Ted's Blog

I always like to tell my former cheerleaders who the new squad is. Here they are:

Heather Lawson (class of 2008), Moe Clemon (2005), Rena Hayden ('08), Randi Stephens ('05), Rosmary Wacheldorf ('05), and our 'token rookie,' Aleigh Beam ('05) and don't forget Mascot Brett Malone ('07)

While you're my student or athelete at a public school I always want to respect the separation of church and state, and now that you've graduated I still don't want to force my faith on you, so if you're not a Christian, just ignore the rest of this email. The rest of you know how important my faith is to me. It's kind of become a tradition that I ask my former cheerleaders to pray for me and my current squad.

Please pray for us. You know, this will be my 12th year coaching. Heather has cheered on JrHi for 2 yrs, Rena for one, Rosie & Moe have each cheered for a year already and I think that next year will be Randi's 4th! Consequently, I need to do a lot of things different to keep everyone motivated. So PLEASE pray that God will make me a better coach and that we can work more on cheers, routines, stunts, and spirit-related stuff and not just technique and chants.

Pray that the upperclassmen will not only accept the freshmen, but "adopt" them and mentor them and care about them.

Pray for Moe, she's also next year's yearbook editor and she's looking into foreign exchange programs to Ghana in West Africa, for Rosie who'll be traveling all this summer, and for Randi. As you know, for 10 of the last 11 years I haven't had "Captains," but lets face it, she is the default "defacto-captain," due to her experience. Pray that she handles the mantle of leadership well. Pray that it doesn't go to her head, but instead she'll be a servant-leader. Pray that she doesn't become a target of the student body because she is so outgoing and extroverted. Pray that she will be a good teacher and "assistant coach," for me working with the other girls on squad as well as our JrHi squad. That she & I would get along together and work well as a team. And just pray that she can handle the stress.

Of course, please pray that they're all healthy, safe and injury free durring the upcoming season, and please, please pray that they will get along and work together as a unit, that they'll grow close as sisters and that together they'll set examples of sportsmanship and raise the level of school spirit and pride at Boyer Valley and encourage a positive climate of enthusiasm and optimism in Moorhead, Soldier, Dunlap, Dow City, Arian and the whole conference.

In fact, would you just pray for each of them the "B.L.E.S.S." prayer? Pray for their Body, Labor, Emotional, Social, & Spiritual blessings. Here's a prayer I wrote for our Church's baccalaureate service"

"To bless is to hallow or consecrate by religious rite

To hallow or consecrate is to pronounce holy, We ask God to set you apart for His purposes, so that God can use you as His instrument.

To bless to ask God’s divine care for someone, so Let we pray.

Lord, grant Terry and Ivy prosperity and happiness.

Lord, grant them health, protection, and strength

Lord, grant them work, income, and security

Lord, grant them joy, peace, and hope

Lord, in due time, grant them love, marriage, family, and Christian friends

Lord, continue to grant them grant them Your salvation, faith, and grace.

In Jesus' name,
Amen."

Thank you,
COACH