The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

It's A Stretch: As student athletes like Willow Glen High School's Beth Habte give it their all on the court or gridiron, coaches and boosters club members are busy raising money for their gear.

WG High coaches, booster club spark energetic new fundraisers

As money remains tight, sports-lovers hold flea markets, golf tournaments

By Christine M. Lias and Rebecca Wallace

Every year Bob Parker goes through the same challenges facing any coach--competition, recruitment, training new players. But Parker has an additional hurdle to overcome. Willow Glen High School's football coach and athletic director has to find a way to finance his team.

With annual expenses around $15,000, only $400 coming in from the school's student body and the San Jose Unified School District itself squeezed for funding, the Rams head coach faces a monetary challenge as daunting as any game.

Footballs cost $50 each. And Parker spends about $2,000 yearly on shoulder pads and helmets for more than 100 players. Parker estimates that every player costs about $300. To pay the bills, Parker got creative.

Last year, he staged a golf tournament that brought in almost $5,000. Parker also presents his players with a choice of paying or raising $50. For their fundraiser, players sell T-shirts and hats emblazoned with the Rams logo. And the Willow Glen Boosters Club splits its concession sales with the team.

"Fundraising really doesn't bother me," Parker said. "I think of it as part of the job."

Parker's needs are not unique. Sports teams and schools, have been scrambling to find adequate support for years. But Willow Glen High School is now seeing a flurry of new fundraisers as coaches and the booster club bring new energy to the struggle.

Baseball coach Gary Rose's varsity team held a spring training and fundraiser last week to teach batting and throwing techniques to athletes from the Lincoln Glen and Willow Glen little leagues. He also received $2,000 from parents, the booster club and other supporters to put in a new infield. And golf coach Arvo Voip pooled donations to buy his team seven red golf bags, Parker said.

"We just have a really good group of coaches who are thinking bigger than getting enough balls to play this season," Parker said. "And our booster club is picking the ante up more, and more coaches are coming to them to ask for money."

The Willow Glen Boosters Club was founded about six years ago to lend vocal and financial support to WGHS.

Raising funds mostly through concession sales and membership dues, the boosters' club is able to give money to any of the 18 WGHS teams that ask for help.

Supplementing its usual efforts, the boosters' club plans to hold a flea market on the high school campus May 2 and lease booth spaces for $25 each, Parker said. The club also has scheduled an Aug. 19 marathon gold tournament at a Sunol golf course. Golfers will solicit pledges for each hole they play.

Tight Budget

One of the reasons that fundraising has been so necessary in the past few years is the San Jose Unified School District's steep budget cut to athletics in 1992.

"San Jose Unified has very limited funding. A couple years ago, the district decided to cut back on 'nonessentials,' like maintenance and athletics," said boosters club president David Von Rueden.

In 1991, the athletic budget for the district's six high schools was $350,000, to be split evenly among them, said SJUSD board member Carol Myers. The following year, after the economic recession hit the state, the district's athletic budget dropped to $175,000 and is now about $200,000.

On average, the high school's athletic teams get about $150 each from student body funds; the football team gets the most.

After the budget cut, the SJUSD began hosting a celebrity waiters luncheon. Every year, the district invites players from the San Jose Sharks or the San Francisco 49ers to serve food. Last year's luncheon raised more than $100,000, split among all six schools.

"The celebrity luncheon supports athletics, but it's not enough to run the programs." Von Rueden said.

"Our largest chunk of money comes from the celebrity luncheon. Without it, there would be no athletics in San Jose Unified. It pays for our buses and coaches' salaries," Parker said.

Myers says fundraising is not enough. "I think fundraising is asking a lot from our coaches. ... They already spend long hours coaching. Many have other jobs as well."

Myers proposes soliciting businesses for donations. The high school's wrestling team recently received a corporate gift of $3,000.

"We need to take a more proactive role. Willow Glen is a nice area. Why not go to businesses and ask for sponsors?" Myers said.

One example of a proactive effort is at Willow Glen Middle School, where volunteer coach Pete Diaz organized the seventh-grade basketball team and its fundraising.

Only the eighth-grade team is formally recognized by the district and receives a stipend for coaching and transportation, WGMS Principal Larry Laird said.

It didn't take much effort to organize a team, Diaz said. "If the community would realize that, more parents would come up and start doing it.

"They need more help out there. And I think the school just doesn't have the money. ... The school's hands are tied."

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