Booster Club sets priorities, plans events
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

A membership drive, a new t-shirt design and food donations for the upcoming Marlin Classic are among items at the top of the Marlin Athletic Booster Club's priorities list as fall sports kick into high gear.

T-shirt design contest

The booster club is holding a contest to produce a new design for t-shirts the club will be selling. The shirts will say "Fighting Marlins" but won't be geared toward any specific sport.

The booster club is calling on folks to submit designs quickly so the club can get a new design printed as soon as possible, said Karen Collins, copresident of the booster club.

Questions? Contact Collins at 749-7878 or Stephanie Sawyer, copresident, at 749-7877.

Food donations

The booster club is seeking businesses and individuals to donate food for the hospitality room the club will run at the Marlin Classic basketball tournament Nov. 15-17.

The hospitality room will provide free food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for coaches (including visiting coaches) and referees taking part in the Marlin Classic. Athletes are donating desserts, said Emily Phillips, the booster club volunteer in charge of hospitality room food.

Contact Phillips at 749-1209 for more information on donating food.

Membership drive

The booster club is in the heat of its annual membership drive now. Club officials are seeking new members and past members for membership renewal. Memberships are good for one year.

"It's especially important for parents of middle school and high school athletes to support the booster club," Collins said. "We provide the extras that the school district can't afford to provide, like updated equipment and things that make us more competitive on the playing field."

"Deckhand" memberships are $25. "Captain" memberships are $50.

Folks who want to join up should make checks payable to Marlin Athletic Booster Club and mail them to: Marlin Athletic Booster Club, P.O. Box 3003, Port Aransas, Tx., 78373.

Those making $100 donations get their names on a plaque on the grand-slam board in the foyer of Doyle Marek Gym at Port Aransas High School. The booster club had about 55 grand slam members last year, but fewer than 20 have signed up this year, Collins said.

Money donated to the club through membership purchases helped the club buy more than $10,000 worth of items for the Brundrett Middle School and PAHS athletic and cheerleader programs, said Karen Collins, co-president of the club.

The money was used in part for revamping the weight room at PAHS, where high school and middle school students exercise. The money also bought a Shoot-A-Way device that rebounds and fires basketballs back to shooters during practices.

The booster club also bought range balls for the high school's co-ed golf team; helped buy a racquet stringer for tennis players; paid for spirit dinners and the spring athletic banquet; and more.