The city of Germantown charges residents an annual
fee of $40 and $60 for nonresidents and a mandatory education
class.

“At a minimum, a few dog parks with a fenced area would be nice,”
Flowers said.

One time, at band camp, 17-year-old Tasmine Ballentine auditioned
for a singers’ showcase. The Memphis native was one of five vocalists
chosen out of hundreds.

Ballentine, along with fellow Stax Music Academy students Ashton
Riker and Ricardo Canady, recently spent five weeks in Boston as part
of Berklee College of Music’s summer performance camp.

Each received a $4,000 scholarship for the camp from the Berklee
City Music Network, a group that helps inner-city youth afford the
program.

During the five-week camp, students attended private lessons and
gave live performances. Each student was taught to master a particular
style of music ranging from jazz to pop.

“This camp was geared more toward perfecting talents than
performance, like the Stax camp I went to,” Canady said. “In my first
private lesson, I was assessed and critiqued on my jazz technique. From
there, I was given musical pieces to practice.”

Riker began singing songs by Al Green when he was 4 years old. Last
year, he released his first album, “Lady Luck,” on iTunes. A recent
graduate of Ridgeway High School, he plans on taking a semester off to
work on his second album and then attend Berklee on a full
scholarship.

“Berklee is the Mecca of music schools. Thousands of musicians from
around the world come here,” he said. “It was definitely a learning
experience.”

Like Riker, Ballentine is a vocalist. “The most important thing I
learned at Berklee was to always be alert, always work hard, and always
put your best foot forward,” she said.

The only instrumentalist from the group was Canady. He plays the
alto saxophone and graduated from Central High School last year. He
plans on attending the University of Memphis for one semester and then
transferring to Berklee in the spring.

“People were competing for the same scholarships, but the
competition didn’t make people hateful to one another,” Canady said.
“Everybody was unique in their own way and learned from what others had
to offer.”

At the conclusion of camp, the three students played with 20 others
in an ensemble led by assistant professor Winston Maccow. The ensemble
played music by Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and Chaka Khan.

“The music was intense and so was Maccow. You couldn’t make a
mistake,” Canady said. “But it wasn’t like your typical band director
who was down your throat. The musicians were dedicated. We knew we had
to do our work.”

Erica Walters

Last Thursday, a room of some 30 Grizzly Girl wannabees heated up
the New Ensemble Ballet dance studio during a pre-audition workout.
Under the careful gaze of Grizzlies dance coach Tamara Moore, the young
women shimmied their way up and down the floor — all vying for
the chance to be a member of the Grizzlies dance team.

Their eyes did not leave the mirrors that lined the studio as they
watched themselves shrug their shoulders, pivot, and shake their jazz
hands. No two dancers looked alike. There were girls fresh out of high
school and others closer to 30. While spandex seemed to be a theme that
night, some girls chose to wear Grizzlies outfits while one wore a
Playboy bunny T-shirt. With an average of 100 girls trying out during
auditions, the girls at the workout hoped to gain a leg up on the
competition.

Even though the girls here may have an advantage over the dance-team
hopefuls who didn’t attend, their chances of being selected are based
on more than their moves. “I look for beauty and talent,” Moore said.
“But above that they have to have personality. It’s all about
charisma.”

Moore knows talent; she has been teaching choreography for 15 years.
The native New Yorker was chosen to be the Grizzlies’ dance-team coach
two years ago.

While age, dance experience, being a student or having a job, and
reliable transportation are basic requirements for making the team,
there are no other set criteria. And last year’s dancers have to try
out as well, so no spot is secure.

“They must be at least 18, but after that there’s no age limit,”
Moore said. “I’d say the average girl trying out is around 22 or
23.”

Boys get the cold shoulder when it comes to being part of the dance
team.

“I won’t say they can’t [try out],” Moore said. “But it is an
all-girl team.”

During the two-day auditions, only 30 to 40 girls will move on to
the second round, which will be held August 22nd at FedExForum. In the
end, about 16 girls will be picked.

Not only do the chosen girls get to be part of the team, they become
season ticket holders and receive compensation for special appearances
and the games they attend.

Moore said the hard work is worth it. “They become mini-celebrities,
and they get to do what they love. Every game is like a girls’
party.”

Early this year, Robin Wheeler lost a close friend, 31-year-old
Charlie Bonner, to stomach cancer.

Before Bonner’s death in February, however, he went to a Reel
Recovery retreat in Denver.

“He had a very good time,” Wheeler says. “He looked forward to
going, and he came back recharged.”

Reel Recovery is a program where men battling cancer come together
to escape, interact with each other, and learn how to fly fish. The
majority of the retreats are as close as Texas, but some are as far
away as California.

Now Wheeler is trying to help more local men have a chance to attend
the fishing retreats.

On Friday, August 7th, Wheeler and others will host Reel Aid at
Minglewood Hall with Inner 61, Gabby Johnson, the Dirt Brothers, and
the Jeff Scheetz Band. Proceeds from the event will benefit Reel
Recovery, Casting for Recovery (a program that helps women recovering
from breast cancer), and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for
disabled military personnel and veterans.

“To date, we have conducted 65 retreats in 12 states, and every one
has been completely free to participants,” says Stan Golub, executive
director of Reel Recovery.

The average price of a retreat is $700 a person, and each retreat
normally accommodates 12 to 14 patients. Wheeler hopes to raise enough
money for people in the Mid-South to attend a Reel Recovery retreat in
Arkansas.

“They learn they are not alone, that others have dealt with similar
issues, and they gain a network of support and friendship to help them
with their recovery after the event ends,” Golub says. “We treat them
like kings for a couple days, and they leave rejuvenated and
replenished from the fun, camaraderie, and spirit of hope that pervades
the entire experience.”

Srdjan Draskovic | Dreamstime.com

Memphis based Treadmill Doctor makes house calls for broken fitness equipment.

When Jon Stevenson was in high school, he needed a job to make ends
meet.

“I got involved in fixing fitness equipment for Richard Mercer,
owner of Super Store Exercise Equipment,” Jon says. “To boil it down, a
nice old man took pity on a kid.”

It’s a high school job that has continued to pay off. With his
brother, Clark, Jon now owns the Memphis-based Treadmill Doctor, the
largest fitness-equipment service company in the nation.

“We decided to start [Treadmill Doctor] in 1998 as a result of going
back to graduate school,” Clark says. “Both Jon and I had worked in
fitness assembly, repair, and sales. It was a natural fit to do
something that we didn’t need additional training to do well.”

The company, which repairs commercial and home fitness equipment,
grossed more than $2.5 million for each of the past two years.

“We have a 70 percent growth rate in our sales year over year,” Jon
says.

For 2009, they’ve already grossed about $6 million.

“The growth of the company was completely a surprise,” Clark says.
“And it was a result of putting up a website where people could get
answers to commonly asked questions.”

On the site’s forum, customers can ask questions about servicing
equipment, which has led to requests for parts and supplies.

“You try to identify products and services that have a good
potential for high-gross margin and then work really hard to control
your expenses,” Jon says. “If you do it okay, you end up with Treadmill
Doctor.”

Repairs are performed either in the company’s offices or at the
client’s property. The company has six locations scattered throughout
the South and Midwest, including St. Louis, Atlanta, and Nashville.
They plan to open an office in Boston by the end of the year and hope
to open locations in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia,
and Miami in 2010.

“Our five-year plan has us continuing to grow the parts business
with a strong focus on expanding our remote repair operations,” Clark
says. “We hope to have a geographic representation in the entire
continental United States, as well as offices in Canada and Asia.”

Last month, Shelby County mayor A C Wharton announced the first STEP
toward helping educate local community-college and technical-school
students.

STEP, a post-secondary education program funded in part by the
Assisi Foundation of Memphis, AT&T, and Volunteer Mid-South, awards
students scholarships and pairs them with mentors.

In the fall, full-time students enrolled in their first year at a
Shelby County state-funded community college or technical training
curriculum will be eligible for the program. Along with a community
service requirement, students must complete a Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for federal and state grants. The
scholarship is designed to bridge the gap between the financial aid
students receive and the cost of tuition.

“We are extraordinarily pleased that Mayor Wharton has a vision to
ensure that deserving students achieve their educational goals,” says
Nathan Essex, president of Southwest Tennessee Community College. “Many
first-generation students will certainly benefit from this outstanding
initiative.”

Rhonda Turner, Wharton’s communications coordinator, says that the
total amount of STEP funding remains to be determined, but that the
program hopes to accomodate all students who apply.

Program participants will be paired with mentors who are part of the
mayor’s 100, a volunteer team of online mentors. STEP board member
Nicole Roy says mentors will help students with academics, community
service obligations, and career planning.

“I will be able to monitor the students’ progress through the web
and gauge their success,” she says.

By helping students, the founders of STEP hope to increase the
amount of skilled workers throughout Shelby County.

“STEP provides the opportunity for students and mentors to form a
supportive network,” Wharton says. “It imbues our own philanthropic
spirit and keeps students on track to complete their post-secondary
education and successfully enter our workforce with valuable skills and
training.”