THE VISION

Matthew Weeks had a vision. 

It was July of 2020, and COVID shelter in place restrictions were just being lifted.

He called Preston Wiruth.  Coach Weeks and Preston had coached the WSA 2004 Boys team together when the boys were younger.  A team which went on to win multiple National Championships.

This vision was not about soccer though.

Matt thought further on his vision.  He prayed.  Listened to a sermon at church. 

He then called me (Roger).

“People need to interact again.  They need a safe space and place to do this.  I can build a trail in the woods, and our kids can man it, and it will be a Haunted Trail.”

I was only remotely intrigued.  The idea did not resonate, and seemed far-fetched. 

In year 2 Weeks crafted a carnival atmosphere for the Haunted Trail's Check-In.

THE EXECUTION ON A CONVICTION

It is not possible to know Coach Matt, and to not relate to his Passion and Conviction.  He calls it “my penance”.  

Coach Matt often says, “I am giving back to something that has given to me.”  It is altogether a Spiritual conviction, a Purpose.

Coach Matt played the game growing up, at a high level.  If you speak to his teammates, they’ll let you know he played with a different level of intensity, passion, and drive.  “You knew Matt was there.  He showed up each time,” is what one recent former teammate said of Weeks.

Coach Matt, since 2008 had “shown up” as a coach.  He’d helped form the teams of both his children, Nate (2004 Boys) and Ralee (2002 Girls).  He had mentored, led, inspired, and done every aspect of “standing in the gap” where and when needed to support the teams.

The most impressive component of his coaching, was his conviction to consider EVERY single athlete.  EACH INDIVIDUAL mattered to Coach Matt.

So when it came time to build a Haunted Trail this conviction, passion, dedication to a vision, came as no surprise.

Weeks' Garage is the site of Haunted Trail prop construction year-round. 

TURKEY MOUNTAIN LOCATION, A BLESSING

Coach Matt had evaluated several wooded areas.  Since WSA was in a strong partnership with Tulsa’s RiverParks Authority (RPA), Coach Matt asked me to ask RPA Executive Director at the time, Mr Matt Meyer, about the Haunted Trail’s location being at Turkey Mountain, an RPA property a few miles south of The West Bank Sports Complex.  I was apprehensive because I still did not understand the vision.
 

The two Matt’s hit it off immediately.  Mr Meyer gave permission to use the Turkey Mountain Trail System, and employed RPA’s Ryan Howell to assist and oversee in year one.  Current RPA Executive Director, Jeff Edwards, and Mr Howell, have continued to support and advocate for the Turkey Mountain Haunted Trail vision - visit Turkey Mountain Haunted Trail Website.

RPA provides the trail, communication, guidance, equipment, and wise counsel from their authority on hosting mega-sized events, such as OktoberFest. 

Coach Matt recruited Coach Preston, who at the time was helping run a college soccer program that was on shut-down due to COVID.  Preston, newly Deputized by Weeks, soon filled the extra time on hand from college soccer's shutdown, with TMHT.  He and Weeks were soon literally “trail-blazing” through Turkey Mountain.


Preston was Deputized TMTH Deputy by Weeks early on.

Late one night last week, while tearing down the trail, Coach Matt relayed, “We are blessed.”  While I thought more appropriate would be “we are tired”, he then went on, “We are blessed RPA let’s us use this trail for 2 weeks to provide this activity to others.  Truly blessed.” 

Perspective.

THE TRAILS EVOLUTION & OPERATIONS

The original Haunted Trail in 2020 contained 7 different Scare Stations. 

Today’s Haunted Trail contains 15 Scare Stations, multiple props, an entire entourage of characters and costumes, and special lighting effects.  In 2021 a Kids Trail was born. In 2023 Zombie Paintball was born. 
 

The Yekrut character, has become an icon of Turkey Mt.  Born of Coach Matt’s imagination, Yekrut was played by Nate Weeks (Matt’s son) for several years. This past year the character was cast by Keefer Garden, subbing for Nate who is on an extended soccer pro trial in Chile.  The Yekrut character requires 3 hours on stilts, each night.  An exhausting job by Nate and Keefer.  Both coached by Matt, they are unfazed by “tired”. 

Yekrut, played by Nate Weeks & Keefer Garden.  A TMTH Icon.

For fun, if you get a chance, spell Yekrut backwards.  The innovation is constant in this Haunted Trail.
 

In 2022 Coach Matt decided he needed to “live” at the Trail.  This would allow him to fully immerse in the creative energy required to transform the space into the Experience he envisioned.  He’d literally eat, breath and sleep “Trail” for 2-3 weeks. 

From a modest RV Camper, Weeks takes up camp for a 16-day period of time to manage his creation, and ensure his production hits all the standards.

The construction of the Trail, a 1 mile long winding and twisting pathway through the woods requires about a 3 month process.  The first beginnings of Weeks in the trail can be seen as soon as after the last snow has melted in early Spring.  The real construction phase begins in July to ensure all major steps are completed before October 1^st each year.
 

The ENTIRE construction of the Trail is completed by Weeks. 
 

He does hire a few of his former athletes from WSA 2004 Boys who he teaches the “ropes” to, to assist him now.  And Coach Preston remains the Trail’s Deputy of Spook, second in command to Matt’s position of CEO of Scare.  Coach PW works alongside Coach Matt, assisting with trail construction, ops, and marketing.
 

The Haunted Trail requires over 100 people per night to operate.  This includes approximately 65 “actors”, 8 “zombies” who get shot with paintballs, 20 “tour guides” and 10 “chaperones”, in addition to another 15 staff to operate, and administrate. 

The Trail runs for 8 nights each year.

Weeks oversees and manages all elements.  He relies on the turnout of WSA Volunteers.

The Trail usually opens around 6:45 PM each night, and shuts down tours each night between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM depending on ticket sales and weather.  A sell out for the Trail portion is 1,000 people, although Weeks and Preston attempt to cap each night at 750 people.  “The experience cannot get diluted”  both will state.


WSA South w/ Coach Chance regularly turn out in full force to volunteer at TMHT.
 

The hours of operation visible to the public, do not include “hidden hours” that Weeks puts in each day of the production.  Weeks begins to prep the trail each day at 4:00 PM prior to first arrivals of volunteers and customers at 6:30 PM.

Each night the trail closes, and volunteers and customers exit by 10 PM.  Weeks does final clean up and tear down until approximately midnight.   There are 7 different generators positioned and hidden throughout the trail, all of which must be shut down and returned to secure locations.

And when the last night of the trail has completed and all have left, there is still work to do.  It will take approximately 7 days of 8-hour days, to recollect all props, cords, special effects, signage, concession elements, and then restore to storage for the next year.

The “Cage”, The “Maze”, The “Flying Zombie” are a few of the major construction endeavors which require time to build and then deconstruct. 

THE FUTURE

Matt Weeks told me recently, “I really hope someone will see this and want to expand on it.  I did this hoping that people will see the good that we can do.”
 

In year 1 of the Haunted Trail Coach Weeks asked for teams to participate as a team fundraiser to help raise money for a few teams who had qualified for National Finals.  “I want athletes to earn their way, not stand around with a hand out.” 

As the Haunted Trail grew, and expanded, the need to expand volunteer participation grew, and the net proceeds did not make sense to disperse among so many teams.  The net effect “per team” became minimal.  I asked Matt and Preston to consider moving this to pure volunteer effort.  After all, Coach Matt and Coach Preston’s time was volunteer, and this Community Engagement and Outreach project fit WSA’s mission TO SERVE. 

The funds now raised support both Tulsa RiverParks Authority, a non profit, and WSA Soccer’s Legacy Fund towards Capital Projects and Need-Based Assisted Scholarships.   WSA Soccer is also a non profit. 

In 2020 approximately 2,000 tickets were sold.  This past year, 2024, the Haunted Trail sold over 4,000 tickets.  With a low-budget marketing campaign, the Haunted Trail is primarily growing, the same way it was built, on the reliance of grassroots efforts.  Most attendees hear about the Haunted Trail, most likely by,  “word of mouth”.

Over 15,000 tickets have now been sold through the 5-year anniversary, and over 12,000 of volunteer hours by others delivered. Those hours do NOT count Coach Matt’s volunteer hours, which include the 2 weeks of living at the trail each year! 

There is now talk of a possible Haunted Hayride, Zombie Bus Paintball (yes, a bus would drive paintball shooters through the woods shooting at Zombies), and added Sound Effects.  There is another dream to "electrify" the trail, adding power to remote locations of the trail to enhance special effects. 

The construction of every vision relies on not only the imagination that is Matt Weeks' mind, but also the skill, and most importantly the determination of the “Will” that is Matt Weeks'.

He can be found climbing 50 feet into the air to hang lights, or set the Spider Drop, or on the ground drilling the bolts that hold together The Cage, or anchoring the pulley system for the Flying Zombie.  And he’s always moving, always working, and always innovating.

MATT WEEK’S HOPE

 

WSA Soccer employs several “mantras” to drive our desired culture, The WSA Way:

Side Before Self. Every time.

Build the Community You Want to Belong To.

Earn It.

Mia San Mia. (We are Who we are.)
 

A critical component of our time spent inside efforts to drive culture in the spaces and places we occupy is to live out the mantras. 

Matt Weeks lives these mantras out through the Turkey Mountain Haunted Trail.
 

And so importantly, he provides not only an example, but a place for others to do the same.

And in return, he just Hopes that… people will see the good that we can do.