When you are a one man band (one woman band in my case!) you do everything in the business office. For about 17 of my 20 years I worked entirely alone. As a result, I learned a lot about college athletics through the cash trail.
Any parent with children who play sports knows how expensive it can be. Fortunately for me, my son swims. A Speedo and goggles and you have the basics for competition. Hockey, on the other hand, is very expensive (and ice time is hugely inconvenient but that’s another story).
Here are a few interesting, and in some cases unusual, things I have purchased for our program:
Catching and blocking gloves – I am a hockey fan but never took the time to see the difference between the two goalie gloves. The blocker is less expensive than a catcher.
Air launcher – I never liked the idea of buying one of those guns that launches t-shirts. I was convinced that the $3,000 weapon was going to knock someone out or “poke an eye out!” Turns out I had no need to worry. It broke after a few games and the rocket-scientist AD who approved the purchase neglected to research the fact there was no warranty.
Sequins and glue gun – Synchronized swimming needed to decorate their caps for a meet.
Mascot costume – talk about real money! As a side note, the dry cleaner gives Petey (Short for St. Peter Canisius, S.J.) a great bath for only $12!
White Pucks – this one I thought was positively brilliant! The coach uses these pucks during practice to help the players handle the puck. You have to really keep your eye on the puck in order to follow it on the ice.
Underwater sound system – synchro needs to hear the music underwater, as well!
What is the most unusual thing you have purchased? Let us know!
Until next time!
Jude Russo Caserta
AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog
Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta
E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com
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