Outback Steakhouse invites Novi fans to “Have a steak in the game” by participating in a texting contest to benefit Novi High School. To help the school win a $5,000 donation from Outback, fans should text the word “WILDCATS” to 27438 between now and February 28, 2013. 

“Both of these events required dedication and effort on the part of our amazing volunteers, but both were great events and successful fund-raisers, ” said NAB President Ray Notarantonio, who noted that proceeds from the Wine Tasting Event were directed to the Weight Room Fund. “These events have helped us raise funds that will allow us to continue supporting  our Novi athletic teams with the equipment, uniforms and training that they need to be successful. After all, everything we do is to benefit our student athletes.”

Of course, none of these successes would have been possible without the Novi fans, who braved the cold and rain to sample the wares of Tastefest vendors, put on their Sunday best to sample wines and appetizers and opened their wallets wide for silent auctions during both events, all to support a great cause.

“Thank you to all of those who attended either, or both, of the events. We appreciate your support,” Notarantonio said. “We also encourage parents and other adult fans of Novi Athletics to become more involved in the Boosters. New voices are always welcome.”

“We host the KLAA Conference and Division meets on a regular basis, and in order for us to continue hosting events of this magnitude, the overhaul of our timing system was necessary,” Gordon said. “We appreciate Booster group’s hard work and the continuous support of all of our programs as we continue to be one the premier athletic programs in Oakland County.”

The pool improvements include a refurbishment of the Riegel Timing System and upgrades to add USB capabilities. Last updated in 2004 during the high school renovation, the pool’s computer equipment includes the scoreboard, starting equipment and electronic timing pads, all of which must communicate for the system to work correctly. Current improvements follow several system failures, including a starting-system breakdown during the tight Novi-vs-Northville Girls Swim & Dive meet on Sept. 20. All improvements are expected to be in place by Oct. 27, when Novi is scheduled to host the Girls KLAA Central Division meet

According to Annette VanderMey, head coach of the Girls Varsity Swim & Dive and Middle School Swim & Dive teams, so many people beyond her teams and the Boys Swim & Dive and Spartan Aquatic Club teams will benefit from the improvements.

“It will benefit every swimmer, home team and opposing, and it will benefit all of the fans in the stands as well because it will guarantee the accuracy of the start and finish of every race,” VanderMey said.

Because the Spartan club, which falls under the umbrella of Novi Community Education, also makes use of the equipment, Community Education has been asked to contribute to the cost of improving the system.

In addition to the pool improvements, the Boosters club approved$10,600 in winter athletic team requests, which included $2,000 to the Boys Hockey team for the purchase of team equipment and shells, $2,000 to the Wrestling team for equipment and warm-ups and $2,000 to the Ski Team for jackets.

Other Winter Team gifts are as follows: Boys Basketball, $400 for the purchase of training equipment; Bowling, supply kit restock, $500; Boys Swim & Dive, training aids, $750; Competitive Cheer, IPAD, $650; Girls Basketball, Warm-up tops, $1,500; and Pom Pon, performance poms, $800.

Before you know it, you start to plan your vacations around their sports’ calendars. On the plus side, you get the chance to meet a lot of great parents and kids sharing common interests and stories, like the time you drove all the way to a tournament and found out your kid left her cleats at home! Ugh. It makes for entertaining reminiscing whenever we see those folks.

Some people have asked me, “Why did you get involved with the boosters and why for heaven’s sake did you want to be president?”  Well, it had to do with one of those great parents I met along the way…Jay Dooley, the former president of the Boosters. We coached our kids in parks and rec soccer years ago, and after not living in Novi for several years, my wife and I found ourselves with two kids in high school, trying to assimilate to life back in Novi. He approached me about getting involved with the Boosters, and I could see that it was really important to him, so I wanted to help. It started slow, first working concessions, then sitting on our Tastefest Committee and eventually running our Millionaire Party fund-raisers.

As I became more involved and worked closely with more Booster people, I began to realize that this was a small group, but filled with dedicated, dynamic entrepreneurs trying to make a difference…and they were!! The Boosters have given over $1 Million to the Athletic Department over the last ten years! As great as that sounds, with continued budget pressures, we need to do better in order to maintain our MIAAA/MHSAA EXEMPLARY ATHLETIC PROGRAM!

It doesn’t take much to make a difference. Whether you work a corporate job or work as a stay-at-home mom, we have a variety of projects and activities where you can start impacting your kids’ success now. I’ll bet you have some creative ideas, too.

Join us at our next Booster meeting, the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Novi High School Room 160 for an efficient and engaging discussion.

The website is divided into nine pull-down menus to help you navigate the pages:

• Home – Here on the Home page, you will find the most up-to-date announcements, photos and videos, plus links to our Facebook and Twitter pages and some Helpful Links.
• About – The About page lets you know about our club and provides you with an up-to-date set of club bylaws.
• Concessions – Under the Concessions menu, the Concessions Info page provides an overview of this popular fund-raising program, and the Calendar page offers a list of upcoming athletic events and team assignments.
• Fund-raising – From the Fund-Raising menu, you will find our Supporters page for a list of the businesses and restaurants that support Novi Athletics. The menu also features the Events page for information on current fund-raising efforts, the Sports Program page and the Tastefest page.
• News – The News page provides an archive of articles and announcements, along with photos.
• Spirit Wear – Shop for your favorite Wildcat gear by using this pull-down and visiting our On-Line Vendors, Other Vendors and Varsity Jackets pages.
• Forms/Links – From our Form/Links menu, you will find the Forms, Links and the Weight Training page with information about the Boosters-sponsored strength and conditioning program.
• Contact – Our Contact page will provide you with a list of all Booster committees and contact information for board member and committee chairs.
• Blog – Visit our Blog to get to know some of our Boosters volunteers, Novi coaches and other active members of the local sports community.

Athletic Director Christian Wilson presented $14,866 in fall athletic team requests, which included a $7,586 gift to Boys Football for the replacement of 33 sets of outdated shoulder pads, $1,750 to Girls Volleyball for new practice volleyballs and ball carts and $1,000 for the purchase of an athletic equipment shed at Novi Middle School. The Boosters approved requests for six additional fall teams:

• Boys Cross Country, equipment and uniform fill-ins, $750.
• Girls Cross Country, equipment and uniform fill-ins, $750.
• Boys Soccer, game balls, $500.
• Girls Golf, rain suits and three invitational fees, $750.
• Girls Pom Pon, performance pom pons, $880.
• Girls Field Hockey, for balls, whistles, white board and goggles, $900.

In addition to the annual fall requests, the Boosters club revisited its commitment to support the needs of the newly formed Girls Lacrosse team, approving $5,879.73 for the purchase of varsity home and away uniforms.