Funds and donations are vital in financing Lynbrook’s sports teams, as they support everything from uniforms and equipment to tournament registration fees. But with money coming in from three main sources — direct team donations, ASB and Athletic Boosters — how do funds from each source support Lynbrook athletic teams? 

Team members support their teams through donations and holding fundraisers. All funds raised go directly from players to coaches, who then deposit it in their team’s ASB checking accounts. Donations are not mandatory, and coaches set a suggested amount and players donating as much as they can. The money raised by teams covers the expenses incurred throughout the season, such as tournament registrations and transportation costs. 

If a team wants to make a larger, one-time purchase, such as new apparel, they can hold fundraisers, where community members, students, parents and teachers, can come and support the team by purchasing what the team sells. In the past, teams have held fundraisers where they sold Jamba Juice cards, caramel apples and more. Most recently, the girls varsity volleyball team held a T Pumps fundraiser on Sept. 24. 

“It was actually really fun to do,” said team captain Angela Steinmetz. “We made a profit of about $300, and everyone is super happy about the way fundraising turned out this year.” 

In addition, Athletic Director Jennifer Griffin has a small budget set aside for necessities such as sports equipment, safety gear and referees, who officiate meets and games. This money comes from ASB, who receive support from ASB membership sales. 

Necessities are also provided by money from the district, which is sourced from taxes. Based on what is needed for the athletes, the school can help decide where the money goes to. 

Athletic Boosters is another organization dedicated to the support of Lynbrook’s student athletes. Its primary source of revenue is through the sale of membership packages to parents and community members. Additionally, the sale of letterman jackets and other Lynbrook branded apparel, personalized bricks cemented outside the football field and stadium seats all go toward Athletic Boosters’ funds. 

To decide how to allocate the money that they receive, Boosters has a board composed of parents who hear requests from teams and coaches during meetings and then vote on which purchases to finance. Griffin also sits on the board as a non-voting member to offer suggestions based on what she observes during the sports teams’ practices and games.     

This year, Boosters are pushing for a parent of a student athlete on each team to sit on the board in order to have greater representation of the interests of all sports. 

“Boosters was created to support all sports, so having a representative from each team would help us create more of a ‘community’ than individual sports,” said Athletic Boosters President Diana Trujillo.

Parents can also choose to donate directly to a certain team through Athletic Boosters. If they choose do so, Athletic Boosters would write a check to the specific team’s ASB checking account.

Booster funds pay for updated sports equipment and the awards given to athletes at the end of the season. Additionally, Athletic Boosters provides the salary for Athletic Trainer Kathryn Thurman, who works to treat sports injuries sustained by student athletes. Boosters also helps teams out with larger purchases, such as tents or bench shades, by providing money to supplement the amount teams have already accumulated. 

A new avenue for saving funds comes in the agreement signed with Adidas this year. In exchange for placing their logo on Lynbrook athletic apparel and uniforms, Adidas will discount these items. For instance, apparel ordered through Adidas will receive a 40 percent discount. The funds saved from the agreement can be repurposed for other needs of the athletic department, therefore decreasing the burden on other sources. 

“The sports couldn’t exist by just charging entrance fees when people come to the games,” said Lynbrook financial specialist Judy Boehm. “They need the funds from all of these sources [district funds, ASB funds and Athletic Boosters support].” 

Direct team donations, fundraisers, the district, ASB and Athletic Boosters all support sports teams and come from a multitude of members in the community. However, they vary in the amount of money that goes to the teams and which aspect of the sports teams they provide for. Regardless, with so many expenses to cover in supporting athletic sports teams, all funds are crucial in order to sustain sports teams and support athletes in reaching success.