Sometimes something small can gravitate into something big.Three years ago Colfax High hired Jerry Sinkey as the new wrestling coach. Sinkey came to Colfax with 35 years of coaching experience under his belt. He started coaching at Casa Roble for nine years, then Folsom for eight years, Corning for nine years and finally Colfax for three and still counting.
From his first year, Sinkey has brought Colfax's wrestling team from 4th place to 1st in three years. Sinkey's goal, as a coach, wants to help "make Colfax's wrestling team one of the best wrestling schools and to also win a Section Title this coming year."
For his 39 wrestlers at Colfax High, Sinkey is looking for chances to improve his boys. So in order to be ready for the upcoming season of 2007, Sinkey recently sent 15 of his boys to Del Oro for a wrestlers camp and scholarship opportunities.
In the first few years of his coaching, parents saw the passion in him and the improvement of wrestling team. Although he was appealing to the parents and team, he seemed to not do so well with the school. So the parents stepped up and went through extremes to help the wrestling team and the school.
This "stepping up to the plate", caused the bonding of the parents and community. The parents formed a booster club that helped to raise money for the wrestling team and to also give back to the school; which would help with the costs for the many sports and enhancement programs at Colfax High School. This booster program has been given the name the Colfax Green Machine.
To get where the Colfax Green Machine is now today, Renee Large, one of the founders of the booster club and Bingo Chairmen, lets in on one of the main stages that the booster club had to do to support the school and athletics. This Saturday at the Colfax Veterans Memorial Hall, the doors for the bingo night will open at 5:30 p.m.
"The state does not have the money to fund all that is needed for our kids to play sports or other academics," said Large. "There are ways to raise money, but they require a nonprofit tax ID number, such as bingo. In order to get this number, you must file with the state (Secretary Office) and become a non-profit corporation."
From there the Green Machine's efforts seemed to be opening a can of worms. However, the club went through the many steps they needed to do to to file with the federal government and the State Attorney General's Office .
So how does the program help Colfax and the kids?
Besides providing for the school and other programs such as music or the golf team and bringing the community together, the Colfax Green Machine's main focus is on the wrestling team and their needs. "Right now, we are looking for a wrestling mat and the Green Machine is helping to raise money for us," said Sinkey.
Large also noted that, "having a new wrestling mat for our gym at Colfax High would be a big bonus for our coaches and wrestlers."
Large and the members of the Colfax Green Machine wish to extend their thanks out to the community and the parents who have helped and supported them to get this far in three years. "The big thing for me," states Sinkey "is the small town feeling. The people are friendly, generous, and caring. Everyone knows everyone. This town is a very family-oriented town." Large also hopes that the young people, with the role-modeling of their elders, will also "learn to give back to the community". And that role modeling has paid off.
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