Cripple Creek-Victor High School's athletic department is set for a significant upgrade after a $35,000 contribution from Q3 Power directed funds toward new uniforms, refreshed gear, and broader athletic department priorities.
The head girls basketball coach, who has been with the program for four years, described the gift as unprecedented in his experience there. "This is easily, easily the biggest single donation that we've gotten in that time and I'm sure it's the biggest in much longer than that," he said. The funds are not restricted to basketball and will benefit the athletic department broadly.
Ordering uniforms rose to the top of the priority list first, given the lengthy production timeline. Uniforms can require roughly two months from order to delivery, and with basketball season drawing near, the coaching staff felt urgency to act. The coach confirmed new uniforms had already been ordered. Volleyball players, whose season is already underway, will likely have to wait and receive their new kits ahead of next year. Certain other programs, such as track and field and cross country, may be passed over for uniform replacements because their current sets were purchased more recently.
Decisions about how to deploy the remainder of the gift are ongoing, with possibilities including basketballs and other equipment the department requires. Earlier in the year, the situation had looked far more constrained. Coaches had already been working through how they would cover those costs before Q3 Power stepped in — an intervention the head girls basketball coach said "basically came through and solved that problem."
Q3 Power's chief executive said the company's goal was to be genuinely embedded in the community rather than simply doing business within it. "We want to be a company that doesn't just operate in this community but is part of it," he said. "These students work hard and represent this community well. When we learned there was a need, we wanted to help."
The relatively modest size of the school gives the donation added impact. The girls basketball roster, for example, may number only around seven or eight athletes this coming season — meaning a single gift can materially change what the program is able to offer. The head coach noted that the donation represents "a really big change from the way it has been" in terms of how the department has historically been funded.
How the athletic department will divide the remaining balance of the donation among its various programs and equipment needs is still being determined.