Monday, November 23, 2009

Bismarck Community Tailgate Party




















On Thursday, November 19th, we had a community tailgate party in honor of the Bismarck Lions winning the Summit Bank Teamwork Challenge. We worked with U.S. 97 and Backyard Burgers to throw an awesome tailgate party for everyone in Bismarck. The Lions are truly a special team and Bismarck is truly a special community!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Bismarck Lions Wins Fame and Fortune!


Bismarck High School has been named the winner of the Teamwork Challenge Contest. The Teamwork Challenge Contest offered schools throughout Central and South Arkansas the opportunity to win a cash donation by showcasing the special attributes of their team. As the winning team, Bismarck High School will receive $2500 for the benefit of their school. Bismarck High School football players will also have the chance to star in Summit Bank advertisements. A community tailgate party will also be held in honor of Bismarck High School.

All of our entries were great and showcased several amazing teams! Our other four high school team finalists in the contest were: Bryant, Spring Hill, Jessieville, and Harmony Grove. These schools will each receive a $500 donation.

The contest, which ran from September 23 to October 23, asked entrants to answer the question: What makes your team special? Bismarck’s video entry featured its football players talking about the importance of teamwork, school spirit and pride. The team showcased highlights and special moments in Bismarck football, including a monumental touchdown run.

“Summit Bank congratulates Bismarck High School and every school that entered our contest,” said Conner Eldridge, Vice Chairman and CEO of Summit Bank. We at Summit Bank salute the role teamwork plays in athletic and academic achievement in schools across our market area of Central and South Arkansas. “In addition to the $2500 awarded to Bismarck High School, four other deserving schools, Bryant, Spring Hill, Harmony Grove & Jessieville will receive a $500 donation.”

You can view the video and essay here: http://summitbankteamwork.blogspot.com/2009/11/bismarck-lions-teamwork-challenge-entry.html

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Spring Hill Bears Teamwork Entry



The Spring Hill Bears submitted this video and the essay below to tell us what make their team special!


What Makes the Spring Hill Bears Special?


Special (adjective) - of a distinct or particular kind or character. Aristotle once said, “Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.” This is because character is something distinguishable, outstanding, or special amongst the mediocre. The connotations and dictions for what makes something special are countless. So what culminates all these meanings? The Spring Hill Bears. Located just six miles south of Hope lies a program where excellence is expected not only on the football field but in the classroom as well. There are no athletes at Spring Hill, only student athletes. The goals of the football program begin on an academic first policy. Players who have below a 2.0 grade point average or have an F in a class do not play until their grades are up. These policies are diligently maintained through an instrumental staff of coaches. Academic and moral expectations make this football program special because beyond football we realize there is a community that we represent, and a school that expects only the best.


We have many student athletes that meet and exceed these expectations through the P.A.L.S. program. P.A.L.S. stand for Patience and Love for Students, and it is an elective credit. In P.A.L.S. student care is a priority, the main focus being on the younger children who need someone there for them. Whether it be help on math homework, or reading a book to make a difference in a little ones life, many Bear football players have and are taking pride in this class. We are true role models for these little guys, a very valuable and important thing to accomplish. Also, expectations of being the best are met by the use of every inch of our facilities that are in great need of improvement.


Our program, which does not have the funds comparable to that of other schools, would be helped tremendously through the support of Summit bank. Through these funds the opportunities to excel would rise and the quality of a Spring Hill Bear student athlete would improve. We currently dress 36 players in a locker room that accommodates only 21. Our weight room contains only four stations of free weights. That means a team weight lift day would have 9 people per station making it almost impossible to get done before the end of school. Each day we work to improve as young men with what we have, and a contribution for improvements would be stretched by every penny.


Last year the Spring Hill bear football team went 1-9. The 2008-2009 season brought adversity from every direction. As a Spring Hill Bear, I will never be quite sure why everything happened the way it did. But, what I can say is, I am glad it happened the way it did. Do not judge a Spring Hill Bear based on what he does when things are going well. Judge him when the going gets tough, and when it seems as if life is getting the best of him. When the 2009-2010-football season began 36 young men took the football field as 21-point underdogs and a team that had only two predicted wins on its preseason schedule. As time ran out that Friday night we knew who we were, and how we could, and did handle adversity. The final score was 45-22, a win that we will never forget, and an indicator of the season to come. Now, as October expires the team that was supposed to go 2-8 is 6-1, the best start in school history, and maybe the best turn around in all of Arkansas. That is special. It is a distinct or particular kind of character displayed by our team every day that brought us to where we are. Aristotle once said, “Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.” Persuasion is merely a step to induce someone or something in your direction. My football team is special, we do have character, and we are going in the right direction. To the respective representatives at Summit bank that is all the persuasion you need.


-Walker Smith,
Spring Hill Senior Bear Football Player

Jessieville High School Teamwork Entry

Jessieville High School submitted this great video to our teamwork challenge!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Harmony Grove Teamwork Entry




The Harmony Grove High School Cardinals submitted a PowerPoint presentation to tell us what makes their team special. This is the first year for Harmony Grove's football program and it has ignited the entire school district. Some of the items that make their team so special include:


  • The starting of a new era in HGHS Football
  • Coach Jimmy "Red" Parker who is a football legend
  • Even though they were underdogs this year, they won a few games
  • They have fierce school spirit
  • Football has created other extracurricular activity opportunities
  • They have united their community with Cardinal Pride
  • They are all Champions!

Bryant High School Teamwork Entry

The Bryant Hornets submitted the above PowerPoint Presentation for their team entry. They also enclosed the following letter from Coach Paul Calley:

We are so proud to have the opportunity to show you "Why we think our team is special." I have been blessed to have the privilege to coach such an awesome group of young men. They are truly special and continue to amaze me with their actions on and off the football field. As the PowerPoint will show you, our team knows the importance of teamwork. They exemplify this fact off the field by giving to the community and being positive role models for all future Hornets. We illustrate teamwork on the field by motivating each player/teammate to play to their fullest potential and beat the odds each Friday night.

I would also like to take a moment to praise the support we receive from our community. As a matter of fact, this past July, Bryant was named as one of the "100 Best Places to Live in America." This article cites our sporting events as to what "brings our residents together." Our high school football games often sell out.

Sincerely,

Paul K. Calley, Head Coach
Bryant High School Football

Bismarck Lions Teamwork Challenge Entry


The Bismarck Lions submitted a video and the essay below to our teamwork challenge:

My name is C.J.
Fertig. I am a senior Bismarck football player, and I think my team is special for the following reasons. We have had extreme changes in our team from our new coaching staff to a very special teammate that we have been gifted with this year, a new kicker, named Josh Newsom. Josh is a senior here at Bismarck and is a very spirited member of our football team. He has more heart than most people I know and cares as much about this team as those of us who have been at Bismarck when our team only had seven players. To us, Josh is just part of the team. The only difference is that Josh has Down Syndrome, and yet the team treats him like everyone else because the guys on this team are the most loving teammates I have ever had the honor of playing with. They would go out of their way on and off of the field to help out someone of our community.
They are hard-working and very smart. We only had three weeks this summer to learn an entire new style of football before our first game. And, they allow Josh to have a chance to play in the game, because as a team, our goal every game has been to get up enough to allow Josh to go out on the field and kick off because no one deserves to play more than him, but in order to do so, the team had to go through some hard work.
Not every game we have played this year has ended well. We have worked hard and never given up; we have fought back from being down at the half to just keeping it close. It takes a lot of heart to do this, to play even when you don’t think you can win when you’re down by 14 points at the half, and you come back at the half and do whatever it takes to win and bring the game within 7 points. You have to trust that the others will do their jobs every down so we can let Josh loose on the field!
I think ultimately our team is special because we play for something we all believe in, something that every one will do whatever it takes to accomplish, something that, no matter what, you can count on the team to play their hearts out to give Josh his time on the field.. Because of the fact that these guys will give all they’
ve got for this team, I think that makes us special.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Lake Hamilton High School Teamwork Entry

Lake Hamilton High School submitted an essay:

The 2009 Lake Hamilton Football team is special in many ways. The players have worked extremely hard to prepare themselves for the season. The players encourage each other to be accountable to each other. Players are unselfish and have bought into the concept of putting the team first.

The team's motto is "never ever give up." They have demonstrated this never give up attitude in four come from behind wins so far this season. The players have also had a positive attitude and demonstrated this by encouraging each other at all times. One of the best things that can be said about this team is that they give their best at all times.

Harmony Grove Cardinals Teamwork Entry




The Harmony Grove High School Cardinals submitted a PowerPoint presentation to tell us what makes their team special. This is the first year for Harmony Grove's football program and it has ignited the entire school district. Some of the items that make their team so special include:


  • The starting of a new era in HGHS Football
  • Coach Jimmy "Red" Parker who is a football legend
  • Even though they were underdogs this year, they won a few games
  • They have fierce school spirit
  • Football has created other extracurricular activity opportunities
  • They have united their community with Cardinal Pride
  • They are all Champions!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Hot Springs High School Trojans


The Hot Springs High Trojans submitted a video to tell us what makes their team special.


Magnet Cove High School Team Entry

Magnet Cove High School submitted an essay that is found in the front of their football program.

The team spirit found at Magnet Cove High School is profoundly impacted by the story of Hannah Sullivan. Hannah Sullivan has inspired an entire school district to have Panther Pride. This powerful story showcases exactly why the Magnet Cove High School Football Team is special.

Welcome to another exciting year of Panther football. Last year's team finished 8-4, and with the return of 12 seniors, this year should be another good one. The kids have been working hard since the beginning of July for Friday night football.

You may have noticed on the back of our helmets a sticker with the letters "HS" and a gray ribbon. This is in honor of Hannah Sullivan who was promoted to heaven on February 26, 2009, from brain cancer. Hannah was a manager for the girls' basketball team and would have been a senior this year.

Instead of honoring the passing of Hannah, I would like for us to honor her life. She was my role model. As Hannah battled "her storm," three parts of her life stood out: her faith, belief, and love for God. The year-long battle only made these characteristics stronger in her life.

As I watched Hannah react in such a positive way to all this adversity in her life, I could only think how great it would be if the Panther football team could learn from Hannah and use these traits during the season. I challenge our players to have faith in one another and to work as a team and not as individuals.

I challenge the players to not only believe in their teammates, but also in the coaches and the many decisions they have to make during the season. Finally, I challenge the players to love their team despirte any differences that they may have.

I especailly challenge the team to demonstrate these characterics during the "rough times" of the game and the season. I encourage them to let their faith, belief and love stay strong, and to continue to battle and be positive, no matter the outcome. Finally, I challenge the team not only to be like Hannah on the field, but also to model her life off the field.

I can't promise you, the fans, a state championship, or even a district championship if the team follows Hannah's example; however, I can promise you that at the end of the season that we will be a better football team, better players, and most of all, better individuals. P.P.R.D. (Panther Pride Runs Deep).

Thank You,
Coach Efird

For more information about the incredible life and impact of Hannah Sullivan, you can visit the family blog at www.theSullivanfour.blogspot.com.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Score Your Next Big Win!

Summit Bank is scouting for a central or southern Arkansas high school football team to be featured in some local advertising this fall. This is your chance to enter your team to win a starring role – and get $2,500 for your schools athletics department. Take a shot at fame and a little fortune all at once!

Your entries can be sent to
teamwork@summitbankdirect.com as videos, photos, and audio recordings or in written form as an essay. If your team decides to submit a video, you can upload the video to YouTube and email us an embedded link to the video. All teams are required to include a team photo and a response to the question, “What makes YOUR team special?”

The five-team finalists will be selected based on the creativity and thoughtfulness that goes into answering the question regarding what makes the team special as well as the passion and interest shown by the team, coach and school. In addition to the $2,500 grand prize, Summit Bank will also have a community tailgate party for the winning community and award $500 to the other top four finalists.

Have fun, be creative and show your team spirit! Just let us know why your football team is so special and deserves to be in the spotlight and your school could win $2,500. The contest opens today and entries must be received no later than October 23, 2009. Follow us on Facebook and visit our blog at
www.summitbankteamwork.blogspot.com. You can easily find us on Facebook by searching for “Summit Bank.”


Shelly Loftin
Summit Bank
Teamwork@summitbankdirect.com


1.) All high school teams in central or south Arkansas are invited to participate in the competition.
2.) Selected finalists may be invited to appear at a casting call in early November.
3.) The winning team will be selected to be featured in advertisements the Bank plans to use as a part of an advertising campaign.
4.) The team’s coach and the head of the team’s school must approve the entry.
5.) Each individual participant in any advertising must provide Summit Bank with a full release, in the form requested by the Bank, authorizing the Bank to use the participants name and image in the marketing campaign.
6.) No individual will be compensated directly. The Bank will contribute $2500 for the benefit of the winner’s school. In addition, the Bank will contribute $500 for the benefit of each other finalist’s school.
7.) The Bank’s selection of the winner is solely within the discretion of the Bank. The Bank’s decision is final. The odds of being the winner will depend on how many entries the Bank receives. See official rules on Summit Bank’s facebook page for complete details.