- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,137,147
- Reaction score
- 59
Before the mid-1970’s and the effects of Title IX took place, girls basketball as an interscholastic sport didn’t exist.
That makes Pymatuning Valley’s Kyle Barnes, along with players like Geneva’s Lori Korver and Harbor’s Sue Pokelsek, a pioneer in Ashtabula County.
Barnes, a 1976 PV graduate, was a starting guard on one of Beth Helfer’s first Laker teams.
Barnes will join her former coach in the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation’s Hall of Fame April 12.
According to Helfer, reached by phone in Florida, where she is now retired, Barnes “was a nice guard who had a good jump shot. She was a solid defensive player who could drive and shoot.
“She was one player who always wanted to learn more, a good player, no doubt about it. She wore the maroon and gold proudly. Everyone liked Kyle.”
Barnes, in turn, was complimentary to her coach.
“Beth Helfer and [track coach] Joanne Mechling taught me fundamental skills, team skills, how to be a leader and the importance of having good grades,” Barnes said
Barnes first learned to play basketball by shooting at a hoop her father built in her backyard.
“I’d play until after dark, until my mother made me come in,” she said. “I had to get in that last shot.”
She honed her skills by playing against her brother and his friends in pick-up games in her backyard. One of those boys was Don King’s son, Carl, then known as Carl Renwick.
Barnes didn’t play team basketball until her junior year, but she made All-Grand River Conference teams in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons.
The starters her senior year included Dawn Freeman, Tracie Overly, Bonnie Thomas, Lori Smock and Barnes.
Other players on the team included Sam French, Valerie Brown, Dianna Camp, Cindy Spencer, Maria Braunns, Sally Mason, Debbie Flack and Kathy McNeilly.
Barnes stood only 5’3”, but made up for her lack of size.
“I was small, but I was fast,” she said.
The Lakers went undefeated the 1975-1976 season, beginning with a 58-53 victory over Perry.
They then defeated Ledgemont 95-38, before topping Grand Valley 47-33, Jefferson 47-25, Perry 40-26, Jefferson 45-13, Ledgemont 42-22 and Grand Valley 36-30.
In the tournament, PV was edged out by Newton Falls, 31-30.
Though the Lakers records were accidentally destroyed while they were going to be moved to the new Pymatuning Valley building, she kept a yearbook with all of her stats.
In her junior year, her first in organized ball, Barnes averaged 5.6 points and 6 rebounds per game.
The summer before her senior year, Barnes went to a camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania with some of her teammates to improve her skills.
That year, she went on to raise her scoring to 11 or 12 points per game and was voted team MVP.
In addition to basketball, Barnes competed for the PV track and softball teams, and was a three-year letter winner in both sports.
She missed qualifying for state in the shot put by a half-inch her senior year, finishing third in districts.
At PV, she was the sports editor for the yearbook and served as a class officer all three years at the high school.
“I received letters of interest from the University of Akron and Kent State University,” she said. “I went to Kent State [main campus]. Dawn Freeman was my roommate. I stayed for a year.”
At Kent, she majored in law enforcement and served as dorm advisor at Prentice Hall.
“I played intramural softball at Kent State,” she said. “I also learned to play rugby there. I had a love of sports and still do.”
After returning to Ashtabula County, Barnes worked jobs in law enforcement, restaurants, telemarketing, security and as a certified trainer.
She was a supervisor and head cook at Ponderosa in Ashtabula for 22 years, and has worked at the Ashtabula Red Lobster since it opened 29 years ago.
In fact, this week will mark the 29th anniversary of her hiring.
She has one daughter, Chyvon Crockett, who is a licensed practical nurse.
Barnes is known as “Nana” to her daughter and grandchildren.
She still loves to watch sports.
Recently, Barnes was thrilled to meet retired WNBA star Adrianne Ross at Red Lobster.
Continue reading...
That makes Pymatuning Valley’s Kyle Barnes, along with players like Geneva’s Lori Korver and Harbor’s Sue Pokelsek, a pioneer in Ashtabula County.
Barnes, a 1976 PV graduate, was a starting guard on one of Beth Helfer’s first Laker teams.
Barnes will join her former coach in the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation’s Hall of Fame April 12.
According to Helfer, reached by phone in Florida, where she is now retired, Barnes “was a nice guard who had a good jump shot. She was a solid defensive player who could drive and shoot.
“She was one player who always wanted to learn more, a good player, no doubt about it. She wore the maroon and gold proudly. Everyone liked Kyle.”
Barnes, in turn, was complimentary to her coach.
“Beth Helfer and [track coach] Joanne Mechling taught me fundamental skills, team skills, how to be a leader and the importance of having good grades,” Barnes said
Barnes first learned to play basketball by shooting at a hoop her father built in her backyard.
“I’d play until after dark, until my mother made me come in,” she said. “I had to get in that last shot.”
She honed her skills by playing against her brother and his friends in pick-up games in her backyard. One of those boys was Don King’s son, Carl, then known as Carl Renwick.
Barnes didn’t play team basketball until her junior year, but she made All-Grand River Conference teams in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons.
The starters her senior year included Dawn Freeman, Tracie Overly, Bonnie Thomas, Lori Smock and Barnes.
Other players on the team included Sam French, Valerie Brown, Dianna Camp, Cindy Spencer, Maria Braunns, Sally Mason, Debbie Flack and Kathy McNeilly.
Barnes stood only 5’3”, but made up for her lack of size.
“I was small, but I was fast,” she said.
The Lakers went undefeated the 1975-1976 season, beginning with a 58-53 victory over Perry.
They then defeated Ledgemont 95-38, before topping Grand Valley 47-33, Jefferson 47-25, Perry 40-26, Jefferson 45-13, Ledgemont 42-22 and Grand Valley 36-30.
In the tournament, PV was edged out by Newton Falls, 31-30.
Though the Lakers records were accidentally destroyed while they were going to be moved to the new Pymatuning Valley building, she kept a yearbook with all of her stats.
In her junior year, her first in organized ball, Barnes averaged 5.6 points and 6 rebounds per game.
The summer before her senior year, Barnes went to a camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania with some of her teammates to improve her skills.
That year, she went on to raise her scoring to 11 or 12 points per game and was voted team MVP.
In addition to basketball, Barnes competed for the PV track and softball teams, and was a three-year letter winner in both sports.
She missed qualifying for state in the shot put by a half-inch her senior year, finishing third in districts.
At PV, she was the sports editor for the yearbook and served as a class officer all three years at the high school.
“I received letters of interest from the University of Akron and Kent State University,” she said. “I went to Kent State [main campus]. Dawn Freeman was my roommate. I stayed for a year.”
At Kent, she majored in law enforcement and served as dorm advisor at Prentice Hall.
“I played intramural softball at Kent State,” she said. “I also learned to play rugby there. I had a love of sports and still do.”
After returning to Ashtabula County, Barnes worked jobs in law enforcement, restaurants, telemarketing, security and as a certified trainer.
She was a supervisor and head cook at Ponderosa in Ashtabula for 22 years, and has worked at the Ashtabula Red Lobster since it opened 29 years ago.
In fact, this week will mark the 29th anniversary of her hiring.
She has one daughter, Chyvon Crockett, who is a licensed practical nurse.
Barnes is known as “Nana” to her daughter and grandchildren.
She still loves to watch sports.
Recently, Barnes was thrilled to meet retired WNBA star Adrianne Ross at Red Lobster.
Continue reading...
