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TGCA Legacy All-Star Ranci Willis
TGCA Legacy All-Star
RANCI WILLIS
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by Steve Gamel | photo courtesy of Jeff Woo with the Denton Record-Chronicle
Former Guyer softball pitcher Ranci Willis may be done with high school and on her way to pitch at Texas Tech, but that hasn’t stopped her from being recognized for her dominant senior season just a few more times.
Willis, who broke the Lady Wildcats’ single-season school record for strikeouts with 287 punchouts while leading Guyer to the Class 6A Region I quarterfinal, was one of only 20 seniors from across the state named to the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A-6A Legacy AllStar team on June 9. She followed that by being named the Denton RecordChronicle’s All-Area Softball MVP less than a month later.
“[My biggest takeaway] is definitely competing — just having a mindset of wanting to win,” Willis told the DRC after her latest accolades. “You never know when your last game is going to be. You have to play your heart out now.”
Willis transferred to Guyer from Boerger following her freshman season. Her breakout season came in 2021 when she started 27 of Guyer’s 30 games and finished 22-1 in the circle. Her stats were video game-esque as she boasted a 1.10 ERA while allowing just 30 hits. That made her a no-brainer for both awards, especially the TGCA honor. TGCA Legacy All-Star team members are selected by softball member coaches of the association.
Willis was the only softball player from Denton County to make this year’s TGCA Legacy roster.
“We always say there’s no secret formula to this. Nobody is born a great softball player. If you put the work in, you’re going to get great results,” Guyer coach Keith Medford said of Willis in an interview with the DRC.
Cloud Nine SITTIN’Pretty on
by Diane Ciarloni | photography by Your Candid Memories (YourCandidMemories.com)
The expression of sitting or walking on “cloud nine” always means one thing: Feeling fantastic!
Kim Cloud Skidmore devotes her time, energy, and focus to making her clients feel pretty enough to dance on that magical cloud when they leave her Cloud 9 Salon, Spa and Boutique’s new location in Bartonville. She also channels dedicated support to her 45-member team, doing everything she can to keep them happy, secure, creative, and motivated.
“That’s been my life for the past 43 years,” Skidmore said, “and I love it. I’m 60 years
old, and I still enjoy being behind that stylist’s chair. I don’t like looking backward and I don’t like standing still. That leaves just one direction, and that’s forward.”
Skidmore locked her gearshift in drive in 1991 and left it there. She was 20 years old and out of cosmetology school. Nathan, her son, swung from her hand in an infant carrier. She was on the hunt for a salon and found a small one for sale for $5,000 in Lewisville.
“I went to the bank used by the shop’s owner,” Skidmore recalled. “They took a quick look at me and said no. I racked my brain for answers, finally asked my dad to co-sign, got the loan, and bought the tiny shop – 700 square feet for eight stylists and nail techs.
“I had to move a while later and decided to work for a mentor for more experience. That lasted 10 years before I was fired.” Oops!
Skidmore set up shop in another cramped space but left the gearshift in drive. She hit the gas in 2005, when faith guided her to leap into the purchase of land in Flower Mound with plans to build an 8,500 square foot, full-service salon. This time, the bank didn’t turn her down.
“The location was perfect, and Flower Mound welcomed us with open arms,” Skidmore said. “New homes and people came into the area. Our business grew. We became a fixture in the community.”
It was full-steam ahead with no slowdowns until COVID-19 hit.
“I learned a lot during the two months we were closed,” Skidmore mused. “That’s when I learned I was nothing but a name without my team. I’m just a stylist. I always believed in teamwork, but now there’s a new dimension. I want them to know I have their backs, and I’ll do all I can to make them successful and to keep them safe. They don’t worry about housekeeping or answering the telephone. I have a staff for those things.
Their job is to focus on their craft while Nathan and I worry about everything else.”
Nathan Dean, Skidmore’s infant son from the carrier days, became a stylist. Now, he manages the business and is a huge part of the daily operations, including bringing in a line of Cloud 9-branded products for the salon.
Today, Skidmore is in love with and married to Christopher Skidmore. He’s her partner and steadfast supporter, even now when she’s about to make another huge leap.
“Our Flower Mound salon was frontage in the beginning,” Skidmore said, “but later we were covered by buildings all around us. It was time to move west. We discovered property in Bartonville on FM
972.317.4384
www.Cloud9Salon.com
7160 Justin Rd., Ste. 200 Lantana, TX 76226 (Beside Anytime fitness)
407, about six miles west of the Flower Mound location. Christopher investigated and said thousands of new homes are going in that direction. The new building is 16,000 square feet, with some rental space, and 80% of our team shares the new vision.”
The whole process again! Selling the Flower Mound building. Buying the new property. Drawing plans. The banks. All the hoops. A list of complications and compromises from the buyer extended the process, but the move should happen next fall. For now, Cloud 9 operates from a temporary 4,200 square foot facility in Lantana.
Skidmore’s other passion is her Cloud 9 Charities. This is a story in its own right but, briefly, she’s always believed in giving back to the community. She established Cloud 9 Charities in 2004, raising over $2.6-million.
Bedtime Rescue was born in 2012, housing moms, kids, and entire families in crisis. In February of 2020, Cloud Charities became devoted exclusively to Bedtime Rescue, providing nearly 2,000 nights of housing so far.
All Skidmore sees in front of her is future. There’s no stop sign in sight. At least, not until that magical cloud nine has enough sittin’ room for herself and Chris, for Nathan and his family, for her entire team, and for all the other people who need her.
