July had become our new vacation month. After years of dodging August “dog days” in Lake George, New York, our family had to adjust to a new schedule. Beginning in 1995, August revolved around high school fall sports and their preseason practices. So over the years, as all four of us participated in soccer, field hockey, and American football during the month of August, I became involved with various team booster clubs. While the kids were running, lifting, sweating, and practicing, I was busy with the Boosters planning activities for the season. High school sports booster clubs, if run with spirit and enthusiasm, are a great way to boost team spirit.
Between our four children and all sports, we have had superstars and bankers. However, I think everyone would agree that team sports in general were a great experience. By broadening the focus of the various high school sports promotion clubs, from fundraising to “fun raising,” these organizations can enhance the team experience and foster team spirit. Promotion clubs can help each player have a sense of belonging. Over the years, our Booster Club activities ranged from Team Tailgates to door decorations, player giveaways, and launch parties. By providing a balance between fun and the rigors of athletics, booster clubs can spread team spirit. It takes time and energy to prepare a pregame breakfast for 80 soccer players, but it is well worth the effort. What started as a pre-playoff event turned into a weekly Saturday morning coffee hosted by dads! It was such a success that when my youngest son was playing, we could have a restaurant. For Friday night games, we host “post-tour” dinners on Thursday nights.
Our girls were not left out in the cold. Soccer and field hockey benefited from the energies of the booster clubs. They had a family start-of-season party. Short funds … we improvise and assign each grade level a category; desserts, drinks or salads. Exempt seniors! We use booster club funds for the pizzas. It was the perfect compromise! For more fun, we let the kids design team practice jerseys, with their own tagline. They were meant for the driving range, but kids used them everywhere. We made “pride pins” with the team mascot, player name and number for the parents. These buttons were so popular that they made their way into the locker room and a generic version turned out to be a great fundraiser for the club!
So when your son or daughter heads to the driving range in August, find out who runs their team’s booster club and who volunteers. Your child will appreciate it, you will enjoy it and will have a new group of friends at the end of the season. We still have “team reunion” parties with one of our booster groups and it’s 6 years later. Check out some more fun team spirit ideas at Celebration Ideas Online Team Spirit Ideas
