Asheville High Athletic Booster Board Meeting
6/13/16 5:30pm

Members present at 6/13 meeting: Rebecca Tucker, Sara Metzger, Annie Orr, Melanie Robertson, Coach Abernathy, Bryce and Steve Sloan, Tracey Whitehouse, Denise Turner, Hope Butterworth, Amy Moose, Liz Hackett, Lucy Sawyer
Special guests: Keenan and Keevon Hines
Charmion Rush - [email protected] (Daughter is cheerleader and track & field)

2015-2016 Executive Board
President -     Rebecca Tucker            [email protected]
Vice-President - Sara Metzger            [email protected]       
Secretary - Lucy Sawyer                        [email protected]
Treasurer - Annie Orr (leaving in December)        [email protected]
    Hope Butterworth (taking over in December) [email protected]
Membership - Nancy Hutchins            [email protected]
Banners - Ashley Maag                [email protected]
Programs - Rebecca Tucker  & David Burdette     [email protected]
Concessions - Melanie Robertson            [email protected]
Cougar Wear - Shannon O’Neill            [email protected]
Athletic Director - Lance Abernathy            [email protected]
Principal - Joyce Best

Current Board Members at large
Banners -     Erin Mosher                [email protected]    
Jill Jones                [email protected]
Concessions -  Amy Parker                [email protected]
        Josh Tager
Cougar Wear - Bryce Sloan                      [email protected]
        Steve Sloan                 [email protected]
Website - (James Kilbourne)                Invited to join - fingers crossed

Fall Sport Representatives
JV Football Team Parent -
V Football Team Parent -
Field Hockey Team Parent - Amy Moose    [email protected]; [email protected]
Volleyball Team Parent - Sara Metzger        [email protected]    
Men’s Soccer Team Parent - Liz Hackett        [email protected]
Women’s Tennis Team Parent -
Women’s Golf Parent -
Women’s Cross Country Parent -
Men’s Cross Country Parent - Denise Turner        [email protected]

Spring Sport Representatives
Baseball Team Parent   -  Tracey Whitehouse        [email protected]       
Women’s Soccer Team Parent   -  via Coach Flow        (Tracey is working on a parent for this team)
Men’s Golf Team Parent   - Jim Taylor                [email protected]  
Men’s Tennis Team Parent    -    Amy Kelso            [email protected]
Track Team Parent    -    Denise Turner            [email protected]
Softball Team Parent   -   via Coach Richard Gabriel        [email protected]


5/9/16 Meeting Minutes approved

Mission statement
The Asheville High School Cougar Boosters is a registered 501c(3)  organization of parents, staff, alumni, and friends linked by a common desire to support the student athletes of our school. Our primary purpose is to aid and encourage the development of the AHS athletic program both financially and as volunteers in its activities. We strive to enrich every student’s high school experience by promoting school spirit and encouraging athletic participation.

Corporate Business:

• By-laws to be reviewed by attorney
  
  • Rebecca is having by-laws reviewed by an attorney; she plans to have an approved document for the August Booster Board meeting
    
• Review contracts for renewal: Papa John’s / Chic-fil-a
  
  • Rebecca has a copy of the Papa Johns contract that will be renewed before the August Booster Board Meeting.
    
  • Rebecca asked Board to search for a healthy alternative to also sale in concessions
    
    • Amy Moose mentioned that a Taco Salad is being sold at Tourists
      
  • There is no chic-fil-a contract and we do not want to enter into one
    

Secretary’s Report:

• What are the duties of the secretary?
  
  • Lucy needs to draft duties
    
• Regarding communication via email
  
  • Chain of communication:
    
    • Lucy is managing Cougar Boosters gmail account and culling the information as requested
      
    • Any emails that need to sent to the entire passholder membership should come from the gmail account
      
    • In general, Rebecca sends email communication from her personal email account to: Executive Board and/or Board Members
      
      • Lucy to send to the whole Booster membership email list from the Cougar Booster gmail account
        
      • Or the Booster board for Board business
        
    • Note: for issues that require a vote - Rebecca reminds members not to “reply all” to protect privacy
      
• Regarding passholder forms
  
  • See notes in membership
    
• Sign up genius for concessions? See notes in concessions
  

Treasurer’s Report:

• 5/25  Request via email: $400 donation to Coach Wilkins’ retirement party.
  
  • The decision was carried with a majority vote. $400 to be donated to the Wilkins retirement party.
    
  • Part of the conversation included Coach Kaye. I have confirmed with Lance that Coach Kaye is stepping down from coaching, but will continue teaching in her current role. There is no known retirement party for her (this information is from Lance).
    
• Cost / Expense overview for 15-16
  
  • Overview of Concessions:
    
  • Profits Down approx$1,100; Expense: Costs: up $120
    
  • Boosters made approx $10,000 more this year than last
    
  • Boosters have approx $30,000 to carry over to 16-17
    

Team Parents:

• Coach Cunningham fundraiser:
  
  • Thanks to Denise Turner (XCountry Parent) who has spearheaded a fundraiser specific to the needs of Coach Rocky Cunningham. The team heard about a specific need, raised the money, made the purchase, and has continued to support the Cunningham family as Coach Cunningham battles cancer like the Cougar we know him to be.
    

• Recruiting team parents:
  

• Feedback from Tracey Whitehouse: Some team parents ask what do they get from the Boosters? The perception is that Boosters is a football support only.
  
• Tracey suggests using newsletter - Newsletter Builder
  
• Rebecca asks Booster board to search for team parents
  
• Denise suggests that individual coaches pick their own team parents
  
• Melanie is a football parent and will start asking around to find a team parent
  
• Several parents present agreed to represent a sport: Sara - volleyball. Amy Moose - field hockey; Liz Hackett - men’s soccer
  

Membership:

• Mandatory Parent Meeting for Fall sports dates:  August 9th or 11th (Coach Abernathy thinks it will be the 9th)
  
• Board discussed what type of food to provide for this meeting
  
  • Agreement was to provide snacks similar to last year’s fall meeting (with the exception of cake)
    
  • Melanie volunteered to order the food
    
  • Lucy offered to help organize this event (but will be out of town on the 8th and 9th)
    
    • Food for meeting: Water, fruit...
      
  • Rebecca will create google events sheet to assign duties for parent meeting
    
• Lucy shared parent suggestion from a field hockey that Boosters charge for sports physicals. Board members agree to keep physicals free.
  
• Passholder forms:
  
  • Lucy will update passholder form for 16-17
    
    • Will email Board draft for approval
      
    • Lucy will email current passholder a renewal invitation by August 1st
      
    • Board will promote email invitation to join booster to all athletes
      

Concessions:

• Coach Abernathy asks that there be concessions at every Field Hockey game
  
• Melanie says signup genius can come over to concessions
  
  • Lucy will contact Melanie to hand off sign up account
    
• Melanie requests that any board member who sees an item that might work well for concession send that information to her asap
  
• Melanie mentioned food truck idea - this is tabled no time to discuss it at this meeting
  
• Coach Abernathy shared that some games  this fall will be played at 7pm and some will be played at 7:30pm
  
• Notes from google doc: Natalie Kramer and she said she was interested in buying/selling concessions, I have passed her info on to Melanie. I have asked Nancy for a list of those who have helped with concessions in the past so that I can begin to put together teams for football and basketball.
  

Banners:

• Rebecca notes there are only 2 people on this committee - Let’s build this committee… The bulk of work for this committee happens in the summer
  
• The California t-shirt company sold ads by giving companies the impression that they were supporting AHS. Rebecca has a list of companies that bought ads and suggests that these companies be contacted about banner sales
  
• This committee needs to move forward asap
  
• New leads: See comments under fundraising.
  

Cougar Wear:

• Keenan Hines (280-0273) has some great ideas for designs
  
  • Keenan shared sketchbook of ideas.
    
  • Steve will contact him to select 5 designs to take to print
    
  • What does Keenan get for this?
    
• Sloans suggest shirt colors should be: Cardinal red; charcoal - no white shirts - these become dirty
  
• Steve Sloan knows someone with a embroidery machine and is exploring this
  
• Rebecca suggests that Keenan consider creating numbered art prints that can become fundraisers
  
• New ideas: socks with embroidered paw prints
  
• Cougar wear needs to be ordered asap. The first home football game is August 26.
  
  • Sloans are using Bluebus (420 is expensive)
    
  • Steve can photoshop designs to send to printer
    
  • Coach Abernathy will contact AHS art teacher about possibility of screen printing t-shirts
    

Programs:

• GameDay Media is our contractor for 2016-2017 fall sports programs. Forward fall sport candid pictures to me ([email protected])  or David Burdette ([email protected]) .  Please identify the “owner” of the picture.
  

NEW BOOSTER OPPORTUNITIES:

• Creating a Booster Website:
  
  • Rebecca has made a number of requests to both professionals and parents to consider assisting in the creation of the web.
    
  • Rebecca’s daughter has volunteered to create the site (using weebly or wordpress)
    
  • Site will have:
    
    • With link to paypal
      
    • Board structure and membership
      
    • Include minutes
      
    • Goals
      
  • Site  will incur monthly maintenance fee for domain name and monthly maintenance
    

• Annie pointed out that having a website linked to paypal will require Boosters pay additional insurance to cover liability of gathering personal data
  

Fundraising

• What if… Keenan’s cougar wear artwork could be gathered for an auction of the originals?
  

• Rebecca briefly presented this fundraising idea - see notes in Cougar Wear
  

• Cougar Jam - Melanie Robertson has a Warren Haynes connection and suggested contacting him about a Cougar benefit
  
  • Rebecca asked Booster Board to discuss this idea on the google brainstorming doc.
    

Scholarships or Cash Award
“Unsung Hero” Scholarship- Every sport has certain athletes who will leave a portion of their heart on the field at every practice and game, but may not ever become the team MVP.  This Scholarship or Award is to recognize true dedication and school spirit.

• Rebecca mentioned this briefly but no new news shared
  

50/50
The school wants to hand this off… Lance has a number of ideas as to how this could help the Boosters.
Previous suggestions include running all 50/50’s like a raffle. This opens up the opportunity to sell 50/50 at games that had not been considered before.

• Boosters are not taking on 50/50 at this time. Will reconsider when there is more parent involvement in Boosters
  

FUNDING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Traditionally, the Boosters have sent differing amounts of funds to specific individual requests to support coaches.  Last week, the Executive Board voted via email to fund a portion of the retirement party for Coach Wilkins. Should there be a limit to the money that is spent in this way?

• Annie shared that traditionally there has been a Booster president's “discretionary” fund of about $500.
  

Line item on budget?


Next Meeting: Monday, August 8th at 5:30
(Lucy cannot attend this meeting.)

Committees: Plan to meet  as needed prior to August - Please forward progress notes

Meeting adjourned 7:25pm








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