Giving a Boost to East Hampton-Vinal Tech Football

When high school sports teams exhaust the funds budgeted to them, often times a booster club will swoop in to help with purchases.

In the case of the East Hampton-Vinal Tech High School football team, boosters are counted on to do much more – they’re keeping the fledgling team afloat.

The East Hampton-Vinal Tech co-op are not supported by their towns, financially. For them, it’s pay-to-play, and the price tag is hefty.

Luckily, Friends of East Hampton Football – a booster club – is there to help.

“In order to play, the East Hampton side has to raise money,” said Pete Dombrowski, president of the EHVT Touchdown Club. “They pay for their insurance, they pay for their buses to get over to practice. It’s thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars that they raise just so their kids can play; just play.”

“Down the road the town and school board and everybody may help,” Dombrowski added, “but for right now, with money and budgets being tight, they’re doing an outstanding job raising money to get their program running.”

Dombrowski reiterated that the EHHS contingent generates enough money to get on the field, but pointed out that football programs require more than just helmets and shoulder pads to be competitive.

That’s where the Touchdown Club comes in.

“We help offset the cost of certain things. We asked the coaches to come up with a wish list of what they need; things that need to be bought, or fixed. Whatever the case may be,” said Dombrowski, of East Hampton.

“Without parents’ support, and without the extras, programs don’t run. It takes a lot of legwork and dedication.

“Parents on both sides need to help both programs out. The more people that help out, the better the program is going to be.”

A raffle to benefit the East Hampton-Vinal Tech football team will be held during East Hampton’s Old Home Days, July 12 to 14. Prizes include a 51-inch flat screen TV and a fully-loaded laptop computer.

In 2011, the Touchdown Club was responsible for, among other things, the co-op’s year-end banquet.

Currently, the club is raising funds to buy a blocking sled.

The East Hampton-Vinal Tech BellHawks finished with a sub-.500 record of 3-7 in their inaugural varsity season. However, four of those losses were to state playoff qualifiers.

“Not one game did they get blown out,” Dombrowski pointed out. “We had parents coming up to our kids and saying ‘our team underestimated you guys, and you stuck in there.’”

With a lot of experience returning, East Hampton-Vinal Tech looks to be even more competitive this fall.

“They’re going to continue to grow,” said Dombrowski.

And the boosters will be there every step of the way.