<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Support

Supporting the Program

I realize that asking for financial support from the XC & Track Alumni for our programs is a request that you probably get from a great deal of other constituencies - be it from Amherst College and the respective programs that you were a part of while here, post-graduate institutions that you may have attended, or many of the numerous charitable organizations. The amount of support that you are able to provide is often limited, and if sharing your resources with numerous others, that can become more so and we want you to know that whatever you are abel to provide is greatly appreciated. I wanted to try and provide you with a sense of where your donations are going to and how it is being used to benefit those in the track and XC program. Knowing that each year may vary slightly in terms of how things were used, I wanted to give a glimpse what we use the Special Accounts (Alumni Donations) monies for.

The largest portion of the special account monies, I use to enhance, and in some cases subsidize, the salaries of our assistant coaches. As most of you are probably aware, I am the only full time coach of the XC and Track Programs, and as a result, I rely heavily on the assistance of our part time coaches on the staff. John has been with me for ten years now and Amy has been with the program for the past six years, and their continuity has been a wonderful asset to the program. This year, two additional coaches are working with the program - Alison Wade and Shauneen Garrahan'07 - and the ability to have them working with the program is largely due to your generosity. We have been extremely successful with both programs, and that success has led to an increase in interest in the program over the years, and as a result, our numbers are at an all time high. When I first started here, the women did not have a complete team in XC and they were at 12 for track, while the men were only a little bit higher then that. This season alone, we have nearly 50 people on the roster for XC (M&W combined) and I anticipate our Track numbers to exceed 80 people. For us to remain on the path to success, it is necessary to continue to have our alumni help out with their financial contributions so that we can continue to enhance the salaries for our part time coaches who are helping to coach and advise those members on the team. I have been fortunate this year, that with the addition of Alison in particular, she is in the office most of the day and has been taking on a lot of tasks that I would normally be trying to get through on my own. Whether it be helping with the website, getting shoe orders in, making sure forms are completed, doing recruiting or meeting with people on the team (certainly not limited to just these tasks!) it has been a huge help to have her here on a daily basis, and I extremely fortunate.

In addition to the salary enhancement for the coaches on the staff, I use our Special Account money to be able to provide travel to the National Championships. Unlike team sports, where the NCAA provides the funding for a large group of people - the team, multiple coaches, trainers, SID, scorekeepers, in XC and Track, the NCAA is only covering the travel of those who qualified for the meet and one coach. This past year, I used our SA money to bring an alternate out to the XC Championships, and in track, I was able to bring 2 other coaches out to NCAA's when that was not covered. I as able to do this as a result of your generosity - in the event of something happening at XC, I now had a back-up option if someone got hurt or sick and in track, coaches that worked directly with the athletes who qualified, got to coach them and watch them run on their biggest stage of the season. This outdoor season was particularly rewarding, as we were able to stand on the podium and receive a 4th place trophy - an incredible feat for us, and one that was shared by the other coaches.

In an effort to look like a staff, and be identifiable as part of the school, I will use SA money to provide coaches gear to all members of the staff - whether it is a Goretex jacket for the many cold and rainy days that we will have, Polo Shirts with a nice embroidery or shirts and sweatshirts that the team may have ordered. This becomes possible as a result of your generosity. Along those same lines, occasionally we will have kids who have a tougher time getting some of the items that they need to either have what others do, or in some instances, be able to train as others do, and I will use our SA money to provide these kids with running shoes and spike, the jackets or shirts that others have ordered, so that they too can be a part of the team.

We try and do an end of the year banquet, cook-out, awards gathering and the ability to do this, is a direct result of your contributions. Trying to feed 75 hungry kids is a chore (as is the shopping for the occasion) and the large amount of money that is needed to do this, is only possible through your support. Recognizing a team's, and its individual, accomplishments are important, and this is just another way in which your support directly benefits the program.

Lastly, unbudgeted items will sometimes become necessary essentials for the current year, and when those situations arise, I am able to take care of those as a result of SA money. Every year will provide different needs, and having resources to be able meet those needs - whatever they may be - has been, and will hopefully continue to be a possibility thanks to your support.

I am always receptive to any ideas from you - as alumni - as to how to raise more money, how to fund raise to provide more financial assistance to this program, and how I might be able to continue to keep this program on its current track. I feel that my strengths are as a coach, and have not had a great deal of time to delve into the concept of fundraising, but am willing and welcome to hear your ideas as to how I might be able to do this better. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this program the best that it can possibly be, and to do that, requires your help.

All the best

Ned