Might. Mind. Strength.

PRINTS IN THIS POST ARE AVAILABLE IN MY ETSY SHOP: Freshaire Designs
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The theme for our 2014 Stake YW Sports Day was "Might. Mind. Strength."

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INSPIRED BY

The 2014 Mutual Theme: Moroni 10:32

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

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PURPOSE

1) To invite the young women to "Come Unto Christ" with all their...

• Might: the power, energy, or intensity of which one is capable.
• Mind: the part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, and remembers.
• Strength: the ability to resist being moved and the ability to deal with problems in a determined and effective way.

2) To provide an opportunity for the young women to enjoy various sports and learn sportsmanship. Handbook 13.1 - Activities

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3) To inspire and encourage young women to live a healthy lifestyle.

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ROTATIONS

As the young women arrived, they were given a colored wristband. We had four colors of wristbands, each of them representing a different color group. Once everyone knew which group they were in... the fun began!

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This is what our morning looked like:

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9:15 AM

Group 1 and Group 2 Basketball (cultural hall)

Group 3 Zumba (relief society room)

Group 4 Healthy Living Class (young women room)

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9:45 AM

Group 3 and Group 4 Basketball (cultural hall)

Group 1 Zumba (relief society room)

Group 2 Healthy Living Class (young women room)

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10:15 AM

Group 2 and Group 3 Volleyball (cultural hall)

Group 4 Zumba (relief society room)

Group 1 Healthy Living Class (young women room)

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10:45 AM

Groups 1 and Group 4 Volleyball (cultural hall)

Group 2 Zumba (relief society room)

Group 3 Healthy Living Class (young women room)

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11:15 AM

ALL Groups Dodge-ball/Crossfire (cultural hall)

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Healthy Living Class/Snacks

Our class was wonderful! As the young women arrived they filled their plates with homemade hummus, pita chips, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery. The discussion was primarily based on Doctrine and Covenants 89. I wish I had a copy of all the references used and the dialogue that took place during each class. A lot of time went into our instructors presentation.

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Yogurt parfaits were available before the all group activity, Dodge-ball/Crossfire.

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HANDOUT/TAKE-A-WAY

The young women were each given a "Might. Mind. Strength." bookmark.

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AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

The following packages are available in my Etsy shop. The t-shirt design would be great for a youth conference or similar event. I am happy to customize colors for you, contact me at freshairedesigns@gmail.com with your requests.

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Climb!

There is one place that I can honestly say, I have spent more time in over the years - and it holds more memories - than any other one location (well... other than home, of course). That would be Rock Canyon, which is located behind the Provo Temple.

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I found this beautiful photo taken by Ashley.

You can find her at Little Talks.

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I used to spend a lot of time in that canyon, both alone and with others... hiking, trail running, exploring Buckley's Mine, sparking, rock skiing, emptying many pebbles from my boots, night hikes under the light of a full moon, bouldering, and of course some rock climbing. So many memories!

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There are some wonderful parallels between rock climbing and life.  If you are looking for an extremely awesome Family Home Evening, or are looking for an adventure for your youth... may I suggest Rock Climbing. Whether you choose an indoor rock climbing gym or decide to experience the rock itself , I have gathered some great articles and talks below for you to research in preparation. :)

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Mighty! Sports Day

Years ago, when I was a young woman, my friends and I lived for church ball.  The competition in our stake was fierce! We came up with the shout out, "SYB!" which meant "sacrifice your bodies". We would do anything it took to get to the ball, even if it meant getting hurt. Silly girls. :)

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My best friend through all these wonderful years was Kathy Smart. She and I lived and breathed sports. We thought we were pretty good, but the school coaches never seemed to see our potential. ;)  We tried out for the school teams to no avail. That is why church ball was so wonderful, for us. Our YW coaches were amazing and were some of greatest cheerleaders during those years.
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I am smiling right now, even giggling a little, with all the fun memories... such good memories. All of them!
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1012 Project: "5k a day challenge"

I want to invite you, anyone who is interested, to join me in a little project I've been working on.  The thing is, you aren't going to know the details until this fall, but it begins today - whatever today is.  I call it my 1012 project.  The guidelines are simple and do-able.  Here is my challenge to you:

On October 12, 2012 I would love to have you share your experiences with me.  Simply leave a comment here or send me an e-mail.  In turn, I will also share the "rest of the story" with you.  :)

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If you are accepting the challenge, please leave a comment.  :)

Mudpies

Look at what the Sisters are doing this weekend...

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This is a sneak peek at what's to come...  of us.  :)

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What have we gotten ourselves in to?

A whole lot of fun!

We hope.  ;)

Wish us luck!

My Fitness Coach Made Me Cry

When it comes to fitness, your sister (me) has failed miserably over the past few years.  The thing is, I know exactly where I am at,  how I got here, where I want to be, and what it takes to get there.

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For some reason I am afraid.  Afraid of what though?  I really believe I am afraid of falling short, so I have kept myself on the ground.  Such a silly thing to do to myself, right?  Okay, a horrible thing to do to myself, I know.  There is so much to be said about the reasons behind these feelings.  That may be where a sisterly phone call comes in...  so much cheaper than a therapist.  :)

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I started a fitness boot camp recently.  (I really want to run the Turkey Trot with you girls this fall).  It is Christian based, held at a non-denominational church.  You walk into the gym and the first thing you see is a extremely large painting of Christ's head, thorn crown in place.  On two of the four walls, there are graffiti type paintings of inspiring words with scripture references noted.

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This morning, in the middle of our workout, I was trying to do raised push ups.  My arms weren't bending, though I was doing everything I could to make them bend.  So frustrating!  I felt so weak.  So out of shape.  And quite frankly, like one of the Biggest Loser contestants on day one of the experience.

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This is when my fitness coach made me cry.  (this is the second time he has done this)  He wasn't being mean.  He wasn't pushing me too hard.  He simply made me remember where my strength comes from.

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I have to let you know that he wasn't speaking to me directly.  He was speaking to another participant who, in between her grunts and groans, yelled, "I can't!"  He said, in his gentle yet stern way, "Here, you always drop the t from can't.  It isn't allowed."  I was happy he was focused on someone else at that moment, "I can't" was going through my own head because I just couldn't get my body to do what I wanted it to do.
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He then asked the question, "Who is the one who gives you strength?"  Then the spirit spoke, "You can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13  He supported the thought by immediately quoting the same scripture.  Then he added his own inspirational thoughts on drawing strength from Christ.  Pointing out that we don't have to do more than we are able.  Mosiah 4:27  And the most important thing is to never give up.  Keep moving.  (endure to the end).
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I tried again to do those raised push-ups.  I tried hard.  I am sorry to report that a miracle didn't take place this morning.  But, as I thought about my Savior, and the strength I have felt in my own life as I have allowed Him to not only be with me, but to help me...  I felt hope.
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I moved into the modified push-up position (humble yourselves), on my knees (in prayer), and cried (to myself),  "I can do this, because He gives me strength."  I wasn't thinking so much about the actual workout, as much as I was about life.  I was inspired.  So thank you Lamont, for making me cry!

Glow Ball

Tonight we combined with the Young Men and played multiple rounds of Glow Ball - similar to dodgeball - but you play in the dark, using glow-in-the-dark balls.  So fun and intense!

PREPARATION

We prepared the cultural hall by covering all the exit signs and other lights with black paper.  Making it pitch black.  and ofcourse the glow balls needed to be charged (placed in a bright area/sunlight for a long period of time).

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GAME PLAY

The balls were placed in the middle of the room.

Everyone took their place along the outer walls of the room.

"On your mark.  Get set. (lights out)  Let the throwing begin!"

• no teams, everyone for themselves
• if hit go directly to the designated "out" area (against one particular wall)
• no kicking the balls
• no cell phones (produces light, duh)
• no lazer lights (though they looked really cool)

We used Kathy's idea from 13th Article of Faith Dodge Ball , they were given one opportunity to go back into game play if they could recite the 13th Article of Faith to one of the leaders.

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The youth didn't want the night to end.  They played multiple games.  Glow ball - no teams.  Glow ball - teams.  Lights on - regular dodge ball.

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I am happy to announce that injuries were minimal.  :)

Dodge Ball

13th Article of Faith Dodge Ball

This activity was a BALL. To start out our activity we always start with a prayer, song, and recited our theme for this year. This year's theme is the 13th Article of Faith. In the beginning I have to admit we all sounded a little rusty, but at the end of the night we all harmonized this magnificent scripture with perfection.

To learn and memorize the new scripture, the young men and young women had a friendly game of dodge ball. The rules were if you got out, the only way to get back into the game was to recite the 13th article of faith to one of the members of the bishopric or leader. At first the youth struggled with it but by the end of the night and 5 games later they all had it memorized. Some of the leaders jumped in and learned it as well. At the end of the activity everyone recited the scripture again and it sounded so good. (I got chills) I am so impressed with the willingness and drive our youth had to learn this wonderful scripture.

80's Workout

We just had a totally awesome 80's workout night with our Young Women.  Leg warmers, bright blue eye shadow, big hair, and a cheesy workout video.  I felt like I was back in my high school gym/dance class.  I am not sure if I should cry or laugh out loud. 

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They were instructed to come dressed in 80's workout attire.  For those of you less fortunate ones, who didn't get to the experience the 80's first hand, here is a look at what you might have worn:

Leotard and Tights

Leotards and tights were staples for '80s women's workout clothes; leotards covered the torso and sometimes the arms, while women sometimes wore leggings or tights underneath to cover the legs.  Find a leotard with outrageous colors like neon purples and fuchsias, and highlight these colors or patterns with a pair of tights, leggings or bike shorts. If you can't find a leotard, wear a colorful one-piece bathing suit over the tights or leggings for a similar effect.

Over Sized Shirts

Over sized crew-neck sweatshirts or sweaters were often worn over the leotard and tights and fell off one shoulder. Achieve this look by cutting the elastic neck off a vintage sweatshirt or sweater; put the resulting garment on, and pull it down to expose one of your shoulders. If you think you will become overheated, cut the sleeves to a desirable length. You can also wear an over sized T-shirt over the leotard if you can't find a sweater or sweatshirt.

Leg Warmers

Leg warmers are another key component for pulling an '80s workout outfit together. These are sleeve-like garments have an opening to expose the feet; wear them bunched around the ankles. Purchase leg warmers in many dance clothing supply stores, or you can cut the feet off a pair of large socks for convenience and affordability.

Accessories

Sweatbands were another '80s workout staple, so wear a colorful one around your forehead; place one or two sweatbands around your wrists as well. Pull your hair back into a side ponytail if you have long hair, and tie it up with a colorful scrunchy. Wear a thin belt around your waist, and carry a pair of small hand weights if you have them.

Footwear

If you have the resources, search for a pair of colorful  '80s athletic shoes; look for high-tops as these were popular workout shoes of the time period. Another authentic option is a pair of plain canvas tennis shoes. If you are unable to find these kinds of items, simply wear a pair of athletic sneakers to complete your look.

Four-Square

Tonight we played Four-Square with all of our Young Women. What a fun bunch!  We even tried playing it in the dark.  You can't go wrong when there's glow in the dark, can you?

Racquetball Group

Every Saturday morning a few of us girls from the ward venture off to play a competitive game with a little purple ball!

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Don't let age deceive you, these girls have me sweatin' by the end!

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