Booster Club Spotlight: Crandall group boosts Pirates spirit

There’s a one-stop shop for athletic needs in Crandall. Athletes from the seventh grade through seniors are served by the Crandall Booster Club, and Marie Ryan is the leader of the pack. She really enjoys serving the community’s athletes. “It’s an honor to watch, and see them excel in a sport they love.” Ryan was one of 13 members on the board the last three years, and this is her first year as president. The booster club receives requests for equipment and uniforms, and helps with concession stands at football and soccer events. It recently provided a screen for the softball team, practice goals for the soccer team, and fan misters for the entire athletic department. The booster club’s biggest drive is the scholarships for senior athletes. A combined $10,000 is up for grabs every year, but Ryan expects that number to increase as the student body continues to grow. Last year, 14 seniors earned a piece of that, and 30 seniors are eligible on this year’s football team. The money is raised by merchandise sales, and that includes the popular Blackout Game T-shirt. The game is played every year, and this year’s event was played on August 28^th. Two criteria must be met if an eligible candidate is going to win. A senior’s essay is the biggest factor, but their parents must also meet a volunteer hour quota for the booster club. 20 hours are assigned to senior parents, and 10 hours are assigned to junior parents. Currently, this is no requirement for underclassmen parents, but there has been talk at meetings that this could change in the future. The booster club never wants to hold a difficult situation against a deserving student, so families can be excused for a medical concern. Their hours will be picked up by other members, and many times it’s the freshman and sophomore parents.

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