Touchdown for Waterbury High School Football

The football equipment necessary to ensure students’ safety can be expensive, and in a district like Waterbury, funding for sports programs is in short supply. “I fill out a lot of funding applications from all kinds of sources, and I often don’t hear back,” says Crosby High School Head Football Coach David Jurewicz, a technology education teacher at the school.

The Waterbury Teachers Association member was therefore thrilled today when, at what he thought was to be a routine staff meeting, he was surprised with a $1,000 athletic grant from California Casualty.

“This is going to help the team out tremendously,” says Jurewicz. “It will go a long way toward getting us the equipment we need.”

A technology teacher and the Head Football Coach at Crosby High School in Waterbury, David Jurewicz poses with Principal Jade Gopie next to student artwork depicting the school’s mascot.

New regulations designed to keep students safe have reduced the amount of contact time football players are allowed during practice. Without tackling equipment, players don’t have the preparation they need for games.

Tackling pads and dummies are therefore at the top of Jurewicz’s wishlist of equipment to purchase. He would also like to purchase additional weight room equipment.

“Being part of the football team teaches the students a lot,” Jurewicz says. “They learn discipline, accountability, how to be a team player and work with one another, and how to become dedicated workers.”

The team quarterback is one of those who has excelled at learning these life lessons, Jurewicz says. The high school senior has a high GPA, participates in the school’s accelerated academic program, has thrown over 2,500 yards, and has been named scholar athlete of the year by the Northern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He has been accepted by both Central and Southern Connecticut State Universities.

Are you a high school or middle school coach? Click here to apply for a $1,000 grant from California Casualty. California Casualty, an NEA Member Benefits provider, has established the Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant Program to provide support to public middle and high school sports programs negatively impacted by reduced budgets.