Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Turley Like a Fox

Or on Fox.

Either way, wanted to share this great profile of one of our favorites.

Video is HERE. Type IPZ in to access it. Enjoy the Hudl footage that I'm sure you've all (players at least) reviewed in depth for technique.

Very proud of you, Mitch.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

The Rock is a Go!

As advertised here on the blog, Monday the City Council held a vote on a 2.5 million dollar investment in the community stadium project. I am very pleased to report that the council voted a unanimous "yes." The chamber of commerce subsequently endorsed the proposal. We were told that over 300 emails supporting the measure were sent, and so many people showed up for the meeting that the fire marshal had to ask some to leave. What an outpouring of support!

We are extremely excited and humbled by this opportunity. It is very rare for a community to show so much solidarity, especially with an investment this large. It echoes the obvious need, but we also hope to continue to earn such great support by working hard to make the new stadium a home you can be proud of, not just for the looks, but for what goes on within its walls.

We will post future details of the process on here as they shape up, but this was one very important hurdle to clear. Thank you to the city leadership for believing in us and supporting this community!

What a great day to be a Shamrock!

Monday, May 5, 2014

More On The Rock

More from Coach G...

Its the fourth quarter and we are behind. This is crunch time. As a school we are hoping to send 1,000 emails to the Westfield City Council by next Monday and so far we have sent ... 19. Now is the time to stand up and help our school and program by making your voice heard.

1) Please send an email ASAP explaining your support for the City giving us money from the water sale to support our new stadium. They will get a full return on their investment due to the taxes that would be generated from moving us off of the current field. I have attached my email if its helpful. They don't want cookie cutter emails, but everyone needs to send one, even if you just list bullet points like below.

  • Over 200 events are held each year at the present stadium and current use is restricted because it is natural grass. With an artificial turf stadium, future use is expected to grow to over 300 events annually. 
  • Our existing stadium can not meet the needs of our school and community 
  • A turf surface has less maintenance cost 
  • The field could be used during the school day for band, PE, and other courses 
  • Graduation could be held in the stadium and the back up plan- with tickets- could be the gym 
  • The school gains new facilities and the opportunity to support overall economic development in the area. 
  • The City advances development at a key point in time for the Grand Junction. 
  • The community benefits from additional dollars invested in infrastructure and the potential for reduced tax rates due to growth in assessed value 
The email addresses are:

councilmembers@westfield.in.gov

acook@westfield.in.gov

2) Secondly, we need 100 VOTERS at the meeting next Monday (5/12) at City Hall at 7pm. Please clear your schedule and attend. We want the kids there too, but the Council needs to see voters in that crowd. Please wear Green!

Go Rocks!

Friday, May 2, 2014

City Council Follow Up

From Coach G...

Thanks to everyone who made Monday's meeting at City Hall! We have a lot of work to do still. We need for every single coach, parent and player to send an email to the City Council and Mayor. The email should support the City approving the financial request from Dr. Keen to help us get the new stadium started. We want all of the emails to be original, but the more the merrier. One family is encouraged to send multiple emails. Some suggestions are to write about our severe need for a new stadium, how a new stadium could positively affect other sports and band, and how speeding up the building process will help Westfield's economic development.

Please support us by sending the council and mayor an email. We have to show our support in numbers. Our players and managers need and deserve this and this is a win-win for our program and the city.

Lastly, mark your calendars for May 12th. We will need everyone to attend the City Council meeting at City Hall at 7pm. At this meeting we will find out the council's decision.

Mayor Cook's email address is: acook@westfield.in.gov

All council members can be reached via one email address: councilmembers@westfield.in.gov

Go Rocks!,

Coach Gilbert

If you're still looking for ideas to write about, another suggestion is to relate a favorite memory from the current stadium. Let them see how much a stadium, ANY stadium, touches and shapes the experience of a community. A bigger, newer stadium can safely accommodate more people, which means even more memories!

We fully believe we're investing not just in the team or school, but in the community at large. Early memories of attending varsity football games are what drove many of us coaches to keep playing. We all, at one time, looked forward to playing under the lights on Friday nights. 

An investment now can shape the memories and experiences of generations to come. There are a lot of very good, very logical reasons for a new stadium. But even if you don't understand or are not interested in any of those, I would guess that you have a fond memory to relate. Sharing those priceless memories will certainly stick in the minds of policy makers.