Dragon Dash Information from 2018-19
Nan
Kennard
I was in charge of the running portion of the dash.
We started with the teacher’s race at 5:45pm. I think it would be more fun next year to get some teachers talking into the mic. Maybe a little trash talk and silliness.Then, we called down kindergartners to the track. Organized the kids into lanes. Kindergarten girl’s heats raced first, then kindergarten boys’ heats.
Since we only had 4 heats of each gender and grade, the top two finishers from each qualifying heat were given a sticker (last year we did wrist bands, which were fun) and told to walk back on the infield to race again. If you have more than 4 heats per gender/grade, you’d need to qualify JUST the winner of each heat because there are only 8 lanes in which to run a final.
After all the qualifying heats of girls and boys for that grade were finished, we ran the finals heat of girls and then the finals heat of boys.As the finals heats were getting lined up, we called down 1st grade and did the same for 1st, 2nd, etc.
The winners of each gender and grade were given a laminated gift certificate for a free dessert at one of the dessert trucks. That was a hit!
After the 100M Dash races were over, we did a non-competitive half mile on the track. Then, we did a mile run with the course winding on the grass south of the track, around the baseball diamond, and back with one lap on the track to the finish line.
Every year I get a lot of suggestions and comments from parents about that mile run. How to make it better. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time and energy to make that better. And as an officiator, it’s frustrating when half of the kids listen to my instructions on the starting line, see the cones on the course, and disregard them. I don’t want to be the mean guy disqualifying all the kids who cut the course and it’s likely that most of those kids didn’t really understand that cutting the course is cheating. I just don’t have the energy to make it better, and I think it’s okay to just let the mile run go.
I think we should keep the 100M dashes the focus of our event and maybe end with the non-competitive half mile for dessert.
Janene Day
I did the fundraising.
For the Dragon Dash I sat at a table with extra envelopes and the penny war jugs. I felt like I was more of an information table.
Things that were helpful to have: table, chairs, fundraising sign (laminated) pens, tape (to tape sign to table), a canopy to block the sun, square to take payments, information about the Dragon Dash times, information about the concessions (how much and where) and where the restrooms were (we got the most questions about where the bathrooms were).
Some of my other thoughts about Dragon Dash:
- It would have been helpful to have sign for the T-shirts
- We had the staff shirts behind the fundraising table with no list of teachers to check off (I don’t know if that matters)
- An announcement about cleaning up your garbage before you leave the stands would have been nice (near the end of the Dragon Dash and at the end – Why do we have to tell adults to do this?? Anyway)
Timmette
I was over the pizza and the food trucks. I also created posters to advertise at the high school and contacted the HS Principal about sending out a mass email.
PIZZAS (Start in JUNE once you have the date and just follow up)
I contacted marketing@splat.com and worked with Annaalisa Burbidge to get coupons that for every 5 pizzas we bought we got one fee. Her email is Annalisa.burbidge@splat.com
I then contacted the Little Caesars Pizza off Bangeter Hwy (801) 571-8370 and worked with Ashely and Alex the managers there to set up the order. They were great. I texted them the tax ID Number 12510060-022-STC and they texted me an invoice that I then was able to receive a check to pay Little Caesars before the event even happened. They were paid Thursday and our event was on Monday.
We ordered 120 pizzas and sold around 100 pizzas give or take. We priced them at $10 a FULL pizza or $2 for one slice of pizza
***Also if we contact Little Caesars as soon as we have our date they can supply us with a TRUCK to keep our pizzas warm and WE can SELL from the truck NOT in the snack shack (I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA) we were well hidden in the snack shack and did much better out in the open. When we sold FULL pizzas as families were leaving we moved a lot of pizza.
**another thought is numbers this year we were low on total attendance as the race heats were HALF what they have been in the past. So because numbers were LOW and we still sold a lot of pizza that is something to consider.
**we needed plastic gloves to handle pizza and napkins
**credit card was not bad on our side for charging I think cash and credit is great
WATER BOTTLES AND PLATES
Emily Galbreath purchased plates from Costco, and water bottles. We only sold 4 palates of water bottles so we had WAY WAY TOO many.
Emily Galbreath
I got water and paper plates from Costco. We ended up selling 250 ish water bottles (I bought 700+) and around 600 paper plates.
FOOD TRUCKS (SWEET TRUCKS) (Start in June once you have the date and just follow up)
**Food trucks shoot for $100 an hour in profit or it’s not worth it to them to come
Family Squeezed Lemonade
Contacted Ryan at ryan@familyfreezed.com
GREAT to work with and gave us back 10% of what they made. They made $500 for the 3 hours they were there. That is GREAT! Ryan sent me (Timette) $50 through Venmo and I wrote the Draper PTA a check.
San Diablo Churros
Contacted Camille celebrate@sandiablochurros.com 801.696.8427
DID NOT WANT TO COME…. with some begging and pleading on my side via email they sent a mobile unit and were only willing to give us 10% if they made over $100 profit they made $320 in profit for the 3 hours so we got $32 that night from them in cash and I added it to the cash box.
Kona Shave Ice
AMAZING!!!!!!! they love school events and even canceled a ROUNDUP to be at our event. And the kids seemed to LOVE LOVE them. My kids still have their color changing cups. They donate 20% of what they make and I was told it was a $500 night meaning we have $100 coming our way. I have not received the check yet and will continue to follow up. ALSO if needed they become a Hot Chocolate Truck on the spot if the weather is bad.
I contacted them only through phone 801-228-0058
Sub Zero was promised by Katie Smith but did not show. Communication miss
That night we gave free treats to the winners. This was donated by the Wankier Family.
Kona Ice $58 Lemonade $21 and Churros $14
Totaling $93
This might seem like a lot but the feedback from the students that they actually WON something was great and it brought more people over to the food area. And this is less then what the food trucks gave us in profit so it might be something to consider next year.
I think the night was fabulous on the food side. I recommend the Little Caesars Truck and getting another sweet truck like a Sub Zero would be great.
But sticking with ONLY sweet trucks seems like a win win and the set up of all the trucks inside the track were great the lines were always moving and we had lines. In the past the food trucks lines died down and they didn’t make enough money for the night and NONE of them wanted to come back from last year.
ALSO we need to advertise EARLY what trucks are going to be there so parents can plan.
ADVERTISING TO THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
This was a dud…. my effort to advertise to the students at the HS was a waste none of them came —waste do not advertise at the High School
–on another note if we let the cheerleaders know sooner they will plan around it and be there. It would be great to have the cheerleaders there to line the track with their pom moms and the mascot. The girls can even set up a little stunting spot where little girls and boys can line up and get flown by the cheerleaders to take a picture. –just ideas.
Lisa
Dragon Dash T-shirts Job
Come up with a t-shirt design and get approved
in June
The dragon was purchased from Istock online.
Contact 3 printers for estimates
- Matt – Ad Wear 801-973-4445
- Brad Merrill 801-631-8774
- Greg Murphy 801-656-5897
- Brenton
Leu 801-355-0331
Ad Wear was the cheapest
Don’t forget to give them our tax exception number when getting estimates.
Here are the numbers and colors we used for grades. We had way to many so you might want to adjust the numbers.
Teachers and PTA volunteers decided their own sizes and add that to the order.
Once approved put in the order in at least 4 weeks before your Dragon dash deadline.
Getting Donations:
Make sure to get help from everyone in the PTA for this. It’s a big job!
Companies that donate are logos that go on the back of t-shirts. The price is as follows:
The largest size cost $1000.00
Medium $500.00
Small $250
The donor this year came from:
Nimbus
Krispy Kreme
El Pollo Loco
H&R Block
7-11
Doug Smith auto
Fongs
Granger Medical
Geertsen’s Insurance
Corner Canyon Cheer
On the day of:
Set up:
- Two tables.
- Tarp to lay shirts on behind pick up table.
- Printed signs for each grade and tape to front of table so people know where to pick up their shirt.
- The tables had grade level lists taped to it. Each grade level (entire grade level) was listed alphabetically by child’s first name (that is the name kids give you so it is easier). We then highlighted the name when shirt was picked up.
Highlighters to cross it off names as shirts are picked up.
Use the tarp to set the t-shirts on the ground behind the tables. Arrange them in size. Takes about 45 mins to organize so make sure you get there in time. Have one volunteer for every grade to make it go smoothly.
