Sports Boosters – A Parent Perspective on the Committee that Raises Ram Athletic Spirit

MICDS is proud to have a strong Sports Boosters program which has been in existence at our school for a number of years. Sports Boosters is a committee within the Parents Association that any current MICDS parent or guardian is welcome to join. The goals of Sports Boosters are to support MICDS athletics, our student-athletes, the Athletic Director, the coaching staff, and to boost school athletics spirit.

We recently interviewed one of the 2022-23 Sports Boosters Co-Chairs Annie Sloane P’20, ’25. Read on to learn more about Sports Boosters from the parent perspective including what Sports Boosters does, its impact, and how to get involved. Go Rams!

Q: What inspired you to become involved in Sports Boosters initially and what inspired you to lead it now?

A: After many years on the sidelines of boys and girls lacrosse acting as the „unofficial“ team photographer, I wanted to become more involved in raising school spirit at athletic games. Being right on the sidelines, you gain a sense of the tone of the game and just how much a supportive crowd can lift the team. It’s great to hear the cheers, bells, and drums and see the school colors and flags flying high in the stadium. Sports Boosters offered a way for me to continue the tradition of promoting school spirit in a way that raises morale and fight on the field.

After a few wobbly COVID years, I took the lead of Sports Boosters to re-establish this valuable PA Committee and began to build it back to where it was post-pandemic with a great team alongside me.

Q: What do you like about Sports Boosters?

A: What’s not to like?! I love being able to help raise School spirit and community at athletic events, cheering on athletes, and supporting coaches. Being a Sports Booster affords you the opportunity to become helpful to all sports while you meet and support team parents and coaches in a variety of ways. You also develop an in-depth knowledge of how MICDS Athletic Director Josh Smith works his magic on all things sports at MICDS. Also, I love cheering on our student-athletes and love it when we get the win!

Q: What do you do as part of Sports Boosters? What impact does Sports Booster make?

A: My role this year was Co-Chair of Sports Boosters alongside Angie Bernstein P’20, ’21, ’25. We were supported by a committee comprised of parent representatives from sixth through 12th grades covering a variety of sports. The first role of the Chair of the Sports Boosters is to develop and undertake fundraising activities to support Sports Boosters initiatives, which are aligned with the Athletic Department requirements. Chairs then organize monthly meetings with Athletic Director and Athletic Council representatives, manage Homecoming spirit-boosting events, provide varsity athletic teams with fan swag bags, assist with special Sports Booster promo giveaways and athletic events (i.e. Coaches vs. Cancer), sponsor the Senior Athletic Award and College Commitment signing day, give guidance to team parents, and sponsor the Coaches Recognition event.

Being on the sidelines of many lacrosse and field hockey games over many years, you can instantly tell an MICDS fan crowd – bells ringing, pom poms waving, flags and bandanas flying and beads glistening – all of which have an impact on players. Sports Boosters are also there to help with senior banners and assist team parents with the management of seasonal sporting team celebratory events, recognizing athlete and coach achievements. The biggest impact is hopefully encouraging the wider MICDS community to attend athletic events and cheer on our Rams as well as support the Athletic Department.

Q: What is your favorite moment you have experienced as part of Sports Boosters?

A: At the 2022 Homecoming Pep Rally and Bonfire night, it was so rewarding inking up all of our junior Rams with ram head tattoos and seeing their pride in wearing the School logo. Also, it was fun being able to provide all varsity sports with a fan swag bag of bells, beads, fans, pom poms, etc, to be recycled throughout the season and then reused in the next sports season. Being a part of a great Sports Boosters team, you meet many new parents and guardians who share the same passion for sports and School spirit!  Another highlight is bringing together coaches from across all three seasons at the annual Coaches Recognition event, many of whom have not met each other, to build a strong, vibrant community.

Q: Why should an MICDS parent/guardian consider joining Sports Boosters?

A: As with all Parent Association committees, being a part of Sports Boosters is a surefire way of meeting like-minded people who are keen to give back and support the athletic spirit at School.  Sports Boosters are active all year round, allowing a wide range of engagement opportunities to suit your interests, skills, and time commitments.

Thank you to Annie Sloane for taking the time to share this parent perspective on Sports Boosters. Also, a big THANK YOU to all of the parents and guardians, past and present, who have given of their time and energy to MICDS Sports Boosters! If you are interested in joining this PA committee in the future, be sure to look out for the PA Volunteer Sign-Up information shared every summer in the PA Summer Greeting or throughout the year on the PA portal page.

Let’s keep the Rams community strong and packed full of MICDS spirit. Go Rams and go Sports Boosters!