Roosevelt And Promoting Our Brand

In this week's blog I'd like to look at the different forms of media we are using to promote Roosevelt High School and the Roughrider brand.  We strive to be the best at marketing our school and our programs because I think our students and community deserve our best effort in this area.  We also have some wonderful photographers who graciously share their work with us so we can use it in different areas of our media and social media.  Thank you to those that provide these photos. 

Here's what is currently available to the Roosevelt community to follow the Roughriders: 

Our activities webpage, Roosevelt Riders is a "one stop shop" for fans to come and see up to date features, schedules, scores, and links to just about everything associated with Roosevelt athletics and activities.  If individual programs have a website of their own I've linked to it from their specific sports page for user convenience.  One of the best links fans of our teams can access is the rschool calendar where you can find up to date schedules and sign up for reminders in case schedules are changed.  The calendar is found under the Extras tab on the webpage and would be a good one to save. 

Our Twitter feed, @trhsroughriders is a site we use daily to send out reminders of upcoming events and update results as well.  When I'm at live events it's updated quite regularly and if I'm not at events I hope to have people sending me periodic updates and then I tweet out the updates as I receive them.  Many times we use the twitter feed independently but there are times that we may post a picture or video from our Instagram account trhsroughriders which posts directly to the twitter feed and our Facebook page Des Moines Roosevelt Roughrider Athletics and Activities.

If you're reading this you have found our blog The Rider Way in which we will do weekly short blogs highlighting some of the happenings around TRHS.  Most will pertain directly to the Riders but some may be informational from other sources if it seems like good information to share.  You can subscribe to the blog if you are a blog reader or I will send out the link through our twitter and facebook links when a new one is shared. 

We toyed with a free phone app this winter but have gotten very limited response to that so I have stopped using it at the present time however, I am exploring the possibility of a new phone app using a company called SuperfanU which is like Foursquare or Swarm, if you are familiar with those.  Fans, in particular students, will "check in" and earn points each time they check in at an event.  We will run contests and can give away prizes as our fans reach certain point levels.  Again, this is being explored but I think would be a fun way to encourage and increase attendance at many activity events. 

What else is to come?  Live video of events.  We're exploring several avenues with this and is something that we hope to have in the future.  My vision is to incorporate this with a program that can let students develop skills in video production and broadcasting.  I believe we have students who may have a real interest and knack for doing this and we also have a few connections in the Roosevelt community who work in the field and could possibly be a great resource for our students.  One of our next local or national news or sports anchor may be walking our hallways right now.  

We are constantly looking for ways to market and brand the Roosevelt Roughriders but I also believe that the best we way can market ourselves is by having successful programs and having fans that are enthusiastic, support our programs and students, and have outstanding sportsmanship.  Those are all things we can control and do with excellence regardless of what social media is being used. 
Our people are the absolute best marketing and promotional programs we can have to make the Roosevelt brand known and seen in a positive light.    

Thanks for spending some time with me. 

Until next time.

#bleedblue

Dream and Believe

This is the third in a five part series discussing The Rider Way which is a tool we use to teach students about character and leadership. 

It is rather fitting that today we discuss just a little bit about "Dream and Believe".  Dr. King's vision and dream continues to change the world today.  Even as we talk and work toward making our dreams come true, may we keep our eye on Dr. King's dream of making this world a better place.  That should be our ultimate dream.  
  

The Rider Way 

                              Respect All, Fear None

                               Integrity Above All Else

                              Dream and Believe

                              Excellence Is Pursued

                              Resilience - Control What You Can Control

·       Dream And Believe

Competition

Nothing great is ever accomplished without big dreams.  Don’t be afraid to cast a big dream out there and work for it.  That’s where the real work starts.  Many people have dreams but when things get tough and their back is against the wall, it’s easier to abandon the dream than continue to pursue it.  You have to believe that the dream, not matter how big, is attainable and no setback can keep you from continuing to pursue it.

Personal

Don’t settle for what everyone else is doing or what others may tell you that they think you can do.  Chances are most people who try to discourage you don’t have the ambition and would rather have you stay stagnant than really stretch yourself for something better.   Don’t let others drag you down.  If it's your dream and you believe it, keep working toward it.

 

The Rider Way - Integrity Above All Else

This is the second in a five part series discussing The Rider Way.  A tool we use to teach character, leadership and personal qualities that we believe are important as we continue to develop our students, and give them tools that can help them be successful in their every day lives, as well as, in their various arenas of competition.
  

The Rider Way 

                              Respect All, Fear None

                               Integrity Above All Else

                              Dream and Believe

                              Excellence Is Pursued

                              Resilience - Control What You Can Control  

  

 Integrity Above All Else

Competition

Never compromise the rules of the game to win.  Play within the rules of the game and practice good sportsmanship at all times.  We can control our reaction to what might be deemed as unsportsmanlike behavior by not engaging in it ourselves. 

Personal

Integrity is being able to look yourself in the mirror at night when you’re all alone and know you did what was right and not what was convenient.  Integrity is a consistent set of values that guide every day decisions in spite of what the circumstances may be. 

Much has been discussed about last Saturdays Bengals/Steelers playoff match up and the questionable sportsmanship and play that took place toward the end of the game.  Bengals offensive lineman was one of just a few Cincinnati players that came back to shake hands after the game.  

As he stood at his locker later, Whitworth was asked why he had bothered to shake hands when so many teammates had headed straight to the dressing room.  "I shook hands with them because at the end of the day integrity and character and who you are as a man is more important than who you are as a football player," he said.  "And in the face of a loss you have to man up and walk out there."  
Well said Mr. Whitworth.

Thanks for sharing some time with me. 

#bleedblue

Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame

On Friday, January 15th we are excited to induct the inaugural class into the Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame.  Theodore Roosevelt High School has such a rich tradition of excellence and we are thrilled to begin this new program.

How are you eligible?
There is a set criteria to be eligible to enter the Athletic Hall of Fame and you can see the criteria here.   We were very fortunate that a great deal of work was done several years ago by David Dorff.  Mr. Dorff put together an extensive list that included all of the All Staters and State Champions since Theodore Roosevelt High School came into existence in 1923.

Who selected the inductees?
A committee was formed and included the following people:

Todd Gordon - Activities Administrator
Joe McQueery - TRHS Boys Track Coach
Daryl Dotson - TRHS Wrestling Coach
Denny Donnelly - Rider Club President
Laura Leonard - Roosevelt Community Member
David Dorff - Roosevelt Community Member

This committee met in October and selected the inductees.

Who is being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame? 
What a list we had to go over.  It was so much fun to look at the many names, hear the memories that so many of the potential honorees have given TRHS and the Roosevelt community.  There are, and will be, so many worthy candidates that will be honored.  After much discussion the following Roughriders were selected for induction into the Class of 2016.

Randy Duncan 

Randy Duncan graduated with the Roosevelt class of 1955 and from the University of Iowa 1959.  At Roosevelt Mr. Duncan was an all state football and basketball player as a Roughrider leading the 1954 basketball team to the state championship game.  In the fall of 1954 Randy led the Riders to an undefeated and state championship season and was named first team all state.  In the three years that he played at Roosevelt the Roughriders lost only two games.  

He continued at the University of Iowa where he had a stellar career.  During his time at Iowa he was named first team All-Big Ten. He was named the 1958 Big Ten MVP, was selected as a consensus first team All-American, won the Walter Camp Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.  From 1956-58 the Hawkeyes were an outstanding 24-3-2 with two Big Ten Titles, three top ten rankings in the final Associated Press poll, and two victories in the Rose Bowl.  Mr. Duncan is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. 

Duncan was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the first pick in the NFL draft in 1959 but opted to go to play in the Canadian Football League for two years.  He then returned to the old AFL and signed with the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs). 

Dan Grimm

Dan Grimm is a 1959 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1963 graduate of the University of Colorado.  At Roosevelt Mr. Grimm was the first wrestling state champion for the Roughriders as he won the heavyweight division in 1959.  While Dan does say that his greatest memory from his time at Roosevelt was winning the state title he also found success on the football field.  After a storied career at Roosevelt he continued playing on the gridiron for the Colorado Buffalos from 1959-1963.  While at Colorado he helped the Buffalos win the Big 8 Championship, The Orange Bowl, and Dan competed in the prestigious Senior Bowl at the end of his senior season.  

After his college career Dan was drafted and played for the Green Bay Packers from 1963-1966; the Atlanta Falcons from 1966-69 and before retiring from the NFL after playing for the Redskins and Colts after the 1970 season.  His NFL career was highlighted with Green Bay in 1965 when the Pack won the NFL Championship (the year before the first Super Bowl). 

  

Eric Randolph

Eric Randolph is a 1975 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1979 graduate of the University of Iowa.  He continued his education at Iowa and received his law degree in 1982.  Mr. Randolph continued his career at the University of Iowa but was placed on the permanent injury list after surgeries during his freshman season.

At Roosevelt Mr. Randolph was a gymnast and in 1975 completed one of the most unbelievable feats in Iowa High School history.  During the state meet Eric won each of the six individual events and also won the team state championship while competing as the only member of the Roosevelt gymnastics team.  His greatest memories are working out above the gymnasium under Coach Earle Duggan with the girl’s gymnastics team and representing Roosevelt and himself throughout the gymnastic season and ultimately winning the State Gymnastics Championship.  

Tom Schulze

Tom Schulze was a 1966 graduate of Roosevelt High School and a 1970 graduate of the University of Iowa.  During his time at Roosevelt Mr. Schulze was a member of the 1965 Basketball State Championship team and was also a first team all stater.  In addition he was named the 1966 TRHS Man of the Year.  

Continuing his career from 1966-1970 as a Hawkeye at the University of Iowa he was a member of the men’s basketball team and was part of the one of the greatest four years in Iowa History.  During his time on the team the Hawkeyes won two Big 10 championships including an undefeated conference season in 1969-70 and a Sweet 16 appearance.  In addition, the 1969-70 team still holds the record as the highest scoring team in Big Ten history when they averaged an amazing 102.9 points per game.  

                                            Deb Stetson    

Deb Stetson is a 1970 high school graduate of Hoover High School.  She graduated in 1974 from the University of Idaho where competed in tennis, gymnastics, swimming, field hockey, and was also a cheerleader.  She then earned her master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa.  

Mrs. Stetson coached boys and girls tennis at Roosevelt for 29 years with her father, Roger, a 1948 Roosevelt graduate, as her assistant coach as well.  During her time leading the Roughrider programs she amassed over 500 wins, won many state and conference championships and is the only coach in Iowa to win all four state titles in one season.  In 2009 the Riders won the Singles, Doubles, Co-Ed and Team championships in boy’s tennis. 

 
 How will they be honored? 

On Thursday, January 14, a reception will be held in the TRHS band room from 6:00-7:30 p.m.  At 6:45 we will introduce the inductees and look forward to them sharing a few words.  The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, January 15, at the conclusion of the girls game when the Riders host Hoover at approximately 7:30 p.m. 

We hope you will be able to come congratulate the Hall of Famers on Thursday night and then attend the game on Friday as they are officially welcomed into the Theodore Roosevelt Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Thanks for sharing some time with me. 

#bleedblue