Credit: Sofia Ciciarelli

Senior Cate Ellenbogen snaps a picture of senior Jillian Mele and her family to document her commitment to the University of Vermont. Every year, Wayland Boosters organizes multiple different signings for the seniors committed to Division I, II and III sports. Join WSPN’s Sofia Ciciarelli as she covers Wayland Boosters, and how they’ve made an impact on high school athletes.

Imagine you’re a lacrosse athlete stressing about having nowhere to prepare for your upcoming season. After searching around Wayland, a friend tells you how a local nonprofit, Wayland Boosters wants to support WHS athletes. You reach out to them about your situation, and they decide to help you by funding a new concrete “ball wall” outside of the field house so you and your teammates can practice lacrosse whenever you want.

Founded in 1975, Wayland Boosters has striven to support student athletes during their time playing for WHS. Boosters has funded multiple projects for several WHS sports teams, such as the equipment storage sheds and the senior sports commitment signings.

“The baseball shed in the spring needed repairs, and a student applied to Boosters for a grant, and we funded it,” Wayland Boosters President Elizabeth Rainge said. “[It] needed repairs, and that was a great example of where we’re happy to help contribute to something that needs to be made better.”

Along with the events and physical structures Boosters provides, they also play a role in the awards for student athletes. At the end of each sports season, coaches choose three or more of their athletes to award “Boosters Awards,” which are given to athletes who represent “sportsmanship, dedication and leadership.” An example of one of these awards is the Buzz Bowers Sportsmanship Award, which is given to an athlete that consistently demonstrates maturity during a sports game.

“A lot of the awards that are handed out are paid for by Boosters,” Rainge said. “Not just the pins, but the bigger awards, like the plaques and trophies. We [also] subsidize the varsity jackets.”

As of right now, there are nine volunteers who work on the board of Boosters, which are mainly parents who have kids attending Wayland Middle School. However, a goal of Rainge’s is to have more representatives from WHS. Along with this, there are 24 sports offered for WHS students, but most of Boosters’ current volunteers represent football.

“We would love to have parents of athletes from all of the different competitive sports on the board of Boosters [to] be sure to hear all the voices,” Rainge said. “So often one sport may have a different perspective on what is needed compared to another. At the moment, we don’t have all sports represented on the board.”

Another long term goal of Rainge’s was to open up the concession stand for fans at football games. It is now officially open, and there is a variety of snacks and drinks for people to choose from. Opening the stand not only serves the Wayland community, but also helps to encourage others to come and support WHS athletes.

“Getting the lights on at the concession stand has been a huge goal for me,” Rainge said. “Having [the] chance to get a snack [could] maybe persuade a younger brother or sister to come along. That kind of thing has just been so important to me.”

The selling of food and drinks at the stand has helped Boosters raise money. Along with the concession stand, Boosters relies on their merch to make money for the organization. However, the money they retrieve from both of those things aren’t enough to fulfill the long term goals of Boosters.

“We would like to really improve our fundraising,” Rainge said. “At the moment, our primary way of raising money is by selling apparel and selling snacks at the concession stand, so it’s a bit limited. We’re hoping to try to encourage folks to give money on Giving Tuesday.”