ATHLETIC programs provide an opportunity to teach and learn far more than
passing, catching and running ! Every day there are opportunities to learn
lessons in teamwork, leadership, time management, work ethic, discipline,
organization, etc,etc. Here is an example of a coach teaching far more than
physical skill and game play. . . . Hope this story shows another value of
athletics . . . and allows you to . . .smile @ life
Be sure to watch the video at the end.
Inmate Football
There was an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine,
Texas . The game was between Grapevine Faith Academy and the Gainesville State
School. Faith is a Christian school and Gainesville State School is located
within a maximum security correction facility.
Gainesville State School has 14 players. They play every game on the road.
Their record was 0-8. They've only scored twice. Their 14 players are
teenagers who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to
robbery. Most had families who had disowned them. They wore outdated, used
shoulder pads and helmets. Faith Academy was 7-2. They had 70 players, 11
coaches, and the latest equipment.
Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy , knew the Gainesville team would
have no fans and it would be no contest, so he thought, "What if half of our
fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only, cheered for the other
team?" He sent out an email to the faithful asking them to do just that.
"Here's the message I want you to send," Hogan wrote. "You're just as
valuable as any other person on the planet. Other folks were confused and
thought he was nuts. One player said, "Coach, why are we doing this?" Hogan
said, "Imagine you don't have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling
for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you. Now, imagine
what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly
believe in you."
The idea took root. On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of those
14 players when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders
had made for them to crash through. The visitors' stands were full. The
cheerleaders were leading cheers for them. The fans were calling them by
their names. Isaiah, the quarterback-middle linebacker said, "I never in my
life thought I would hear parents cheering to tackle and hit their kid. Most
of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in
their eyes, but these people are yelling for us. They knew our names."
Faith won the game, and after the game the teams gathered at the 50-yard
line to pray. That's when Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised
everybody and asked if he could pray. He prayed, "Lord, I don't know what
just happened so I don't know how or who to say thank you to, but I never
knew there were so many people in the world who cared about us."
On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the players was handed
a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the
players from Faith Academy .
passing, catching and running ! Every day there are opportunities to learn
lessons in teamwork, leadership, time management, work ethic, discipline,
organization, etc,etc. Here is an example of a coach teaching far more than
physical skill and game play. . . . Hope this story shows another value of
athletics . . . and allows you to . . .smile @ life
Be sure to watch the video at the end.
Inmate Football
There was an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine,
Texas . The game was between Grapevine Faith Academy and the Gainesville State
School. Faith is a Christian school and Gainesville State School is located
within a maximum security correction facility.
Gainesville State School has 14 players. They play every game on the road.
Their record was 0-8. They've only scored twice. Their 14 players are
teenagers who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to
robbery. Most had families who had disowned them. They wore outdated, used
shoulder pads and helmets. Faith Academy was 7-2. They had 70 players, 11
coaches, and the latest equipment.
Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy , knew the Gainesville team would
have no fans and it would be no contest, so he thought, "What if half of our
fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only, cheered for the other
team?" He sent out an email to the faithful asking them to do just that.
"Here's the message I want you to send," Hogan wrote. "You're just as
valuable as any other person on the planet. Other folks were confused and
thought he was nuts. One player said, "Coach, why are we doing this?" Hogan
said, "Imagine you don't have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling
for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you. Now, imagine
what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly
believe in you."
The idea took root. On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of those
14 players when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders
had made for them to crash through. The visitors' stands were full. The
cheerleaders were leading cheers for them. The fans were calling them by
their names. Isaiah, the quarterback-middle linebacker said, "I never in my
life thought I would hear parents cheering to tackle and hit their kid. Most
of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in
their eyes, but these people are yelling for us. They knew our names."
Faith won the game, and after the game the teams gathered at the 50-yard
line to pray. That's when Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised
everybody and asked if he could pray. He prayed, "Lord, I don't know what
just happened so I don't know how or who to say thank you to, but I never
knew there were so many people in the world who cared about us."
On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the players was handed
a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the
players from Faith Academy .
