Hopefully this will be the last blast before Saturday (unless I forgot something else!).

• 9/10 Red Cougars - 8:00 a.m.

• 9/10 Silver Cougars - 8:45 a.m.
• 9/10 Gold Cougars - 10:15 a.m.
• 11/12 Silver Cougars - 11:45 a.m.
• 11/12 Red Cougars - 1:15 p.m.

Thanks!

Super Bowl Schedule

Below is the link to the Super Bowl schedule.  Please remember that some leagues (not TCYFA) may charge admission to the games.

2010 Super Bowl Schedule - Revised 11/03

Player medals will be distributed after each Super Bowl game.  The 5/6 teams will receive their medals at the banquet.  The coaches who have away games need to catch up with Staci Templeton at practice on Thursday to receive your player medals.  The player trophies will be distributed at the banquet.

Good luck to all of our teams and players!

Banquet News

Please don’t forget that this is the only opportunity you will have to turn in your equipment.  Equipment will be collected 45 minutes before each banquet (10:15 to 11:00, 1:15 to 2:00, and 4:15 to 5:00).  Even if you don’t plan to attend the banquet, you must attend one of the equipment returns to receive your deposit check.  And please remember to clean your equipment before you return it!

Thanks to all of the parents that turned in pictures for their teams.  The slide shows have been created and the individual pictures have been uploaded to the Walmart Photo Shop.  The links to the pictures are below.  I will provide blank DVDs at the banquet to reproduce the slide shows.  Each copy will cost $5 and all proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness.  Please see me at the banquet if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the slide show.  I will also have the discs that were submitted if you would like to have them back.

2010 - 5/6 and 7/8 Cougars

2010 - 9/10 Cougars

2010 - 11/12 Cougars

I have all of the 5/6 player and coach (4 per team) banquet tickets.  Each Head Coach / Team Parent should see me before the banquet to receive the tickets.

Don’t forget that Ernie Goddard will be at the banquet and can reproduce player and team pictures including statistics.  We will also have the yearbooks, wrist bands, and cougar gear, including hats, available for purchase.

November Board Meeting

The board meeting scheduled for tomorrow night will be postponed until after practice on Thursday.  It should be short meeting.  We will meet under the goal post at Sunset Field.

Board nomination forms will be available at the banquet.  To vote for the new board you must have attended 4 board meetings during this year.  At this time only the current board members and two other people qualify to vote.  The new board will be elected at the December board meeting which will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Festus Library on December 1st.

Thanks.

Allyson Mock

Playoffs

The final standings and the playoff schedule are available on the Web.  Use this link 

http://www.mytcyfa.org/standings/ 

to access the standings information and this link 

http://www.mytcyfa.org/teams/ 

Please note that the following TCYFA teams will need to provide three concession stand volunteers for this Saturday.

• 11/12 Silver Cougars - 8:00 a.m.

• 11/12 Red Cougars - 8:45 a.m.

• 9/10 Red Cougars - 10:15 a.m.

• 9/10 White Cougars - 11:45 a.m.

• 7/8 Red Cougars - 1:15 p.m.

• 7/8 Gold Cougars - 2:45 p.m.

Please send your volunteer names and phone numbers to Jamie Mize at the following e-mail address.

jamie.mize@mytcyfa.org

Banquet Tickets

The last day for purchasing banquet tickets is this Saturday, October 30th.  We will have the tickets available at practice tomorrow and Thursday and at the concession stand on Saturday.  Please see Allyson Mock (11/12 Red Cougars practice area by the field goal upright) on Wednesday and Jill Graves (9/10 Silver Cougars by the bleachers near the Food Pantry parking area) on Thursday.

We also made the tickets available for purchase online.  Use the following link to purchase the tickets.  Print the receipt for the tickets and present it at the banquet in the buffet line.  There is a 5% “shipping” charge for using this service.  This covers the league’s expenses for online payments.  Note that you will not receive the regular banquet tickets - you will need to use your receipt in place of the tickets.

http://www.mytcyfa.org/online-registration-payments/

Wrist Bands and Yearbooks

The wrist bands and yearbooks are now available for purchase.  Allyson and Jill will have these at the practices in addition to the banquet tickets.  They will also be available at the concession stand on Saturday.  The wrist bands are $1 and the yearbook is $5.  All will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

Good luck on Saturday!!!

Honoring the Military

Approximately 50 Missouri National Guard recruits and some Guard vehicles will be at the Crystal City field this Saturday.  Tim Davis, our Equipment Director, is a National Guard recruiter and his Guard team will be participating in a community event that will include cleaning the field and stands and setting up the field for the first game.  They will also be spectators for the first couple / few of the day’s games.

To honor their service TCYFA will play the National Anthem before the first game and each team will be asked to salute the soldiers before the start of their game.  Please make sure you extend your respect and thanks to the recruits for their service to our country.

Playoffs and Super Bowls

This Saturday is the last regular season game.  After the scores are received for all of the games (coaches please submit your scores to Terry Graves as soon as possible), the Conference Directors will determine the final standings for each of the divisions.  The divisions will be broken into brackets of 4 teams for the Playoff and Super Bowl games.  Note that the 5/6 division, since scores are not kept, will not participate in these games.  Within the brackets, the 1st place team will play the 4th place team and the 2nd place team will play the 3rd place team during the Playoffs.  The winners of those games will play each other and the losers will play each other for the Super Bowl games.  If an odd number of teams is remaining in the final bracket, an additional playoff game may be scheduled during the week or a team may receive a BYE for one of the games.

Because the Conference Directors not only need to determine the standings but also schedule the fields and referrees for the games, you will probably not know where or when you will be playing until the Wednesday or Thursday before your game.  Note that the Directors will make every effort to provide the home field advantage for the top teams in the bracket but this may not be possible due to scheduling conflicts.

Good luck to all of our teams in this final regular season game and in the Playoffs and Super Bowls!  It’s been an outstanding year for the TCYFA teams and we want to extend our congratulations to the parents, players, and coaches.

Memories

TCYFA will have a 2010 yearbook available for sale next week.  The yearbook includes all of the professional player and team pictures taken by Ernie Goddard during the Jamboree.  It is a 32 page color booklet that can be purchased for $5.  We will be selling them at the Sunset Park practices, the Crystal City concession stand during the home games, and if still available, at the banquet.  We purchased 250 books and availability will be on first come, first serve basis.  A preview of the book will be available at the concession stand this Saturday.

We have also purchased the rubber wrist bands (like the Armstrong bands) with “Cougars” surrounded by footballs and TCYFA embossed on the band.  The bands, with a color choice of black or white, will be available for sale during the Playoffs and Super Bowls both at the home games and the practices.  The cost is $1 per band.  A special thanks to Rhonda Barnaby for the suggestion and for providing us with the Website that could cost effectively fulfill the order.

I was remiss in the last e-mail and did not thank Jill Graves and Laura Henderson for the donation of the Ram’s Scrimmage pictures.  They did a wonderful job in documenting these events and contributing the pcitures to the league so that everyone has the opportunity to order prints.  Thank you very much!

Banquet

The banquet will be held on Sunday, November 7th.  There will be three banquet sessions.  The 5/6 and 7/8 teams will celebrate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the 9/10 teams will celebrate from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the 11/12 teams will celebrate from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  All will be held at Andres in the Festus Best Western (formally the Holiday Inn).

Dress for the banquet is casual and very Cougar gear oriented.  The players are asked to wear their jerseys and teams are asked to sit together.

During the banquet the board will provide a brief overview of the season’s events and then break for the buffet dinner.  The dinner consists of a salad, rolls, vegatables and meat.  Desserts and non-alcoholic drinks are also provided.  We will have the same menu as last year and it was delicious!  After the meal each coach will speak about their team and present each player with their trophy.  The Board will have a few closing remarks to end the celebration.

Each player and four of the coaches for each team will receive a free banquet ticket.  The Head Coach will determine which coaches receive the tickets.  All other attedees who plan to participate in the meal are required to purchase banquet tickets.  If you don’t plan to eat, you don’t need a ticket.  If you have sons that participate in two separate divisions / banquets, and you only plan to eat at one of the banquets, you only need to purchase one banquet ticket.  Banquet tickets are being sold at the Sunset Park practices and at the Crystal City concession stand during the home games.  Since we need to provide Andres with a head count for the meals a week before the event, you have until the end of the day on Saturday, October 30th to purchase your tickets .  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under.

Additional events at the banquet will include:

• Equipment Return - The equipment trailer will be parked outside of the entrance and equipment return will be available 45 minutes before the start of each banquet.  You will need to return all of the TCYFA equipment you were issued (7 pads, helmet with the Cougar decals (do not remove), and shoulder pads) in good condition to receive your $100 equipment deposit.  The equipment must be clean in order to receive your deposit.  Note that if you are not planning to attend the banquet, you will still need to attend the equipment return.  This is the only time we will be offering this service.  We will begin cashing the remaining deposit checks shortly after the banquet. 

• Player Picture Slide Shows - The deadline for turning in your pictures for inclusion in the slide shows is this Saturday, October 23rd.  Please make sure you turn in the CD with the pictures to concession stand before the end of the last game.  The pictures should be segrated into the different age groups for the banquets.

• Board Member Nominations - Forms will be available to nominate yourself or someone else for the 2011 Board Member positions.  The positions up for reelection this year include the President, Vice President, Coaching, Assistant Coaching, Treasurer, Secretary, Equipment, Field and Safety, Fundraising, Concession, and Cheerleading (if there is interest) Directors.  The President and Treasurer are 2 year terms.  All others are 1 year terms.  There are a number of the current Board Members who are retiring from the Board this year so there are great opportunities if you are interested in volunteering.  Please talk to a current Board member if you would like to learn more before the banquet.  Each person nominated will be contacted by the end of November to confirm their interest.  The new Board will be elected at the December Board meeting.  It will take place on Wednesday, December 1st, at 7:00 p.m. in the Festus Library conference room.  Note that you must have attended 4 board meetings during 2010 to be eligible to vote.

• Pictures - Ernie Goddard will be at each of the banquets and will have your player and team pictures available for purchase.  He can add text, including statistics, to the picture to make it more personalized for the season.  He will work with you on the size and the verbiage and print the pictures at the banquet for you.  This is a great opportunity for you to purchase memories of your player’s 2010 season and we are very grateful to Ernie for offering this service.

TCYFA Festus Night

Note that Festus will be playing North County, not Windsor as previously stated.  The Festus School District welcomes all TCYFA players to attend the game.  However, a condition of the free entry is that the players remain in the stands and watch the game.  This is a great opportunity to showcase our young players.  Please keep in mind that coaches have not been asked to attend the game and supervise their players.  Therefore, TCYFA will not provide oversight.  We want to ensure that our players follow the conditions set forth by the school and represent TCYFA accordingly.

Breast Cancer Awareness Socks

All socks were distributed to the players last night.  Please make sure your player wears them during the games in October.

We still have quite a few remaining.  If your player has a problem with the size of his sock, we’ll be glad to try to substitute another pair.  However, the returned socks must not have been worn or washed.  In addition, we’d like to offer the remaining socks for sale.  They will be available at the concession stand during the Saturday games.  Each pair will cost $4.

We are very proud to support this cause.  There have been so many people in our league that have been affected by this horrible disease and we hope you take the opportunity to support the fight against Breast Cancer.  We will have a donation bucket at the concession stands during the remainder of the games in October.  Please contribute what you can to help fight this disease.

7 Year Plaques

TCYFA honors the 12 year old players that have played in the league every year since they were 6.  The players are presented with a very nice plaque at the banquet.  If your player qualifies for this award, please let us know as soon as possible.  At this time the only player that qualifies, according to the registration database, is Sam Mock.  It goes by way too fast….

Banquet Slide Shows

As we did last year, we are planning to create slide shows of the teams / players for the banquet.  If you have been taking pictures of your team(s) and would like them included in the show, please submit them to Allyson Mock no later than October 22nd.  A CD / DVD is preferred.  Please limit your picture submissions to 100 per age group.

9 Year Old and 11/12 Year Old Rams Scrimmages

Below are links to pictures from these events.  They are posted on a WalMart photo gallery so you can order individual prints.  

9 Year Old Rams Scrimmage Photos

11/12 Rams Scrimmage Photos

Ram’s Practice

Festus Youth Football Night

On Friday, October 8, TCYFA will sponsor Youth Football Night at the Festus Football game against Windsor (7:00 p.m.).  All TCYFA players that wish to go will be provided a coupon for a free hot dog, popcorn and a drink.  In addition, any players wearing their jersey will get free admission to the game.

We will be handing out the coupons to the Team Parents during this week’s practices. 

Banquet Tickets

We will begin selling the banquet tickets this week.  The banquet will be held on Sunday, November 7th, at Andres (Best Western) in Festus.  The following is the banquet schedule.

• 5/6 and 7/8 Teams - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• 9/10 Teams - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• 11/12 Teams - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the practices and at the concession stand during home games.  Four coaches per team and each player will receive free admission to the banquet.  Parents and siblings are required to purchase tickets.  An adult ticket is $10 and a child ticket (12 and under) is $8. 

Concession Duty

There has been some confusion as to the time you should report for concession duty.  Each home team is required to provide 3 volunteers at the concession stand during the game before their game.  The parents should report to the concession stand 15 minutes prior to that game.  This is generally 1 hour and 45 minutes before your home game.  Each team’s home games are identified on the schedules posted on the Web along with the time you should report to the concession stand.  We apoligize for any confusion and wish to thank all of the parents for volunteering their time to assist in this fundraising activity.  

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, TCYFA has purchased special game socks for each of the players.   The socks are black and display a pink ribbon.  The socks should be received and distributed this week.  Please encourage your players to wear the socks during the remaining games in October.  

Standings

JCYA added schedule, scores, and standings information to their website  The link to the site is http://jcya.org/.  There is a link at the top of the page that will take you to the weekly information.  In addition, JCYA is providing TCYFA with the weekly scores which enables us to produce standings reports and supporting spreadsheets to identify tie breaker information.  The link to the information on our site is http://www.mytcyfa.org/standings/.  

Cougar Gear

The Cougar hats that were ordered will be available for pickup on Saturday at the Crystal field.  Please coordinate the pickup through your Team Parent.

We have extra Cougar gear for sale at the concession stand.  There is a variety of colors and sizes, including hats.  Sales will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

To honor the October Breast Cancer Awareness month, the league will purchase black socks with pink decorations for all players.  However, we need to know your player’s sock preference and his size before we place the order.  The link below takes you to a survey where you can answer these questions.  PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY BY EOD WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15.  Anyone not responding by that time will receive a medium sized (9 to 11) pair of tube socks.

All players are asked to wear their socks during all games played in October.  It’s a wonderful gesture to show our support for those suffering from or affected by this dreadful disease and for the research that will cure it.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7H86Z5X

As discussed in a previous e-mail, each team will be required to supply three concession stand volunteers for the game prior to their home game.  The Team Parents have the schedules of the needed concession times for each team.  The schedules are also posted on the Web under the Team page.  Please work with your Team Parent to identify the volunteers for all games as soon as possible.  Jamie Mize, our Concession Director, needs this information at the latest by the EOD on the Thursday prior to the Saturday games.

Note that if a team does not have the correct number of volunteers available at the concession stand at the assigned time, the penalty can affect the coaching for that day’s game.  The Head Coach may be asked to step down from his coaching duties during the home game.

Crystal City Parking Lot

Hopefully you’ve noticed, or will notice, the improvements in the Crystal City parking lot near the field.  Earlier in the summer, prior to the flood, the grass and posts were cleared and over 700 tons of rock was used to level the parking area.  Last week, another 300 plus tons of rock was spread to finish the area. 

Crystal City High School contracted with TCYFA to perform the improvements.  TCYFA was able to complete the project with the proceeds benefitting our non-profit league.  Crystal City paid a discounted price for the work and TCYFA, through donations and volunteer effort, was able to raise funds to support the league.  A win / win situation for both organizations!!

Please extend your thanks to Robert Bruns for working with Crystal to finalize the deal, to the 220th Engr Co. Missouri National Guard for hauling the rock free of charge, to Tim Davis for gaining permission and organizing the Guard activities, to Fred Weber, Inc. for supplying over 740 tons of rock free of charge, and to Pete Mock and Chuck Faulkner for their donated labor and the use of their equipment to complete the project.