Smiles on faces put smiles on faces
NEWPORT, R.I. - The return to competition for spring sports brought excitement back to the faces of the Salve Regina University student-athletes, albeit hidden by the requirement of wearing masks. However, what could not return in the spring were in-person spectators.
For folks following the Seahawks and their visiting opponents, they tuned to YouTube channels and occasional Facebook and Twitch feeds to get their view of the action. The Salve Regina sports information office (led by full-timers Ed Habershaw and Andrew Pezzelli, and senior intern Gavin Parent) scheduled broadcasts with commentary, on-screen graphics, and replays to deliver the content from home events at Reynolds Field, Toppa Field, Gaudet Field, the Rodgers Recreation Center, and the university's tennis courts on Leroy Avenue.
And then suddenly, the fans in the stands appeared!
Thanks to a fundraiser program spearheaded by Salve Regina's Student Athlete Advistory Committee (SAAC), under the supervision of Seahawk alum and now assistant athletic director, Matt Finlayson '08, cardboard cutouts (32) came to Newport and Middletown to support the teams on the fields and the courts.
Thanks to our fans in the stands:
- Stacy Beach
- Paul Boutoussov
- Stacey Delvecchio
- Thomas Donohue
- Carp Ferrari
- Ethan Ferrari
- Kara Hardiman
- Georgine Hertzwig
- Laura Jeffries
- Carmella Lopez
- Christine Manente
- Carol Mathews
- Margaret Mathews
- Kim McCarthy
- Lynn O'Malley
- Leo Pigaty
- Rebecca Piwcio
- Michael Treacy
- Elisa Velardo
The program raised over $900 to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Each contour cut sign was printed one-sided in full color on sturdy 4mm coroplast sheeting. Measuring 30" tall x 15-3/4" wide, all signs are weather and waterproof and are good for both indoor and outdoor use. When the program ended, SAAC members coordinated a return of each "fan" to their generous donator.
"Want to give all the credit on this to our SAAC E-Board and membership (see listing below)," said Finlayson. "They organized all of this during the home games and have done a wonderful job."
"Thanks to our baseball families for their overwhelming participation in this fundraiser," added Habershaw. "Without home games at Reynolds Field that first weekend the signs arrived, we brought those smiling faces to the tennis courts and our Seahawks there were so excited to have a handful of pets and people 'looking' smashingly at the matches."
Salve Regina SAAC E-Board
https://www.salveathletics.com/information/saac/index
Spencer Anapol (football)
Paul Boutoussov (men's ice hockey)
Devyn DeFalco (women's soccer)
Ulysses Lalor (men's ice hockey)
Meghan Ryder (women's lacrosse)
Hanah Smith (women's lacrosse)