Promotion: Parade Floats Show You Off to the Community

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

Here's a great way to increase the community's awareness of your team, club or even your entire varsity sports program: enter a float in local parades.

The Santa Claus Parade and its counterparts held on other national holidays will allow you to display your athletes and programs in a positive, exciting and memorable atmosphere.

Setup
If you can borrow a flatbed truck or trailer you'll have a great base for your float. Many trucking companies are willing to lend their equipment for parades because of the publicity.

Then, set up an action-oriented float that displays your athletes in action. For example, your volleyball players could sit on the float and pass the ball over a small net, basketball players could perform Harlem Globetrotter-like ball-handling and dribbling drills, hockey players could stickhandle on the pavement around the float using in-line skates and full equipment. Runners could jog on borrowed treadmills. Football players could jog beside the float in formation, run passing plays etc.

Be sure you have a large sign highlighting your school and teams and make sure your athletes wear their competition uniforms and equipment.

You could even make your float part of a school-wide parade entry, including the school band, intramural programs and other interested groups.

Recruiting Tool
Another benefit of a float is that the primary audience at parades are young people, who may become inspired to join your program in the future.

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com, updated, 2010.

To download the pdf version of this
article, click here: Download Now