August 9, 2022
As an athletic director, when safety is in question for your athletes and funding large ticket items that provide safeguards is an obstacle, what do you do? You enlist the assistance of your supporters.
That’s just exactly what Mayville State University Athletic Director Jay DeCann did when medical carrier Sanford Health informed the athletic department that a utility cart was needed on the football field should there be a need to transfer an athlete with serious injuries from the field.
The choice was to either purchase a utility cart or drive the ambulance on the turf. Driving an ambulance on turf would surely leave ruts. With natural grass, that’s not an issue, but with turf, this would leave permanent damage to the field. Gurneys shake and could exacerbate a spinal injury, so they are not recommended for liability reasons.
DeCann partnered with MSU Foundation Executive Director Lon Jorgensen to help find a solution.
Calls were made to three generous multi-year White Hat Club members to discuss the dilemma. (The mission of the White Hat Club is to support the needs of Comet Football.) By the end of the three conversations, $11,000 of the $13,000 needed to purchase a cart was pledged in no time at all. Another $1,000 was secured through White Hat Club coffers and the MSU Baseball Champions Club, a group of alumni and friends that supports the needs of Comet Baseball, jumped in with another $1,000, knowing that a utility cart was a need for their program as well.
A few short days later, on August 2, Athletic Director DeCann purchased the Comet Blue cart and it was present for the first of many practices to come.
“We are grateful to our three anonymous donors for taking care of the vast majority of this very important purchase,” said Lon Jorgensen. “‛The School of Personal Service’ has just been personally served by these three individuals, and in doing so, they have aided numerous Comets into the future.”
“There are always needs for our athletic teams,” said Jay DeCann. “Thank you to the three individuals, as well as the White Hats Club and Comet Champions Club members as a whole, for your incredible support. You have taken care of one big need.”
Photo caption: Through the generosity of private donors, the purchase of a utility cart for use at Mayville State’s outdoor athletic fields was made possible. The cart will be available in the event it is needed to transport a seriously injured athlete to an ambulance.