Papa Bear; Introduction

Here's another attempt to use my blog here to help me develop my discipline as a writer. I had big hopes for my "Hometown News" section. I figured I'd fictionalize all of the amusing and/or unbelievable aspects of living in a small town and eventually I'd have enough stories for a book. Needless to say, I wrote two or three times but haven't come back to it in months.

Once upon a time I thought about using another one of my blogs, http://cheercoach.blogspot.com as a jumping off point for eventually writing a book about being a male cheer coach. Never have seemed to find the time or the self-discipline.

Once upon a time I thought about using cheercoach.blogspot as a personal journal about the trials and tribulations of being a junior high and high school cheer coach. But it seems like too many cheerleaders and occasionally parents actually read it and once in a while I'd strike a nerve or otherwise just say something that someone would take issue with. So, in the interest of good PR, I tried to totally back off of that.

Which left that blog kind of a fun photo album/scrap book for my cheer squad and a (hopefully) a means of communicating to both those cheerleaders and their parents. I'd like to hope that it is also a way for my former cheerleaders and mascots to get a glimpse of what we're going now and hopefully get back in touch with me or each other. But technology carries on and Facebook gets used a lot more for the things that blogs used to be.

At any rate, I really would like to be more disciplined as a writer and reflect on all the things I've learned and the kids I've known as a cheer coach- so here we are. I'm going to write at least once a week about my experiences as a cheerleader and coach.

I coach Varsity & JrHi Cheerleading at Boyer Valley MS/HS in Dunlap, Iowa.
I used to coach at Los Angeles Lutheran Jr/Sr High in Sylmar, California.

I never expected that I'd ever end up coaching at all, let alone cheerleading. I certainly never expected to be coaching for so long. But I also never expected how much it would mean to me or how much it would change who I am and how I perceive things.

Whoever you are (if there's actually anybody out there reading this), I hope you like it.