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Rita Drake, who was elected as the new president of Fallbrook Pop Warner in November, took office in January.
“For me it’s just really about the kids,” Drake said. “They deserve the best we can give them.”
The 2005 season will be Drake’s fifth in Fallbrook Pop Warner. Drake’s 12-year-old son, Dustin, will be playing football for the fifth year, while her 7-year-old daughter, Katie, will experience her third season as a cheerleader.
“My kids have been involved, and I’d like to stay right there with whatever they’re doing,” Drake remarked.
During her son’s first year as a football player, Drake stayed at the practices as well as the games to watch her child’s activity. In Dustin Drake’s second year as a football player, Rita Drake was asked by her son’s coach to be a team mom. She accepted that offer.
The following year she accepted an offer to take charge of the Little Flag cheerleaders, and in her fourth year she was elected as the league’s fundraiser.
“It’s just sort of been a progression,” she said of taking over as president.
Drake has also been updating the league’s Web site, http://www.eteamz.com/fallbrookpopwarner, to include schedules and sponsors.
Drake and her family have lived in Fallbrook for the past five years. She grew up in Fallbrook and graduated from Fallbrook High School but spent nine years in Lake Elsinore before returning to Fallbrook.
She believes that her specific Fallbrook Pop Warner experience as well as the tenure of leadership will be helpful in her role as president. “I have experience with the cheer side and with the football side, and I think that helps, too, kind of level the playing field for all the children,” she noted.
She stresses communication as her main goal as Fallbrook Pop Warner president. That includes keeping parents informed of rules, schedules, and changes as well as making scores and fundraising activities known to those outside the organization. “I’d like to keep the community in the loop,” she remarked.
“I think it all kind of just revolves around that word communication’,” Drake said. “I want to pass it down the line so that every single person knows it.”
Drake also seeks to ensure that parents know all Fallbrook Pop Warner sponsors so that they can support those sponsors and make the sponsorship worthwhile. “Without their help we have so many children who could not play organized sports,” Drake noted.
Drake added that Fallbrook Pop Warner promotes not only health but also school and grade priorities. “They don’t have time to goof off,” she said of the players and cheerleaders. “The goal really is to get these kids involved so they’re good community leaders when they grow up.”
Drake noted that involvement means cheerleading and spring flag football as well as the tackle football program. The flag football season will take place in June and July while practice for the tackle football season begins in August. Fallbrook Pop Warner will have a booth at the Avocado Festival in April to encourage participation.
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