March is Spartans month

Well I can honestly say that I am glad February is over. In Wisconsin it was "Packers Month" so I obliged by having Packers colors and the logo on the blog. Now we can all move on. This month our blog will be Superior Spartans colors for several reasons. Most of our students go to Superior schools, several of our students participate in athletics and activities for the Spartans, and the winter sports are coming to a close as the spring sports are getting kicked off.

Pictured above is Alex Tunell of the SHS varsity basketball team. Alex and his teammates begin their playoffs on Saturday at SHS at 3pm against Chippewa Falls. It will be their last home game of the year and the last time that Alex will be playing here in Superior. On a side note, Erick Tunell will also be suiting up for the game. Come out and cheer them on if you get the chance! Good luck guys!

And Go SPARTANS!

-PT

2011 Retreat - 4 weeks away!

That's right - just four weeks from TODAY! March 24-26 we are having our annual youth group retreat. Is is for any students in 7th - 12th grade. You must have a permission slip on file at church and the cost is $60. Your friends are welcome to join us and we encourage you to invite many of them. It is going to be an awesome weekend and we are doing a lot of planning and preparation to make it the most memorable retreat we have ever had!

There will be worship, great food, games, prizes, challenging speakers and messages, volleyball, basketball, dodge ball, night games, sledding and so much more! Sign up ASAP! You can sign up on Sundays or Wednesdays at church or by contacting me anytime. The last day to sign up is March 16. That means you have 3 weeks to get signed up. 3 weeks to get your money together. 3 weeks to invite some friends. 3 weeks! SIGN UP ASAP!

-PT

Collecting for Ireland

I want to remind everyone that we are currently collecting coins, cash and donations for our friends the Steel Family (pictured above.) Nate and Lacey, along with their two girls, are heading to Ireland from March until August to help kick-start a youth ministry at a church plant there. We showed a video last week with all the details, if you need more info or have any questions just let me know.

So please bring your coins, cash and donations to youth group on Wednesday night. You can break your piggy bank, take some of the coins from your parents car, look under the couch cushions, start collecting from friends, or even make a bigger donation if you'd like. Our goal is to send them $400 before they leave to help pay for a potential vehicle that they would use while in Ireland. So far we are about halfway to our goal as we have collected a total of $211.80. We also will be collecting on Sunday, February 27 and one last time on Wednesday, March 2. Let's reach that goal and get the $400!

THANKS!

-PT

Youth Leader Profile - Grant Leach

Today our youth leader profile highlights Grant Leach. Grant has been a youth leader for the last two years. He is a junior high small group leader and this school year has been teaching the lessons for junior high as well. Grant was a member of our youth group and graduated in 2007. He has served as an intern in our youth ministry in high school and college and also was a part of our Chicago mission trip in 2008. Grant is the only 3 time winner of the Bayside Bowl.

Here are some of his favorites:

Food - Crab legs
Cereal - Captain Crunch
Candy - Peanut Butter M&Ms
Color - Green
Movie - The Dark Night, We Were Soldiers, Avatar
TV Show - Supernatural
Outdoor Activity - Fishing
Sports team - Green Bay Packers
Hero - Superman and my grandma
Verse - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Be sure to thank Grant for his time and commitment to our youth ministry. We appreciate all that he means for our youth group!

-PT

what you missed last night

We had another fun night at youth group last night for AMP and JR HIGH. If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

-Derek Copperud (pictured above)
-AMP played the walking blind game
-walking tacos for dinner
-JR HIGH discussion on money
-a video about Ireland
-crazy competition games in AMP
-an intense game of BIN Ball (variation of dodge ball)

Hope to see you next time!

-PT

Dodge Ball Results

Last Thursday was our big event - For the love of...dodge ball! We had a great turn out! There were about 175 students in attendance and it was a great night. We played minute-to-win-it games including 'bite me,' junk in the trunk,' and 'extreme hanky panky!' We also had a hilarious skit of "The Dating Game." Our very own Kailey Phillips was the female contestant and she won a date with Ted from Central Assembly! Of course we heard a great message from Pastor Curt on love. And we finished the night off with a huge dodge ball tournament!

There were 21 teams in the tournament, and about 5 or so that had Bayside students on the team. 2 of those teams had all Bayside students on the team. The Terminators made it to the second round but lost. This team was made up of Junior High students from Bayside. Those Guys was a team of Bayside Senior High students and made it all the way to the championship game! In the final they lost 2 games to 1. It came down to the very end in a 1 on 1 match up but we ended up losing. No worries though, a rematch has already been talked about. I will keep you posted.

Thanks to everyone who came out! It was a great night. Our next big event is our annual youth retreat. March 24-26 for grades 7-12. Cost is $60. Invite your friends. It's only 39 days from today!

-PT

For the love of...dodge ball

On Thursday we are having a HUGE event - I hope that you have heard by now. But let this be a reminder. All students 6th-12th grade are invited to "For the Love of...dodge ball!" It will be held on Thursday, February 10, from 9pm until midnight. (There is no school on Friday for Superior public schools.) The event will be held at Central Assembly of God, it's the church right next to the skate park in Superior.

We will have music, games, prizes and lots of fun fun fun! Oh yeah, and there will be a dodge ball tournament. Teams of at least 6 players can be formed that night and entered into the tournament. It is going to be a lot of a crazy night!

In addition to all that fun, we will have a message on love. It will be all about God's love and how Jesus Christ fulfills that love. This is a great opportunity to invite your friends who do not know God or have a relationship with Jesus. They can have a lot of fun and learn about the amazing love that God has for them. Pray about coming, and pray about bringing a friend.

We hope to see you there - tomorrow night!

-Tom

Green Bay Packers - Super Bowl Champions

I must begin by re-stating that I am a Minnesota Vikings fan. I do not like the Green Bay Packers, however, I do not hate the Green Bay Packers. I also have several friends that are Packers fans. And the majority of our students in youth group, our youth leaders, and our church are Packers fans. So this post is in response to the Packers winning the big game. On a side note I also am a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers (actually longer than I have liked the Vikings - before I ever moved to Minnesota) so I was hoping they would win. But the Packers were the better team and proved they are the champions. So three things I want to explain:

1)The colors of the blog were Packer colors for the month of January because the Packers were the only local team in the playoffs. I kept the colors for February since they made it to the super bowl, and then told some of our youth leaders that the colors after the super bowl would be of the winning team. Hence, the Packers colors will remain for the rest of February.

2)The picture of the Packers logo is here as a promise I made to those same leaders that I would post a picture of the super bowl winning team's logo on the blog for the month of February.

3)The picture above of Charles Woodson is the best picture I could find of a Packers super bowl championship for several reasons. First, because I have always loved Charles Woodson (long before he became a Packer). Second, because he played for my favorite college football team - the Michigan Wolverines. Third, because he is the best defensive player in the league. And fourth, the guy broke his collarbone in the game and reportedly gave an inspiring halftime speech where he cried. The team responded by holding off the Steelers and winning the biggest game of their lives. How cool is that?

So congrats Packer fans. Hope you enjoy it.

-PT

Super Sunday

Well today is Super Bowl Sunday! We are still planning on having senior high youth group tonight, even though the big game is on. In fact we will watch the game, hang out, and have some fun. So if you don't already have big plans for a super bowl party and you are in 9th-12th grade, then come on out for a fun night. Hope to see you there!

-PT

History of the Bayside Bowl

The Bayside Bowl V Champions - Team Sparky

In 2007 we started a tradition in our youth group with the Bayside Bowl. It started as an event for our youth to come and hang out on a day off from school. But now it has evolved into one of our biggest annual events. We have had many students and adults participate in the Bayside Bowl. Every year has been different but it always is a lot of fun. And every year the championship game has come down to the final plays.

Bayside Bowl I was on February 8, 2007. We had 3 teams battling for the new Bayside Bowl trophy. (The trophy was either a bowl or flower vase that I picked up from Goodwill for a total of 75 cents! But just imagine what it is worth now!) On that day the temperature was 13 degrees and there was very little amounts of snow. In the championship game the Nation of Domination defeated Well Oiled Machine by a score of 42-37. Well Oiled Machine had taken the lead on a touchdown and 2 point conversion with about 1 minute to go. However, the Nation scored on a long touchdown pass to win the game late. Tommy Casper was voted the Most Valuable Player.

Bayside Bowl II was on February 7, 2008. This year there were 4 teams participating, there was much more snow, and the temperature was 20 degrees. Both the defending champions Nation of Domination and Well Oiled Machine were returning. It was Well Oiled Machine that absolutely dominated the first round of games, winning all three games by a combined score of 53-0! The met up in the championship with the Nation of Domination once again. And it was another classic. The game ended up tied at 28-28. In overtime the Well Oiled Machine stopped the Nation on the first possession and then scored a touchdown to win 34-28. Tyler Tollefson was voted the Most Valuable Player.

Bayside Bowl III was on February 12, 2009. We had the most teams ever participating as 5 teams played on a day that was cold and icy. There was minimal snow and the temperature was 15 degrees. This year there was no first round games as it ended up being a double elimination tournament. Once again the Well Oiled Machine dominated play and earned its way back into the championship game, this time against the Saints. It was a close game but the Well Oiled Machine held the lead throughout the game. The Saints scored a late touchdown but failed the 2 point conversion and the Well Oiled Machine hung on to win 26-25. Tommy Casper was voted the Most Valuable Player in a losing effort as the Saints quarterback.

Bayside Bowl IV was on January 30, 2010. It was the first time the event was held on a Saturday. The temperature was 13 degrees and there was a small amount of snow. There were 4 teams competing and it marked the return of the Nation of Domination. In the first round the Nation returned with style, winning all three games. Once again they faced off against the Well Oiled Machine in the championship game. The Nation led throughout the game and held off a late comeback by the 2 time defending champions to win the game 36-32. Tommy Casper was once again voted as the Most Valuable Player.

Bayside Bowl V was held last Saturday - January 29, 2011. Please see the previous post for the detailed results. Team Sparky defeated The Terminators 22-21 in the championship game and Megan Tunell was voted as the Most Valuable Player.

Bayside Bowl Champions:
I-Nation of Domination
II-Well Oiled Machine
III-Well Oiled Machine
IV-Nation of Domination
V-Team Sparky

Bayside Bowl MVPs:
I-Tommy Casper
II-Tyler Tollefson
III-Tommy Casper
IV-Tommy Casper
V-Megan Tunell

Bayside Bowl fun facts:
-Grant Leach is the only 3 time winner of the Bayside Bowl
-Luke Tunell and Erick Tunell are the only 2 people who have played in every Bayside Bowl
-Megan Tunell is the only girl to ever win the Bayside Bowl
-there have only been 3 undefeated teams in the Bayisde Bowl - Well Oiled Machine did it twice (08 and 09) and Nation of Domination did it once (2010)
-the most points scored in one game at the Bayside Bowl was in the very first championship when the Nation of Domination defeated Well Oiled Machine 42-37
-there have been 2 overtime games - the championship of Bayside Bowl II and the semi-finals of Bayside Bowl III
-there have been 2 tied games - both games involved the same team (Lord's Army) during Bayside Bowl II
-the lowest scoring game in Bayside Bowl history was a 7-0 victory in Bayside Bowl IV for the Nation of Domination over the defending champion Well Oiled Machine

We'll see you next year at Bayside Bowl VI!

-PT