Transforming a Program and the Hearts of Athletes

Shelley Pearson • February 11, 2022

Why do we tell stories at Minnesota FCA?

Because God is moving in amazing ways, and we never want to keep that to ourselves.

John 21:25 says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” We also could never tell all the stories, but we hope you get a taste of where God is at work.

Denfeld High School is the most culturally and socio-economically diverse high school in the Duluth area. Many students have experienced childhood trauma, causing discipline issues, academic challenges, and difficulties in the sports programs.

A Dying Program

At the end of the 2021 basketball season, there were eight girls in the program. Not just eight girls on varsity, but eight girls total in a school of 850 students. The coach retired at the end of the season, and the program was in danger of dissolving.

But by the grace of God and the obedience of Christ-centered coaches, the program hasn’t folded.

Erik Lofald graduated from Denfeld High, and it holds a special place in his heart. Such a special place, in fact, that he is the head football coach and serves Denfeld coaches and athletes as an FCA staff member. He knows God is the answer to all of the challenges and has been asking God to raise up Christian coaches at Denfeld for the last nine years.

Raising up a Coach

Erik Reinertsen is Lofald’s pastor and best friend. One daughter and son played basketball at Denfeld and another daughter plays today. When the previous coach retired, he wondered if God had something for him in this. He said, “I’m a coach at heart. God made me to coach.” But he also has eight kids and a church to pastor, so it seemed crazy to consider.

He said, “I have a heart for the west side of town and to see it flourish, and it wasn’t. The athletics have struggled. Basketball - girls in particular - has struggled. I knew I could help get the program back moving in the right direction, but I knew how much work and time it would take.” He prayed and listened. He said, “I felt like God had given me a heart to make a change and had equipped me to do so. It seemed like God was opening the door.” He applied for the position – and got it.

The Master Planner at Work

In only one season, the program has grown fivefold. Forty girls - some who have never played basketball or any other organized sport, some who can’t afford the fees or even basketball shoes - are experiencing life transformation through sport. And it’s because God has been orchestrating the events to get to this place for years:

A boy (Erik Lofald) attended and graduated from Denfeld
He was led to the Lord by a local pastor (Erik Reinertsen)
He started coaching at his alma mater
God grew his heart for the students there
Erik started praying that God would bring more coaches with a heart for inner-city youth
God raised up his best friend, the pastor who had led him to the Lord, to serve as head basketball coach
God provided six wonderful assistant coaches, several of whom are Christians: two men from the church, his oldest daughter and her husband, and two of her college basketball friends

These events set the stage for what happened with the program this year, beginning even before tryouts. Coach said, “I went over before school as the tryout date got closer and invited every girl I could find. I told them we’d love them to consider playing even if they’ve never played before.” Forty girls came out for tryouts, and they decided not to cut any of them. He said, “When I made that announcement, you wouldn’t have believed how excited they were. That was one of the neatest things I’ve ever been part of. A lot of these girls have been cut their whole life in a million ways.”

A Radical Change

The culture of the program is being transformed, and it’s making an impact on the greater school community. The program theme is IMPACT, and the simple core values are:

Do unto others
Do your best
Be positive
Build up
Keep things in perspective

These core values are observed every day on the court. The team might be down 30 points in a game, but everyone is for everyone. There has been no backbiting and no negativity. Coach said, “Not all the girls are coming from broken backgrounds, and one of the cool things is that you wouldn’t know that based on how they interact. There’s no segregation. One of the Native American advocates stopped at practice, and he was surprised because the team is truly representative of the school (black, white, native, rich, poor), and together.”

The culture of the team has changed, and it is impacting individual lives too. In Coach’s words:

“On the day of tryouts, I opened the door and there was a girl pacing back and forth. I asked if she was thinking about trying out. She wasn’t sure. I encouraged her to come. She came in and has been there ever since, is one of the greatest cheerleaders, and has built friendships through basketball. Her sister is also coming. Life isn’t easy for them, but this is a refuge.”
“Another girl is notorious for being a fighter, has been suspended, and struggled with grades. She came out for the team but got suspended mid-week the first week. Since then, she hasn’t gotten suspended at all. And recently, she sent me a picture of her report card with no Fs. For her, it’s not about stats and wins – it’s about being around the other girls and the coaches and the purpose.”
“Yet another girl had been removed from school because of all the trouble she was getting in, had five Fs the first grading period and no basketball shoes. We’ve loved her and walked with her. She’s smiling and making friends.”

Taking Notice

The greater school community has noticed a difference, and the community has shown up for the team. Coach’s wife organized a Go Fund Me to provide better equipment, shoes for those who need them, travel gear, individual and team photos, and other things they need. The community gave $8,000.

Those outside the community even notice the shift. The athletic director in a neighboring district said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that level of energy and positivity from a team ever” (and his team beat Denfeld by 60 points!). After a home game, a ref, a parent from the opposing team, and several others all remarked about how different it is – not just different from how it’s been, but different from other team cultures as well.

Coach is thrilled with the progress, but his greatest prayer for his players is this: “That they would feel loved, special, valued, wanted, that they would know that this team is a safe place, a good place, where they can grow as people. And ultimately, that they would see Jesus, that they would see that we are the way we are because of what Jesus has done.”

The Difference of a Coach

Erik Lofald said, “I see God all over this story. For a lot of people, it’s a literal miracle. I was the only Christian coach at the school, and we quadrupled that with one hire. Denfeld is ready to explode with discipleship. It’s hard not to be so excited. There’s even excitement in the local media. That platform is incredible because now Coach can talk about the culture. They are responding to what he is living out.”

Erik Reinertsen came to Denfeld as an empowered coach ready to live out what God was calling him to as a coach. FCA is thrilled to come alongside him, pray for him, and support him. Pray God would do a multiplying work at Denfeld and that he would raise up coaches all over Minnesota who share Coach’s heart for bringing transformation to a high school or college campus.