I'm attaching the Madden Video Game Tournament flyer and registration form to this email. Please pass this off to your youth minister or anyone in your family who might be interested. 

Also if you have a gaming system, controllers, a copy of Madden 15 or a TV we could use that weekend, please let me know. Looking specifically for XBox360 or Xbox One compatible equipment.

I also hope to get the concessions schedule out as soon as possible as well. We will be hosting Junior Pro on September 5th starting at 9 AM. I will have Varsity parents working Middle School and the Junior Pro games. Middle School parents working the Varsity games.

Travis

KNIGHT Monday, Physicals, and Practice

We will have our last workout on Monday from 5-8 PM. The boys will be trying to meet their goal of gaining 7% on at least two lifts from the MAX night in May. The schedule for Monday goes as follows:

5-5:45: Seniors and Juniors
5:45-6:30: Sophomores and Freshmen
6:30-7:15: 7th and 8th Grade
7:15-8: 6th Grade

Each player will get 3 attempts at each lift to hit their life goal.

On Tuesday we will start practice at 5:30 which means we really need the boys to be dressed, stretched and ready by 5:30 so practice can officially start!

Some of you have asked about physicals. Dr. Sain is offering to do physicals for a donation of $20 to the football program on Tuesday starting at 3 PM and going until 5 PM. We will do High School players starting at 3 PM and Middle School a little before 4 PM. I sent the forms home with the boys from workouts on Thursday, please have these filled out before hand. 

Practice will be from 5:30-8 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from Tuesday (July 27th) through Tuesday (August 4th). Starting Thursday August 6th we will practice from 3-5:30. Thanks!

Travis

P.R.I.D.E. Part 3

Personal

Responsibility

In

Delivering 

Excellence

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is IN you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4 ESV (emphasis added by me)

Workout Change of Location

Hopefully you've already been told by your son but today is the day we will have our 3rd Annual Cowan Hill Challenge at Dr. Sain's house. The boys will need to bring both cleats and tennis shoes. Encourage them to drink plenty of fluids today as the workout today will be all conditioning. Here is the address for Dr. Sain's house: 

26 Noland Drive

Fayetteville, TN

37334

There are only 4 workouts left before Camp starts on July 28th, 5:30-8 PM. Field Sign info is due on August 6th (First day of school) which is the first day we will practice from 3-5:30 PM. Thanks!

Travis

P.R.I.D.E. Part 2

Personal

Responsibility

In

Delivering

Excellence

I often times wonder what would’ve happened had Adam just took responsibility for his sin. I can’t help but believe that had Adam just “owned up to it” maybe the consequences of his passive sin and Eve’s active sin would’ve been less or maybe erased completely. Instead like we all have done, he passed the buck. Adam blamed God for creating the woman and ever since we’ve dealt with the consequences (every time I cut grass, I “thank” Adam).

Over that same time period, we’ve become very equipped at making excuses. I can remember my Sophomore year in High School, my defensive backs coach (who had played in a Super Bowl) looking me in the eye and telling me “You will never play on this side of the ball for me”. I was absolutely crushed. The worst part was I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide my disappointment from my mom. She had this uncanny ability to read my mind, no matter how bad I tried to disguise it. As I rehashed the story to her, the blame game commenced. Through tears I ended the story with the “facts”. I just wasn’t tall enough, fast enough, athletic enough and the coach doesn’t like me. I’m sure there were other excuses as I tried to make myself feel better. What I didn’t realize at the time was I actually was blaming God for creating me without those “necessities". Not intentionally mind you but that’s exactly what I was doing. I was building my case to quit (sure is hard to type that about myself). After stating my case I was pretty certain that my football career was done. I couldn’t be more wrong. I’m sure it hurt my mother to see me so upset but quitting was not an option. She had seen her fair share of life's curveballs, (if you’ll allow me one more baseball metaphor) and been hit by enough of life’s pitches to know there is no hiding from hardship. You stick it out by refocusing your trust in God. I was back at practice the next day with a renewed focus on offense and making those defensive backs work harder. I respect my coaches’ honesty as it put me in a position where eventually I would have a role to play. More importantly it helped me take responsibility for my short-comings (no pun intended) and the attitude to overcome them.

God refuses to allow our excuses to define us. I love how God calls Gideon a “might man of valor” (Judges 6:12) even though he is hiding wheat from the Midianites. God tells Moses “I have made you like God to Pharaoh” even though in Moses’ mind he couldn't speak eloquently (Exodus 7:1). Ironic since God spoke Creation into existence. Jesus “learned obedience” (Hebrews 5:8). In Matthew 25, the sheep are separated from the goats. What’s the major difference between them? The sheep accepted the responsibility of taking care of needy who had no means to pay them back. The goats make excuses as to why they refused the needy. Responsibility is an attitude. Those who excel in this life have it but it is required for the next. 

Coach Creasy

MAX Tuesday Schedule

Since we will be spending most of our time in the weight room tomorrow night I wanted to prevent a log jam. We will be doing 3 lifts tomorrow to set their goal for KNIGHT Monday in July and I've come up with a schedule so kids won't be standing around too much. If your son needs to come at another scheduled time that will work as well. Tomorrow sets the tone for the whole Summer. Thanks!!!

5:30- Juniors and Seniors (a little earlier if possible)

6:00- Sophomores and Freshmen

6:20- 8th and 7th

6:35-6th

Coach Creasy

P.R.I.D.E. Part 1

P- Personal
R- Responsibility
I- In
D- Delivering
E- Excellence

A true team requires personal commitment. A personal commitment is the very basis of today that we call "Memorial Day". I cannot write this and say that I know the commitment of military personnel but I've seen in it in many of my family members and friends. I've seen it in former students and it is with their memory and honor that I feel compelled to write this today. 

As a teenager with no father figure at home but raised by my mother along with what seemed a village of aunts, uncles and grandparents I looked to my favorite sport to take the next step in maturity. It took some doing but I finally convinced my mother to let me play in 9th grade at 4'11 and 60 pounds because at least they'd give me pads since I continued to play without them in the full contact backyard version. What I did not know was how hard my freshman coach was going to push us. 

My first football coach was Coach Todd Nelms straight out of college and he wasn't too interested in teaching us the game as he was making sure we were conditioned and ready for our 10th grade year. We spent over 2 hours of a 3 1/2 hour practice running 4 days a week. During the first week, one of our bigger 9th graders decided he could not run anymore and proceeded to lay on the ground. Coach taught me the first lesson in personal commitment that day when he allowed us (myself and my teammate to the left of our stubborn friend) to drag him so that the entire team would not be punished with extra sprints and our teammate would not be removed from the roster.

The fellow laying on the ground went onto lead our team in several stats (and also delivered many of the hardest hits I've ever received in practice) all while I watched from the sideline. I took great satisfaction in his success because as I saw it, I had contributed to the team. Coach Nelms taught me a great lesson that day. One that I try to remember in my life and instill in the young people that I encounter everyday especially your sons. The team (church, family, nation) is above your personal issues or disagreement with someone. If I can be honest with you, I was not particularly close to my stubborn teammate or my least favorite person (at the moment) Coach Nelms. I'm also pretty sure it was from fear that I attempted to drag him to the finish but nonetheless I learned that day there is something greater than myself in a very up close and personal way. Jesus made it very personal and even considered us friends (Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 ESV) when we were enemies (For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Romans 5:10).

As we begin our training tomorrow and as the training gets harder over the coming weeks, help me encourage your sons not to waiver because their teammates are depending on them. That 9th grade team had 30-40 kids on it. We have less that than on both teams combined and that certainly makes it very personal, indeed.
Coach Creasy