I write this in a rarely-found quiet moment in my day, which I’m sure each of you can relate to. It has been on my mind for a while to relate to you what is in my heart, but I find that difficult to do in the busyness of the school day and in the “final sprint” that carries us through the end of cheer practices and games.  

Let me clarify the enduring principles that underwrite this squad. I want above all for the girls to have a place where they feel significant and valuable. I want them to have a refuge, where they know they are cared for and loved and heard. I want them to know they are prayed over. I want them to learn discipline and goal-setting and team building. I want them to grow in patience and diligence and confidence. I want to nurture their tender spirits, while challenging them to strike stereotypes and fight cliques and abandon negative attitudes.  

Yet, I must also express things close to my heart. Things more accurately conveyed in print than in person. I ask in advance for your discernment and grace. Know that my ministry with your girls has always been precious and important to me, and it would require something substantial and imminent to lead me to take the measures that I have.  

I am aware that in my absence schedules and events were miscommunicated, words were tangled and some feelings were hurt. I suppose all of those things are inevitable during the middle school years, but I hate to have seen them happen to my girls under my leadership. I regret that there has been instability at the helm, and I wish I could make things different than they irrevocably are. While my circumstance at this point is still one that I hold close in privacy, I will share that it has proven to be God’s fire of refinement in my life.  

The last six months have been a difficult journey through a lonely and shadowed valley as we have sought to find the right path for our family. Sometimes our healing and comfort has been choked and congested by the many demands and responsibilities of life, but God has shown Himself in undeniable ways in the midst of our sorrow. I have discovered His grace in new ways and have surrendered to His sovereignty beyond what I once thought I could bear. I suppose it is only in the heat of His refining fire that we feel the deepest imprints of His fingers on our hearts.  

Nevertheless, as our family gains distance from this incident, we are acquiring a new perspective. Slowly, it is becoming something that we “have been through” rather than something we are “going through.” But in search of healing and closure, we are forced to make some complex decisions.  

Because of the priority of the situation, and the clarity with which God has ordained this as the appropriate path to take, I am stepping down as cheerleading coach. I have met with the administration, and they will be deciding what course of action to take for the remainder of the season. These cheerleaders have worked hard and they know what to do. I have no doubt that they will experience success regardless of the choices made about leadership.  

I appreciate the loyalty and support you have shown me throughout this season. I am confident that God will continue to carry your girls as He has carried mine. I have been looking forward to this Christmas get-together with sentiment, as it will be my last event with the squad.  

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock. In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them. To all who mourn He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.” Isaiah 40:11, 61:3

Humbly,  

SSB

I write this in a rarely-found quiet moment in my day, which I’m sure each of you can relate to. It has been on my mind for a while to relate to you what is in my heart, but I find that difficult to do in the busyness of the school day and in the “final sprint” that carries us through the end of cheer practices and games.  

Let me clarify the enduring principles that underwrite this squad. I want above all for the girls to have a place where they feel significant and valuable. I want them to have a refuge, where they know they are cared for and loved and heard. I want them to know they are prayed over. I want them to learn discipline and goal-setting and team building. I want them to grow in patience and diligence and confidence. I want to nurture their tender spirits, while challenging them to strike stereotypes and fight cliques and abandon negative attitudes.  

Yet, I must also express things close to my heart. Things more accurately conveyed in print than in person. I ask in advance for your discernment and grace. Know that my ministry with your girls has always been precious and important to me, and it would require something substantial and imminent to lead me to take the measures that I have.  

I am aware that in my absence schedules and events were miscommunicated, words were tangled and some feelings were hurt. I suppose all of those things are inevitable during the middle school years, but I hate to have seen them happen to my girls under my leadership. I regret that there has been instability at the helm, and I wish I could make things different than they irrevocably are. While my circumstance at this point is still one that I hold close in privacy, I will share that it has proven to be God’s fire of refinement in my life.  

The last six months have been a difficult journey through a lonely and shadowed valley as we have sought to find the right path for our family. Sometimes our healing and comfort has been choked and congested by the many demands and responsibilities of life, but God has shown Himself in undeniable ways in the midst of our sorrow. I have discovered His grace in new ways and have surrendered to His sovereignty beyond what I once thought I could bear. I suppose it is only in the heat of His refining fire that we feel the deepest imprints of His fingers on our hearts.  

Nevertheless, as our family gains distance from this incident, we are acquiring a new perspective. Slowly, it is becoming something that we “have been through” rather than something we are “going through.” But in search of healing and closure, we are forced to make some complex decisions.  

Because of the priority of the situation, and the clarity with which God has ordained this as the appropriate path to take, I am stepping down as cheerleading coach. I have met with the administration, and they will be deciding what course of action to take for the remainder of the season. These cheerleaders have worked hard and they know what to do. I have no doubt that they will experience success regardless of the choices made about leadership.  

I appreciate the loyalty and support you have shown me throughout this season. I am confident that God will continue to carry your girls as He has carried mine. I have been looking forward to this Christmas get-together with sentiment, as it will be my last event with the squad.  

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock. In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them. To all who mourn He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.” Isaiah 40:11, 61:3

Humbly,  

SSB