|
WEST BOYLSTON— When installed, they represented history. Soon, they
became history themselves. Now, the banners that for years touted
the athletic accomplishments of West Boylston youth will help fund
future
historic feats.
Over the next
few months, the West Boylston Athletic Association will auction the
felt banners that previously hung in the middle/high school
gymnasium, and some of the uniforms worn by the teams who earned
those spots
on the rafters.
The idea, West Boylston
Athletic Association President Peter Bourn said, came after the
association replaced the old banners in the gym with vinyl
replacements a few years ago.
|
|
“When I was taking
the old banners down, I thought, ‘If I was taking these down in
Holliston (where he went to high school), it would be nice to have
this to hang in the cellar, or the office,’” Bourn said. “It would
be a nice conversation piece. Why throw them away. There have been
three state championships and a Super Bowl in West Boylston.”
In all, there are more than 20
banners ready for auction, Bourn said. They range from cross country
division champions from various years, to the baseball championship
in the 1970s.
“People have been clamoring over the baseball one already,” he said.
“And I’m sure the current players will want to snatch up the
football jerseys.”
The association is auctioning off old football jerseys. Some, he
noted, had already been purchased by former players when new jerseys
were purchased in recent years.
Now, Bourn said, Athletic Director Todd Smith is helping gather a
list of former school athletes so that the word can be spread.
“We wanted to try to get the word out to people who are living in
places like California or Colorado who might want a shot at these,”
Bourn said. “I figured that would be the best way to do it.”
The Athletic Association has historically been known to support the
sports program at the middle/high school. In the past, the group has
purchased uniforms, equipment, most recently for soccer and
football, and pom-poms for the cheerleading squad. The group also
sponsors students who cannot afford to play, Bourn said.
“We always pay the ($225) athletic fee for some families who cannot
afford to pay,” Bourn said. “We never know who they are. Todd Smith
comes and says ‘I need four or five athletic fees’ and we pay.
Nobody on the board knows who the money is going to. That’s the way
it’s always been and the way we’ve always wanted it.”
This year, the association is introducing $500 scholarships for
outgoing seniors, Bourn said. He expects about seven for the class
of 2008.
“Basically, when people need money, they come to us, and we try to
give it to them,” Bourn said.
The items will be available to view at the Athletic Associations
Valentine’s Day Dance on Saturday, Jan. 26 at The Manor Restaurant.
Bids will be taken until the association’s annual golf tournament in
July. They will be turned over to the winning bidder that day, if
the winner is present. |
