Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

Page 25 text:

Riding in the popemobile, Pope John Paul II travels through San Antonio on his way to deliver Mass A total of 300,000 people went to see Pope lohn Paul II deliver Mass in San Antonio This was the largest religious gathering in the history of Texas.

Page 24 text:

Pope )ohn Paul II made his second U.S. tour in September. One of his stops was San Antonio, where he delivered an afternoon Mass. Jeff Manley Pope John Paul II visits Texas by Frances Hinson Sunny San Antonio skies brought out nearly one million peo- ple to see Pope John Paul II on Sunday, September 13. A total of 300,000 people attended the religious gathering, which was the largest religious gathering in the history of Texas. Pope )ohn Paul II launched his tour of the United States in The City of Sunrise, Miami, Florida on September 1 1 . He was greet- ed at Miami International Airport by President and Mrs. Reagan. The pope told the large gathering at the airport that he was a friend of America and all Americans. The pope traveled to Columbia, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana, before his stop in San Antonio. Many preparations were made for the pope ' s visit to San Antonio, including tightening security and building an altar. Just three days before the pope was to deliver Mass, the 150-foot towers that served as a backdrop to the papal altar collapsed because of heavy winds. The altar itself was not damaged when the towers fell, nor was anyone injured. An estimated $100,000 in damages was reported. The pope arrived at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. He was cheered by an estimated 675,000 people as he rode through the streets of San Antonio to his various appointments. One such appointment was to see San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros ' son, John Paul Anthony, who was born June 10 with severe heart and stomach abnormalities and no spleen. The pope arrived on schedule for the Mass, which was held at Westover Hills. By that time, temperatures had reached the high 90 ' s. Texas was the only city on the tour where the pope would deliver Mass. A return to reconciliation and a call to the ministry among Hispanics were the twin messages delivered by the pope. Everyone who wanted to take communion at the Mass was able to. The San Antonio Archdiocese bought 300,000 commu- nion wafers to accommodate the crowd. To distribute commu- nion, 1,500 Eucharistic ministers where chosen, ranging in age from the late teens to the 60s. There was no sacramental wine given during the Mass. After the Mass, the pope drew laughter and applause when he exlaimed, Muchas gracias! Mucho calor! (Many thanks! It sure is hot!) Some SFA students traveled to San Antonio to see the pope. Seeing the pope in San Antonio was a wonderful experience for me, Jeff Manley, Houston junior said. To be able to cele- brate the Eucharist with the pope and over 300,000 others was a tremendous joy. The pope continued his U.S. tour with stops at Phoenix, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco and Detroit.

Page 26 text:

Paul Ladd The 1987-88 Pom Pon Squad members. Row 1: Angela Miller, Lisa Starnes, Dinah Rogers, Becky Scoggin, Row 2: Christie Hambly, Renee Miller, Buffy Morris, Donica Burt, Row 3: Missie Foster, Leah Boomer, LaLynda Hodges, Patty Larsen, Karen Verri. Squad ranked nationally by Deena DeLay The 15 girls practice 10 hours a week, stretching, kicking, learning new routines and perfecting old ones. They also attend school full-time and maintain at least a 2.0 CP. A. Who are these dedicated people? They are the SFA Pom Pon Squad which is currently ranked 17th in the nation. The squad became nationally ranked after they sent a videotape of two of their routines to the Universal Cheerleading Asso- ciation last November and were judged to be No. 17 out of 200 other squads in the United States. Mika Conners, the squad ' s coordinator said, Overall it ' s real exciting that we are ranked 17th because many of the squads we compete against are from larger schools where Pom Pon Squad is emphasized more. For the competition, squads are judged on technique, precision and projection. The hard work, though, does not start with the competi- tion. Besides the 10 hours a week the girls put into practice during school, they also attend a week of camp during the summer. This past summer they attended the Universal Cheerleading Association Camp held at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. At the camp, the girls learned approximately 11 new routines during the week. They also received two trophies at camp: one for a routine they brought to camp with them and one for outstanding squad, which means they re- ceived blue ribbons in all their evaluations. The girls, though, do not seem to mind the hard work too much. Becky Scoggin, the squad ' s captain, said, We do it because we love it. The purpose of the Pom Pon Squad is to promote school spirit, to form a close-knit group and to entertain the audience, according to Scoggin. The Pom Pon Squad can be seen performing at all the men ' s basketball home games and many of the women ' s basketball games. Other events they perform at throughout the year are pep rallies, Parents ' Day, orientation, the Homecoming parade and the Homecoming bonfire. The squad ' s goal this year is to be ranked in the top 10 in the Universal Cheerleading Association Competition. Scoggin said that their ultimate goal is to gain more recogni- tion from SFA students and to get more girls interested in trying out. I feel we have a good strong squad this year. The girls have a lot of talent and dedication, Scoggin said. With all they have going for them, it sounds like they will accomplish all of their goals with ease.