Good Afternoon Snolax Families,

Last week we sent out an email highlighting our plans for refunds for the 2020 season. We had hoped that our explanation would stand on its own. We realize now that some further clarification might be helpful. One of the things that is the hardest to explain is how we justified our refunds based on what for some was just two weeks of practice. There are many factors that must be taken into account but one of the main things-especially for the high school parents, is just how much the high school program costs to run. We originally planned on explaining the cost of the high school program to just the high school parents but in an attempt to be completely transparent with the entire club, we want to break down exactly how much the high school program costs the club. 

The high school program does not sustain itself. It never has. SBLC brings in just over $17,000 from high school player registrations. The coaches alone cost 20k. So registration does not even touch the cost of fields, lights, refs, equipment, club owned gear or all the other things the high school players need to have a successful season. Why do we pay so much for coaches? To be competitive in our league and to bring quality coaching to our program. The board made the decision to honor the second half of our coaches stipends which cost us just over $10k. We did this because it was the right thing to do. And it's what the high school parents and players wanted. Other clubs in our area did not make the same choice. 

Some of you might ask how is it possible to have a program that can't sustain itself. And the only answer is fundraising. We as a club know that the high school program is every youth players end game. It's where all our youngest lax lovers want to be. So we invest in our high school program. We pour money into the program. And this year we had so many amazing things planned for the high school program. We wanted to rent charter buses so the kids could ride to games together as a team (and so parents didn't have to struggle to get their kids to 4pm games in Stanwood or Bellingham). We were going to host team dinners to help the players bond. We were going to have a club- wide end of the season party so that the younger players could look up to and aspire to be these high school players. 

We all had plans. Us, you, your players. But things changed. Life changed. And here we are now. 

The decision we made as a board about refunds was not an easy one. We spent hours going over spreadsheets and profit and loss statements. We created scenarios for many different refund options. We had zoom meeting after zoom meeting. We stand behind the decision we made because we did the work and we did the math. And our decision will leave our club financially stable going into next season. 

One final note before I leave you to read the numbers yourself, is our decision to refund the seniors and K2 100%. We did this for two reasons- 1) seniors have had their season stolen from them and if we can do this one small thing to ease that pain then we wanted to try. 2) like the high school program is the heartbeat of our club, K2 players are the lifeblood. Without the youngest players picking up a stick for the first time and falling in love with the sport of lacrosse we won't have a club. There won't be a 3/4 team or 5/6 or kids aspiring to play 7/8 or high school. So when K2 only had two practices we wanted to give those parents their money back in hopes that they would return next year ready to be the next Paul Rabil. 

Below we have outlined the numbers behind our decision. Please take a look and if you still have questions feel free to contact us. But please remember, we are all volunteers. We all dealing with the reality of what the Coronavirus has done to not just our Lacrosse season but our family owned businesses, our jobs and our families. 

SBLC 2020 Season Refund Explanation

Take care and stay safe. 

Shelly Goss

SBLC Secretary