Chapter 9 #2
“How about a competition?” he asked with a shrug.
“Each of the teams fundraising to rebuild the program as a whole. That could bring in larger donors once they see the kids are willing to take it upon themselves to work hard for what they want, and the team with the most funds raised gets bragging rights.”
Everyone looked from Joe to Barry and there was murmuring around the table.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jacob said, a little more excited than was called for. “Cheerleaders vs Footballers, Soccer vs Softball, we could run it like a tournament bracket, get the student body involved, call in the local media—”
“Now, wait a minute,” Leslie said, and Joe was surprised by the frustration in his voice. “When are my players supposed to be fundraising? They have classes starting in a week and practice, which we’re already going to have to get creative with since we don’t have a field.”
Barry walked over and put a hand on Leslie’s shoulder. This was a whole other side of Les than Joe had ever seen. His always-look-on-the-bright-side attitude had become overcast this morning.
Leslie held up a hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure we can find a way. Everyone else is willing to do their part, so football will participate. And win.” He smiled and the other coaches laughed.
“Hold on a second,” Joe said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “What makes you think football will win?”
Whispers circulated all around the table.
Leslie’s eyebrows rose, and whatever overcast remained was gone. Back was the twinkle in his eye.
“Sheer numbers. And determination.”
Joe barked out a laugh. “I’m willing to bet that cheer will win.”
Leslie leaned forward and laced his fingers on the table in front of him. “How do you figure, Twi—Coach Judd?”
Joe pressed his lips together to keep from laughing at Leslie’s slip. Using his pet name for Joe in the middle of a meeting was sure to raise eyebrows.
“Cheerleaders are experts at fundraising. Unlike the rest of the sports programs, we’re used to having miniscule budgets and having to fight for every crumb necessary.
Do you know that when I was a cheerleader here, there was no NAIA cheer competition?
We had to raise money to fly to competitions sponsored by USA Cheer and United Dance Association, Varsity Sports…
We had to buy our own competition uniforms, especially because there were none for the men and no budget for them.
Marti and I even fought with NAIA to get them to recognize it as a championship sport.
That didn’t happen until the 2016–17 school year.
So yeah, I may not have a college coaching background, Coach Payton, but I know how to hustle.
You can guarantee cheer can raise more money than your team despite the number of participants. ”
Joe leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
Gauntlet thrown.
Mic drop.
Boom.
Electricity passed between him and Leslie, and he became aware of the fact that if anyone else in the room picked up on it, their secret correspondence all these years was about to be public.
“I love this idea,” Jacob said, clapping his hands together. “What do you say, Coach Payton? It seems to me Coach Judd has challenged your team. Do you accept.”
Leslie pressed a hand into the table. “You’ve got a deal, Coach. May the best team win.”
Heat rushed through Joe’s body and he shifted in his seat. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“And I’m sure you won’t mind media coverage of fundraising events, Coach? I’ll do my best to keep your players shielded from reporters—”
“If it helps the cause, I’ll allow it. The sooner we raise this money, the sooner we get back to playing football.”
The other coaches agreed to participate and shared some of their own ideas about raising funds for their teams, including community sports camps on weekends and after school for local kids during off-seasons.
Meanwhile, Joe was vibrating with the desire to climb over the table and into Les’s lap. He was sure hot when he was competitive.
“I know you all have a lot to do to prepare,” Barry continued. “As for facilities, Leslie, the football team will need to share the gym with the cheer squad for the time being for workouts, and practices can be held at the high school field—”
“Actually, Barry,” Joe said. “What about the common room at Higdon? There are great wood floors in there. If you wouldn’t mind me clearing the furniture out, maybe purchasing some full-length mirrors and barres?”
Barry glanced around the table and shrugged. “That’s not a bad idea. We can let the students know that the area is off-limits and they’ll have to use the common areas on their floors. You won’t have a lot of privacy—”
“That’s fine. Cheerleaders know how to work through distractions.” Joe almost winked at Leslie, who cleared his throat.
“So confident,” Leslie said, shaking his head. “And to keep things honest, I won’t donate any money to the cause from my own pocket.”
“Same.” Not that Joe’s pockets were anywhere near as deep as Leslie’s but he wanted to keep at least that much of it fair. Joe did have a few favors to cash in, and he was sure Leslie would do the same. It was for the kids, after all.
“What’s the wager?” Terrence asked. He’d remained fairly quiet through the whole process to this point.
“I think I’ll determine the wager to keep things fair,” Barry said thoughtfully. “Whichever team raises the most money by the end of the fall season is in charge of Spring Fling. How does that sound?”
Joe seemed to recall back in the day that there was a lot of hype about which student group organized the annual event.
Clubs and teams requested the honor and the President’s committee chose the best proposal.
The winning organization also received the funds raised throughout the event to go toward the charity of their choice.
“You’re on,” Joe said, not even caring what he’d get if his team won. It would just be fun to see how far Leslie would go to in the name of a friendly wager. He waited anxiously for Leslie to answer.
Leslie was a little hesitant to accept, but he finally nodded.
“I’m in.”
“This will be great!” PR guy clapped his hands. “We can definitely work with this rivalry between the teams. The media will eat it up.”
“Thank you, Jacob.” Thankfully, Barry cut him off because Leslie looked ready to pummel him. “I appreciate all of you being flexible during this difficult time. Let’s all be thankful no one was hurt and that Greenvale College will be able to start fall semester on time!”
There were a few cheers at that sobering reminder, but Joe and Leslie continued to size each other up across the table. Joe shook hands with a few folks and then he grabbed Terrence and Barry.
“Where is the training center going to be located?” Joe asked.
Terrence raised his eyebrows and waited for Barry to answer.
“Well, there is some space in the health center, but it’ll be tight and it’s far from the gym.”
“I had a suggestion,” Joe offered. “How about the empty apartment across from mine in Higdon Hall? If we’re having cheer practice there in the common room and most of the players are living there, it could work?”
Barry looked to Terrence. “Whatever you want. I may be able to get a temporary trailer close to the field when it’s ready, but this might be a good option for now.”
Terrence shrugged. “Sounds good. Terrell and I are going to see what we can salvage from the old facility as soon as they clear us to enter.”
“I can help,” Joe offered, but then asked himself once more: What could he possibly do? “I can…clean, I guess?” He hated this feeling of being out of place, unprepared, over his head.
“I think we’ve got it covered, Coach, thank you. I’m sure you have more important things to do,” Barry said and turned back to Terrence.
Joe stood there for a moment, fully getting that he’d been dismissed and unsure what to do about it. Once again, he wondered what he actually had to offer this place.
Barry and Terrence continued discussing options for the training center, and Joe decided to find Leslie.
After their little back-and-forth, Joe wasn’t sure if proximity would solve anything, but Joe’s body was on autopilot trying to get another hit of whatever passed between them as he left the conference room.
Maybe his biggest fan could help him figure out what the heck he was doing there.