There is a difference. The first aspect is covered through support from the university, but the second – a vital part which aids in branding, recruiting and making the student-athlete experience a lot more special – is attributed in large part to their booster clubs.
"It gives us a tremendous boost. It would be hard to really function without them in a lot of different ways," women's basketball coach Ryun Williams said. "As I think about our booster club – and I always say this to them – we feel they're the heartbeat of our program. They're the people sitting in the seats every night, they come to our pregame chalk talks. They are the folks who are extremely invested in our young ladies and care and support them."
The extra aid can lead the program in a different direction, be it through purchasing equipment or taking on a capital project. Not all of it is immediately noticeable to the outside eye, but the student-athletes on campus see the difference.
The goal of the athletic department and the coaches who guide the individual programs keep the needs of the student-athlete central in all they do. They attempt to maximize the college experience for all of them, and as they take recruiting trips, the subtle things stand out.
Booster clubs make that possible, and men's golfer Davis Bryant is more than appreciative. He even watched Christian Newton's program change before he was on campus in large part due to the help of the Ram Masters club – and it's one of the reasons why Bryant is here as part of a nationally ranked program.
"It just creates a better overall experience and gives coach the flexibility and means to provide us with the latest technology, whether it's putting tools or training aids to get us to the next level," Bryant said. "If we save a shot a round, that's three shots per person per tournament. You add that up with four people you count every tournament, that's a benefit against other teams when you look at the leaderboard."
Soccer coach Bill Hempen knew he was getting a new scoreboard, but through financial support of his boosters, it is even better. Hempen has also been able to brand his program better through logos and the screen around their performance area, and it gives the appearance of a program which is taken seriously.
It may not seem like much to the outside world, but to the athletes visiting Fort Collins for recruiting trips, he knows they measure such things, and the improvement in his club has shown it is working.
"Their involvement allows us to go one step farther that makes our program pop," Hempen said. "What I mean by that is our scoreboard, to brand our facility so it says this is CSU Women's Soccer and this is where we play and we're proud of it."
When Skylar Williams leaves the swimming and diving team, she will do so at least as the record holder on the 1-meter springboard and platform, having established both marks last year. She tracks her improvement based not only on the normal routine of practice, but in how the program has made efforts to aid their training regiment.
A tremendous piece of that was the creation of a dryland room for the entire program, but one the divers spend a weighted amount of time in, perfecting their craft and doing so safely. That room, head coach Christopher Woodard said, was a direct result of support from the booster club.
It's not just the Rams who notice, either.
"Once we got that dryland room, what we were able to do in the water increased exponentially," Williams said. "We have the dry boards, which help us prep. We have floors and mats to help us with our flips. Without it, we wouldn't be able to do some of the dives we do. A lot of the prepping, confidence and safety that goes along with diving requires a lot of that equipment.
"When we have other teams come in for our home meets, they're blown away by our dryland room. We have everything we can dream of in there. It makes you more motivated as well to live up to the vision that our coaches and boosters have provided for us."
Because of his booster club, Ryun Williams said his team is able to take a foreign trip every four years. It's more than basketball, he noted, as it's also educational and strengthens team bonding. Yes, it's a definitely recruiting tool, but it's also an experience he knows many of his players will never be able to replicate in their lifetime.
Having taken an international path in recruiting, his booster club allows for the program to pick up their insurance expenses, which he notes many programs in the country do not do. Those added touches add up.
Just as important is the relationships built. Bryant noted the Ram Masters provide lifetime contacts for the players when it comes time to pursue employment after school, even if it is as simple a gesture as a letter of recommendation. The idea the boosters look after them as student-athletes and then move on is simply not true.
The same goes for the coaches.
"My wife and I talk about this a lot; our boosters, they're our friends," Ryun Williams said. "They are. You go have dinner with them, you play golf with them. Sometimes being a coach can be lonely, but when you have boosters like we have and they support you like true friends, that means the world to us." The Link Lonk
December 15, 2020 at 10:12PM
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