By By PETER WILLIAMS, Staff Writer
If Pam Pack football players are expected to go the extra mile, their fans are asked to help pay for it by the foot.
Monday’s Punt, Pass and Kick fundraiser helped measure the abilities of players at each activity. The payoff comes when team supporters are asked to get donations based on how well each player did.
Each player punts, passes and kicks and the total yardage is converted into feet. Coaches ask for donations of at least two cents per foot based on how well the player did. If a player’s combined total was 450 feet, that works out to $9. Multiple sponsors can be sought.
The money goes to help pay for some of the extras that aren’t covered by the regular school budget, Sawyer said.
The Punt, Pass and Kick fundraiser is in its third year and has raised about $2,500 a year so far.
The money can go quickly, Sawyer said. A single football costs $50. Even an inexpensive helmet cost $115. Shoulder pads will run $75 to $200 depending on the style. When suiting out 40 players, the costs adds up, he said.
The team also gets support, financial and spiritual, from a higher source. Before each home game the team, staff and cheerleaders dine at a local church. The church foots the bill, but that isn’t cheap feeding 60 or 70 people.
A two-day football camp starts at the high school today. Regular practice for the 2007 season starts on Monday.