Over the past six years, the Clarkston Athletic Boosters have donated $250,000 toward school teams.
‘That’s a lot of hot dogs,? according to Keith Clement, current president of the boosters and a member for about eight years.
‘I didn’t go into the boosters planning to be president,? he said, giving smiling credit to former president Ray Nuebeck for getting him ‘hoodwinked? into the top spot two years ago.
Clement sees the value of athletics, and he uses himself as an example.
‘When I was in school, football kept me going on the straight and narrow,? he said, ‘and it’s fun to work with the kids.?
The boosters have worked hard to help the Clarkston athletic program, especially in recent years when budget problems have affected the athletic department. Earlier this school year, the boosters gave an extra $25,000 directly to the school district for the athletic department.
‘That was just to make up some of the losses,? he said. ‘That wasn’t our whole donation.?
Normal procedure is to give grants to individual high school and middle school teams for special needs not covered by the budget. While the club is generous, they must maintain some basic rules for their team grants, including a formal application and a personal appearance by a coach to answer questions.
‘We never turn anyone down if they follow the procedure,? Clement said.
There’s another rule which has been controversial at times. The Clarkston Athletic Boosters are there to ‘boost? officially sanctioned school teams. While they respect those who organize ‘club? sports and other worthwhile activities, they’ve had to draw the line.
‘Some people get mad at us for that, but that’s just the way it is,? Clement said.
The boosters were founded in 1966, and the roster currently carries 430 members. Their only fund-raising events are the concession stands at athletic contests and at two craft shows staged at Clarkston High School.
At a typical varsity football game, the boosters will stock 130 dozen hot dogs and buns and about 50 pounds of popcorn. On cold evenings they’ve sold up to 1,500 cups of hot chocolate.
Clement said another favorite is ‘Wolf Water.? It’s really standard bottled water with special labels, and it’s really more expensive for the boosters, but people ask for it at games and even in springtime for graduation open houses.
‘We tried to get away from that, but the people complained, ‘We want the Wolf Water,?? he said.
A trademark of the boosters at football games is the use of outdoor grills to cook the hot dogs. Some jokes have been made about how distracting the aroma can be to those on the sidelines, or even on the field, but they would cook them any other way.
The training for grillers is simply, ‘Get over here and I’m going to show you how to do this,? Clement said, but they tend to have the same veteran grillers at all varsity football games.
Clement and his wife have a daughter and a son. While the daughter was more oriented toward music and yearbook, ‘Bubba? was a four-year starter for the Clarkston varsity football team. That was when Clement became a member of the athletic boosters.
When the son was graduated in 2000, the father stayed active in the boosters.
‘You would be surprised how many booster members? kids graduated a long time ago,? he said.
(Son Bubba, by the way, is now an assistant coach for the freshman Wolves. ‘He and his coach always had a plan that, when he got out of college, he would come back and coach at Clarkston.?)
Clement has lost some of his athletic ability. A tractor-trailer driver, he has been off work for several months recuperating from job-related injuries. With a shoulder replacement and a plate and pins in his leg, he was grateful for use of a golf cart during football season, but is hoping to return to work in the near future.
‘I haven’t worked and done this job at the same time,? he joked.
The athletic boosters are keenly aware of budget problems, but they also seem to understand.
‘If there’s no money, there’s no money,? Clement said, but he also said parents who have the means are willing to help those who do not. Indeed, he points to fan activity not only at home games, but away contests as well. He also gives credit to Athletic Director Dan Fife for his interest in kids of all ages.
‘This kids want to be part of this program,? Clement said. ‘It’s not just the boosters; it’s the whole town.?
The boosters, therefore, will continue their work, which is both intense but entertaining (even if they don’t get to see all the game action).
‘If you watch the concession stand at a varsity football game, it looks like chaos in there, [but] we have a lot of fun,? he said. ‘We put our hot dogs and popcorn against any other school in the county.?
Those interested in joining the athletic boosters (and having children involved in sports is not a prerequisite), may ask for information at the concession stand at any game, visit the boosters Web site (www.clarkstonsports.org), or call (248) 625-9329.