As printed in the Hampton, Newport News and York Co./Poquoson Town Square sections of the DAILY PRESS on November 14, 2013.
Last Saturday, some
of the members of the St. Augustine University athletic family threw a party to
thank one of their own.
For Nina Robinson,
the celebration made for a day she’ll never forget.
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| An example of one of the causes which the Falcon Boosters support. As noted on their Facebook page -- "Here are 60 reasons to give $60 to the SAU 60 Day Movement. Our goal is to raise $150,000 by December 31, 2013 to help students bridge the financial gap that many are facing. Falcons, we CAN do this! Donate today! Tell your family and friends to donate! Make your online donation at http://bit.ly/SAU6060. #SAU6060" |
Robinson lives a
double life. By day, she is a senior logistics analyst for a military support
contractor in Newport News. But for the past four years, she has been spending
her autumn weekends making the drive from Hampton to Raleigh and other points
due south, while dressing up in the blue and white of the Falcons as a 757
parent booster.
She’s not the only
one.
“We (St. Augustine’s
football) have a total of 18 players from Virginia, and eleven from the 757,”
says Robinson, whose son Chaz, a former Phoebus standout, recently broke the
school’s career tackle record. “I started a group called the 757 Falcons Parent
Boosters, and we wear matching shirts.”
Their involvement
goes beyond simply donning blue and white and cheering in the stands.
“We have become
surrogate moms and dads to other players who are not as fortunate as our sons.
And we make sure they have their necessities, such as toiletries, etc.”
Over the past several
years, the booster club has turned into a bona fide support network, gaining
parents from other states, and encompassing other Falcon sports. They host a
Facebook site,
“Saint Augustine's University - 757Parents Booster Club,”
which boasts 57 members. While the posts may offer best wishes to a football player, such as
Michael Oliver, who recently had shoulder surgery, there are also posts noting
the school’s cross-country team winning the CIAA title and volleyball coach
Nikki Bynum Bumpass winning the conference Coach of the Week award for the
second straight week.
All of which led to
last Saturday’s party.
The occasion was
Senior Day, and the St. Augustine’s family pulled out all the stops. For Chaz,
this included not only a visit from Mom and brother Anthony, but also three of
his high school basketball and AAU coaches.
But the biggest
surprise was waiting for Nina.
“Oh my God! The
school president (Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber), Coach (Michael) Costa, and the
football team and parents surprised me with an appreciation dinner after the
game for starting the 757 Parent Boosters. It was beautiful. I cried the whole
time because of all the comments people made. I did not know they loved me like
that!”
One look at the
plaque presented to Robinson shows that indeed, they do love her like that.
“Nina Robinson –
Thank You for being TEAM MOM #3 (Chaz’s number)”
“Your heart, your
cheers, and most of all, your presence and support made a difference to the
2010 to 2013 football program.” Presented by St. Augustine’s University, Falcon
Football Program, November 2, 2013.
Many of the pictures
from the dinner made it on to the Facebook page, drawing comments from other
parents, such as, “That was sweet, no doubting your support,” “You deserve it SUPER DUPER MOM,” and “Stop
crying you big baby!”
Says Robinson in a
parting thought, “We really have become one big family.”
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