Tri-Cities Coaches and Athletic Director compete for Mirror Ball Trophy

Published 2:24 pm Monday, August 7, 2023

Several area coaches are gearing up to compete not on the field or on the court… but on the dance floor as they attempt to win the coveted mirror ball trophy in the 14^th Annual Dancing with the Tri-Cities Stars on August 26^th.

Each year five men and five women who are local “Stars” from the Northeast Tennessee communities are the featured dancers. The dancers spend numerous hours practicing their dance selections and then perform these selections on the night of the event with Mike and Kim Adler, who are two time World Champions in the Couples Division of The United Country Western Dance Council (UCWDC). Dancing with the Tri-Cities Stars benefits at risk youth in the Tri-Cities area.

The event itself mirrors the ABC Dancing with the Stars show (including the female “stars” wearing actual dresses from the show). The evening begins with an incredible dinner and silent auction with items donated from local Tri-City businesses and residents. Once the dance competition begins, there are two celebrity judges and two professional judges who score and provide both humorous and evaluative comments to the dancers after each dance. There are two intermissions to allow the spectators an opportunity to get out of their seats, stretch and make their final bids on the silent auction items. Following the dance competition, there is a dance exhibition involving the previous year’s winners and professional dancers. Once the exhibition is completed there is a short live auction and then the announcement of the winners. The night concludes with open dancing to the music selection of a DJ.

This year’s female stars include Mackenzie Carrier, Laura Degennaro, Radhika Reddy, Kaitlen Ryans, and Brittany Whitson. The male stars include Forrest Holt, Scott Newton, Lucas Schmidt, Josh Petty and Derek Michael.

If a few of these names sound familiar in the high school sports’ world, it’s because they are usually on the sidelines coaching and cheering on area youth.

Mackenzie Carrier is a 7th and 8th grade teacher at Fall Branch School and a coach for girls’ volleyball and Girls on the Run.  Josh Petty is in his 23rd year as a teacher at the University School and served as the head baseball coach for over 20 years. Forrest Holt is currently the Athletic Director for Elizabethton High School and has been a coach and teacher for over 15 years.

They may have a collection of awards on the shelves…but one of them might be making room for a mirror ball trophy come August 26^th.

This year’s silent auction will be available online and go “live” on August 23^rd. You can vote for your favorite star, bid on silent auction items, and purchase tickets for Dancing with the Tri-Cities Stars at: https://dancingwiththetricitiesstars.com/