Warrior Football (HS and MS) - Week -2

We had a great first week of practice with the high school and we are much further along than we were at this point last year. It has been exciting to see players rise up to new challenges, excel at new positions, and come together as a team. I am sure your son is sore and tired but that is normal and will continue for another week or so before their body gets fully adjusted to football. The best thing to do for injuries is to put ice on them and have your son talk with Coach Van Pelt at practice.

Middle school football will start this week. We are looking forward to a great middle school season with 40 football players and the largest 8th grade class we have ever had. If you are new to football you may have a lot of questions and we will have a parent meeting during the first full week of school. I will be at the end of the middle school practice tomorrow and available to answer questions. They will wear cleats, shorts and t-shirts tomorrow along with their helmet.

Thank you for the great turnout at the kickoff party. Football is certainly about building community and we want to continue to build a great tradition around football at Cypress Christian. I hope you make plans to bring friends and family out every Friday night.

Weekly Theme - Building a Foundation
Psalms 18:2a “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
Matthew 16:18 “…on this rock I will build my church

High School Week -2 Schedule
Monday, August 9-3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 10- 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 11-3:30 to 5:30 pm (Full Pads)
Thursday, August 12-Scrimmage at 4:30 at home against Lutheran North
Friday, August 13- 4:00 to 5:30 pm (Helmet)
Saturday, August 14-8:00 to 10:00 am (Full Pads)

Middle School Week -2 Schedule
Monday, August 9-6:00 to 8:00 pm (Helmet)
Tuesday, August 10- 6:00 to 8:00 pm (Helmet)
Wednesday, August 11-3:30 to 5:30 pm (Helmet and Shoulder Pads)
Thursday, August 12-4:00 to 6:00 pm (Full Pads)
Friday, August 13- 4:00 to 5:30 pm (Full Pads)

Football Booster club
Season tickets, coaches shirts, replica jersey, team autographed football, annual dinner, car decals, media guide, highlight DVD, membership in the general booster club, other benefits and the satisfaction that you are helping the whole school as 10% of your gift goes to the school benevolence fund and another 10% goes to the general athletic booster account. To join today or for more details go to www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Football-Booster-Club.cfm

Season Tickets
We will sell a lot of season tickets at Blue and White night so reserve your seats today. It is possible that we could sell out, which would certainly be a nice problem to have. 10% of all season ticket sales go to the school benevolence fund and another 10% goes to the general athletic booster account so you are helping more than just football. www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Tickets1.cfm

Blue and White Night
The annual school kickoff party will be Friday night starting at 5:30 in the gym. You can purchase your dinner tickets at www.CypressChristian.org/Parents/Blue-and-White-Dinner-Reservation.cfm.

High school will simply be watching film at practice so your son can go straight from practice to the event. They are welcome to wear their new uniforms and will be introduced at the event. Middle school players will not have time to go home after practice. We are planning to issue them their uniform so that they can wear it. We have had to order more uniforms and they are not in yet so this may not be possible.

Practice Clothing
Our practice clothing should be in this week. Your son will receive a pair of shorts and a shirt. They should wear this clothing for practice and team functions.

HS Football Week -3

August is here and it is time for football. I could not be more excited about the next five months. This is week -3. Our first game will be played week 0 and I have no idea why we do it this way in Texas. The schedule for the first week and other important information follows. A date has not yet been determined but we will be having a football parent meeting at the end of one of the practices that will probably answer some questions you might have. It will probably be next week so if you have any questions prior to that do not hesitate to ask.

We come off the field from 5:30 to 6:00 each night to talk about one of our nine principles for building men. It would be good for your son to have a snack like trail mix at that time. They will get plenty of water and Gatorade throughout practice. It will be hot but we will take good care of them.

Weekly Theme
Purpose
Acts 17:26b “He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Week -3 Schedule
Monday, August 2-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Tuesday, August 3-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Wednesday, August 4-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Thursday, August 5-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)^
Friday, August 6-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)^
Saturday, August 7-8:00 to 10:00 am (Full Pads)

Practice Clothing (Your son should have cleats for all practices)
#This practice will be in the weight room and on the track so tennis shoes will be needed
*Your son needs shorts and t-shirt for Helmet Only practices. Our practice clothing will not be in until the following week.
^Your son should always have an extra pair of shorts in his locker as we will probably wear shorts for the 6 to 7 part of practice on Thursday and Friday.

Texans Practice
Next week we are planning to take the team to a Texans practice. This is optional but a great opportunity. As a staff we have been to several practices this year and have learned a lot of good things. We will take the bus from the school and will probably need to leave at about 7 am. We will return back to school at about lunch time. There will not be morning practices next week. When all the details are set I will send out more information.

Kickoff party
The football kickoff party will be held in the stadium at CCS on Saturday, August 7 at 6 pm. It will be a bring your own pizza pot luck. If you do not want to pick up your favorite pizza on the way you can bring $10 per family and we will order from Gattis when everyone arrives. The kickoff party is a great time to meet coaches, players and parents. We will introduce players and talk briefly about the season.

There are many volunteers that are needed to make football possible on Friday nights. If everyone takes a turn that amount of work is pretty limited and rarely do you miss any of the action. More information about the volunteer opportunities and signup sheets will be available at the kickoff party.

Forms
Your son will need 4 forms filled out and turned into the Cindy Wilhite. I would like to have all of these turned in by the first practice. See the website at www.CypressChristian.org/Athletics/Forms.cfm for more details.

Support the Football Program
Season ticket, football booster club and sponsorship information is available at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Support.cfm

New Uniforms Have Arrived

When you hold one in your hand it will over deliver. It should be a good year if we play as good as we look. Here is a look at them on a real live future player. Click here for another picture.

New Uniforms

The new uniforms and decals have both shipped and should be on campus this week. If you have not yet seen them you can check them out on the website at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/The-Look.cfm

Your son can try one on for the first time at our team meeting Sunday night at 6pm in the field house.

Just 5 days to go.

Meet the Varsity Staff Night

We have three new varsity coaches that will be joining the staff for the 2010 season and I want to encourage you to come out to meet them and the rest of the staff tomorrow night at Goode Company Bar-B-Q. When you go through the line and purchase your food mention Cypress Christian and 10% of your purchase will go back to the school. Even if you do not want any Bar-B-Q you can come out and join us is in the banquet room starting at 6 pm. There is no form program. I will simply introduce the coaches once everyone has arrived and allow for plenty of time to fellowship. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for the booster club and purchase season tickets. Goode Company is located on the 290 feeder road just north of 1960.

Cypress Christian Football 2010 Varsity Staff
Returning Staff
Jacob Spenn - Wide Receivers
Devin Powers – Linebackers
Tim Honeycutt – Offensive Line
Wes Van Pelt - Quarterbacks
New Staff
Bobby Gentry – Defensive Line (MS History Teacher)
Chris Laidlaw – Running Backs (HS History Teacher)
William Fields – Defensive Backs

There are no official workouts this week. We will have a team meeting Sunday night at 6 pm. Thursday night the seniors and I will spend the night at The Core starting at 7pm. Practice starts with equipment handout at 8 am August 2.

Warrior Football (HS and MS) - July 19

Last 7 on 7-July 20 5:00 to 6:30 pm at CCS (High School Only)
This is the last 7 on 7 before the start of practice. We were able to get some good things done last week and once again will need all of our players as we continue to make changes on defense and add new plays on offense.

Workday
This Saturday (July 24) from 9 am to Noon we will be working on our facilities to get ready for the season. The list includes everything from painting and pulling weeds to organizing equipment and carpentry work. While the kids are good help it would be great to have parents as well. I will send out a few more specifics later in the week.

Meet the Staff Night (High School Only)
We have several new faces on the coaching staff for next season and I want you to have an opportunity to meet them before the first practice. We will be at Goode Company BBQ (Just North of 1960 on 290) on Tuesday July 27 at 6pm. Don’t forget to mention CCS when you get your food and Goode-n-Company will donate 10% to the school. There will be no formal program just an opportunity to meet coaches and talk about the season.

Senior Retreat
The seniors and I will be spending the night at The Core (Willowbrook Church’s Youth Building) on Thursday, July 29. We will be talking about leadership, developing Core Covenants for the 2010 team, and setting goals for the season. I will send more details to the seniors later in the week.

High School First Day of Practice
Our first practice will be August 2 at 8am. We will hand out equipment and do a little testing in the weight room and on the track. Your son should be prepared to run the 40 and bench.

MS Equipment Pickup First Day of Practice
The first day of practice is Monday, August 9. Eight graders can pick up their equipment on Friday night August 6 prior to the eight grade lock-in. All other players can pick up equipment starting at 10:30 am on Saturday, August 7.

Kickoff party
The football kickoff party will be held in the stadium at CCS on Saturday, August 7 at 6 pm. It will be a bring your own pizza pot luck. If you do not want to pick up your favorite pizza on the way you can bring $10 per family and we will order from Gattis. The kickoff party is a great time to meet coaches, players and parents. We will introduce players and talk briefly about the season.

Forms
Your son will need 4 forms filled out and turned into the Cindy Wilhite. I would like to have all of these turned in by the first practice. The updated hand book has not been put on the website yet but the others are there at www.CypressChristian.org/Athletics/Forms.cfm. If you have not gotten a physical there will be one more opportunity for a $15 physical at Body Balance on July 28, www.CypressChristian.org/News/Athletic-Physicals.cfm.

Season ticket, football booster club and sponsorship information is available at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Support.cfm

Just a couple weeks left to go until the official start of the 2010 football season.

High School Warrior Football - July 10

We are just a few weeks away from the start of the 2010 season.

7 on 7

We will have 7 on 7 at the school from 5 to 6:30 this Tuesday. We are trying to install some new things on defense and offense and it will really help us in the fall if we can get everyone to 7 on 7 this week and next.

Tuesday Morning Workout

This Tuesday morning our workout will be at Velocity Sports. I will transport players from the school if needed but it would be best if they go directly to velocity. The workout will start at 7:45 (players should arrive at 7:30). There is no charge for this workout.

Roster

Parents were emailed a high school roster for next year. Please verify your son’s shirt and short size. I will be ordering clothing at the end of the week.

Football Camps

This week we will be hosting an elementary football camp from 9:30 to 11:30 on Monday and Tuesday and a middle school football camp from 9:30 to 11:30 on Wednesday and Thursday. We have about 50 kids signed up and I will need about 3 to 5 upperclassmen to help each day with the camps.

Physicals

Your son must have a physical before we start practice August 2. You can get an athletic physical from Body Balance for $15 on July 14 or 28. See the website for more details. www.cypresschristian.org/news/Athletic-Physicals.cfm

Equipment

Each player is responsible for his own cleats (style does not matter but we prefer that they be a majority black) and must also purchase a 5 pocket girdle. The girdle runs about $25 unless it has build in pads.

Girdle

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3594015&cp=3077571.3079736.2360713.2366532.2360752&parentPage=family

Practice

We start practice August 2 and our schedule will be as follows. There may be some changes to the morning practice. The times list our on field practice times and your son should be dressed and ready to go 5 minutes prior to the start time. The afternoon practice will contain a break from 5:30 to 6:00 where we talk about Building Godly Men. You can view the full practice schedule including practice attire at www.cypresschristian.org/football/Practice.cfm.

• Monday, August 2-8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday, August 3-8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Wednesday, August 4-8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Thursday, August 5-8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Friday, August 6-8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Saturday, August 7-8:00 to 10:00 am
• Monday, August 9- 3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday, August 10-3:30 to 7:00 pm
• Wednesday, August 11-3:30 to 5:30 pm
• Thursday, August 12-Scrimmage at 4:30 at home against Lutheran North
• Friday, August 13-4:00 to 6:00
• Saturday, August 14-8:00 to 10:00 am

Middle School Warrior Football - July 10

We are just a few weeks away from the start of the football season. The first practice will be at 6pm on August 9. A full practice schedule can be found at www.cypresschristian.org/football/Practice.cfm.

Roster

You were emailed a middle school roster for next year. Please verify your son’s shirt and short size and let me know in the next 3 days if there are any changes that need to be made. I will be ordering clothing at the end of the week.

Middle School Football Camp

On Wednesday and Thursday we will have a middle school football camp from 9:30 to 11:30. The camp is non contact and will teach basic skills. The cost is $20 which includes a t-shirt. You can register on line at

www.cypresschristian.org/football/Middle-School-Warrior-Football-Camp-Registration.cfm.

Physicals

Your son must have a physical before we start practice August 9. You can get an athletic physical from Body Balance for $15 on July 14 or 28. See the website for more details. www.cypresschristian.org/news/Athletic-Physicals.cfm

Equipment

Each player is responsible for his own cleats (style does not matter but we prefer that they be a majority black) and must also purchase a 5 pocket girdle and 7 piece pad set. The girdle and pad set run about $35 together. You can get girdles with the pads built in but they will be more expensive. The girdle and pad set could easily last 3 years or longer.

Girdle

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3594015&cp=3077571.3079736.2360713.2366532.2360752&parentPage=family

Pad Set

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/sports/football/pads&start=0&selectedSKU=0449-00072-0071

All other required practice and game equipment is provided by the school.

Singular Purpose

While I always appreciate the media coverage we get, it is always interesting and not always what I intended it to be when I gave the interview. Here is a link to a recent article about the upcoming season. http://www.ultimatecyfair.com/2010/06/warriors-have-singular-objective-fall We do have a singular purpose but it has nothing to do with "win the state title," which was something I never said in the interview. Yes I do believe that we will have the best team Cypress Christian has ever had. It will certainly be the largest. I also believe that we have assembled a great coaching staff and will be more prepared for the season than we have ever been in the past. However, winning is simply a bi-product of true success and our "singular purpose" is based on Building Godly Men. We want to build men that will walk with Christ in both tough times and good times, wins and losses, and in playing or sitting on the bench. Our singular purpose is much greater than the score of a football game. After all if you have ever watched a football bounce you will know that anything is possible and many things are outside our control. We cannot always control our circumstances but we can always control how we react to those circumstances.

Warrior Football - July 4

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July and takes time to reflect on the blessing we have that we live in the US. We will have workouts on Monday through Friday this week. Out attendance has been dropping a little so please encourage your son. The summer is the time to learn commitment and hard work that will have great benefits at the end of the season.

7 on 7
We will not have 7 on 7 this Tuesday and I have decided to not enter the private school tournament next weekend. We will have two more 7 on 7 dates at CCS on July 13 and 20 from 5 to 6:30. We will be playing against ourselves and these are critical dates for your son to attend as we prepare for the fall.

Meet the Staff Night
We will have three new coaches on the varsity staff next year which will add about 50 years of coaching experience. I am planning a "Meet the Staff Night" for later in July. You can read a little about Coach Gentry and Coach Laidlaw on the football website at http://www.cypresschristian.org/football/Coaching-Staff.cfm. Both coaches have experience on both sides of the ball so we plan to maximize that experience. Coach Gentry will work with the defensive and offensive line, while Coach Laidlaw will work with the running backs and defensive backs/outside linebackers. A more formal announcement about all three new coaches will be made in a couple weeks.

Clothing Sizes
In the next two weeks I will be ordering our sport packs for the 2010 season. I will be sending out a roster prior to that with size information that I will need you to verify as soon as possible. Getting sizes for 100+ people is not easy so please let me know as soon as possible once that information is sent out.

Practice Starts August 2
We have less than one month to go. Practice starts August 2 and I am still working on the exact schedule but it will probably include a morning workout from 8 to 10 and an afternoon practice like we have done in the past from 3:30 to 7:00. We will practice in the morning on the first two Saturdays, August 7 and 14.

Senior Retreat
On Fridays I talk with our seniors about leadership following the morning workout. I am planning to have some form of a retreat with the seniors at the end of July to continue the conversation on leadership and set goals for the 2010 season. Senior parents please stay tuned for more details.