Coronado High School (CHS) and Coronado Middle School (CMS) have a proud history of athletic accomplishment. Athletics provide an opportunity for students to participate and excel in an area outside of the classroom; perseverance, teamwork, mental and physical fortitude and fun are all benefits of being part of a team.
The Islander Sports Foundation (ISF), a Coronado-based non-profit, endeavors to support athletic programs at CHS and CMS through the mission to “sustain competitive Coronado School sports at a championship level.” Founded twenty years ago as Coronado High School All Sports Booster Club, the organization was renamed and granted 501[c][3] status around 2003, when the middle school sports program was absorbed under the ISF umbrella.
The Foundation has an elected Executive Board that consists mostly of volunteers. While there are just four paid staff members, there are eight directors, including new President of the Board Brian Dozier and Executive Director Dani Willenberg. Many of the volunteers and staff members have demonstrated a long standing commitment to Coronado sports. For example, Director of Fundraising Ken Kaminski, who is charged with overseeing operation of concession stands, has been on the board for nearly ten years.
Non-voting members of the board include a booster representative from each of the sports funde
d at the high school level. The board meets monthly to review the sports programs at CMS and CHS and according to Dozier is “a responsible, action oriented group.”
Of course, beyond the board, the ISF owes much of its success to the many members of the community willing to give their time and energy to the foundation. These Coronado families and businesses make it possible for sports in Coronado to not only exist, but to thrive.
The primary objective of ISF is to supplement funding for the sports programs at the high school and provide a competitive sports program for the middle school. The Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) provides a budget for CHS coaches’ salaries and a certain amount for buses, officials and other expenses. Those funds from the district, however, aren’t enough to pay for everything. ISF funds pay for transportation to away games, officials, uniforms and equipment upgrades.
The Foundation runs a website, now managed by AMP, which allows all participants to register online. Though still evolving, the ultimate goal is for the ISF website to be a “one stop shop” for both CMS and CHS sports. Each sport will have its own page, and with the latest website version from AMP, it will be easier for the booster parent of each sport to populate the schedule for their sport, add contact information and even photos. Members of the community interested in a sport should be able to visit the ISF site and find all the information they need about practice and game schedules and registration. Previous versions of the website did not offer those features, but the improved website is a priority for the new Executive Director. The website update will also allow the foundation to run a storefront, offering brick sales, limited merchandise sales and even website sponsors.
Coronado High School Athletics
To participate in a sport at the high school, registrants are encouraged to pay a donation of $115 for each season. These donations are the largest source of income for the Foundation. The money generated from these registration donations, historically in the $45,000-$50,000 range, is provided to the CHS athletic director as an unrestricted grant to cover costs not paid for by the district. Each sport also has their own booster account, managed by the above mentioned volunteer booster parent. Individual sports have the opportunity to raise funds themselves under the umbrella of ISF and the Foundation’s non-profit status. When fundraising for the Foundation exceeds expectations, the board will entertain grant requests from individual sports to fund specific needs for that sport.
Coronado Middle School Athletics
The middle school athletic program is one of only two in San Diego offered to public school students and is entirely overseen by the ISF, currently managed by middle school athletic director Rob Smith. (The other public middle school program is in Rancho Santa Fe.) The program is also unique because the activities offered are extended to students at Christ Church, Sacred Heart and to homeschooedl athletes. It is a “pay to play” program with each season costing $150. There are need-based opportunities for those who require assistance with the fees. The Foundation provides the coaches, equipment and uniforms for all middle school sports.
To ensure their mission is accomplished, the ISF sponsors and provides volunteers for a number of events throughout the year. The events, in addition to registration fees, help generate the revenue that the foundation puts directly back into the sports programs, benefiting the children of our community. New Board President Brian Dozier offered, “My goal, once I get my hands wrapped around the main events and have them set, is to align more closely with the Coronado Schools Foundation, Rotary, Optimist and other organizations because we have a finite resource pool here. We don’t want to burden the same groups all the time with similar requests.” The board is exploring new options to help ensure the success of its purpose.
The CHS gym is not only home to Islander Basketball and Volleyball but also houses the CIF Championship banners.
Raising of the Banners
Each fall the Foundation sponsors a traditional Championship banner-raising event on the CHS campus. Teams who have earned a CIF championship gather and are celebrated for their success. The foundation is looking at ways to increase the attendees of this event and involve more of the school population.
Coronado Independence Day 15K and Coronado Valentine’s Day 10K
The Foundation not only helps promote these events, but also provides numerous volunteers for each of these races. As a result, ISF is a main beneficiary of each of these annual athletic endeavors.
Islander Invitational Golf Tournament (NEW DATE this year!)
This event is held annually on July 3rd at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course. With the golf tournament on the third and the 15K run on the fourth of July, the foundation was sponsoring two of its biggest events back to back. This year, the golf tournament will be held on Monday June 15, 2015, and will move to the golf course at Naval Air Station North Island. The event will be a shotgun tournament with a dinner and silent auction afterward. Details are still emerging, so be sure to check the ISF website often for more information on this important fundraising event.
The Islander Sports Foundation offers twenty-four high school sports. (This number doesn’t include multiple teams per sport, like freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity levels of competition.) They recruit more than 500 volunteers per year for the annual running races and community events they sponsor. This school year alone, there have been 650 individual high school athletes registered and 450 individual middle school athletes registered. These numbers represent unique registrants, meaning that the overall number is larger because some of these students play more than one sport.
Niedermeyer Field is home to many of the Islander athletic teams.
Coronado is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers committed to maintaining excellence in sports for our student athletes. When asked why he took on the President position after only a year on the ISF board, Brian Dozier responded, “It’s important to me. Sports have always been one of the most important things to me growing up. It’s how I made friends and how I got in to the Naval Academy (lacrosse). I understand how important it is for kids to have the opportunity to play at a high level. To be able to offer as many sports as we do is an example of why it’s important that ISF exists; giving our children the opportunity to play the sports they want.”
Kellee Hearther
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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