It’s that time of the year for sports fans! The Booster Club Kick Off dinner was on August 28, 2023, and students, athletes, coaches, and fans came together in the Larned Community Center to celebrate the upcoming season. The Booster club dinner is a fundraiser to help raise money for new sports equipment, gatorade for games, new goal cameras for the football team, and golf and tennis uniforms. The Booster club is run by President Christy Lemuz, Carissa Shaver, and Rebecca Krehbiel. Christy Lemuz says that the hardest part about setting up the dinner is, “Getting an accurate meal count. Not everyone turns in their unsold tickets or members to RSVP. We want to have enough food for those in attendance but at the same time we don’t want a lot of leftovers.” These amazing ladies donate their own personal time to ensure that the booster club dinner is set up correctly and runs smoothly.
The Booster Club dinner introduced the head coaches of all sports, such as football, volleyball, track, softball, baseball, and basketball. The theme of the night was expectations of the team, individual player, parents, and fans. The community welcomed three new head coaches to the high school, Amy Simmons for volleyball, Brady Keith for football, and Scott Upson for track. All three have previous experience, and they have been promoted to head coach this year. These coaches really got athletes and fans pumped up about these upcoming seasons and ready to play. Head softball coach Jordan Haney was unable to attend the dinner so the senior girls spoke on behalf of her. These seniors showed off their knowledge of teamwork and inspired many more girls to come out and play this season. Other coaches spoke of their high expectations about the upcoming season, and the crowd ate up the speeches and the tacos!
The evening kicked off with a welcome from Pastor Ryan Webster, who is a part of the booster club. In his opening remarks, he encouraged membership, and he stated that you could be involved as little or as much as your time permits. Booster club also donates money to many of the school clubs and organizations who might not have as much funding. Ryan also blessed the food in a prayer before it was served. This year’s meal was walking tacos, which was made and served by volunteers from Fusion Bank.
This year’s Kick Off dinner could not have been possible without the Booster Club, Fusion Bank, and the parents, athletes, and sponsors of Larned High School’s sports. As athletes, the players should feel extremely fortunate to have a community as supportive as Larned. With the rising cost of equipment and limited funding from the school, Larned athletes owe the booster club a huge thank you for all that they do! We can not wait for the next event hosted by the Booster Club!
