Randy Welniak is a competitive guy.
If you were around Wyoming in 1988 when he quarterbacked the Cowboys to an undefeated conference championship and Holiday Bowl appearance, you'd know that.
If you played pickup basketball with him, you'd know that.
If you played in the Turkey Bowl flag football game you'd know that.
You get the point. He is a great competitor, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
Randy is UW's Senior Associate Athletics Director for Revenue.
He's competitive at that too.
He and his amazing staff raise money through the Cowboy Joe Club to provide UW's more than 400 student-athletes with academic scholarship and educational support. . . and so much more.
You'd be hard pressed to find a group that does its collective job better than the CJC staff. That staff includes Samie Freeman, Director of Development/Donor Relations; Ryne Grossnickle, Development Officer; Tori Holmquist, Senior Office Associate; Tammy Rompola, Accountant; Derek Shook, Associate Athletics Director for Development; Aengle Smith, Development Officer, Internal Operations and Kyle Smith, Director of Development, Annual Fund.
Together, these eight people raise more money with one-tenth the population of any school in the league. That's a credit to them because they are competitive, but it's also a credit to the greatest fan base in the world. The staff will work as hard as it takes to get us all back on our collective feet from the UW athletics standpoint when this nightmare has dissipated. This group is committed to the job and to the student-athletes.
They all enjoy the engagement aspect of their positions, while totally understanding that engagement looks different.
But as we are all painfully aware these are challenging times for everyone. There are people sick and dying. There are people who have lost their jobs and their businesses. The fact that we WILL get through this doesn't reduce the pain of all that.
So what does a group of very competitive fund-raisers do under these circumstances?
"Right now we focus on stewardship," says Welniak. "We are reaching out and saying 'thank you' to our wonderful members. Obviously this is a challenging time for everyone. It's a time when we are infinitely more concerned about the health and well-being of everyone, than about games and our program."
You are not going to get a call from any of the eight asking you to help support the Cowboys and Cowgirls right now.
But you will get a call, or a hand-written note simply to say thanks.
"Our staff has gladly accepted the challenge of contacting our members," Welniak says. "I think we have done a great job of reaching out to our overall membership, whether a $100 donor or a $100,000 donor. Every single member is important to us. Every single member counts.
"It's very difficult on everyone right now, but we still have much to be thankful for, and we all have to keep that in mind. But in Wyoming, our people are getting hit from all sides. Not only must they deal with the virus, but also the uncertainty of the state's economy. First and foremost they have to worry about the health of their families, but then they also have to worry about their jobs and businesses. It's really a difficult time for them.
"We all have to get through this stage, and we think a 'thank you' and a show of appreciation can go a long way."
Because of the uncertainty at the present time, it's tough for anyone to make plans. Obviously there's no way for any of us to know how long the current situation will continue.
"When some form of normalcy has returned, our next step is to get Wyoming excited about the Cowgirls and the Cowboys again," Randy says. "We hope to do that through our outreach events, our golf series, and our Club's 50th anniversary celebration. All these events are scheduled, but the unknown makes it very hard to finalize plans.
"First, we are very appreciative that we have jobs right now. Secondly, we feel our job is to be as positive as possible to give folks hope. People are searching for positives. Talking Cowboy football with them can be a great remedy. They are so ready to get out and rally around something. All sports fans—worldwide--feel that way, whatever sport it may be.
"The Cowboy Joe Club staff has been hired to improve and increase fund-raising efforts to help provide the best for Wyoming's student-athletes," Welniak continues. "But at this time we all have to take a step back. "We operate in a fast-paced, high-energy environment in the world of athletics. But that's not what's going on right now, and that's not what's important.
"It's difficult not doing the job we want to do and what we have been trained to do for Wyoming. But we want to respect everyone's privacy and perspective. We all need time to digest this situation and deal with it as best we can. I believe we will come out stronger than before, but it will take time."
When this terrible time has passed, Randy believes his group's job is to re-engage the Wyoming fan base. "We will work extra hard to get them fired up again. I don't think that will be difficult. I believe they are looking forward to doing that.
"But right now we are evaluating everything. First, we understand that we need to be flexible with our membership during this unique time. We are evaluating our payment deadlines, and will keep our folks informed of any changes in those deadlines."
Here are the main events on the Cowboy Joe Club radar.
According to Welniak, the popular Golf Series will be evaluated within the next three or four weeks to determine if it makes sense under the current economic landscape. While it is one of the Club's biggest fund-raisers, it is even more important for outreach. It would certainly help in the re-engagement process while offering folks a chance to have fun.
The 50th anniversary celebration is scheduled for the end of June in Denver. But if restrictions remain in place, it may be postponed. The event is scheduled for June 27. Its primary function is to honor the founders of the Club, Mike Schutte, Frank Mendicino, Jim LaFleiche, Earl Madsen and Dick Scarlett, in addition to recognizing the milestone itself.
The largest single fund-raiser for the CJC, the annual Auction, is scheduled for Oct. 23, at Cheyenne's Little America. For so many reasons that date needs to be safe.
We can only hope that this world has returned to some semblance of normalcy long before then.
