[A.G.]

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm? ... 61&TeamID=

Flames Club Reaches $100,000 Mark In Record Time

August 2, 2006
Lynchburg, Va.

The Liberty University’s Flames Club recently passed the $100,000 donation mark in year-to-date giving, accounting for the fastest growth in the history of the organization.

As of August 1, contributions to the Flames Club were eight times as much as they were last year. During 2005, the Athletics Department’s booster club had brought in $12,000 from 32 members, while 136 members have contributed $103,000 to the organization as of the same date this year.

It took the Flames Club until September 30 to reach the $100,000 plateau in 2005, which marked the first time in the history of the organization that the Flames Club had exceeded $100,000 in annual donations.

Excitement surrounding Liberty University Athletics has also prompted a rapid growth in the Flames Club. Over 50 percent of this year’s Flames Club members are new to the booster club, while the average gift given to the organization has doubled in size as compared to last year’s figures.

The Flames Club is integral to the success of Liberty University Athletics, and is the channel through which alumni and friends can partner with the coaches and student-athletes for the advancement of the athletics program. The Flames Club experienced record highs in 2005, with 255 members contributing $179,000 and is currently well ahead of last year’s record pace.

In April, the Flames Club expanded its ranks to start the Student Flames Club in an attempt to reach out to the Liberty University student body. In just four months, membership in the Student Flames Club is at 350 members, which should allow for the organizers to reach their inaugural membership goal of 500 members by the fall.

Membership levels in the Flames Club start as low as $50 for the year. For more information about joining the Flames Club, please call the Flames Club office at (434) 582-2178 or at FlamesClub@liberty.edu or by visiting the Flames Club page at www.LibertyFlames.com to download a membership application.

[Flamesfanva]

There is much more excitement about Flames sports than I have ever seen. Hopefully it will continue.

[A.G.]

7-4 or 8-3 will do wonders for fund raising, along with 18-19 wins for RD and a run at the conference title.

[thesportscritic]

and add the lady Flames Basketball team winning 11 straight Big South Titles and hopefully going further into the NCAA's too.

[PAmedic]

while you're at it- keep the success rolling with a runner up to the Nat'l Championship in ice hockey, 2 good soccer teams, baseball AND softball teams playing well, and a wrestling program with a recruiting class ranked 23rd in the country. Whats not to love?

Coastal, eat your heart out!

[A.G.]

I left the other sports out b/c it is Football and MBB that will drive the train, in terms of money raised (and probably spent).

[LUconn]

yeah, nobody cares about that other junk

[givemethemic]

You might want to reconsider that statement......I am sure that others feel the same way about that

[LUconn]

nah, I'm cool.

[givemethemic]

well the other stuff that you call "Junk" was the only "Junk" that was winning last year... so I highly doubt that you can call it "Junk" because they didn't play like "Junk"..... But if it is "Junk" then what would you call last years football team?

[A.G.]

Whoa! I never meant to imply that no one cares--and I think LUconn was totally in jest. It's just that it doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of fundraising, if we are just known as a WBB School. This is a bad example, but I don't think many people would be on the Tar Heels bandwagon if all they won was in Women's Soccer. It's called Trickle Down Economics. If the Big Two are putting quality on the field and court, then money will role in and that success will trickle down to the other sports. I'm willing to bet that Ashville got more play and money out of their basketball team winning than anything they will get out of their (ouch) baseball team's win this past year. Heck, who even cared about Winthrop back in the Dan Kinney days, when baseball was the marquis sport? I am willing to wager (if I did that sort of thing), that the excitement about Rocco and Flames Football 2006 is DIRECTLY responsible for much of the fundraising increase.

[givemethemic]

It's a no brainer that the two bigs bring in most of the $$$$$$$, I just think it's pretty low to call all the other sports "Junk"?

[thesportscritic]

I agree with GMTM on this one. I guess "LUCONN" you call junk 10 straight titles in wbb, the baseball and Softball teams, and women's soccer having good seasons last year is not junk or maybe you need to reconsider your definition of junk. The money sports last season played like junk mbb, and football. But hopefully for those 2 teams it will be a new day for them.

[LUconn]

Why is my name in quotes? Are you suggesting that I am not really LUconn? And junk is a synonym for stuff. Don't get your panties in a wad. And yes, I equate all of that other STUFF on the same level as the debate team and the quiz bowl with the WBB being one notch higher. I like that they're successful, but I give far more clout to Football and Men's basketball even if they aren't any good.

[thesportscritic]

You are the one who started this thing about junk and i put your name in quotes because I wanted to. My point is calling some of these other sports junk is a low blow just like what GMTM said.

[LUconn]

Listen. Junk = Stuff. It's not a low blow. I think you're just a little thin skinned about it. In the national scene, most sports that arent the big 2, nobody cares about unless they have some kind of connection to the program, be it alumni, former players, family members of the team, friends of the team, etc. WBB does have it's own little niche with young girls and old people, I'll give you that. For example, without looking it up, can you tell me who the national field hockey champion is? No you can't. Because you, like most others except for the ones I described above, don't care.

[bigsmooth]

maryland did. but i only knew b/c im an ACC honk

[LUconn]

haha, yeah after I wrote that, I thought I had read somewhere that Maryland had. But I bet "THESPORTSCRITIC" didn't know.

[thesportscritic]

bla bla bla bla bla LUCONN

[thesportscritic]

Care about what LUCONN?

[LUconn]

Are you serioulsy asking me that? I just typed out an entire paragraph explaining what I'm talking about. I can't talk to you anymore.

[SuperJon]

Listen. Junk = Stuff. It's not a low blow. I think you're just a little thin skinned about it. In the national scene, most sports that arent the big 2, nobody cares about unless they have some kind of connection to the program, be it alumni, former players, family members of the team, friends of the team, etc. WBB does have it's own little niche with young girls and old people, I'll give you that. For example, without looking it up, can you tell me who the national field hockey champion is? No you can't. Because you, like most others except for the ones I described above, don't care.

Junk = stuff. It always has. I use that word all of the time.

[thepostman]

are you guys really getting upset about other sports being called junk? I am new to message boards in general but from what I see people seem to get very offended on them so easily. The guy wasn't really calling the other sports junk.....get over it...isn't this topic about the record breaking money raised by the Flames Club???

[PAmedic]

you know its close to FB season and just how bored we are when arguments like THIS one get manufactured

another 2 weeks and it will all be forgotten!

[thesportscritic]

in other news how about the flames club raising $100,000 dollars and the increase of membership.