Parent EMAIL

Parents of Jr High players,
Welcome to the season! Yesterday your boys and I had great meeting and I think we are all excited about the up coming season.


First of all I would like to let you know what my goal is for this season or any sport season: to develop young men as disciples of Christ and Christian leaders amongst their own peer group. To me the season is a waste if these boys do not grow in Christ as young leader for Him. In accordance with this goal I am going to have 8 memory verses for the boys to memorize this season, one verse per game. Whoever can say all 8 of the verse when we turn pads in at the end of the season, those boys will get a reward (pizza party during lunch or something). My second goal is to teach the fundamentals of football. There is no championship for Jr High, so in my mind winning games is secondary to these young men understanding football and learning the ins and outs of the game. I will do everything that I can to make sure this is done safely while having fun as well.
The meeting with the boys yesterday was simply about rules (respect, no foul language tolerated, locker room rules, trouble in school means trouble in football, etc), and information they need to know about equipment. We also talked about a new weekly award I am going to be giving out called the Work Horse award. This award will go to one offensive and one defensive player every game week, they will receive a small blue football and more importantly they will lead our team out onto the field on game day. This award is given to the player who works the hardest during the week. It has nothing to do with talent or popularity. It can be given to a 6th, 7th, or 8th grader. The purpose of this award is to highlight hard work, not talent, as the team's most valuable asset, and to show the young men that they are valuable and noticed by coaches regardless of whether they score 5 touchdowns or make 15 tackles a game.
Some requests I have of you as parents are as follows:


1) While watching games please refrain from verbal abuse of refs. We are a jr high TAPPS team, we are going to get the worst of the worst in officials and we are also the entry point for new officials. If we both (myself included) know that going into games it will make it easier to refrain. Remember this level of football is about development, not winning at all costs.


2) Please try to keep communication with your son to an absolute bare minimum during games. Its hard to put a player in the game if he is over by the stands talking and I can not find him.


3) Please stay off the sidelines at all times during games. If you have something you would like to do i.e. take pictures or video please ask me before EVERY game to come on the sidelines and the coaches and I will make a call on it. The only adults on the sidelines at all time should be the coaches and water distributor.


Some commitment I want to make to you:


1) To treat you and your son with the utmost respect at all times.
2) To influence your son for Christ, and aid you in showing him that living for/ influencing other for Christ is all that truly matters.
3) To try my VERY best to get every player into every game at least for a play or two.
4) To keep the lines of communication open between coaches and parents.
5) To have fun playing a game with your kids!

My last closing note is that physicals are absolutely necessary for your player to get to practice. Cheri Head in the office is the person in charge of managing those.
Thanks you so much for your time and for your sons. I am sorry for this lengthy email. You guys are awesome.


- Stuart Sanders