Leander / Cedar Park Youth Football League: LCP Scholarships
Thursday, June 3Janet Burk Memorial Spirit Scholarship
Janet Kay Burk 1947 - 1995 Janet Kay Burk, from Abilene, Texas was a schoolteacher most of her adult life. She died at the young age of 48, but not until after making her "mark" in Central Texas Pop Warner Football & Cheerleading. For many years, from the mid-1980s until her death in 1995, Janet Burk was a strong leader and advocate of the Pop Warner football program in Leander. Like many of you, she was the mother of a football player and a cheerleader, and the wife of a father/coach, and was on our local Board of Directors. Janet and her family were Pop Warner all the way. Following every game, many of the team's families would gather at the Burks to relive the game on video. When she first became involved in the program, there were only two teams; the Cubs and the Lions. Each football team had its cheerleader squad that lead yells during the game and did a little "pom routine" at half-time. Janet felt like the girls could contribute more to the Pop Warner program, and have more fun at the same time, if the Cheerleader Program could be pumped up to the "competition level". The next thing we knew, Janet was on the Central Texas Pop Warner Board as its new Central Texas Cheerleading Coordinator. Janet was very instrumental in developing and organizing competition cheerleading in Central Texas. From that beginning, many of the LCPYFL Cheerleader teams have advanced all the way to Nationals. When cancer began taking its toll on Janet, she resigned from her position on the Central Texas Board and from her job as a teacher at Liberty Hill, but returned to a position on the local LCPYFL Board. Janet died four days after the beginning of the 1995 Pop Warner season, and the old Pop Warner field on Highway 183 was named in her honor. Janet Kay Burk deserves to be remembered. This $500.00 scholarship will be awarded each year to a former LCP Cheer or Dance participant graduating from High School to help further their career in Honor of Janet Kay Burk.
Cheer Scholarship Winners
2005 Katie Ziemann $300
2005 Jessica Reagan $300
2005 Traci Adams $300
2004 Bianca Smith $500
2003 Larissa Kitley $500
2000 Rachel Lee $500
2000 Kristina Cones $200
2000 Melissa Gitlin $200
1999 Jill Price $500
1998 Nicolette Ball $500
(Special thanks to former LCP President Charles Ball for his words for Janet Burk)
Thursday, June 3
Ken Mercer Memorial Football Scholarship
William Kenneth Mercer 1943 - 2000 Ken and his family moved to Cedar Park in 1977 and he became very active in volunteering with youth sports. He began by coaching for several years in the Little Dribblers Basketball Program and in 1994 became very active in the Leander/Cedar Park Pop Warner Youth Football League. He served in several positions such as coach coordinator for three years and was vice president of the league. Ken also was head coach of the Jaguar Jr. Midget team for three years and took them to the Central Texas Championships playoffs each year. He had just accepted a head coaching position with the PeeWee Timberwolves team. Ken Mercer helped many young athletes become better people. He will be greatly missed. This football scholarship will be awarded to a former LCP football player graduating to help futher his career in memory of Coach Ken Mercer.
Football Scholarship Winners
2005 Sean Brown $300
2005 Jared Smith $300
2005 Riley Callahan $300
2005 Kenneth Howard $300
2004 Blaec Baudoin $500
2003 William Cones $500
2000 Christopher Ball $500
2000 Jacob Parsons $200
1998 Spencer Kitley $500
1997 Scotty Priddy $500
1996 Anthony Gattuso $500
1996 James McDonald $500