What Heroes Gave
by Roger Robicheau
Each donned their uniform to be
Defenders of our liberty
Their mission sure, their spirits bright
Guard freedom’s home, be brave to fight
One final day each faced their call
Each gave their best enduring all
We’ll never know what they went through
But know they loved this country true
Deep down inside we should all feel
What heroes gave, their cost so real
We must stay thankful, grateful of
The gift of freedom through their love
Their loved ones bore the gravest pain
What we can’t know, some now sustain
To God I pray their pain will cease
And each will find long-lasting peace
Remember this from year to year
What heroes gave – shan’t disappear
We’ll never let their special day
Their time for honor slip away
These brave fought for a nation free
If not for them, where would we be?
This year, it's not just about your Grandpa or great uncle or a bunch of old men in the town's Legion post. This year, please remember and pray for your classmates and recent graduates who are being deployed- not to mention their families and loved ones. Pray for their safe return and the return to peace.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Today; Remember the fallen
Friday, May 25, 2007
Free Clinics
Well, I still haven't heard from the West Harrison Coach about that $60 2-day clinic at Iowa Western that she talked about, but I will keep trying and let you all know ASAP. Meanwhile- Here is some information about the free clinics offered by the Coaches Association. Take a look and tell me which date and location sounds best to y'all. Thanks- and START HAVING AN AWESOME SUMMER! Love, Coach
Free Fall Cheer Clinics 2007
For ALL High School & Junior High Cheerleaders!
Pick the Location & Date that is best for YOUR squad!
Learn Cheers, Chants, Jumps & a Short Dance!
Rules Meeting & Education for Coaches!
Dates, Locations & Contact Information: PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION LISTED BELOW THE CLINIC DATES
August 18, 2007
Adel High School (JoEllen Wesselmann 515-834-1345) 9:00 AM
North Fayette High School (Lisa Nelson 641-435-2656) 9:00 AM
Storm Lake High School (Salli Nichols 712-732-1882) 9:00 AM
August 25, 2007
Clear Creek Amana High School (Kristen Morlan 319-545-1100) 9:00 AM -
Essex High School (Kenna Johnson 712-379-3829) 9:00 AM
Mason City High School (Betty Lou Jones 515-272-4354) 9:00 AM
CLINIC INFORMATION:
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All Clinics begin at 9:00 and run until 3:00.
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Lunch is on your own.
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Dance will be taught in the afternoon.
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Bring your video camera if you want to tape.
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If you’d like the music, please bring a blank CD.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Indian Hills CC
May 5,2007
Dear Cheerleading Coach,
Do you have senior squad members who are planning to attend Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa next fall? Are they interested in cheerleading at the collegiate level? If so, please let them know tryouts for the IHCC cheer squad will be held in June. I am looking for applicants with enthusiasm, a good attitude, ability to work well with other squad members, sharp motions, and strong academic background.
A one-day camp for the tryouts will be held on Friday June 15, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Tom Arnoid Net Center on the Ottumwa campus. ProspectIve students must attend tne camp in order to be eligible to tryout. The tryouts will be held at 9:00 a.m., Saturday June 16, 2007, at the Net Center. Students who live too far away to drive back and forth may stay in an area hotel, or may spend the night in Trustee Hall for $12.00 per night. Students staying the dorm will be under the supervision of the IHCC Cheer Coach, and should bring their own bed linens, towels, etc. Meals may be purchased in the cafeteria.
Tryouts for the squad will consist of performing a cheer, dance, and a motion drill learned in a one-day camp, their own chant or cheer, two jumps (one will be a toe-touch), and their own 45-to-60 second dance routine. Candidates must bring their music on a CD. Candidates will also be required to base and/or fly an elevator with cradle dismount. We will be working on progressive stunts up through elevator with cradle dismount during the camp to prepare for tryouts.
To be eligible for the cheer squad, students must be enrolled for the fall term, must be in good physical condition, and must maintain a 2.0 GPA at IHCC. For tryouts, candidates will be required to complete an application, submit their fall schedule (classes should end by 4:00 p.m.), and complete the IHCC Student Athlete Insurance Waiver form. These can be found on the college cheer squad web site:
A letter of recommendation from a coach or school administrator is required, as is a 1-2 page essay answering the following questions: 1. Why do you want to be a member of the squad?
2. What strengths or skills will you bring to the squad? 3. What do you hope to gain by being a member of the squad? 4. What can you do to motivate a difficult crowd?
Cheerleading takes a commitment, so onily people who are truly interested should tryout. Candidates who make the squad will be assessed a $50 fee to help offset the cost of shoes, warm-ups, etc. Squad members will be required to attend a team camp at ISU August 7 and 8. If for any reason, the student doesn't attend the fall term, that student will be billed the cost of the camp as well as the cost of hotel, meals, etc., involved with traveling to the camp.
As part of the athletic department, cheer squad members are required to follow all squad rules and abide by the IHCC Student Athlete Code of Conduct. Please feel free to contact me bye-mail at cleffler@indianhills.edu or by phone at (641) 683-5178 with questions.
IHCC Cheer Coach
http://www.indianhills.edu
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mr. Mallory's Awards Banquet thing
Good evening, I'm sorry that I can't be there tonight. At the time of this writing I haven't decided yet if I will be attending my daughter Ellen's PreSchool Graduation, or if I'll still be stuck on the couch with the flu.
I hope that all of the coaches' jokes have been as good this year as usual.
Will this year's cheerleaders for both the Football and Basketball seasons please come up and together?
Above all, I want to thank ALL of the Boyer Valley fans, students, parents, and community- I've watched as school spirit and Bulldog pride have continued to grow. Supporting our teams while having fun and making noise in a positive way is what cheerleading is all about. Without great crowds though, cheerleaders can't lead cheers. Without fantastic fans like Boyer Valley has, they aren't cheerleaders, they'd just be cheer-ers, or something like that. So thank you Bulldogs for being loud and being proud.
It isn't easy to stand in front of hundreds of people and try to get them to shout with you and encourage teams.
It takes a very special type of person- either someone with truckloads of school spirit and plenty of courage, someone who's not afraid to get rowdy... either that, or else it takes a major megalomaniac who's starved for attention.
This year's football megalomaniacs- uh, cheerleaders braved bugs and heat and cold and rain and wind and Coach Mallory's driving school vans to away games.
They were: Freshmen MecKensie Jensen, Sasha Meggers, Megan Nielson and Junior Rena Hayden
These were your Football Cheerleaders
This year's Basketball cheerleaders braved wicked cold drafts through gym doors, sweltering hot gyms, and basketballs, players and referees that came careening into them with no warning almost every game.
They included letter winners: Sophomore Vicki Jones, Junior Kayla Donscheski and two amazing Seniors who will be sorely missed, Cassie Androy and Angie Kirk.
These were your Basketball Cheerleaders
And finally, I feel especially bad for not being able to attend tonight because we need to recognize an outstanding athlete who usually isn't thought of as an athlete- usually he's thought of more like a plush toy. He can run, jump, hurdle, dance, dodge and escape chasing Elementary kids who want to yank his tail. He has entertained children and adults, teased, provoked, performed with and at times directed cheerleaders. He has studied, planed and practiced routines and taken meticulous care of his uniform (er, costume). That costume, by the way, means that no matter what he's done at every game, he has been at least 30 degrees hotter than everyone else. In the last seven years there have been only three full-time mascots, which means that this athlete has not only played, but started all four years of his high school career.
Tonight we want to say thank you, we're proud of you, and we will miss you to Senior Brett Malone
Your Boyer Valley Bulldog!
______________________________________________________________
PS- Sorry I couldn't be there tonight, I'm really feeling quite "shredded," as Cameron said in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Football girls, we've gone through a lot ever since Jr Hi Cheer and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Basketball girls- you four shows the most commitment and work ethic - guess I should've just had 4 for both seasons, instead of trying for 8.
Seniors, I'm gonna miss you and really hope you'll keep in touch.
Brett, what can I say? There are not words...
All 9 of you, you all make me very proud and I love you all very much. Have an awesome summer if there are any of you that I don't see in the next three days.
-Coach
Saturday, May 19, 2007
There's more at the Ricketts Website
And if you know anyone else in or from Ricketts and the area who might get a kick out of it, please forward it to them. While you're at it, feel free to link to it from your own website too.
_____________________________
Pirate Prayers at:
http://malloryprayer.blogspot.com
Ted's cartoons, artworks, photos, and commentary at:
http://tmal.multiply.com
"The gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." ~Garrison Keillor
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Plant a flower garden on your computer
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
No Off Season
Kensie & Christine find this time of year a little "hairy" what with studying for exams and all that. Congrats Kensie on moving on to State for Girl's Track, good luck tomorrow!
Jessica chews Sasha's ear off- literally.
Once upon a time I thought about using this blog 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 this blog 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 this 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.
So here is a teensie bit of news and notes:
- Congrats Seniors, Angie, Cassie, Kim, Halley, and Brett!!! And the whole class of 007
- Good luck Angie on being an alternate for UNI's cheer squad- I sure hope someone quits so you get called up!
- Happy Birthday Rena! May 15
- Welcome back Megan, glad you're healthy- keep that way (Phil 4:4-8)
- Congrats Kensie on going to State for Girls' Track, take care of those knees
- Happy birthday Sasha! May 9
- At this point, Football Squad looks like; Rena, Sasha, Kensie
- Kassi still doesn't know because of work and family
- I tried recruiting soon-to-be-Freshmen; Kaitlyn Bonsall, Brittany Williams, and Taryn Fouts, but didn't hear back from any of them.
- I don't know if the school will consider Megan's special circumstances when considering grades and permit her to cheer next Fall or not, but I'll look into it.
- Christine REALLY wants to, but a lot depends on this summer and mom
- We have no bites from possible mascot candidates, got any ideas?
- The Morningside Clinic this year is June 9 already! I can give you information if you want it, but I'll be in Phoenix with my family on vacation
- The West Harrison coach told me at a track meet that UCA will be hosting a two day camp for $60 at Iowa Western CC later on this summer. She promised to email me about it but I haven't gotten anything yet. I'll try to let you know ASAP
- Jessica might think about basketball cheer, but she's not sure (I can't imagine she'd pull herself away from Weber and Dunham and the pine to cheer again, we'll see)
- Vicki Jones, Kristen Head, and Kayla Donscheski have all told me that they're interested in basketball cheer next year- Jonsie even plans on recruiting Ashley Reetz
- Sad to hear that Tiffany Krier is planning on transferring to COU, but all the other 7th graders, Ali, Holly, Natalie, Racheal, Elsa, Sam, and Josie are all INCREDIBLE, so it should be a great year
- Christian Liesinger would be happy to mascot for the next 5 years and eventually tryout to become "Mr. Met."
- Ken Kahl BVHS '01 is the Dir of the Donna Reed Festival and has a PR firm in Denison
- Moe Clemon BVHS '05 received her Associates from Brooks Art Institute in Long Beach and plans to attend a University in either Sydney Australia or Cairo Egypt next year to study Middle Eastern languages and culture
- Christina Hernandez LALHS '00 is now the cheerleading coach at Lutheran High in Sylmar
- The classes of 2001-2003 are all due to be finishing up college this month- PLEASE email old Coach and let me know where you are, how you are and what you're doing (heck that goes for all of you, all the way back to the class of 1993
- RUMORS; Dave Anderson BVHS '02 is moving East to be in some military band or something? Todd Cogdil BVHS '03 is finishing at ISU, Jenn Bonsall BVHS '03 is finishing up at Georgetown and interested in the Obama campaign, "Jake" Kuerbiss LALHS '02 is finishing up at UC San Diego and "Joey" Hager LALHS '02 is finishing up at CSUN, Gina LaMont LALHS '03 is getting married, Randi Stephens BVHS '05 is studying radiology at Briar Cliff
- Keeping tabs on anybody else from Boyer Valley or L.A. Lutheran cheer squads? PLEASE, let me know! At the risk of getting all kinds of spam, here's where you can reach me- ted.mallory@gmail.com
Monday, May 14, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Release Date Changed Available in 2007 Chicken Soup for the Soul has teamed up with American Cheerleader Magazine to celebrate America's Cheerleaders with Chicken Soup for the American Cheerleader Soul. We all need the support and love of our squad to keep us positive as we go through every day life. Chicken Soup for the American Cheerleader Soul features great stories of courage, dedication and overcoming adversity. You'll enjoy one inspirational and uplifting story after another. You'll also hear from devoted fans who share how cheerleading has touched their lives. |
Whether you are a longtime cheer fan or not, you'll be inspired by the wonder of the colorful personalities who cheer us on every day. Chicken Soup for the American Cheerleader Soul takes the victory as the best Chicken Soup book ever! Topics Will include but not limited to:
| Cheer Camp | Teamwork | Role Models |
| Making a Difference | Fabulous Fun! | Life Lessons |
| Leadership | School Daze | Competing Craze! |
| Overcoming Obstacles | Tryouts |
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Why impale your self so much?
Pierce away all summer, but you can't have them in at games or practice- maybe you should get those summer piercings soon so they have time to heal. State rules are state rules
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Ricketts Reunion
Hi there,
My name's Ted. I live in a little town in Western Iowa called Charter Oak. By little, I mean in the neighborhood of 500. Quaint, huh? It is.
I write a weekly column in the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper,
a publication that we obviously share with a neighboring town across the county line. Living in a small town is a wonderful way of life.
Recently someone who's a native of another town asked me about creating a website for a group of friends who try to get together every year and want to be able to keep up on their home town. The town is Ricketts, Iowa. I like to think of it a a suburb of Charter Oak. It's a burgeoning metropolis of say 150 people.
Here it is http://rickettsiowa.blogspot.com
Their annual "Ricketts Kids Reunion" is always the 3rd Saturday in July. This year it will be 7-21-2007
While I like to poke fun at it, I appreciate- no, I ADMIRE the affection that folks from Ricketts have for their town, and for each other. You gotta love a town that's this small and yet SO German Lutheran, that it has THREE churches!
If they like what they see, I hope they'll adopt this little website. No doubt it will grow and improve, especially as they themselves contribute to it. If they aren't crazy about, I'll just delete it- more roadkill on the information superhighway.
Originally published in the 1967 Farmers’ Almanac
• Always call them "Mother" and "Father,"or "Dad."
• Always introduce people to your mother. No matter how important the other person is, begin: "Mother, I’d like you to know"?
• When your parents introduce you to their friends, make them proud. Stand up for an introduction, and acknowledge it with the friend’s name: "How do you do, Mrs. Carter." Don’t sit down, while either your mother or Mrs. Carter is still standing.
• If your parents’ friends ask questions, even though they seem a little foolish, answer. Never say, "I dunno" or just giggle. Admittedly, "You’ve grown so, haven’t you"? is silly; but it becomes sensible conversation if you answer, "Yes, I’m nearly two inches taller than I was last year."
• If your dad tells a story involving you and gets some of the facts wrong; let it go. Setting him straight in front of an audience just sounds quarrelsome and childish.
• Let your mother precede you into a train or bus, or down a theater aisle. In these places, walk ahead of your father.
• Treat your mother like a lady and your father like a gentleman, and you can’t help impressing the world with your own charm and poise.
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