By Brenda Erdahl
Maple Lake schools is considering a video score board in the high school gym to raise money and generate excitement for Irish sports.
Activities Director Dan Krause unveiled a plan to the school board Monday, Nov. 13 that would update score boards in both the high school and elementary gymnasiums and be fully funded through sponsorships from local businesses and organizations.
He said he has already received a generous donation to reposition two of the high school basketball hoops so all six hoops can be utilized even when a large group of kids are practicing at once, something that isn’t possible currently. The repositioning of the hoops will also allow one of the high school score boards to be replaced with a video board that would showcase the students and provide a more exciting experience for fans. Additionally, the old high school score board, which is in perfect working condition, will be moved to the elementary school and replace the scoreboards there that don’t work so well, Krause said.
The key to the whole plan is local business sponsorship, which Krause said, if successful would pay for the entire project and then some. He explained that the school would lease the video board from Daktronics for five years, but sponsorships would bring in more money than what the lease payment costs. On year six, the school would pay $1 to get out of the lease agreement. Now the school would own the video board and continued sponsorships would mean all profit for the district, he said. Not only would the board pay for itself, but it would also generate money for items like uniforms, equipment and even facility updates.
Sponsors in return, depending on the level of their commitment, will receive signage on the score board and outdoor fence near the football field, have their ad or commercial aired on the video board during half time of basketball games and between volleyball sets and wrestling matches plus receive extras like event passes and recognition on the school’s social media and online media.
According to Krause, many schools large and small throughout Minnesota are taking advantage of this offer, although if it were to go forward, Maple Lake would be the first school in the Central Minnesota Conference to do so.