Coach Mary Pekel, Principal Scott Sherman, Packer Backer President Rick St. Peter, and Assistant Coach Andy Brown admire the new scoreboard recently purchased and installed for the swim program. The $10,300 needed to purchase the board and new laptop computer was donated by the Packer Backers. While Packer Backers paid for the board, President Rick St. Peter was quick to point out that it was a ‘team effort’.

“Coach Pekel put the time in, and did all the legwork to find the right board at the right price for us, and Principal Scott Sherman stepped in and oversaw its quick installation. I drove to Grand Rapids on Friday to pick it up, and it was fully installed and ready to use by the following Monday. Assistant Coach Andy Brown spent hours working with the board and software so we would be ready. Everybody really pitched in to make sure this got done, and the board was used for the meet on Tuesday night!”

The board was purchased from IST Electronics in Grand Rapids, and installed by Nieboer Electric. It is fully upgradeable, expandable and also displays dive times at the touch of a button. It is instantly linked electronically to every other swim venue in the state through its widely used software program.

Packer Backers also recently purchased a brand new ball machine for the tennis program at a cost of $7,500, in addition to the windscreens for the courts which were purchased last year. New mats were purchased for the Competitive Cheer program last year at a cost of $6,000. Mats for the wrestling program were also reconditioned recently, courtesy of the Packer Backers.

“It is a popular misconception that we are all about football and basketball,” St. Peter reports, “but nearly every program in the high school has benefited from Packer Backers over the last 35 years. Whatever is needed to keep the programs running at a quality level, just come and ask. We will spend until the money runs out, and then start the whole process over the next season.”

Scholarships are also important to the organization. “That is where we have to draw the line each year,” St. Peter says, “to ensure that there is always enough money left to award our scholarships, and pay for senior plaques to be made for graduating athletes. That is our tradition, and the very heart of this organization.”

St. Peter also encourages fans to eat heartily at the games. “Other than the annual apple pie sale,” St. Peter reports, “concession sales are the bread and butter of our bank account. Come hungry and eat a lot, I always say, so we can keep buying all this neat stuff for our athletic programs!”

Packer Backer meetings are the first Monday of every month in the High School Media Center at 7 pm. Meetings are usually an hour or less, and dues for the organization are only $2 per year.