[Hoot Gibson]

In a back woodsy place like it is here Hoot, with the economy down the toilet; you would be surprised at the amount of support the local businesses give the football team. I know I was!! I am very grateful for some of these local family businesses that give as they do.

Businesses in Johnson County have also been very good to the football and other school programs. The big difference in getting people together in county schools in eastern Kentucky is travel time. Greenwood is a small city with a population of about 30,000 a few miles south of Indy. Every imaginable national chain restaurant and store is represented and the largest mall in the Indianapolis area is located there. Considering the population and number of businesses, JC and HC probably receive more support from local businesses than Greenwood and Center Grove (a large 6A school) do.

I know that it took Wimmer's staff some effort to prepare for those weekly dinners, but parents really seemed to appreciate the effort and recognizing players in front of their families and teammates was great too.

During the time that I have spent working on a military base, I have learned that the Army does much the same thing as Coach Wimmer does. There is at least one retirement, promotion, or awards ceremony every week in my building. The Army does a great job of publicly recognizing uniformed military, civilian employees, and contractors for their achievements. Those ceremonies also serve as great training for officers who preside over them.