Arcadia's softball coach, Ed Andersen, sent a letter "firing" the entire volunteer Boosters group for the Arcadia Softball program. His explanations for his actions are responded to below:

I would like to thank you and the members of the "Lady Apaches Booster Club" for your support of our softball program this year. Due to the considerations below, the services of the Lady Apaches Booster Club will no longer be required.

1. Redundant operations: There is a duplication of functions--fundraising, financial management, etc.--with both a main Booster Club and a satellite club.

RESPONSE: This is a specious claim as there are many satellite clubs at Arcadia High School which serve to promote the individual sport or activity in a more direct and specialized manner than the main Booster Club can provide. If this were an advisable course of action, then all satellite clubs at Arcadia High School should be disbanded not just the Lady Apaches Softball Boosters.

2. Reduce bureaucracy: It is much easier and faster to manage our fundraising and bill paying through the AHS main Booster Club. Currently, creditors are not being paid in a timely manner due to the number of people involved in the bill paying process. The Treasurer of the AHS Booster Club will pay all our bills, effective immediately. Two of our major creditors (Chick's and Teamates) have expressed their concerns regarding outstanding invoices.

RESPONSE: Another specious claim. Since when is a centralized bureaucracy more efficient than localized efforts? Fundraising is more likely to be effective when a satellite club specifically works to obtain funds for its purposes. The main Boosters club has many demands on its funds and to suggest that a satellite fundraising effort is superfluous is to insult the intelligence of any recipient of such a message. The Treasurer of AHS Booster Club already pays the bills incurred on behalf of the softball program so to suggest that this is somehow a streamlining change is disingenuous at best. The treasurer of the main AHS Boosters Club can only issue checks for funds that are available to the softball program. Any delay in paying creditors at this time is more accurately the result of lack of funds rather than any systemic delay problem that would ostensibly be solved by the disbanding of the Softball Boosters Club.

3. Fundraising is the principal function of our satellite Booster Club. Fundraising goals are already over 100% committed to by our corporate supporters. No fundraising support will be needed by our Board in 2006. This is great news for all our athletes, coaches and supporters!

RESPONSE: This is simply another twist on the specious reorganization claims. Ed Andersen is the only person who has ever stated that "Fundraising is the "principal function of our satellite Booster Club." Over the years the Booster club has helped in many areas in addition to fundraising. Also, it may be impossible to predict what financial needs will arise or exactly how long any corporate commitment may last. And what are the relations between these "sponsors" and the current coaching staff that allows the Boosters fundraising efforts to be completely dismissed? Boys cross-country and other sports are in need of funds, perhaps these "sponsors" could help eliminate other financial concerns for Arcadia High School sports.

4. New and simplified infrastructure, designed to properly care for our fields and facilities. We have a highly qualified fields and facilities manager, who needs no oversight from the Board.

RESPONSE: Purely specious again. Caring for the fields and facilities was never the primary responsibility of the Lady Apaches Softball Boosters. While softball Boosters have contributed generously in terms of time and donations to help improve the field, to suggest that disbanding the Boosters somehow improves the care of fields and facilities is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to justify a raw power grab by Ed Andersen and to attempt to shut out from participation in the softball program all those who fail to kowtow to him.

5. As part of this streamlined infrastructure, we already have event co-ordinators in place to chair our major events for 2006--Meet-the-Team Night, Alumni Game, Softball end-of-the-year banquet, etc. This eliminates the need for oversight by the Lady Apaches Booster Club.

RESPONSE: Again "streamlined infrastructure" is Ed Andersenspeak for shutting out from participation in the softball program all those who fail to kowtow to him Does he think that his personally selected "event co-ordinators" will not have to have meetings with other people to plan and co-ordinate events? Will his "event co-ordinators" be spending money and making financial commitments for the softball program with no oversight by anyone? If there is oversight, where does it come from? Ed Andersen alone?

Please notify each of the board members that my coaches and I appreciate the time that they have given in making the Lady Apaches softball program a success this year and that their services will no longer be required, effective immediately. A hardcopy of this email will be sent to you at your office. Thank you.

Ed Andersen

Head Coach

Lady Apaches Softball

RESPONSE: Somebody gave Ed Andersen power to terminate "effective immediately" the volunteer efforts of a Boosters club of which he is not even a member? What role did John Tipton play in this action? Does John Tipton approve of disbanding all satellite clubs or just the one for the softball program?