STAY TOGETHER

Stay Together General Maximus comes to Rome dirty and shackled. This is not the way it's supposed to be. Where's Rome's legendary pageantry to greet one of her war heroes—the heraldry, the burnished armor, the laurel crown? Where's the honor due him? Maximus comes a slave. That's the premise of the movie Gladiator. Through a maze of events, Maximus goes from celebrated warrior, favorite of one emperor, to despised traitor, nemesis of another. He becomes a fugitive, then caged slave, then unvanquished gladiator. His growing fame in the arena brings him to the sport's pinnacle: Rome's magnificent Coliseum to face her elite warriors. The games open with a re-enactment of the battle of Carthage. The gladiators, all foot soldiers, are cast as the hapless Carthaginians. It is a stage for slaughter. They are marched out a dark passageway into brilliant sunlight and met with a roar of bloodlust. Maximus, their leader, shouts to his men: "Stay together." He assembles them in a tight circle in the center of the arena: back-to-back, shields aloft, spears outward. Again he shouts, "Whatever comes out that gate, stay together." What comes out that gate is swift and sleek and full of terror. Chariot upon chariot thunder forth. War horses pull, with deadly agility and earthshaking strength, wagons driven by master charioteers. Amazonian warrior princesses ride behind and with deadly precision hurl spears and volley arrows. One gladiator strays from the circle, ignoring Maximus's order, and is cut down. Maximus shouts once more: "Stay together!" The instinct to scatter is strong. But Maximus exerts his authority, and they resist that impulse. The chariots circle, closer, closer, closer. Spears and arrows rain down on the men's wood shields. The chariots are about to cinch the knot. Right then Maximus shouts, "Now!" The gladiators attack, and decimate the Romans. Commodus, the evil emperor, caustically remarks to the games organizer: "My memory of Roman history is rusty, but didn't we beat Carthage the first time?" Fellas, everyone on this team has a decision to make, by that I mean EVERYONE, that includes all the coaches and especially me. It also means EVERYONE in the program from Seniors to Juniors to Sophomores and Freshman. It includes our Task Force, our Families and our fans. The decision is a simple one STAY TOGETHER. Don't stray away from the group as a team, a school and a community as Park City. We have to rally behind each other and live our Team motto: WE ARE ONE. We say it everyday and now we realize in these adverse times that we have to group together stand back to back and hold on tight. We are one a bumpy ride right now and WE have all the tools to be great, but it will take buy in from everyone and a belief, not just a believe that we can win, but that we will win. And that belief needs to practiced to perfection everyday on and off the field. Starting with being great students and preparing for the quarte and semester ahead. Followed by effort Nd focus on the game for the week. Preparing not just on the practice field but using all the tools that we provide to you including hudl and our scouting reports and most importantly, preparing to play and to win as a TEAM. STAY TOGETHER! WIN THE DAY WE ARE ONE! Coach Smalley and the ENTIRE PC Football Staff