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A Panthers Fan’s Streak, and How You Can Help Keep It Alive

boo7382

By boo7382,
in Carolina Panthers

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boo7382 Newbie

boo7382

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Super great story written by Bill Voth regarding a hard core Panthers fan who has never missed a game throughout the entire history of our franchise. 

 

He and his wife cannot afford to take a later vacation this year on their wedding anniversary, so he will potentially be missing the Browns game, the first game he would ever miss. Bill Voth has created a crowd funding page to raise the $$ for them to be able to buy later tickets for their vacay. Not to mention there is a tearjerker in there. 

 

 

Really nice of Bill to step up and make the effort to raise the $$ for them. $437.00 as of this morning. If you feel you'd like to contribute, here is the link https://www.crowdrise.com/keepdennissmithspanthersstreakalive/fundraiser/billvoth

 

 

 

 Sometime around 8:30 Sunday night, the Panthers will kick off the 153rd regular-season home game in franchise history. And somewhere in his seat near the corner of Bank of America Stadium’s west end zone, Dennis Smith will be improving his attendance record to 153-for-153.

5416e7c9e1fa3.image_.jpg?resize=321%2C39

COURTESY: MOORESVILLE TRIBUNE

After buying a personal seat license on his birthday in 1994, the Mooresville resident went to all eight of the Panthers’ “home” games at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium the following year. Since then, Smith has made it down to Charlotte for each of the team’s 144 regular-season games, plus all four playoff matchups.

 

His refusal to miss a Panthers home game has seen him endure a one-win season, a two-win season, and the time he went to the stadium in a wheelchair after undergoing surgery. But Smith’s streak is currently set to end just short of a perfect 20 seasons.

He and his wife, Laura — whom he proposed to at the Panthers’ season-opening win over the Ravens in 2002 — will be in Punta Cana on Dec. 21. That’s their 12th wedding anniversary. It’s also the Panthers’ final regular-season home game of 2014.

On the surface, it’s tough to feel badly for someone heading to the Dominican Republic in December. But that’s the problem. Travel prices skyrocket as they get closer to Christmas.

“(My wife) looked at leaving after the game, and she said, ‘My God, honey, it’s going to cost us $2,000 more to do that!” Dennis Smith said in a phone conversation late last week. “I told her, ‘I hate to end the streak, but $2,000 is a lot of money.'”

So the Smiths are flying out Dec. 19, two days before the Panthers host the Browns. After nearly two decades, their budget will be what beats the streak.

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DENNIS AND LAURA SMITH AT THE PANTHERS’ PLAYOFF WIN OVER THE COWBOYS ON JAN. 3, 2004.

But if a fan spends the money and makes an effort to get to every single home game for nearly two decades, that’s not the way a streak like this should end. And while a couple thousand dollars is too much for the Smiths, is it too much for a fan base?

That’s the question that came to my mind when I first read about Dennis Smith, who was profiled by Larry Sullivan in the Mooresville Tribune last week.

So I tracked Smith down with an idea: If Panthers fans came together to raise the money needed to change flights, would he and his wife be willing to adjust their plans?

“We would,” Smith answered.

But, “You don’t have to make too big of a deal out of raising money so that somebody can keep their streak alive. A little blip on your site might be enough.”

Challenge accepted.

Hopefully, this little blip can start something that will allow the Smiths to attend the Panthers’ game Dec. 21, and then head out on their anniversary trip a day later.

Fortunately, prices have come down slightly since the Smiths first booked their flights. It would currently cost them about $1,500 to make a change.

So with fingers tightly crossed, BBR has launched a fundraising page on Crowdrise. The goal: raise $1,500 so Dennis Smith can see his streak through 20 complete seasons. If we reach the goal, the Smiths will use the money to switch their flights, and they will donate any additional funds to one of the Panthers’ charities.

The Smiths are obviously not the only fans with tight budgets. But after a couple weeks of seeing their team in headlines for all the wrong reasons, this is a chance for Panthers fans to create a more uplifting story.

And to be clear, Dennis Smith isn’t looking for a handout. The 67-year-old, who lost his sales job in 2009, works three days a week in the pro shop at the Mooresville Municipal Golf Course. It’s not a lot of money, but it keep him busy.

He also casually dropped this more than halfway through our half-hour conversation:

“There’s another little aside, and this has very little bearing on this, but I’ve got stage four prostate cancer. I’m holding it at bay now, but it will be the thing that gets me.”

Smith is in the third year of his fight against a cancer that has a typical survival rate of five years. The trip in December is more than an anniversary. It’s on the bucket list the Smiths have made knowing there may not be many more anniversaries or trips.

And while Dennis Smith will at least be able to check Punta Cana off his list, perhaps Panthers fans can come together to help him go 160-for-160 as well.

 
 

 

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solorca Newbie

solorca

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I have seen Bill posting about this a bit, but I just don't understand it.  This guy chose when to take his vacation, knowing that he'd miss the Panthers game.  He has enough cash to take a Caribbean vacation along with being a PSL owner and going to every Panthers game.  Why should I give this guy, of all people, money?

 

$1500 could buy seats for children who have never (and may never) been able to see a game.  It could go to helping a Make a Wish child get an experience.  It could go to a lot of things, still Panthers related, that would make a much bigger impact on someone's life.

 

 

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boo7382 Newbie

boo7382

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I have seen Bill posting about this a bit, but I just don't understand it.  This guy chose when to take his vacation, knowing that he'd miss the Panthers game.  He has enough cash to take a Caribbean vacation along with being a PSL owner and going to every Panthers game.  Why should I give this guy, of all people, money?

 

$1500 could buy seats for children who have never (and may never) been able to see a game.  It could go to helping a Make a Wish child get an experience.  It could go to a lot of things, still Panthers related, that would make a much bigger impact on someone's life.

 

that's your opinion and you are more than welcome to have it.

 

 

I just hope you follow through on that $1,500 to buy seats for children who have never been able to see a game. I look forward to seeing your effort and crowd funding page towards it. :)

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Lumps Newbie

Lumps

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that's your opinion and you are more than welcome to have it.

I just hope you follow through on that $1,500 to buy seats for children who have never been able to see a game. I look forward to seeing your effort and crowd funding page towards it. :)

You're just sounding stupid. No body claimed to donate much or set up a page for it. Just stating how silly this is if you use your brain and look at the bigger picture; the money could be used for a better cause. You know he's right, I completely agree with him. If I had extra money to donate I have no idea why I wouldn't give to children or needy rather than someone's vacation who lived a full life. You're not even paying for it, you're paying for him to change his plans. Kind of ridiculous I think. He doesn't have much time left and maybe missing one game to spend some time and an unforgettable experience with a loved one is something he really needs to understand. Cancer at age 70 is not a tearjerker for me, it happens to everyone. It's sad yes, but not a tragedy and there are far better causes for people's money. You don't need to set up some foundation, or crowd page to prove anything just give your money to a better, more logical cause.

The words sound harsh but the truth, and real tragedies, are much more important.

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TimTom Newbie

TimTom

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The OP wanted to help out a fellow fan and people poo on it?  Speak with your wallets and DON'T contribute then.  You can argue if he deserves it or not.  Maybe he's on a fixed income WHILE facing death and needs a bit more help.  People can travel to the Caribbean to celebrate what could be a LAST wedding anniversary and still be short on cash.  Should we examine his life and say well you didn't invest this here or save there and that's why you are where you are, unable to pay for a travel change.  Voth and Boo felt it was a good cause and that's enough for them.  We are in no place to judge it.  It doesn't accomplish anything.

 

TL;DR - Donate if you want, but don't dump on the guy or those helping.  If you have the desire to help others out (eg: needy kids) receive the money that this guy might get instead, start a fundraiser yourself and hope people don't crap on yours because it lacks merit.

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