Tale of Two Christian Schools
Chances are, you saw the story out of Dallas about the Christian school whose girl's basketball team played a school for developmentally challenged kids...and beat them 100-0. The school is embarrassed about that now, but the damage is done; not only to the school, but to any Christian who believes compassion and respect are important qualities.
Texas prep hoops team might forfeit 100-0 win
I'd like to give you another story that shows a different side. This story is real. It was written by the talented Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated and it inspires me every time I read it:
High school football is big in America, but I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.
The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school bandand everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.
This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.
But there is one football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them… All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.
They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have earned enough good behavior points that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.
That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.
A few days before the game, the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith Christian parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted.
You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian parents and students asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn’t know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were “just as valuable as any other person on earth.”
So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor’s side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons. –Cheering for a team decked out in mismatched old uniforms and helmets. –Cheering for boys who wouldn’t go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say “I’m so proud of you son!” –Cheering for the underdog.
This was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused. “Why are they cheerin’ for us, coach?” “Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value.”
Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.
They were down 33 to nothing at the half. Williams encouraged his team to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown against this vastly superior team. And when the boys from the State School took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, everything started to click. And they did score. Not once but twice.
And the fans went wild.
Coach Williams was asked what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and said that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. That’s becuz after the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a personal letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player. But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, “Nice game” and “Look forward to seeing you guys next time.”
As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”
Texas prep hoops team might forfeit 100-0 win
I'd like to give you another story that shows a different side. This story is real. It was written by the talented Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated and it inspires me every time I read it:
High school football is big in America, but I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.
The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school bandand everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.
This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.
But there is one football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them… All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.
They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have earned enough good behavior points that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.
That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.
A few days before the game, the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith Christian parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted.
You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian parents and students asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn’t know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were “just as valuable as any other person on earth.”
So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor’s side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons. –Cheering for a team decked out in mismatched old uniforms and helmets. –Cheering for boys who wouldn’t go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say “I’m so proud of you son!” –Cheering for the underdog.
This was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused. “Why are they cheerin’ for us, coach?” “Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value.”
Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.
They were down 33 to nothing at the half. Williams encouraged his team to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown against this vastly superior team. And when the boys from the State School took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, everything started to click. And they did score. Not once but twice.
And the fans went wild.
Coach Williams was asked what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and said that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. That’s becuz after the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a personal letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player. But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, “Nice game” and “Look forward to seeing you guys next time.”
As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”
Comment
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Comment by Julie on February 16, 2009 at 7:44am - Thank you. I have worked with many teenagers that I have helped make the right decisions, by far I am not perfect, but I do understand abuse, and not having a parent in your life. It is hard, and most of the teens I have worked with grew up tossed from place to place, watching their parents do drugs and the only thing the parent could say to thier child is get out, or you are never going to amount to nothing. I able to work with them and put myself on thier level, they do care...they just want someone to care for them.
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Comment by Cori on February 10, 2009 at 12:09am -
As a graduate from Faith Christian School (class 04) I am so proud not only of the people directly involved in the team but in the school as a whole. For a school that is only nine years old to go from being housed in a church with few students to being recognized by a sports illustrated writer and Kidd Kradick in the process, not for something shameful; but for something inspiring truly makes me proud to be an alum of this promising school. Having been a varsity athlete in several sports at Faith it is awesome to know that no matter how good or bad the teams are doing Christ and his message of UNCONDITIONAL love is what is remembered about the teams. That is after all the greatest news we can share.
Thank you Kidd,
Cori Petty
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Comment by beesknees on February 8, 2009 at 7:45pm -
Awesome message in this one. I emailed it right away to my friends and family.
Thanks so much. I really needed this.
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Comment by Dollie on January 29, 2009 at 8:07pm
- I know I am late commenting but I wanted to say thank you for this story. I was tearing up the whole time listening to this on the way to drop my kids off. I live in a town with a prison. So after your story was done my 6 year old asked "mom do you think that I could cheer and pray for the *boys* in the pirson here to let them know that they are not forgotten. Because I don't think they have family like that who cares." Thats when I could no longer hold the tears back. So THANK YOU for not only touching my heart but also my childrens hearts, normally they are too *busy* thinking about what they are missing instead of what others are missing out on. Including something as love and faith.
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Comment by Melanie on January 26, 2009 at 2:20pm - Absolutely awesome story - Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Comment by Tim on January 26, 2009 at 12:01am
- Gee Tracy, where do you think he got the story? It came from the media.
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Comment by Ryan Wells on January 24, 2009 at 5:54pm - Don't fret Kidd. I teared up on that story too. It is a great example of what we could do for each other when we really do attempt to care. Not just because the bible tells us too but it just makes things in this world a hell of a lot better.
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Comment by Jamie Ferguson on January 24, 2009 at 4:20pm - This story was amazing. It truely shows how there are people in American who can love unconditionally, we need to hears more stories like this, instead of all the hate stories. It's stories like this and the people involved that really inspire others to go out and love others instead of always judging them by their past and rejecting them. I would love to hear more stories like this.
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Comment by Lauren on January 24, 2009 at 3:43pm -
After hearing this story this morning by way of KPod I sent a note to Coach Hogan expressing my feelings for doing such an act. He is the consummate example of the grace, love and mercy of Jesus. People of faith are under constant assault from a secular media/political groups that deliberately portray us only as mind-numbed, 'hateful' morons seeking to inflict 'religion' on American life.
How blessed we are to have Coach Hogan mentoring and teaching those kids.
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Comment by Leslie on January 24, 2009 at 1:21am - Thank you for sharing the story! My heart melted and I was crying. It gives me hope that all things are possible, even though you can't always see the good. I want to find a team and cheer them on now.
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