Contacts

Walton Cinder Club

The Organization

The Walton Cinder Club is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports the Walton Cross Country and Track & Field teams. The Cobb County School System provides only a fraction of the financial resources needed for the athletes and coaches in a program as large as Walton. The role of the Cinder Club is to support the team on a financial and volunteer basis. The Cinder Club hosts, coordinates, and pays for numerous functions and initiatives throughout the school year for athletes and their parents. We accomplish this by collecting dues, fundraising (both via parents and community efforts) and encouraging parental involvement from each family. The level of support directly affects the success of the athletes. Register Here Now!

Mission Statement

Provide financial and volunteer support to the teams to ensure the best possible environment, coaching, encouragement and experience for the athletes and coaches.

Cinder Club Services

• Organization of races logistics and volunteers
• Organize supply of warm-up apparel and equipment bags
• Coach support so Coaches can focus on coaching
• Organization of food on race days
• Organize and promote East Cobb Road Race - The Walton Cinder Club's primary fund raiser

Cinder Club Benefits

• Access to a directory of runners and parent information
• Two (2) student T-shirts - one for cross country, one for track and field
• Stipends for additional coaching staff needed to support a large team.
• Race registration fees
• End of season banquet
• Bus transportation to races
• Cinder Club Website

Walton Cinder Club Programs

• Athlete pool party - A fun get-together held on a weekday evening in August prior to the start of school at a neighborhood pool. Chaperones are
• parent volunteers. Minimal charge.
• Parent social - A fun get-together held on a weekend night every August prior to the start of school. This is a great opportunity for athletes' parents to meet other parents and ask questions of them and the team's coaches. Minimal charge.
• Potluck Dinner/Cross Country season kick-off meeting - Typically held one evening the first week of school in the Walton Commons. All athletes and parents are invited to attend. Each family is asked to bring a covered dish to share with other participants. Drinks and paper products are provided. At this meeting, parents may also pay their Cinder Club dues, sign up for volunteer opportunities, order team sweats, meet coaches and athletes, etc., and learn more about the upcoming season. Athletes who ran and turned in their summer mileage to Coach Gower are also recognized with a special mileage T-shirt.
• Team T-shirts - Each athlete will receive a cotton, team T-shirt (compliments of the Cinder Club) at the potluck dinner/meeting. Seniors typically design this shirt that is worn by the athletes throughout the season.
• Summer Mileage T-shirts - Runners who train a minimum of 200 miles during the summer will receive a special cotton, short-sleeve mileage T-shirt containing their total mileage (in increments of 200, 300, 400, etc.) These shirts will be awarded at the potluck dinner/meeting.
• Big Peach special time forWHS XC athletes - Each year in August and January, Big Peach - a local running apparel/shoe store on Johnson Ferry - will host the team's athletes on a special day/night just for them to purchase any needed running apparel at a discount. Look/listen for announcements about the date/time.
• Athlete apparel - (See Athlete apparel section for more info)
• Parent apparel - Parents may also purchase apparel that reflects team spirit at the fall potluck dinner/meeting. These items may be worn to meets to show team pride.
• Hospitality - After-race snacks are provided for athletes at selected meets. Parents will receive communications throughout the season regarding volunteering to bring a snack to a meet. These snacks include bananas, grapes, bagels, etc.
• Team photos - Team and individual pictures are taken each season at Walton. Information about ordering and paying for pictures should come home with each athlete about one week prior to the photo session. Money is due at the time of ordering. The photos are taken in Walton's stadium and are typically available for pick-up at the banquet. Athletes must wear their team uniforms in the photos. Smile!
• Team trip - Each season the cross country team travels overnight by coach bus to a selected destination in the Southeast for a race. Following the race, the team will picnic or participate in a special planned activity before returning home. The destination typically is changed annually. The Cinder Club pays for a portion of the trip's cost, and athletes' families are responsible for the remainder. Parent volunteers are requested to assist coaches as chaperones on this trip. A ratio of no greater than one parent/coach to 15 athletes will provide supervision on each trip. Every effort is also made to ensure all persons' safety. This trip is a great opportunity for athletes to build camaraderie with each other and the coaches.
• Team banquet - Following the conclusion of the fall season, all athletes and their families, and coaches are invited to participate in the annual banquet. This event is held to recognize the athletes' and team's accomplishments during the season.
• Senior gifts - Each senior athlete will receive a special gift to commemorate his/her involvement in Walton's running program. These gifts are distributed at the banquet at the end of the season.
• Coach gifts - Because the Cobb County School System provides limited funding to each school's coaches for cross country and track, Cinder Club dues and monetary contributions from parents are used to award our coaches for the countless hours they have worked with our athletes during practices and at meets. This is an acceptable standard practice for sports programs at Walton.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Hospitality - assist by bringing fruit or baked goods to races for after-race snacks. Contact hospitality chair to assist.
• Stage Races - assist in a variety of roles as the Cinder Club co-coordinates this event at Gainesville College with Peachtree Ridge High School each
• August. Watch for communications for requests for volunteers.
• Photographers - Always needed! Take pictures of athletes running and socializing at races. These photos will be compiled into a slide show to be
• shown at the banquet. Amateur photographers are great; you don't have to be a professional photographer to volunteer.
• Photo editor - Assist in selecting one to two photos each week to be used on the this website. Combine photos taken by others into a slide show for
• the banquet.
• Team photo coordinator - Schedule team photo day with pre-selected local photographer. Help to organize athletes into group photos on photo
• day. Bring photos to the banquet and coordinate distribution.
• Team overnight trip chaperone - Chaperones, particularly female parents, are typically needed for this annual team trip. Chaperones will ride
• the team bus to/from school, assist the coaches, and help oversee the safety of all athletes to ensure a fun trip for all.
• Banquet - assist with set-up and/or clean-up at annual banquet. Contact hospitality chair to assist.
• Senior gifts - Order senior gifts, wrap and bring to the banquet.

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