UPside of Life: Giving a boost to the hometown team

Growing up near and attending a large high school definitely has its luxuries, like advanced classes, a variety of courses to pick from and, of course, lots of fellow students to hang out with.

In the Upper Peninsula, there are just a handful of those larger schools. Escanaba and Marquette are the cream of the "big school" crop in the region with schools like Negaunee, Iron Mountain, Menominee and Sault Ste. Marie not too far behind.

But what the U.P. is truly known for is the quality small schools that dot the landscape. Attending those schools, too, has many advantages: You know everyone you go to school with, you have the benefit of small student-to-teacher ratios and you can play just about any sport you want to play without fear of being cut.

Sports at a small school tend to be populated by the handful of athletes who walk the halls each and every day. The star basketball player is likely the starting quarterback on the football team and come spring you'll probably find him earning medals in track and field. Your top volleyball player tends to be your stellar girls basketball player who might also be a cheerleader, too. There's a good chance the two of them are your homecoming king and queen, too.

Even the athletes who might not be truly standout earn themselves playing time and respect from their teammates through the everyday hustle and bustle of hard practice and dedication. At a small school, you don't have to shy away from a sport just because you're not gifted in it. Athletes are welcome. Come one, come all.

But there are downsides for athletes in small schools. The training rooms aren't quite up to snuff and the equipment is often the hand-me-down kind. Instead of an entire team of coaches and assistants, there are usually a handful of individuals who are volunteering their time to help out.

The existence of these downsides isn't due to any fault of the school district. The administration there cares just as much about the athletes as those in larger schools. The problem is, fundamentally, money. These smaller schools don't have the population in either the school's halls or in the communities that make up the district to have funds to spare in the coffers. All they have typically goes toward the everyday expenses of maintaining a school and the student body.

So what of the sports teams that need those extra uniforms? Or new equipment? Perhaps some training aides or team camp funding?

That's where sports boosters come in. Sure, there are sports booster programs in large schools, too (sometimes even boosters for individual sports, depending on the district and its size), but they are sorely needed at the small schools. The members of the sports boosters raise funds to help cover the costs that the district just cannot afford. Maybe it's a few dollars here or a few thousand there, but the boosters are the first place the teams turn to when they need that extra funding.

The key to those boosters organizations are the people who volunteer for them. That manpower and dedication are what make the fund-raising programs work, and, in turn, what helps keep the money coming in from the communities and the people who want to support the sports programs.

But membership in these booster clubs is often sparse. Maybe it's a lack of interest, or that they don't do enough recruiting--but the likely answer is that people just don't know that they should join or even how.

If you're a fan of your local hometown sports team, then you should contact the school--small or large--and find out when the next sports boosters meeting is scheduled. Stop in and see if you can help out with their next project or what the criteria is to join (sometimes a small fee is required and other times you're in just by saying you'd like to be a member).

Volunteering is always a great idea, no matter what the organization is, and groups like small school sports boosters can always use a helping hand. Whether that's giving your time, services or monetarily, it will all be welcomed and gratefully accepted.

Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of UP Second Wave. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula and is a member of the Mid Peninsula High School sports boosters. He can be reached via email.