LOWER LAKE >> When it comes to fundraisers, Lower Lake High School (LLHS) wrestling coach Ed Fuchs has only two words: Pizza! Pizza!
LLHS wresting boosters hosted a fundraiser Wednesday night at DJ”s Pizza in Lower Lake to raise money to buy much needed equipment and services that the school district doesn”t pay for because of budget problems.
“This is our third pizza fundraiser this year,” Fuchs said. “Fundraisers are important for our wrestling program because they allow us to get more equipment for the wrestling teams, especially junior varsity.”
Money is needed for equipment, including knee pads, special mats and uniforms and for other team expenses the school district won”t pay for, such as motel rooms when the team is on the road.
The budget crunch affects most of the school”s extracurricular programs, including sports, drama, music, cheerleading, art and Sober Grad Night. The funding shortfall has to either be made up from the community or programs will have to be cut back or eliminated.
“In the past few years, pretty much everything we”ve gotten for sports programs has been through fundraisers and donations from the community,” said LLHS boys” basketball coach Tim Biasotti, who attended Wednesday”s fundraiser Biasotti said he came to support the wrestlers and because he”s “pretty good friends” with coach Fuchs.
About 75 people paid $8 for three hours of all-you-can-eat pizza, provided to the wrestling boosters at a discount by DJ”s, that included cheese, pepperoni and Hawaiian.
About a dozen members of the Clear Lake Car Club attended the event, eating their pizza on the outdoor patio on a mild end-of-summer evening with the first wave of clouds on the northwest horizon from an approaching storm.
“We meet here every time there”s a fundraiser,” said car club president Peggy Shoat of Clearlake. Louis Gilmore, an equal opportunity school booster from Kelseyville, said he was happy to help a “rival” high school”s sports program. “I like to support the local community and all its schools,” he said.
LLHS varsity wrestler Ryan Jones of Lower Lake said the sport has been a confidence builder for him. Jones, also on the varsity football team, held a paper plate with slices of both pepperoni and Hawaiian pizza as he spoke.
“Wrestling helps me with football and also with life in general because it really pushes me to excel and to be my best,” Jones said.
Tanya Biasotti said she was at the event not only to support the athletes of LLHS, but also to eat. “I”m also here for the pizza,” she said. “It”s great.”
Fuchs coaches the girls, junior varsity and varsity wrestling teams with a total of about 45 athletes. The season starts Nov. 10 with the first day of practice. He was assistant coach for five years before assuming the head coaching role the past eight years.
“I”m pretty happy with the community support and am looking forward to the start of the season,” Fuchs said.
He thanked DJ”s Pizza for its continued fundraising support of not only high school sports but of Sober Grad Night and the LLHS drama program.
“They definitely give back to the community,” the coach said.
Fuchs was 90 minutes late for his own fundraiser because he was attending football practice (he”s the junior varsity head coach).
