Raider Jamboree= a long, hot day of FUN and action!!!!

Saturday started early for most of us Raiders. Josh was out the door at 6am and I know that Joe, Bertha, Lisa, Liza, Ken and Linda and I am sure a bunch of others were at the school by 6:30am getting things ready for the big pancake breakfast! Unfortunately my little guy was a bear, so we didn't make it until 8:30, and we missed eating with the players, but we did get to visit with Coach Thompson, and Zach Pelt. I also was able to briefly visit with Mr. and Mrs. Rouse- which is always an honor. Next it was off to the field for the scrimmage and jamboree. It was amazing! They did such a fantastic job at setting everything up and making it look nice and not cluttered! My boys were off and running the second we got there. They entered the punt, pass and kick competition and WON for their age group. I was excited that they won because I didn't get to watch it, but I was later informed that they were the only ones in their age bracket that competed! ha. Either way- they made it into the finals to be played after the scrimmage.










I didn't get to watch any of the scrimmage because I was selling shirts, but I gave my camera to Ellen Dees and she took some great pictures for me. Thanks Ellen!









I met some parents and got to visit with all the Coach's Wives- which is always fun. Have I said how great ALL of our wives are? Make a point to get to know them- they are all amazing women and if I do say so myself- we all have great kids too:)








I did talk to Josh last night after he got home, he was very happy with the scrimmage. As always- we have things to fix, but he is seeing a lot of progression, which made for nice conversations last night! After the scrimmage they held the punt, pass and kick final competition on the field and the boys obviously won their division! I wish I knew who the other kids were that competed in the competition. THEN, the BEST event EVER came! The DUNK TANK!!!! I didn't think any of the coaches would actually do it, but we had WONDERFUL participants!!! Coach Mann, DOC!!, Coach Cooper, Coach Elrod and Coach Walker were all willing to get wet and what good sports they were! I am sure part of the reason that they wanted to do it was because of the heat, but either way, I was happy that they agreed- AND they had fun which was awesome! THe players all had fun taking turns trying to dunk the coaches. Then their kids were happy to dunk their dads. I really wish I had of volunteered to be dunk because it was one hot day! I bet it felt so good!


















After it was all over the players went back to the locker rooms to shower and get ready to go out and sell cards to the neighborhoods. I think it was hard for some of them because Vista Ridge was also out selling cards to some of the same neighborhoods. Either way, the boys did what they were suppposed to do! Josh and Clint Taylor (the card rep) came back to our house and we counted the checks and money together. I will let Josh do the honor tomorrow of telling you all how well we did. I will give you a hint and say that Josh was extremely happy and we have LOTS of money to deliver to Keith Stewart!! Which should make for a VERY happy Booster Club meeting on Monday night! (7pm in the Study Hall!)

"We aren't cocky- We're confident!"

We made the paper!!!
Funny how the paper has a way with twisting around what it is that you actually say!
I think there was a We PLAN to be in every single one of these games in that last sentence.

We WILL be in every one of the games, but there was actually a PLAN to be in that sentence!

Either way! Watch out for the Raiders!
They are ready to play and I am ready to watch!!!


Check it out!
http://www.hillcountrynews.com/articles/2009/08/13/sports/sports46.txt

August 11, 2009 - Wednesday 2 a days!

This is my 6th post of today, so you might clear out about 30 minutes for some reading time! I have a few video's and lots of pictures. If you click on the pictures, it will make them larger and you can print them- OR email me and I will send it to you through email!

Before I talk about football practice- there are a few things that I would like to update you on!

1) The girls Volleyball team swept Holland last night on ALL 3 levels! This is amazing AND we made History at Rouse tonight! It was our first Varsity game and our first Varsity win! Congrats to Coach Thompson and the Volleyball girls! We are very proud of you!
2) Jacob and Lindsay Thompson will be finding out if Connor will have a little brother or sister
3) Shane and Mandy Krause will find out if they he will have boys basketball player or one that will be on Coach McDonal's team! 4) Coach Sainz birthday was Monday! We wish him a very Happy Birthday!!!!
5) We have our 1st annual Raider Jamboree on Saturday at 8am! and are very excited about all of the fun events that we have lined up... here is a sneak peak: you can come out and DUNK your favorite coach AND throw a pie in his face!!! It starts at 8am with a pancake breakfast with the football team and cross country runners, then at 10am the jamboree and scrimmage starts! Its going to be a FUN day and very eventful! Lots of chances to dunk a coach or a booster club member, buy spiritwear, and LOTS of stuff for the little kids!



Now- on to football.... Made my way out to practice again yesterday, I thought that they looked good! We have some things to work on, but overall they looked pretty good. I don't have much to write, but I have lots of pictures and lots of video. I again want to show you all how good your boys are to mine.
Thank you all for remembering that

"You Aren't Raising Boys-- You are Raising Men!"

I think you can see why from the video's and pictures

2nd week of 2 a days!

Used to; I hated this 2nd week. I called it Hell Week because Josh was gone from BEFORE the sun rose to WAY after it went down and I had 2 kids in diapers that were driving me crazy! (there ARE some parts of football that I don't like, I do miss Josh from time to time:)

Well, it is no longer Hell Week- I enjoy it much more now than I ever have! Especially because the boys are bigger! I have had more fun going to the practices than I ever have before. For the first time, ever, I stood ON the field with Josh to watch practice. My secret to getting him to allow this is that I had my camera and he know how important taking pictures of this stuff it to me- so although I was taking pictures, it was just because it was my ticket to standing in the middle of things:)

I LOVE hearing (most) of the stuff these players say. It obviously gets more and more crude the older that they get! ha. I heard some things that i am not sure I wanted to hear. (not anything bad- just things that I didn't really want to think about:) But overall- its pretty cool, they are pumping each other up and giving one another boosts of confidence, and sometimes getting mad- but in a good way.
These are the things that build a team camaraderie. These are the things that help the players learn to trust each other and to build team unity. I just love it- there is NOTHING better than this.

I have to say one more time how impressed I am with the players and how they interact with my boys. It makes me smile and I just love taking them out there. The treat them with a lot of respect in the fact that they offer to let them tackle them, they never curse in front of them, they give them high fives, they don't trample them even when my boys get in their way, the know the boys names and it is just so awesome for me. My boys love it and ask about them all of the time. They are starting to remember some names- they know Tai and Lucky.
Lucky is especially good with them!
And the trainers! They always offer the boys water and hold their hands when they think that they are getting in the way.
It is just such a great thing to watch. I really appreciate all of your kids and how wonderful they all are.
At the end of practice- Ben Morris carried Judson over to the huddle and Judson sat down with the boys on a knee.

I appreciate Josh allowing this too. I don't ever take this for granted. We know coach's that work for other Head Coach's that don't even allow their wives to call, much less allow them to come to the practice! I have a lot of coach's wives that always email me after reading my blog and they tell me how lucky I am that we are allowed to do this because they aren't a part of their husbands program other than cheering for them at games! I can't imagine not being a part of it all and I just really appreciate Josh for allowing this for me and the boys and the other Coach's families Josh worked under Chris Ross (at Cedar Park HS & WFHS) for 7 years before landing the Rouse job. Josh has ONLY worked for Chris, and Chris was always so nice to include the wives and our kids in everything, so in addition to thanking Josh- I am also thanking Chris for showing Josh that it is important to have your family around.

Lady Raider Football Camp!

I am not going to post much on this site about the Lady Raider Football Camp. Check out my third blog on this! ha
www.ladyraiderfootballcamp.blogspot.com

The only thing I will write is that it is very obvious where some of our athletes got their talents from!
Linda Zarsky and Lisa Pelt are very competitive.
Bertha and Naiya Gadison(I know I am spelling that wrong)were the BEST!! They were tackling the heck out of each other.
Speaking of tackling... Virginia Torres!!! She beat the crud out Lucky! They were hilarious and she gave him all she had!
Kim Zauzig has an amazing throwing arm
Kristi Harrison is much more atheltic than I will EVER be! My talents are definitely not on the field- I do much better at cheering!

EVERYONE had fun and I am SO incredible blessed that so many people came! and Thank you to all of you coach's and wives that helped make this so successful!
Please read more on the Lady Raider Football Page!

Fan and Parent Night!

Friday, August 7th!
The 2nd Annual Fan and Parent Night was AWESOME!

I am hoping some of you will start sending me some pictures because most of mine are of my boys- sorry for that:)

For me- Friday started out with NOT having to WORK! I took the day off to get things ready for Saturday's Lady Raider Camp, so I was at the school ALL day long.

After Julie Cooper, Kristi Harrison and Taylor Elrod and I finished decorating for our event,we headed to the stadium to watch the scrimmage, which was so cool.

First of all, I have NEVER seen so many people in the stands for a scrimmage. I have to say- it was really neat. The seats were full, we had a ton of student body and all the 16 cheerleaders! (yea!! We have 16 cheerleaders!!!!), the dance team and a lot of the girls athletes we there! I was so excited by this.
People were having fun and laughing, cheering and being loud. The main thing is that they were having FUN!

Don't you just love our MC? Ken Zarsky does a FANtastic job at being the voice of the Raiders! He has given me my very first nickname: Mrs. Coach Mann! He is the only one that calls me that and I love it! It makes me laugh everytime he says it!

Did you notice all the kids sitting on the field in red jersey's with Cougars on their shirts? Those kids were from LCP Pop Warner- they were teammates of Zach Pelt and Coach Mann invited them to come sit on the sidelines of the scrimmage. If any of you have little kids that would like to do this too- talk to me- I bet I can sweet talk the coach into being a part of the team for a night! (scrimmages or practices are the best time to do this- during games, is not a good time)
Anyhow, these boys were SO wonderful. They played with my boys and gave ME a MUCH needed break, so I was very greatful to them for this!
My boys tackled them and did running drills with them and I thought that was so cool. I feel certain that these boys had a blast hanging out on the sideline and I hope that they get to do it again very soon!
I didn't even have to take the boys to the concession stand or the bathroom- these boys did it all for me. They even tied Judson's shoes.

I know I am getting a little sidetracked with the LCP kids, but I want to say that 1) they were VERY well disciplined. I was VERY impressed and it was genuine
2) they were so thankful to be out there and it was so good for them (both players and the young guys). I wish every young kid had the opportunity to do something like that- to see what they have to look forward to in the future- even if they don't understand it right now.
The Big guys are huge role models for these young boys and now these little ones have them to look up to. I just think that is so neat!


At 10:45- in the middle of a play- the lights shut completely off. I mean it was pictch black- no one could see and thankfully some people went to their cars and turned their lights on- otherwise it might have been really bad. I could barely find my boys. I also heard that someone in the stands fell down. I hope that didn't happen, and I am sorry if it did.

I ran over to the team huddle because I figured that the boys went there- and sure enough that is exactly where they were! The LCP kids were right there with them in a knee- just like the players!
After they broke out with "Raiders", the players surrounded the LCP kids and gave them high fives and told them thanks for coming out and were asking them what positions that they played. It was really cool- they weren't shy (either of them) and it was just awesome to watch.
Last football season, I could barely get the guys to give my Raider Rousers a high five, much less talk to them and now- they are picking them up- patting their heads, talking to them and it is just awesome to see that how much they have grown in just a years time. So much more mature! Now they are even talking to me.. LOL!








Anyhow, the scrimmage went well according to Josh.
EVERY scrimmage, Josh comes home and asks me how I think that they did. (I think he is just being polite to me:)
Anyhow, and EVERY year, I tell him that I can NEVER tell in a scrimmage because I never know who to cheer for! Aren't we supposed to be happy for all the kids when they ALL do well- not choose sides?
I learned the answer to this on Saturday!

Josh was FURIOUS over the lights going out- and Jace wasn't much better. Josh had told him that he could go in on the last play and try to score a touchdown, but when the lights went out- that all changed. Jace was so upset, it hurt his feelings so bad! Josh promised him that he would take him to practice on Monday and he made good on that. Josh felt horrible about it because he HATES telling someone something and then not doing it- it really bothers him, so on top of already being mad that the lights were shut off- then having to break a promise to Jace- he was really ticked!

Josh came home around 1am and he ate a grilled cheese, talked to me for a minute and then fell straight to sleep for our big day on Saturday!