Parents and volunteers come together as the Aragon Athletic Boosters to help bring out the best of Aragon interscholastic sports. The parent organization raises money and provides financial management for teams through a variety of fundraising events and encourages student and family participation and involvement in the athletic community. Athletic Boosters is one of many parent groups such as Drama Boosters and Music Boosters, which help fund student activities. These groups help bolster different extracurriculars, aiming to raise money for supplies or equipment and enrich the experience of their respective activity.
Before being promoted to president last year, Christine Grant served as the Athletic Booster
group’s secretary for eight years.
“We try to fund all those things that are not considered necessary for play,” Grant said. “For instance [we fund] our assistant coaches, equipment, items they might need [like] jumpsuits or training videos.”
The parent group buys equipment that is considered nonessential by the school district. For example, the group provided deck warmers for swim teams, motion detectors for basketball teams and new balls for volleyball teams. The group also saves for bigger purchases such as the new scoreboard for the gym and live streaming equipment installed recently to accommodate for changes in athletic contest viewings due to COVID-19.
“We represent the sports at the club at different events, but for the most part, raising money to help”
“My first son graduated in 2016, so I’ve been here an awfully long time: eight to 10 years,” Grant said. “I’ve always been part of the [Athletic] Boosters club, just wanting to help and be part of a great athletic tradition at Aragon. I facilitate fundraising and all the volunteers that help us out during the year and support them as much as they support the club.”
As a proud mom of Aragon football graduates and a current student, Grant continues to contribute her time and effort by actively participating in Athletic Boosters to help improve and support athletic teams.
Outside of her work at a property management company and the group, Grant likes to take walks and listen to music. She enjoys watching TV shows such as “The Resident,” “Good Doctor” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and listening to country, old R&B and ’90s hip-hop music.
As the president of the group, Grant meets with other parents on a regular basis. Due to COVID-19, meetings have either been cancelled or gone virtual. With the cancellation of many in-person gatherings and sporting events, the club is unable to fundraise for sports teams as they normally would.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the group hosted Sportsmanship Night three times a year where hundreds of athletes attended. These nights took place at the beginning of each athletic season and highlighted the importance of good sportsmanship and appropriate behaviors at games.
“At Sportsmanship Night, we give new information, we check parents that attended and we ask for a donation,” said Vice President of Sportsmanship Steve Dixon. “It’s a major fundraising event for the sports program.”
But due to COVID-19 restrictions, large gatherings are prohibited and seasonal Sportsmanship Nights have been put on hold. Although sporting events have been limited, the group is preparing for when they eventually resume. In order to provide continued support during the pandemic, the group has purchased new equipment and supplies to help keep athletes safe.
“We have bought extra equipment for a variety of sports because people aren’t allowed to share equipment like they were before [while] conditioning,” said Treasurer Bridgit Hanshaw. “Extra mats, extra weights [and] extra medicine balls.”
During the pandemic, sports and fundraising events may increase the risk of transmission. Thus, Athletic Boosters have been meeting virtually each month to keep everyone updated.
“We support them by letting the community know about the sports and how it is beneficial to the students,” said Vice President of Communications Shaynee Stevens. “We represent the sports at the club at different events, but for the most part, raising money to help support the things that aren’t paid for by the district.”
While COVID-19 has forced the Aragon Athletic Boosters group to adapt their fundraising events and group meetings to a virtual environment, the club has still found ways to maintain Aragon athletic traditions and support athletes.
