“We Are Fam-i-ly”

Tuesday, December 5, 2006:

Hello America and all Disney “Big Red” Cruise ships at sea! Bob Field, back at ‘cha for Day 2 of competition at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Today, it's Division II Football action AND the always awesome Jr. Pee Wee Cheer/Dance competition.

At the risk of sounding like an ad for “Crazy Eddie's Electronics” , I'm thinking,“ If you can find a better youth sports organization for the entire family than Pop Warner Little Scholars- join it!” Here's a clue…you won't find one! Oh sure, soccer, basketball, hockey, track…ALL great sports. And, “baseball?” Hey, lots of you KNOW how much I love coaching Little League. But, for total and complete involvement, as Lerner & Lowe might have sung it, “There's really simply not, a more congenial spot” that even comes close for bringing families together than your Pop Warner Little Scholars organization. I'm talking “togetherness” achieved through unified effort, problem-solving, group goal-setting, better communication and life-long learning. Want proof! Well, come on with me, as we sally forth on Disney's WWS complex this Tuesday to find out why Pop Warner “fans” quickly become “family.”

Way out west, sunshine and Pop Warner Football and Cheer/Dance just naturally work wonders for family togetherness. And, when it comes to a Left Coast community that shines brightly under the Wescon Regional banner, check out the classy , hardworking , enthusiastic “family” of Pop Warner in Hollister , CA. I decided to mingle with these super-spirited folks from Cally during this great day of competition to find out how and why Pop Warner brings so much to their lives.

Joe Tobia of Hollister - Pacific Northwest Region Director- has plenty to smile about as he walks the sidelines at the Hollister Vikings Jr. Pee Wee football games during Super Bowl Week 2006. “I've been a part of Pop Warner for 28 years. My wife's been in it for 20 years. My son started in Pop Warner as a Jr. Pee Wee back in 1980. He went all the way through Bantam division, and 20 years later, he's coaching this Hollister Viking team. My oldest son, Chris, couldn't make the weight. But, he too was always involved on the sidelines, stuffing envelopes, whatever we needed done. My daughter was a Pop Warner cheerleader; then she went on to coach. And, currently, I have four grandsons who are playing Pop Warner. That's one of ‘em right there, Number 61 for the Vikings . We all love Pop Warner. It brings us together in so many ways” says Joe. “It's fun! , “chimes in Joe's grandson Tyler who plays on a Hollister Pee Wee team. “And , it also helps me with my schoolwork,” he adds.

So, how do folks like the Tobias get involved in Pop Warner to begin with? Well, it starts with simply asking “What can I do to help?” In Joe's case , he was hooked from the start. “ I was car pooling from work one day , almost thirty years ago, when we went past the practice field for the ‘Morgan Hill Raiders'. My son had been buggin' me to play football. Well, it was halfway through the season so I couldn't do anything about it that year. But, I decided to watch some of those practices. I liked what I saw. So the next year, I went to get him signed up with Pop Warner people in our community. Then, before you knew it, I became involved as an assistant coach . I then became he athletic director, and my wife go involved too. I did their financial stuff, their tax returns. I filed their 501-C s. Then we just grew and grew. We went up to the league level. Then in 1997-98, I became Vice Regional Director . Finally, in about 2002, I became Regional Director. “

I asked Joe about his favorite family memory from all those years. His response centered around one of the founding principles of Pop Warner, a principle that reaches out to families far and wide. “ It's the ‘scholastics' that I treasure the most,” said Joe. “I'm behind that 2,000 percent. We feel that scholastics is the absolute best thing that Pop Warner has to offer for kids and families. “ Joe added , “We put on a Wescon Pop Warner scholastic banquet every year or a couple thousand people. We have a Wescon honor society, and an academic hall of fame for our kids who achieve in he top one percent for classroom work. I just can't say enough for the way Pop Warner touches so many areas of family life, especially life-long learning.”

Wow! Talk about an endorsement for family fun and enrichment. And, Joe Tobia isn't the only member of the Hollister Vikings to sing his praises of Pop Warner. I talked with Viking fans in the stands, who rocked the house for their Viking Jr. Pee Wees all morning long. Despite dropping a heartbreaker to the Watchung Hills (NJ) Wolverines by a score of 13-12 , they showed their total support for this talented group of youngsters, and their entire family effort. I talked to one of those fans, David Heracha , resplendent in his Viking helmet in a throng of Hollister rooters. “This season has been awesome for us,” bubbled David. “ It's a long trip from California, but just look at all these fans here from Hollister! The kids are excited to me here. We're all excited in the stands. We have kids who've played for Hollister who come back to root for younger brothers and sisters who are cheerleaders, too. It's become such a big thing for us in our town that people come out here with us who don't even have a kid on a team, or on a cheerleading squad, to cheer on the Hollister Vikings.”

As I left the stands and headed onto the walkway Field # 1 and the adjacent “Milk House” arena, the Jr. Pee Wee cheer squad from Hollister came pouring out. Having just completed their cheer competition-routine , they were anxious to enjoy the moment with fans and players alike. “ We have a lot of great fans here,” said Hollister cheer coaches Sherry Reynolds and Donna Silva. “We are all super excited for football and for cheer. We have two cheer squads here for Super Bowl Week, our Pee Wee squad and our Jr. Pee Wees. And, we have our Jr. Pee Wee Football team. Hollister is an absolutely great town! Whooooo!”

There you have it folks. “Hollister, CA” is one of so many great Pop Warner towns, each committed to striving with one heart, and one fabulous spirit. Proof plenty that at Super Bowl Week, and year round, nationwide, with Pop Warner Little Scholars…”We ARE
Fam-i-ly!”

More bloggin' soon from beautiful Disney's Wide World of Sports!