By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Earlier this week, the Benson Bruins youth football and cheer organization were victims of theft, as one of the equipment sheds where they stored their gear was broken into, and thieves took all of their helmets and 50 shoulder pads. Unfortunately, the organization’s insurance will not cover the loss of their equipment.
The team, which is scheduled to participate in the Northwest Premier Junior Football and Cheer League’s Jamboree on August 13, had just entered its second week of practice, and the loss of their equipment is a major setback to the preseason conditioning and development of its players.
“We are heartbroken that someone would do this to our organization, and especially our kids,” said the Bruins in a social media post about the theft. “It’s hard to express the magnitude of how devastating this is for a youth football team in mid-July. It’s not just the value of the equipment; it’s also the fact that this is the second week of practice, and the most difficult time of year to even find helmets to purchase.”
For 46 years, the Benson Bruins have provided a positive outlet for boys and girls to participate in youth football and cheer. Each year, participants from Renton adopt a longstanding tradition of pride, commitment, talent, leadership, and values being part of their organization.
“It’s just so disappointing because who steals from kids? You want to have belief in humanity, so I don’t understand,” said Ed Prince, President of the Northwest Premier Junior Football and Cheer League. “The program has been in this community since 1977; from that standpoint, how do you decide to steal from something that’s been good to a community for so many years?”
“It’s hard to get equipment, and fortunately, there’s a GoFundMe account, and people are out there trying to help. Even though it’s a long shot, I hope those who did it just bring the equipment back,” added Prince. “At the end of the day, we do this for the kids; Benson will persevere and still be able to serve the kids in the program. But they’ll need the community’s help as much as possible.”
In a sport that involves tackling and shoulder collisions, it’s hard for football players to get prepared for the level of contact from opposing teams if they do not have the proper equipment.
Tina Leonardo, Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator, and Team Mom for the 11U Benson Bruins, has been in disbelief since the theft.
“[I was] shocked, heartbroken, and couldn’t believe it,” said Leonardo. “They stole from kids, and it’s very important to have all the safety equipment because it’s for the kids. If they do not have gear, they could get injured.”
Although the official season will start with the jamboree on August 13, Benson’s 11U team, which is nationally ranked, begins their season on August 5 at the West Coast Preseason Invitational against Mega from Antioch, California, in a battle of the top two ranked 11U teams on the West Coast. That is why the Bruins are scrambling to get equipment as soon as possible; without equipment, the team cannot play.
“We’ve had a few organizations reach out to us to donate or to sell us some equipment,” says Leonardo. “The impact as a whole is holding back practices because we haven’t been able to gear up.”
“It’s heartbreaking because I’m a mom to everybody in the program. It’s sad because this is my family, and somebody hurt my family,” added Leonardo. “Football has been an outlet for my son, from father figures on the staff and friends that have become brothers. Benson Bruins are more than an organization; it’s a family.”
According to team officials, the sheds that were broken into are located at 116th SE & 168th SE, across from the 7-11 store in Renton. The Bruins, as an organization, are asking if you saw anyone loading up equipment or with a bunch of black football helmets to contact the Renton Police Department and reference case #23-8241.
If you would like to make any donations to the Benson Bruins to help replace their equipment, you can visit their GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/330b1f67.
