Using Your Platform –Lang Wedemeyer , Head Coach SDSU Women’s Soccer Power Verse:

“Your every [action] must be done with love.”

1 Corinthians 16;14

Brookings Area FCA Newsletter

Spring 2013

Every platform is important in God’s eyes. Make the most of yours. “You’ve been entrusted with a unique set of circumstances, relationships, and opportunities. No one else stands precisely where you do. Your day-to-day relationships elevate you to a singular position of importance in the lives of your family, friends, cowork-ers, teammates, and neighbors– the people all around you. They believe in you and derive value from your input. No one else can have the same impact in their lives.” -Tony Dungy “The Mentor Leader”

www.BrookingsAreaFCA.org

Tell us about your family? My wife Ta-bitha and I will have been married for 12 years this June. She teaches dance local-

ly. We have four very enthusiastic children: Brooks is 9, Isabella is 6, Car-oline is 4 and Hunter is 2. They are all very active and are big Jackrabbit fans.

How did you get into coaching, and

how did you come to SDSU? About mid-way through my freshmen

year of college, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life…like most college students. And it was in a fairly clairvoyant moment that I had the epiphany that I would be very happy wearing shorts and t-shirts to work every day coaching soccer. I had played the game since I was 6 and had done a little coaching with recreational teams and camps up to that point. It had been my passion for so long, but there were not a whole lot of full-time coaches at that time in the US. But, my family was supportive, and I started attending coaching education courses that summer. After I finished my grad-uate degree at Old Dominion Universi-ty in Virginia and my time as a gradu-ate assistant coach for the men’s soccer team at ODU, I took a job as the Direc-tor of Coaching for the Roanoke Star Soccer Club in Roanoke, VA…my former youth soccer club and in my home town. After a few years, I real-ized I really wanted back in the colle-giate game, so I was sending out re-sumes all over the place. It took a little while, but eventually in January of 2000, got a call from SDSU Athletic Director Dr. Oien and was invited up

for an interview. I was given the chance to start a new program from scratch, and I fell in love with SDSU. The great city of Brookings, the people, and the academic and ath-letic commitment to excellence made me sure that it was the right place for me.

What do you like best about SDSU? The people. We have great people all

over the place: from our administrative staff to the maintenance staff in our building to my assistant coach Brock Thompson to the wonderful young women on my team to the professors and everyone that makes this place special…it makes it rewarding to come to work every day.

Tell us how your faith impacts you as

a coach? My faith impacts me in ways that are

sometimes obvious and in ways that I don’t always see or feel. Although I often fall short of the ideal coach I wish to be, I know that God is with me and is guiding me to help the young women on my team be the best versions of themselves every day. It can be a tough battle to fight sometimes, but my faith is where I gather my strength to continue the good fight. I think the one thing that I try very hard to find, yet can be elusive is the right balance in life. With a young family, coaching at the Division I level, and my obligations to youth coaching and coaching educa-tion, time is a very slippery commodity that is hard to grasp. My faith helps me to gain balance, decipher what’s most important, and to try and find perspec-tive amidst the chaos of every-day life. When I am able to keep Jesus as the central part of everything I do, I have that sweet balance. Then I find that I am not only a better coach, but am better at relationship building with my family and my players.

Do you have a favorite Bible passage and why does it stand out

to you? Philippians 4:13: I can do all things

through Christ who strengthens me. There have been A LOT of times in life when either realistically I was not going to be able to accom-plish something or times when I had a lot of doubts about my ability to achieve my goals. Although this can still be a tough battle, I repeat this verse to myself almost daily as a strength finder and to steady myself in times of fear or doubt. It helps keep me focused on all the great things that can happen.

Page 2 Brookings Area FCA Newsletter

Inside Story

FCA Values

Integrity - Service - Teamwork - Excellence

As we head into summer, I am so thankful for our area volunteer huddle leaders who have gave of their time, and loved students this past year. THANK YOU! Kristy and I are gearing up for the summer season of FCA which in-cludes hosting college students that are in Brookings for the summer on Wednesday nights in June & July. Taking a group of student athletes to serve in Pine Ridge again this year, to do a sports camp and a shoe distribution through Samaritan’s Feet. We’ll also be leading our state College Leadership Conference later this summer. Some recent highlights: Men’s Basketball Bible Study It’s been a great joy for me to lead a weekly bible study with several of the SDSU Men’s Basketball players this semester, it’s been a blessing to get to know them on a deeper level. I was honored (to put it mildly) to be asked, at the players invitation, to travel to Michigan with the team during the NCAA Tournament and to lead a pregame chapel. My highlight of the trip was just spending an hour or so in a player’s room and chatting one night, getting to know each other better. FCA Chaplain’s Conference in Baltimore In May I was able to attend the FCA Champlain’s Confer-ence in Baltimore Maryland. It was a time of encourage-ment and professional develop-ment– gleaming from some great leaders in sports ministry and fellowshipping and talking shop with other chaplains. I was honored to be asked to lead a huddle discussion of collegiate chaplains. One of speakers was Rod Hairston, the chaplain of the Baltimore Ravens. He was so impressive we have asked him to be our speaker at this year’s Breakfast of Champions! It will be held on Wednesday, August 14th.

Baccalaureate Service at Deubrook High School In May I was honored to share the platform with Bruce Johnson in White at the Deubrook Baccalaureate service. It was an honor to share about Christ, and the challenge of pursuing the passions and gifts that God has given them in life with reckless abandon. Brookings Power Camp

In June we’ll see the fruit of a lot of hard work and prayers come to fruition as we host our first ever FCA Camp! We are excited to use the platform of sports to impact lives for Christ. It’s a true blessing to have

people of the caliber of Coach Stig, Clint & Jill (Young) Sargent as well as several Jackrabbit athletes and others lead a sports camp for our community youth. An FCA Camp is directly inline with our vision: “To see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of athletes and coaches.” Power Camp will be for 2nd-7th graders and will take place June 11-13. Please be praying for our continued planning as well as for the kids and families attending, and for the camp itself. If you have children that may be interested in camp, there is still time to get them signed up– simply go online to: www.BrookingsAreaFCA.org/powercamp

Page 3 Brookings Area FCA Newsletter

Contact TJ for more information or questions about FCA 605.651.3592 or tcarlson@fca.org

www.wisemandental.com 692-9555

692-3663

Please support our business partners as a way of saying “thanks” for their support of FCA.

www.bankeasy.com

697-3100

www.millsproperty.com 697-3175

Ron Borchardt Realtor 690-1999 borchardt@brookingshomes.com

www.stoneybrooksuites.com www.bracesbymeyer.com

Presented By:

2013 Coach Stig Golf Outing Sunday, June 2nd , 2PM

Meadow Creek Golf Club, Volga $200 for a team of 4– includes 9 holes of

golf, cart, meal and prizes.

Benefitting our local FCA ministry.

Contact T.J. today to sign up– 605-651-3592 tcarlson@fca.org

www.BrookingsAreaFCA.org/golf

Your support Makes A Difference! of throwing themselves between the

weakened bird and possible predators. They stay with him until he is either able to fly, or until he is dead. Then, and only then, do they

launch out on their own. In most cases they wait for another group of geese to fly overhead and they join

them, adding to the safety and flying efficiency of their numbers.

If only we humans would care for

one another so well! Stick with your friends, and more importantly stick

by them.

“Others before self. Christ above all.”

One of FCA’s Core Value’s is Teamwork.

Many sites evoke as much attention, and awe, as that of a large flock of

Canadian geese winging their way in their V-formation to the north or

south. They speak of the changing seasons, and the value of teamwork.

What many people don’t know is that

when a goose gets sick, or perhaps wounded, it never falls from the sky itself. Two other geese also fall out of formation with it and follow the ailing goose down to the ground.

One of them is very often the mate, since geese mate for life and are

extremely loyal to their mates. Once on the ground, the healthy birds, help protect him, and take care of him as much as possible., even to the point

Page 4 Brookings Area FCA Newsletter

Brookings-area/SDSU FCA 306 Hickory Street

Brookings, SD 57006

Closing Thought

FCA Vision: To see the world impacted for Jesus Christ, through the influence of coaches and athletes.

Our local FCA is fully supported by partners like you (individuals/businesses/churches). Your generosity allows us to minister to the Brookings area. All financial gifts to our local FCA should be sent to:

Brookings Area FCA 306 Hickory Street

Brookings, SD 57006

You can also make a gift (one time or monthly) online at our website:

www.BrookingsAreaFCAorg/Donate

www.BrookingsAreaFCA.org

Facebook.com/BrookingsFCA

Twitter.com/BrookingsFCA

June 11 - June 13

Tuesday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Brookings High School

530 Elm Avenue

$25*

*if registered before May 15th

or $30 after.

For more info and to register visit

www.BrookingsAreaFCA.org/camps

Sports Offered:

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Football

Gymnastics/

Cheer

Soccer (Co-Ed)

Volleyball

POWERCAMP 2013 is an incredible Day Camp experience for any 2

nd-7

th

grade athlete. Each day includes SOLID training from local high school and college athletes and coaches. DYNAMIC speakers, BIBLE studies and

much, much more.

Special thanks to our community partners:

Facebook.com/BrookingsFCA @BrookingsFCA

Create your account now:

Go to FCA.org/myfca

Click Get Started to sign up for myFCA

Fill out your information and enjoy your personalized account!

1.2.3.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes“To see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.”

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