PROVIDING A NEEDED BOOST; SUPPORT CLUBS HELPFUL, BUT THERE'S A LIMIT.Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer Raising money is a serious matter when it comes to football. Everybody wants the best equipment and the newest uniforms. They want the latest videotape technology to better assess their strengths and weaknesses and those of their opponents. And they want to lift the newest weights in a state-of-the-art weight room and play in a quality stadium with a clear sound system and modern scoreboard. Helmets cost $115, shoulder pads This article is about football protective equipment. For shoulder pads in fashion, see Shoulder pads (fashion). Shoulder pads are a piece of protective equipment used in American and Canadian football. $85. Add jerseys, pants and pads and it's $355 just to set foot on the field. Per player. ``That money has got to come from somewhere,'' Newbury Park coach George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4 1958 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Hurley's powerful style brought a sense of musicianship to the genre, paving the way for new possibilities in underground music. said. ``We could run a skeleton program if we made the kids buy their stuff, but then you're putting it back on the parents, and not everyone can afford to.'' Behind nearly every high school football program is a group of parents and fans working to make sure success continues or builds. Boosters run concession stands Concession stand is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, Stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties. and sell game programs. They prepare the field and help clean up the locker room. And then the coach is able to focus on his players and the game. ``You're spread so thin that, without a booster club A booster club is an organization that is formed to contribute money to an associated club, sports team, or organization. Booster clubs are popular in American schools at the high school and university level. , I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to do,'' Taft coach Troy Starr said. Whatever coaches want, boosters are there to provide and not ask many questions. ``It's extremely valuable to have a booster club,'' Canyon coach Larry Mohr said. ``Financial, labor - they work hard before games. . . . They're real supportive.'' And organized. Most booster clubs have a board of officers, a bank account and a nonprofit tax identification number. They meet regularly, usually Mondays or Tuesdays during the season and monthly other times. They talk with the coach to find out what he needs. Meetings are open to the public and often held at a restaurant where the coach can show highlights from last week's game and answer questions about such matters as injury updates, how fund-raising matters are coming and who will perform what specific task. ``It's a year-round job,''Hartbooster club president Jim Rasmussen said. Booster clubs are nothing new. Colleges have had them for years, with benefactors making large donations often seeking to dictate policy. Many head coaches have been fired because the boosters didn't like him, his personnel or his play-calling decisions. At the high school level, boosters generally understand the need to support the coach. When there are problems, it's usually between an individual parent and the coach. There are exceptions, however, and Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley coach Brent Newcomb calls them ``the only down point of booster clubs.'' Ten years ago, Newbury Park boosters sought to get rid of then-coach Ken Cook. Cook said some boosters were unhappy at Cook's choices for assistant coaches and sought a way to oust oust tr.v. oust·ed, oust·ing, ousts 1. To eject from a position or place; force out: "the American Revolution, which ousted the English" Virginia S. Eifert. him in 1987. George Hurley, then an assistant coach not suffering the boosters' scorn, said he was approached by boosters wanting dirt on Cook. ``I said, `No. This is ridiculous,' '' Hurley said. `` `The head coach is my boss. I'm not going to get rid of him.' '' The boosters didn't make Cook's life miserable, he said, but he was frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: at the lack of a unified direction. He also was pushed by the desire to watch his son, Wayne, play at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . So Cook quit after the '88 season. ``The problem with booster clubs is they do a lot for you and raise a lot of money for you, so they feel they have a say in how a program is run,'' Cook said. ``That's left up to the head coach.'' Jack Bowman quit at Saugus two years ago because of sniping he faced from parents. He is now Canyon's defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head . Westlake coach Jim Benkert sympathizes. He hears the fans shouting at him during the games. ``If the run play didn't work, we should've passed. If the pass play didn't work, we should've run,'' Benkert said. ``Everyone's an expert.'' Many schools take steps to prevent problems. At Chaminade, the athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic - not the head coach - attends the booster club meetings. At Moorpark, club president Doug Bryant said any booster who questions personnel or play calling is told to talk to coach Ron Wilford at a different time. If he persists, he is asked to leave. Several schools, such as Hart, tell new members at the start of the season what is acceptable and what isn't. Other schools don't show the game tape at meetings. Still others don't have their own football booster clubs. At many City Section schools, including Taft and Kennedy, and private schools like Chaminade and L.A. Baptist, the booster club is schoolwide. Any club or sport can raise and ask for funds. ``It's real difficult to take their money and then not accept their advice,'' Kennedy football coach Bob Francola said. ``So, I have not organized my own lynch mob, so to speak. I'm not sure the kids are better in the long run if the coach is stressed about answering to the booster club.'' The ultimate response to booster problems is to dismantle the club. Sylmar coach Jeff Engilman, citing low participation among parents, did away with it in favor of an alumni association An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni . Benkert thinks a booster club that doesn't support should be asked to disappear. ``If we had (problems), the booster club wouldn't exist,'' he said. ``We'd get rid of it and get a whole new set of officers. Parents would hate to be called puppets, but that's it. They have to support the program and support the coach.'' HOW THE MONEY ARRIVES Some booster club fund-raisers: Bingo Friday-night concession stands Pancake pancake, thin, flat cake, made of batter and baked on a griddle or fried in a pan. Pancakes, probably the oldest form of bread, are known in different forms throughout the world. breakfasts Raffles Car washes Golf tournaments Dog shows Lift-a-thons Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (môNtā` kärlō`), town (1982 pop. 13,150), principality of Monaco, on the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera. nights Horse Trot Pick-A-Plots Firework sales Candy sales Candy Sale is an episode in the fictional animated series Beavis and Butt-head. It appeared in the fifth season (1994-1995) and is available on DVD as part of Volume 2. Synopsis Ads in game programs Toilet exchanges (to receive a low-flow toilet) Private donations Parking cars CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box Photo: (Color) In addition to supportive fans at the games, booster clubs are important to the success of high school football programs. (2) Snack stands, like the one here at Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame High, is one way football booster clubs raise funds for the team. John Lazar/Daily News Box: HOW THE MONEY ARRIVES (See Text) |
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