Showing posts with label De La Salle High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label De La Salle High School. Show all posts

Thursday, August 21, 2014

'When the Game Stands Tall' about Raising Mighty Men - CBN News

Jim Caviezel as Coach Bob Ladouceur


'When the Game Stands Tall' 

about Raising Mighty Men




LOS ANGELES -- The story of legendary football coach, Bob Ladouceur, is hitting the big screen in the new movie, "When the Game Stands Tall." But it is Ladouceur's actions off the field that get the most attention.
Coach Ladouceur's quiet leadership overshadows De La Salle High School's winning streak of more than 150 consecutive games.
When he signed on to teach religious studies at the school in 1979, the Spartans had never won a football game. But that did not discourage him from adding coaching to his school duties.
"I was young. I was 24 at the time. And I thought I am going to give this a shot and see what I can do," Ladouceur told CBN News, recalling that time in his life.
"I was even trying to seek my own level of competence and see what I was meant to do because I really didn't know," he added. "And I thought this might be it. I felt real comfortable about football."
"I had a good feel for the game. And I thought, let's give it a shot. And once I got into it, it only took me a year and I thought this is what I meant to do," he added.
Jim Caviezel on His Role
In the new movie, "Coach Lad's" story begins with game 152, when the winning streak ends and things fall apart.
Actor Jim Caviezel, best known for his role as Jesus in "Passion of the Christ," plays the coach in this film. Caviezel discussed the greatest challenges of this role with CBN News.
The biggest challenge was "that he is alive," Caviezel said.
"That people would put the judgment down pretty hard on you," he added. "Normally, when you are doing a script you have just the foundation of the script that you are working on this one. This one there is another one and that's him."
"And then, who are we going to get to play Terry?" he added. "This is an odd couple. There are a lot of things that could go wrong that didn't go wrong."
Terry Eidson is "Coach Lad's" more animated assistant. That role was played by Michael Chiklis.
"I mean, naturally, they want to win the games they play," Chiklis told CBN News in discussing the real life coaches portrayed in the film. "But really what they want to accomplish is mentoring these boys into young men, who can be relied upon."
Tougher Off the Field
The De La Salle Spartans' story is tougher off the field and that comes to light in the real-life story of player Cameron Colvin, who lost both parents before his sophomore year at the all-boys prep school.
That loss was only the beginning of Colvin's pain, before going to play football at the University of Oregon and then landing a short stint in the NFL with the Washington Redskins.
Actor Ser'Darius Blain plays the role of Cameron.
Blain told CBN News Cameron was able to succeed against the odds because of support of brotherhood.
"That's it. He has the support of 60 brothers on one football team who won't let him fall into despair," he said.
Alexander Ludwig, who also stars in the film, agreed with Blain.
"That is the message of the movie. You can't do it alone. You need to have the strength to depend on someone," Ludwig told CBN News. "And that sometimes in the hardest thing to do, is to actually ask somebody for help."
Moved to Tears
In the end, this is a football film about a modest man dedicated to raising mighty men. And it is a story that moves many viewers to tears.
Coach Ladouceur said the tears are "because it is about kids and it's about their lives and about them navigating through life and learning."
"We have been fortunate," he said. "We get to see that every year. And we have cried our own tears in real time."
Assistant Coach Terry Eidson quickly added, "I think redemption always brings a tear."

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Breaking Israel News - Jerusalem Helps Christian Residents Prepare for Christmas

Jerusalem Helps Christian Residents Prepare for Christmas




Christmas trees and festive lighting will help Christian residents and tourists commemorate the holiday.
A man rings a bell outside of the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, a day Christmas  2012. (Photo: FLASH90)
A man rings a bell outside of the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, a day Christmas 2012. (Photo: FLASH90)
With dozens of churches scattered throughout the Christian Quarter of the Old City, around the Old City and in the neighborhood of Ein Karem, and being only six kilometers from Bethlehem, Jerusalem is a very special place for both Christian residents and tourists to celebrate Christmas.
According to the city of Jerusalem spokesperson, “as the home of the three Abrahamic traditions, Jerusalem is dear to over 3.5 billion people of varying faiths around the world. Our city is proud to be an open city, with freedom of religion for all residents.”
As in years past, the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jewish National Fund will distribute free Christmas trees to Christian residents of Jerusalem on Sunday, December 22 at the College Des Freres – De La Salle High School. The Jerusalem Development Authority, in coordination with local residents and shop keepers, will also decorate the streets and hang festive lighting in the Christian Quarter of the Old City.
In addition to the Christian residents of Jerusalem, Israel is expecting 75,000 tourists for the December holiday. As reported by Breaking Israel News, Israel’s ministry of tourism has invested 86 million shekels ($24 million US dollars) over the past two years to maintain and improve the infrastructure of Christian holy sites.  Tourism minister Uzi Landau plans to host pre-Christmas receptions for Church leaders in Jerusalem and Nazareth, as well as providing free shuttles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem on Christmas itself.