Haldane’s Booster Club purchased more than $1,100 worth of weight room equipment for the school. Stephen Schweikhart On May 17 of this year, at around 9pm, the word came down that the Haldane School budget had passed by an impressive 606-310 margin.

The persistently dreary economic climate made the result that much more impressive. School administrators had presented a lean budget that resulted in a 0.78 percent increase in spending—something the voting public obviously appreciated.

If you were a Haldane family, you breathed a sigh of relief. Valuable programs would be preserved, additional cuts avoided. You knew your child would be attending a school that would not be in flux come the September 2 opening bell. That’s not to say there weren’t painful cuts leading up to the final draft approved by the voters. With times the way they are, each vote is met with more scrutiny. Cuts become more personal. Departments dig in, in an effort to preserve the resources needed to do a job so critical to so many people. No one exits the process unscathed—not the cafeteria staff, the math or music departments, or the maintenance team. Everyone is asked to do more with less, including the athletic department.

Recently, there have been many cuts to athletic programs made on the school, section, and state levels. Game schedules have been cut back, leagues have been realigned to shorten travel distances between opponents, and equipment and uniform purchases have been curtailed. These are changes that play out every day across the country as schools try to sustain athletic programs that mean so much to their students and their families. It also means that outside organizations have become a critical segment of athletics funding.

In Cold Spring, the Haldane Booster Club (HBC) has come front and center in its effort to support the school’s athletes. The HBC is one of three organizations sanctioned and recognized by the Haldane Board of Education. The others are the Haldane Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and the school’s biggest fundraising arm, the Haldane School Foundation.

The HBC is funded entirely by membership dues and fundraising. “The goal of the Booster Club is to support all athletic teams at Haldane above and beyond what the school budget will allow,” HBC President Dan Hughes explained last week. “Each team has a parent (team directors) in the HBC representing that individual sport. We want each team to have input, assist with fundraising and share in the fundraising dollars.”

Team directors and HBC officers meet monthly to develop fundraising opportunities, membership drives and ultimately the disbursement of funds for needed equipment. “Teams and coaches are encouraged to apply for financial grants (from the HBC) for purchases of equipment that the school cannot purchase,” Hughes went on to say. “The Booster Club does not provide team apparel or “spirit wear” for the teams, but rather we assist with purchases of equipment.” Spirit wear is left to the individual teams. The players either purchase these items themselves, or perform their own fundraising in an effort to purchase these “extras.”

The HBC limits itself to the necessities the school cannot provide, like team banners for lacrosse and cross country, stop watches for the track team, a kicking net and tee for the football team and the club’s largest purchase to date—over $1,100 of weight room equipment.

Incoming head football coach Jeff Sniffen spearheaded the weight room equipment purchase. Sniffen, who oversees a number of fitness and weight training related programs at the school, saw weight room use skyrocket in recent years, spilling many of his student athletes into the halls as they waited to use the equipment. The Booster Club was able to purchase some weights for strength training and many items for plyometric exercises that are being used not only by football team members, but also by many of the school’s other athletes. Lots of the pieces are portable, meaning they can be used outside of the tiny weight room’s walls.

In addition to having a representative from each sport in the club, Tom Cunningham, Haldane’s Athletic Director, is a member and an active participant of the HBC. This ensures that the HBC has a good, working relationship with the school as a whole, and each individual sport.

Hughes, Vice President Fred Kohut, and Treasurer Ed Kenna oversee the club’s activities, which extend beyond basic fundraising and grant awards. “We recently cooked burgers and dogs at the Cold Spring Community Day, and will do so again on Labor Day at the rescheduled fireworks on September 3,” Hughes explained. “We held a successful raffle during the recent basketball season as well. We also sponsor the Varsity Letter Nights at the conclusion of each athletic season, which are quickly becoming a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of our student athletes.”

It is a labor of love for the all-volunteer board. All are staunch supporters of Haldane athletics, and have children who have participated on Haldane teams. Hughes and Kohut start new terms this September, but the HBC will be looking to replace the outgoing Kenna. “We are so blessed to have such community support at Haldane and the Booster Club is an extension of that support,” Hughes said. “We care about the kids and the Haldane teams enough to work hard raising money to improve the environment for the teams and the athletes.”

For more information about the HBC, to become a member or make a donation, please e-mail Dan Hughes at hughes111286@optonline.