Northern Lights: One Woman, Two Teams, and the Football Field That Changed Their Lives

by Cathy Parker, David Thomas

Overview

Life is hard in Barrow, Alaska. Football mom Cathy Parker first caught a glimpse of this far-away reality from the comfort of her Jacksonville, Florida, living room while watching a 2006 ESPN report on the Barrow Whalers, a high school football team consisting mostly of Alaskan Inupiat Eskimo natives playing in the most difficult of conditions and trying to overcome the most unlikely of odds. These players—raised in the northernmost town in the United States, where drug abuse is rampant and the high school dropout rate is high—found themselves playing on a gravel field, using flour to draw the lines. And while the community of Barrow felt a strong pride for their boys, many felt football was not worth the investment. That is, until Cathy Parker became involved.

Overcome by a surprising stirring in her soul to reach out and help, Cathy was determined to build a suitable field for the Barrow Whalers. Not fully understanding the many obstacles, both financially and logistically, that would line the path ahead, Cathy charged forward with a determined spirit and a heart for both the football team and the greater community of Barrow. She spearheaded a campaign that raised more than half-a-million dollars through people all around the country rallying around one common goal: changing the lives of young men through football. 

This is not just the story of how the Barrow Whalers became the first high school above the Arctic Circle to have a football program. This is the story of how we are sometimes called to the most unlikely of causes and to believe in something a little bit bigger, changing our own lives and the lives of others for the better in the most unexpected of ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785223818
Publisher:	HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	225
Sales rank:	999,703
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Cathy Parker and her husband, Carl, have raised four children, all at the ballfields. Cathy has experienced the extreme highs and lows of raising athletes and can relate to the toll athletics can have on the family. She founded the not-for-profits Athletes to Champions and Beyond the Ballfield to help athletes and their families deal with the realities of sports and use their influence for good.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Higher Calling 1

Chapter 2 "It's You" 9

Chapter 3 Resenting Football 13

Chapter 4 Season of Change 21

Chapter 5 Men Built for Others 29

Chapter 6 Introduction to Barrow 41

Chapter 7 Obedience Plus Inspiration 49

Chapter 8 It's Official: Project Alaska 57

Chapter 9 "He'll Prepare Their Hearts" 67

Chapter 10 A Family in the Media 75

Chapter 11 Unexpected Help 85

Chapter 12 A $40,000 Miracle 95

Chapter 13 Welcome to Jacksonville 105

Chapter 14 Fun in the Sun 113

Chapter 15 A Life-Changing Week 119

Chapter 16 Critical State 131

Chapter 17 Black Monday 143

Chapter 18 Warm Reception 149

Chapter 19 Friday Night Sunlight 161

Chapter 20 One More Miracle? 171

Chapter 21 Closing the Books 179

Chapter 22 No Desire for Normal 185

Chapter 23 A New Barrow 195

Appendix 1 2007 Barrow Whalers Roster 203

Appendix 2 2007 Bartram Trail Bears Varsity Roster 207

Acknowledgments 211

About the Authors 213

Editorial Reviews

04/22/2019

In her enthralling debut, Parker— founder of Athletes to Champions, a nonprofit dedicated to helping all children participate in sports—chronicles her journey of faith and football. After watching a documentary about a team in Barrow, Alaska, in the arctic circle, who played on a gravel field and were often injured while doing so, Parker, the wife of a former professional football player and mom to four student athletes, spearheaded a fundraising campaign to bring high school football players from Barrow to train in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla. Even though the thick layer of permafrost on the ground in Barrow and the town’s location made it seem impossible to install any type of field, Parker began a campaign to create a modern, synthetic field for the players back home. She details the many logistical obstacles needed to transport turf into far north Alaska, and reveals how the experience humbled her and deepened her Christian faith. She also includes truly touching moments of connection, such as her story of the Alaskan player who stayed with her family during the team’s trip, and went from being shy and untrusting to open and kind. Both football fans and Christian readers will appreciate and cheer Parker’s tenacious efforts. (June)

Publishers Weekly