Woodstock Thunder football ready to rumble

By ANDREW DREISCHARF The Independent

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For many years, Marian Central Catholic High School has had a football feeder team in St. Mary’s. Now Woodstock High School and Woodstock North High School will be getting a feeder team of their own in the Woodstock Thunder.
“We felt it was needed. There were no feeder teams for the (other) high schools,” said Keith Bein Thunder president.
The Thunder youth football team and cheerleading squad will begin their inaugural season this summer. The Thunder is a nonprofit organization and the team will be playing highly competitive football.
The football team will be for boys and girls ages 7 to 12, and the cheerleading squad will be for girls ages 7 to 13.
The Thunder will play in the Tri-County Youth Football League.
“We talked to Woodstock High School athletic director Glen Wilson, and he agreed that Woodstock and North needed the same thing. And it went from there,” said Bein.
It is important for children who want to play football at the high school level to have prior knowledge of the game and how it is played before going off to play for their respective high schools. It is also good for the athletes to know the players they will be playing with and to get a feel for them. The Thunder will help to get the children ready for the next level.
The Thunder’s mission is to provide the youth players with an organized competition in a safe environment, and to also bring the players closer together through common interests in sportsmanship and competition.
“We want to teach and give the kids a good organized way to play football,” said Bein.
The Thunder will encourage their players to maintain satisfactory grades in school.
Registration for both the football team and cheerleading squad will be Sunday, March 9 and Sunday, April 6 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the VFW in Woodstock. Children should accompany parents to registration so they can be measured for their uniforms. The child’s birth certificate and all completed forms are required.
The cost for football registration is $225 for the first child and $200 for each additional child. The cost for cheerleading is $125 plus a $26 fee for trunks, socks and poms, which will be kept. Cash, check, Visa and Mastercard will be accepted. The season begins Monday, July 21. For information, visit www.woodstockyouthfootball.com.

This article was published in the February 27, 2008 edition of The Woodstock Independent.