, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
Luverne’s middle and high school students assembled in the gymnasium Friday afternoon for a message of perseverance by a South Dakota family whose champion attitude took them to Madison Square Garden and around the world.
Bruce and Diane Crevier currently live near Elkton, South Dakota, and operate Champions Forever Ministries. The couple and their 12 children perform basketball tricks and ride unicycles as part of their “Spintacular Basketball Show.”
Bruce Crevier’s message to the more than 650 local students and staff involved learning from one’s mistakes and choosing to be a champion.
“Don’t be afraid to give extra effort,” Bruce said after his family’s 45-minute performance. “Kids nowadays just want to get by. — I didn’t want an ordinary life.”
His drive was apparent early growing up as the 11th of 12 children, and he desired to do things better.
Bruce holds four Guinness world records for basketball spinning (four for the most spinning basketballs and one for spinning one basketball for the longest time). The family’s talent for spinning was incorporated into the ministry that began more than 20 years ago.
Encouragement after a family performance in Florida had Bruce sending in a video of his family’s act to the television show “America’s Got Talent” four years ago. The Creviers were one of 75,000 acts invited to audition and earned a spot in the top 50 acts. They performed a 90-second act at New York’s Madison Square Garden in front of the four guest judges.
Portions of the same unicycle act were performed for the Luverne students over a much longer performance period.
A former LHS student helped family members with equipment at the local performance.
LHS Class of 2014 Josh Slieter recently married Katie, the fourth oldest of the Crevier children. Both are students at South Dakota State University in Brookings.
“I can be honest and say hanging out with them, they are very humble and kind,” Slieter said.
The family incorporated G.A.M.E. into their message. The acronym stands for Goals, Attitude, Morals and Excellence.
The character-building message encouraged students to set ambitious goals, not to let circumstances dictate attitudes, to be morally pure, and to deal with the consequences of wrong decisions by making oneself better.
Bruce said after his family’s performance Friday he wants to remind students and adults that God loves them and His plan wants them to be champions.
The same message is relayed when the family performs together or individually during the more than 100 assemblies a year both in the U.S. and worldwide.
The couple also wrote and published a book called “The Champion Code.”
In the 200+ page book, the Creviers outline seven things champions do before they die. They also operate a website at championsforever.com.
The Crevier family’s local performance was school-sponsored.
“I like their positive message to students of you can do and achieve things,” said middle/high school Principal Ryan Johnson.