Economy takes toll on soccer team

With the economy putting stresses on a lot of people, the Washburn women's soccer team is finding creative ways to raise money.

Asking people for money in tough economic times is a tough thing to do. It's an even harder task to get people to give out money. But the soccer team has found creative ways to collect money through competitive and social atmosphere's.

With the intramural dodge ball season coming up, a dodge ball tournament seemed like perfect timing. It was held in Lee Arena on the campus of Washburn and was played on the basketball court. Each team signed up six players and were charged a $30 entry fee. It was a double elimination format with the winner taking home $130 in cash.

"Teams really got into it. Some teams had matching uniforms and it was really, really competitive," said sophomore Ali Ward.

The dodge ball tournament was a small success. The women raised $500, which as coach Tim Collins says is money that wasn't there before.

Four days later the women were at it again, hosting a Wii tournament at Henry T's Bar and Grill. Three Wii Nintendo systems were set up throughout and each had a different game. The games available to play were tennis, bowling and Guitar Hero. $10 was charged to play each game and the winner of each game was awarded $100 cash. Perhaps the highlight of the night was the raffle to give away a brand new Wii.

"We made about $600. We are going to use it to help with travel costs in the spring. Last year with the gas prices so high, it really took a toll on a lot of coaches budgets. We are finding ways to replace that money," said Collins.

Holding these fundraisers have not only helped the women raise money for their season but it has also won over some new fans. As for the value of fan support in a sport like soccer, it's priceless.

Cheer squad looks to rebuild

Lots of sports teams go through rebuilding years in attempt to make the team the best it can be, and it is no different for the Washburn Cheer Squad.

When a team gets a new coach, lots of everyday, normal routines are changed. And many times this leads to the rebuilding. Carly DeDonder is her second year of coaching the cheerleaders here at Washburn and believes the team is headed in the right direction. She knows that to be at the top, you have to start from the ground.

“We are in the rebuilding process right now. When I came in a lot of things changed and we had to start with a whole new team, but we are definitely improving,” said DeDonder.

They are improving both in skill and in numbers. The team has three returning members of the squad and they are the leaders of the small team that only consists of eight girls. But with the three returnees, DeDonder hopes it will start the trend of more girls staying year after year.

One of the ultimate goals is to recruit a big enough team that will be able to compete in cheer competitions. Usually a team that is in a competition has 20 members or more, both men and women. Although the Washburn squad doesn’t have any men on their team, DeDonder said they could contribute a lot.

“With guys on the team, there is the option for a lot more stunts and higher level stunts. We even have the uniforms and everything for guys,” said DeDonder.

Many Division I schools and some Division II schools have height and weight requirements for their cheerleaders, but that is not the case as Washburn. Anyone can tryout for the team at Washburn as there is a tryout held each semester. They have to be able to perform stunts and are tested on routines and chants, as requirements.

DeDonder considers all of her girls’ athletes and makes sure they know that. “What they do is physically demanding and there has to be some athletic ability. When we begin our season and have training, the girls are sore all week from working out,” said DeDonder.