Hello, Chris Roland, your host for Painted on the Tank, a new podcast that I've created that will dive into America's most unique and bizarre high school sports nicknames. We've searched the country looking for the best 30, so what we consider some of the best 32 nicknames out there. And we're going to have a tournament style uh competition in which each week we will have a new team over the course of the next eight months, and then we'll finish this in May, about the time that school concludes for the season. And we will have a champion out of these 32 teams. And that one champion will receive bragging rights, of course, and then also a $1,000 cash prize. Just a little bit about myself. By no means I'm a professional podcaster. I hope to improve each week as we go through this season, the next eight months. But there'll be mistakes along the way. I plan to do most of my um recordings in one take, very few cuts, very few edits. Just to bring you the genuine story of these teams and what they mean to their community, the heritage, the history, and the pride that each team has for their city and their county, their community holds for their particular team. The name painted on the tank, that originated out of the mindset of so many communities and so many schools today. They have their mascots or their nicknames upon their water towers, the water tanks for the communities that they serve. And those water tanks, those water towers, they have a great purpose as they affect pressure in the city's water levels, and they have a store a large amount of backup water. So those water tanks and water towers do have a great purpose, but oftentimes they're used as a way to display community pride to these schools and these teams. And many of these 32 teams have a water tank with their image and their logo on it. Not all of them do, and it's not a requirement for the show, but the general gist of the name of the show there, just referring to so many of those that actually do have theirs on display throughout the country. And so having said all that, let's get ready for today's episode. It'll feature the Teutopolis, Illinois wooden shoes. And their opponent next week will be the Watersmeat Nimrods out of the state of Michigan. So today we're discussing Teutopolis. Next week we'll move over to Watersmeet, and one of those teams will advance to the Suite 16 through the fan voting that you, you, the listeners, will participate in. Fan voting will be eligible on our website at paintedonthetank.com, also on Instagram and Facebook. And we also will do have a TikTok page. He graduated in 2012, and he currently serves as the athletic director, where he's been in that position for the last four years. And in my conversation with Derek, he gave me a history of the town, the nickname, what Teutopolis looks like today, and what the future may look like. And today it's a population of about 1,700 people or so. And he said it's slightly increasing since 2010 as more and more graduates come back home as they graduate college. They're moving back home, they're raising their families in Teutopolis. So there's been a little bit of an uptick in the population count for the city. And it's it's the only Teutopolis in America. It doesn't have that unique characteristic. You can search the map, and there will not be another Teutopolis in our country. That name Teutopolis means Teutons or ancient Germans. So, yes, there is a German heritage, and it's still very much evident in today's Teutopolis. It's a culture that is embraced proudly and that they're honored to have. Geographically speaking, Teutopolis is about four hours south of Chicago. It's actually closer to the bluegrass state of Kentucky, my birth state, than it is to the actual city of Chicago. It's also a midway point between St. Louis and Indianapolis, that's just off of I-70. So, to get to the nickname, how do we get to that name Wooden Shoes? So we've got to go back to 1839. That's when the city was first founded. It was led by brothers Clemens and Herman Upmore from North Germany. They originally settled around Cincinnati, then moved west to Illinois, and along with them was a group of neighbors that they brought over from Germany with them. The Upmore brothers had came over for the same reason that their neighbors joined them, and that was seeking a better way of life. You know, there's this new country just founded in 1776, and there's been a lot of folks who are now prospering. And so they had heard the news and they had taken it upon themselves to leave their home country of Germany and to come to America to see what all the excitement was about. Was there actually a better way of life for them? And they would definitely find that when they arrived in Cincinnati and then later in Illinois, that there certainly was a future for them in this country. And they proudly established the city of Teutopolis in 1839. But how do we get the nickname? Where were the wooden shoes from? The terrain in North Germany at that time was flat, wet, marshy terrain, and the way of life was farming for most northern Germans. So those obstacles, the weather, along with that terrain, did provide some challenges for farmers. And along the way, they discovered that a particular type of shoe, a wooden shoe, really benefited them greatly. It provided characteristics such as insulation from the cold, from the from the rain, from the wet ground. A lot of farmers were not wealthy. So leather shoes was out of the question. But again, as I said, they provided stability and a sturdiness along with having those wooden shoes available for the farmers. So they were a necessity. They weren't a fashion statement, they weren't worn for uh comfort, but it was convenience and it was a necessity to have in order to be able to successfully farm their land. And they brought that tradition with them when they came to America. Their farmers continued to have wooden shoes. They had multiple shops in Teutopolis that would be able to manufacture and make those available to the farmers. Those wooden shoes also represented a class of society. There was a working class. Farmers, generally the poorer, more poor class individuals. They are the ones who generally had the wooden shoes. Leather shoes were more reserved for folks in the city, people who did not farm. They were able to afford those. And it was kind of an upper upper class symbol to have the leather shoes as opposed to wooden shoes. And it was a few years later down the road, it's when the high school was constructed. It gave a place for the older older children to be able to continue their education. And it was there that in 1924 the school had its first basketball season. Now, basketball has been the main sport with Teutoplas down through time, although we'll get into some other accolades and other sports, but they've definitely proven to be a basketball-rich school. And it was evident in 1924 when they first began to play the sport. Now, for the first 11 or 12 years, the team actually played the game without a nickname. They only had their high school name a Teutopolis. Not having a nickname was relatively a common thing up until about the 1940s or 50s. High school teams would play their sports and generally not have a particular nickname assigned to them. And the name didn't actually come about for the team until the 1935-36 basketball season. And how we got there was with a man named J.H. Griffin. Mr. Griffin came about as a head basketball coach around 1929 when he replaced the school's first ever coach, Henry Fagin. Coach Fagan lasted about four five seasons. And now when J. H. Griffin would go on to serve the school in multiple capacities, he was a coach, principal, even served as superintendent of the school system for a span of years. His total time as coach was 24 years, and he coached from 1929 to 1953-54 season. And now, according to Derek, the story goes that during that 1935 season, that Coach Griffin surpassed Coach Fagan as the school's all-time winningest coach. And again, just you know, being the second coach ever, he didn't really have a lot of competition originally to go against, other than Coach Fagin's first five years. But in the 1935 season, that's when Coach Griffin surpassed and became at that time the school's all-time winningest coach. And remember, this is a close-knit community. They were proud of their tradition. They were proud of their basketball team that they had assembled and put out on the court now for over 10 years. And when Coach Griffin had achieved this milestone, they wanted to pay homage to him. It's said that a couple local businessmen and the parents of the basketball players decided that they wanted to gift Coach Griffin something special. And so they decided to give him a pair of wooden shoes that were made locally by a man named George Damon. Now, those wooden shoes weren't given to Coach Griffin for him to actually wear. They were given to him as a symbol of the German heritage. And what those wooden shoes stood for, the grit, the termination, the working class that it's associated with. That's what they were given for. Because basketball teams that Coach Griffin fielded were, quite honestly, much of that as well. They were gritty and they were good. They were extremely good on the basketball court. We'll get into some of those records. But it was at that time that Coach Griffin, being gifted those wooden shoes, decided what better name could we go by. You know, the team had been called different names, such as the Dutch men and a nod to the German heritage. And then also they've been called the Griffin men, as a shout out to Coach Griffin. So they had a couple different names they were going by, but Coach Griffin at that time wanted to put it to rest and said, hey, let's be, let's go buy the wooden shoes. Then and there, with Coach Griffin's recommendation, the school officially becomes the Toutopolis Wooden Shoes. And they've carried that name proudly now for the last 90 years. And they can declare today that they are the only wooden shoes in America. They have that honor of being the only Teutopoulos and the only wooden shoes. So anytime someone's speaking of the Toutopolis wooden shoes, you have no question about where that's located. It's definitely in the state of Illinois. So a little bit more about Coach J.H. Griffin. As I said, in addition to sports accolades, he was a distinguished teacher, principal, and superintendent. But he definitely is remembered for his success on the hardwood. Coach Griffin accumulated 404 wins. He made the team a regular regional powerhouse, multiple regional championships. And to this day, that tradition has carried on down through time, as Teutopoulos has only had 11 losing seasons out of 102 seasons of basketball. So listen to that again. 102 years of basketball and only 11 losing seasons. That's an amazing statistic when you break it down. Almost a winning percentage of 90%. That's 91 winning seasons. They've only they've just compiled an insane winning percentage. And as a result of that winning percentage, the team was able to win their 2000th basketball game in program history just a couple seasons ago. They currently sit at sixth all-time in the state of Illinois for boys basketball victories. And when you mention Tutoplass boys' basketball, you have to talk about stability. During its 102-year reign, the team has only had nine high school basketball coaches. Extremely impressive task, especially in today's world when coaches at all levels are only given one, maybe two years at most, to be able to change programs and be successful. So 102 years of basketball and nine coaches. An extremely impressive fact about the school. The gymnasium that seats 1,800 fans and serves as a home court for the wooden shoes that bears the name of J.H. Griffin Gymnasium. No one else would be fitting, really, to bear that honor except for Coach Griffin, the man who named the wooden shoes. But the success of the round ball does not stop at the boys' program by any means. The girls' basketball program has endured much success during its tenure as well. It's currently tied for first place in the state of Illinois for all-time program wins. That's right. They are entering this upcoming season tied with 1,231 wins all-time. And the girls, they have had their own version of Coach Griffin and a man named Dennis Coaster. And I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. His name was spelled K-O-E-S-T-E-R, Coach Coaster. And he had he has just as impressive statistics here. 650 wins in the program. That's over half of their 1,231 wins was by Coach Dennis Coaster. And also, in addition to those mini wins, he has they've had five championships that have been brought to Teutopoulos. So an extremely successful coach he was. And in doing all my research for Teutopoulos, there was a magical season that really stood out on paper, and I really wanted to discuss that. So it was the 1986 season that the boys' basketball team compiled a 33-0 record en route to their first and to date their only state championship. And then meanwhile, on the other side, the girls' program also, they also won a state title in 1986 and compiled a 31-1 record. Two teams combine at the same school for an insane 64-1 record and two state titles. Can you imagine what it would have been like to have been in that pep section during the season and rooting on those two teams during their state tournament runs? Two champions in the state there with a 64-and-one record. It had to be a blast from that class of 1986. Now for the Lady You Wooden Shoes program, that would be the first title, and there would be four more to come in 1988, 89, 90, and again in 1995. So they had a three-peak and three out of four there in the late 80s. Now for Teutopolis, I know we've talked a lot about the boys and the girls' basketball programs. That's what's existed the longest down through the time of the school. But the teams down through the years have been successful in other sports as well. These are actual state championships that the school has won. It's not counting the numerous regional sectional championships, but these are state titles. They've won two track championships, four baseball championships, two bass fishing titles, and one boys' golf state championship as well. You know, Derek, a couple of times he referred to the city as T Town, short for Teutopoulos. But you could actually call them Title Town with the number of state titles, such a small school in Teutopoulos that they have been able to win down through the years. As for rivalries, Derek said they do have a they have a couple in the area. There's six other high schools in Effingham County. One of those are the Effingham Flaming Hearts. That could be a potential team we may hear on Painted on the Tank. It's kind of an unusual nickname in itself. They also have St. Anthony's High School, which is creates a nice rivalry, he said, between those two schools on and off the court as well. I asked Eric about school spirit and what it means to the students to be wooden shoes. The feeder schools, they're also known as the wooden shoes. So freshmen come into the high school and they've already been deemed wooden shoes from a young age, and they proudly carry that tradition on. They've already embraced it by the time they get to the high school. He said the student section, it's known as the shoe box. And the video board, that crew is known as the shoe crew. As you can see, all kinds of references to shoes. Just shows that down through the years, the school's been creative and they've carried on their nickname proudly. Back to the actual name of the show, painted on the tank. I asked Derek, does Teutopolis have a they have a water tower? And he said, not only do they have one, but they've got two. He said there was a second one that was built in the 1990s. It sits between the junior high and the high school, just off of Harvester Road. And it has the T logo with a shoe and the blue and gold colors embedded upon the tank. All this time we thought the main purpose of a water tank or a water tower was so that Billy Bob could climb it and paint in John Deere Green that he loves Charlene. But here we are. We see the community and how they embrace their wooden shoes, just like so many other high schools across the country that are fortunate enough to be proudly displayed by their communities. Shout out to the late great Joe Diffie and that song John Deere Green. And the last thing I asked Derek, how would he describe the city and the high school to someone who lives 2,000 miles away? They've never heard of the city, they're not familiar with the nickname Wooden Shoe. What in his words would describe the community? And without missing a beat, he said the close-knitness of the community. He said it's unlike anything else that he's ever seen. He talked about how the kids today they still respect authority. They listen to adults. And how that when a student graduates from Teutopolis, they immediately go to the workforce or they go to college. And when the time comes for that job application to be reviewed, when an employer sees that that student was a graduate, and even more so an athlete from Teutopolis, it means something. It has an extra kick to it that other applicants don't necessarily have. In my conversation with him, you could just tell the love that he has for his school and for his community. And according to him, it's just something that you just really have to be a part of it to really understand it. I can't thank him enough for the time that he spent with me telling me the all the uh excellent stories and the history of his school. And so you've heard the story of Teutopoulos of the wooden shoes. It'll be up to you next week. Invite you to be able to tune in and listen to the Watersmeat Nimrods from the state of Michigan. And after that, there'll be a fan vote open up after that episode airs that will then allow you, the listener, to decide is it Toutopoulos or is it going to be Watersmeat? Is it going to be the wooden shoes or the Nimrods? You can check out our bracket, the full 32-team bracket at www.paintedonthetank.com. Again, we're on other forms of social media as well, such as Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. This has been my first ever attempt at a podcast creating the content, adding the music, doing all these things. This is my first ever attempt. I believe in time, and I hope that you'll see as well if you continue to tune in and improvement as I learn the ropes, so to speak, a little bit more, as I try to put out more content of these teams and these schools that are so deserving to hear their story of where their nicknames have come from. I can't thank each of you enough for listening today. I hope you'll please share the podcast on your social media. Be sure to visit visit us and engage with us on social media as we try to build this into something special. I want to close out this episode as a personal story. I dedicate this to my my mother who passed away Memorial Day evening. She passed away after a brief illness unexpectedly. I was seven hours away, and the last four months has been four of the most difficult months of my life. If it hasn't hadn't been for my companion, my children, my family, my sister. We've leaned on each other quite a bit since then. My dad and so many more, my church family. I can't imagine just how much more difficult it it will have been without those special people in my life. And very fortunate and very blessed to have that support system. Because again, it truly was just a horrible day and rough last four months. I'd also like to say on a positive note today, this episode is being released on September the 18th. This is a special day for my niece, Rebecca, as she celebrates her birthday. She told me she would be listening. She's a been a supporter of this podcast launch. And I just hope she has the best day ever. And so happy birthday, Rebecca. Thank you for listening. To everyone else, thank you. I hope you'll join me again next week as we talk about the Waters to Meet Nimrod.