Involvement and Commitmentrelationships and responsibility

Thank you for coming out for Football Cheer at Boyer Valley this Fall. I appreciate your interest and commend you for your "moxie."

Our job is to get the crowd to make some noise. We're supposed to promote school spirit and pride.

Psychiatry tells us that besides food, clothing, and shelter, everyone has just a few major needs; meaningful involvement with someone else and to feel like we're worthwhile to ourselves and each other. People who learn how to meet these needs without depriving others of opportunities to have their needs met are considered responsible. If you either can't get these needs met at all, or are constantly tying to meet your own needs with no regard for anybody else's are pretty much "irresponsible."

Cheerleading offers you an opportunity to meet these needs, learn how you can meet these needs for yourselves once you leave high school, and as a bonus- an it gives you a chance to help fill these needs for the whole school and community!

Meaningful involvement and contributing something worthwhile, making a difference.

This may sound far fetched, but I mean every word of it. Everyone likes to feel like they're a part of someting bigger than just themselves. That's why schools have mascots and school colors. You're not just a girl or a guy, a Smith or a Jones- you are a Bulldog and it's the cheer squad's job to make everyone feel proud to be a Bulldog too!

Meaningful involvement- being part of something and contributing something worthwhile, making a difference. These take effort and committment. It's a big responsibility, but it's very rewarding.

This isn't just about school spirit. Remember, it's about meaningful involvment- interpersonal skills, and it's about feeling worthwhile because you contribute something.

If you let me, I want to help you become responsible members of a team. I can be a tutor, an advisor, and even a mentor. Someone who will care about you and yet hold you accountable for being more than you thought you could be.

But this isn't just about athletes and their coach. Remember, it's about involvement and commitment, relationships and responsibility. You are no longer just another kid, you are part of the cheer squad.

It didn't seem to work to get everyone together for tryout practices this week. It doesn't look like there will be any inexpensive cheer camps around our area this summer, and between Volleyball, Cross Country, and jobs, it may not look like we'll get a lot of practices in between football games next Fall. So communication and flexiblitiy are going to be important.

Once or twice a week this summer, I'll send you a note like this talking about some of the things that make people a leader and what makes a team. If you read them and take them to heart, it should help us be able to work together better when we do get together next Fall. I hope that it might even end up helping you some in the rest of life too, not just cheerleading.

I really believe that cheerleading can make a positive difference in each of your lives, just like a good cheer squad makes a positive difference in their school.

(Posted on Facebook, 2010 Football Squad members were tagged in the note)