FCS honors long time FCS teacher Eunie McEntee

The adventure of life comes with many pleasant discoveries. Discoveries including places, people, ideas or even objects. The most important discoveries however, are the ones that change lives forever. In this case, that pleasant discovery for the FCS family was Eunie McEntee.

McEntee started the campus cheerleading program in 1979, and has left a legacy ever since, despite her redirection in 2004. Not only did McEntee change the cheer program for the better, she also worked into students lives as well by educating them in Bible and PE. She was also very involved in drama and student activities, teaching leadership for a few years as well.

After many years at FC, McEntee took some time off to go to Belgium with her husband on a missionary trip in 2004. When she returned, she taught for one final semester at FC. Prior to being involved at FC, McEntee took her passion for gymnastics to Clovis High School, founding their gymnastics program in 1972.

As a result of all of her hard work and the impact that she has made on countless numbers of lives, there will be given a $1,000 cheer scholarship in her name at the FC sport award banquet on Feb. 23. Upon McEntee discovering the news about the scholarship, she was very humbled, and wanted nothing more than to shine God’s light through this experience.

“I did not know about this, so I feel very humbled,” McEntee said. “I want to honor the Lord. I feel like I wanted to call it {the scholarship} after Him instead of my name. Thats who I want to be recognized through this.”

McEntee thoroughly enjoyed her years as being the FC cheer coach.

“You want to be the best that you can be, and they really just had high quality girls and they made up their on routines and it was pretty exciting for them,” McEntee said. “So I said, ‘If the Creator of the niverse created that, then thats Who we trust, then thats Who we are going to depend on to create the things that we do. So it was fun to see how God really gave all these gals ideas and they did very well. It was a fun experience!”

There are many different coaching techniques, however, McEntee was unique compared the the normalcy of other coaches. The reason being is that she based everything she did trusting in the Lord and made sure that her girls knew to do the same.

“I think excellence can only be on the standard of what God’s word says. Gods word never changes. We live in a society where they say, ‘okay, here’s your belief, right here… and we move it according to times and changes but God’s truth just stays here. Yes, there will be changes, but God’s standard never changes, so excellence is just based on that,” McEntee said.

“The rules really are God’s word. I like the Phillips translation of I Corinthians 13, ‘This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience – it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people.’ So, when all of your rules are scripture and you can just say it like that, then its never a bunch of rules, its just Gods truth.”

These lessons went on to impact the lives of many, including Trisha Messer, a cheerleader of McEntee in 1987, and now an FC parent of Olivia and Courtney Messer.

“Eunie is a Godly woman who encouraged me to be the best I could be, in life and in cheer,” Messer said. “She did not have a daughter of her own, so the cheerleaders were her daughters. She loved us unconditionally and hoped that we would do the same with our teammates. She is creative, fun and energetic. She loves life and those around her. Eunie is so knowledgeable about God’s Word and is so Christlike in her daily walk with Him.”

Yet another life she has made a tremendous difference in is former FC cheerleader Melanie Wright Swager.

“Mrs. Mac is what we all called her, “Swager said. “She taught us about teamwork. She always said, ‘You’re only strongest as your weakest link,’ which meant we all had to work together, help each other and encourage each other.

“As we got older,” Swager said, “we definitely formed a friendship, though she was still our coach and leader so we always respected her and her ideas and suggestions. Her love and passion for cheerleading was contagious. She taught us hard work and dedication. I have such fond and wonderful memories of all those years.”

There is one person in particular that has been influenced greatly by McEntee and the person that she has become.

Being a Godly woman and teacher doesn’t stop on the cheerleading floor. She (McEntee) challenged the gals to be the best they could be in completing with hundreds of other cheerleaders, in the classroom, in friendships, in their walk with the Lord. — Peggy Thompson, mother of Tricia Messer

Peggy Thompson, mother of Tricia Messer, and best friend of Eunie McEntee. McEntee and Thompson became friends 40 years ago, when they attended Evangelical Free Church, and also became closer while they were pregnant at the same time with their second born sons. Throughout this time, they have gotten to know each other inside and out, and Thompson could not be more grateful for the friendship they share.

“Eunie is a great teacher whether in the classroom, teaching Bible Study or sitting at a table drinking coffee,” Thompson said. “When you are in her presence you are inspired by her high energy, her enthusiasm and love of learning and positive attitude.

“She loves to study and she oozes Godly insight so that challenges me to be the best I can be for the Lord,” Thompson continued. “Eunie is hospitable, a gracious hostess, very giving and helps when their is a need in your life. That’s a true example of a Proverbs 31 woman. She is Godly, of high integrity, loyal, giving, loving, kind and crazy. After 40 years, I can say crazy.”

Being a cheer mom, as well as a close friend of McEntee, Thompson saw multiple sides of Eunie, all of which were the same, Godly woman.

“Being a Godly woman and teacher doesn’t stop on the cheerleading floor, ” Thompson said. “She (McEntee) challenged the gals to be the best they could be in completing with hundreds of other cheerleaders, in the classroom, in friendships, in their walk with the Lord.

“She would challenging the gals in their faith, she always read scripture, gave them insight to life situations, she counseled them if they had issues (today its called drama). She cared and prayed for them even wrote notes of encouragement. She was a positive role model to the gals “walking the talk” Lord first in every minute of the day.”

Her reputation as a cheerleading coach influenced her cheerleaders in a positive aspect, along with her love and passion for the sport.

“Eunie was an awesome coach,” Messer said. “She had a lot of experience in cheer and gymnastics which spilled over into being the best cheer coach ever! She made us practice and learn all that we could about cheer. She took my team to Nationals which was the first time for Fresno Christian. It was an unforgettable experience. She loved her cheerleaders like daughters.”

The Eunie McEntee scholarship is seen as a deserving tribute, especially by former FC cheerleader Heather (Neal) Carr, ’08.

“She was really encouraging,” Carr said. “Mrs. Mac is very upbeat and she shares her love with God with everyone with bible verses and she just makes you feel very encouraged about life.

“I think the Eunie McEntee cheer scholarship is awesome,” Carr said. “I think its great that they’ve come up with for cheer because its expensive. Football has scholarships, basketball has scholarships, but cheer never really gets that recognition, so I think its really cool.”

Thompson and McEntee shared a special bond, and have watched each theory grow as individuals. Seeing all of McEntee’s hard work pay off made Thompson proud to be her friend.

“The scholarship in Eunie’s name is a great honor,” Thompson said. In order to compete for Eunie it was expected to reach for high standards in all phases of life and she exemplified it in her own life. Anyone who desires to be cheerleader and a Godly representative of FCS should vie for this scholarship, wanting nothing but the best to be the person that honors God in leadership, studies, being friendly and respectful to all, cheering together and representing our Christian school well. Eunie McEntee is the No. 1 Cheerleader of Godliness in my books.”

The scholarship will be rewarded to a freshman, sophomore, or junior for the upcoming 2015-’16 cheer season. The winner of this award will be announced at the FC winter sports award banquet, Feb. 23 in Ground Zero at 7 p.m.

With all of McEntee’s involvement at FC during her coaching years, she wishes hopes to be more involved currently, doing anything she can to help out the Eagle community.

“I would love to come back in be more involved in the FC community,” McEntee said. “I used to do a teachers luncheon in the fall, and have them over, and I would maybe like to do something of the sort, and be more involved. I just want to be encouraging that way again. I am just praying, and seeing what doors he opens, and which he shuts.”

History teacher and photo-journalism adviser Kori Friesen, also an FC alumni, has been impacted by McEntee and her joyful presence in the years that she has known her.

“Eunie was the joy of the school,” Friesen said. “She was the practical joker. You could hear her laugh all the way down the hallway. The teachers were a family because she was such an anchor. Having Mrs. Mac as a cheer coach was also always exciting.

“We learned to cheer for a purpose and had a blast in the process,” Friesen continued. “Every Friday we would dress out and perform in rallies. As a cheerleader we would come alongside, support the team, and to be there for them. I have absoluelty great memories of high school, and Eunie was a huge part of that.”

The FC community is encouraged to help honor Eunie McEntee and continue to support the FC cheer program and help a deserving cheerleader to receive scholarship monies.

Eunie McEntee influenced the lives of many. She will always be a part of this FC family, and will be remembered for her Christ-like lifestyle, and outgoing personality. Please be sure to say thank you to her next time you see her–for shaping FC into what it is today.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @ashhasthescoop.

For more features, read the Feb. 20 article, Fresno hosts horror movie, to be released nationally.