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Letter to the Community from Teel Bruner Letter to the Editor/Community: Maybe you’ve heard, maybe you haven't; maybe you care, but most likely you don’t--but I have decided to resign my position of Assistant Football Coach at Prairie High School. I thought this provided a great opportunity for me to write my second career "letter to the editor." My first was some 17 to 18 years ago when I wrote about the importance of our male athletes participating in football. It was around that time that the program was struggling with numbers--being down to 9 healthy bodies for one game in particular. I even made the comment that I thought a successful football team could really help "galvanize" the community and the school. Although I took a little heat for some of my comments, I really had no idea how much of an impact a successful football team could have on the community. For example, witnessing huge crowds for our home games on Friday nights, or a caravan of vehicles snaking across the Camas Prairie after a huge league win over one of our closest rivals, or a field full of families and fans after any of our four state championships, hugging and celebrating--I realize the school and community were truly galvanized by the team. Heck in a recent article, one of current players even referred to Cottonwood as "a football town." Trust me, when I wrote my first "letter to the editor," no one (except maybe Travis) could have ever envisioned those terms being used together! Obviously, from a football standpoint, the last 15 years have been special! However, there have certainly been some trying times. Not sure if the other three guys will admit it; but, the first year I coached--we had no clue! The learning curve was steep. Slowly we started to figure things out and had the opportunity to work with great kids. Nonetheless, those first two to three years produced some painful losses. I will never forget riding back on the bus from Deary after a devastating loss where the defense gave up 66 points. A win would have likely put us in the state playoffs. Sitting next to Travis on the way home, I told him I did not think we would ever make it to the state playoffs. I just did not think we would ever be good enough. Fortunately, we kept believing and the kids kept believing--and now we are a "football town." I guess you do not want me to predict your future! As I reflect back, the one thing I do know is that, and I will use a term from my super-hip youngest daughter, I have been "blessed up." I think this means that I have been really blessed--I usually do not ask for any definitions but just nod my head. All jokes aside, I have truly been blessed by my coaching experience. I have been blessed by an unbelievable family that supported me throughout. They all sacrificed much to allow me to continue coaching. Truly, for 12 to 13 weeks each year (that is a quarter of the year), I have spent countless hours at practice and preparing game plans. Those hours, quite simply, were taken from family time. Nonetheless, the journey also provided some very special family moments. Although too numerous to mention, one in particular was seeing my family on the field after the state championship wins! Those were the best hugs! Without my wife and kids, the last 15 coaching years would not have been as meaningful to me. Heck, although it will be hard for a girl with Kentucky roots to admit it, it became my wife's favorite sport! I have been blessed by my colleagues and the administration at work. Never as I was receiving my diploma from medical school or finishing residency did I envision coaching eight-man football. It only was able to become a reality because of the support from the St. Mary's administration and the sacrifice of my partners. Certainly there have been a lot of Friday nights in the last 15 years where call was not covered by me. I am thankful for my partners for taking up the slack. However, the real heroes at work have been the clinic staff and especially my nurses. Constantly dealing with an ever-changing schedule, always trying to help me leave clinic at a reasonable time so I could get to practice, and maybe even having to deal with some grumpiness if the football week, past or present, had not been that good--the clinic staff and my nurses have gone beyond the call of duty. Although I am sure not stated enough, I am truly grateful for what each of you have done for me. I too have been blessed by this place. This community has been incredibly supportive of our football program and has played a vital role in our success. Oftentimes when playing on the road, our crowd has been larger than the home team. Ever since we started peewee football, the community has been behind us and helped us remove any potential roadblocks to success. Simply stated, Cottonwood and the surrounding Camas Prairie have allowed us to win. I strongly believe developing a winning culture is vital to the success of our young men, our school and ultimately our community. Hopefully, we have helped the guys learn how to win and, more importantly, how to prepare to win. It has been an incredibly fun journey with this community building a "football town" over these last several years. I have told many people recently, we live in a really good place. I have also been blessed by the people I have worked with at Prairie High School. The administration has been unbelievably accommodating and willing to be part of building a successful program. This community is blessed with the leadership over the last 15 years in our schools. The administration has allowed and supported our efforts to become one of the best eight-man programs in the state and maybe even in the country. I am even more blessed by the men I have been able to coach with over the last 15 seasons. True friends, confidants, sounding boards and role models for the kids, including my own. The level of trust between the staff is unparalleled and I believe a huge ingredient to our success. To a man, they have no idea how much they have influenced me and the memories they have helped create for me and Jake. There is no way I could have ever handpicked better guys with which to work. Sharing devastating losses and great wins with my fellow coaches is truly some of my fondest memories. The satisfaction of accomplishing things together is really beyond words. I will be forever grateful. However, in my coaching career, I have been most blessed by the young men I have been able to coach. In a profession where I was supposed to be the teacher, it seemed that I was the one constantly learning from the guys. They taught me about toughness. Guys playing hurt, guys playing with their limbs in casts, guys getting IV fluids on game day or in the locker room so they could play for their team, guys getting medical treatment on game day so they could be on the field--the list goes on. I am convinced that this toughness is why we have been so successful. I learned about commitment. Guys dedicated to their teammates--willing to put in the time in practice and off the field studying their "packets," so that they would be their best on Friday nights. They taught me about pure joy and agonizing heartbreak. The high 5's, hugs, and celebrations with each other after big wins and, especially after state title wins, are some of my most cherished memories. Complete satisfaction that we as a group had achieved our goal and, at the same time, made us crave more success and more joy. I also have vivid memories of the locker room after crushing defeats. Raw emotion that often included tears and true heartbreak, not just because they had lost a football game, because they know in the big scheme of things, this is insignificant; but because they had poured their heart and soul into being successful and this was not the outcome they wanted. Remarkable how much the guys have taught me as their "coach." Every guy I have coached in some way has positively affected my life. Over the last 15 years, unbelievable memories and lifelong bonds have been created--things I hope to never forget. For my guys from last year that are still putting on the uniform: Dalt, Deano, Coley, Martin, Johnny, Copp, Hunter, Hibs/TJ, Brod, Jesse, Laner/Deuce, Quirt, Colt, Shane, Big Keen (Costco guy) and Ryano--I love you guys and will truly miss going to battle with you on Friday nights. It may be a strange year because of the current events in our world; but remember, we like when things are different--we can show our focus in the face of chaos. We like when our backs are against the wall--we can show our strength and character. We like when things are tough--because we will be tougher. And always remember, we are about winning championships!! Geez, Greg, sorry this is so long. I am sure the guys are not surprised--just like a defensive practice, huh? I am "BLESSED UP"! Go Pirates. Teel Bruner |
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