Have you bought any Dark Clouds merch? Loved one of our tifo displays? Held a flag or rode on the Dethloon Express?

Then you’ve benefited from the work of four super volunteers who are retiring from their Dark Clouds leadership positions after years of service to take on other roles in our organization:

Doreen with a few other Dark Clouds (Photo: Jeremy Olson)
Doreen with a few other Dark Clouds (Photo: Jeremy Olson)

Doreen Hartzell – For years Doreen has conjured amazingly creative tifo at the drop of a hat. Want a set of puppets along with a massive section display for the 2014 home opener? How about a tribute to Prince on very short notice? A US Open Cup display again SKC? Doreen made all of those happen. Her tireless work ethic and her genius touch when it comes to bring together art allowed our section to shine at the start of so many games. For her contributions Doreen was the DC Jackass Of The Year in 2014. MNUFC also immortalized her efforts in a video a couple years ago.

Brandon and Lindsay behind the merch table (Photo: Jeremy Olson)
Brandon and Lindsay behind the merch table (Photo: Jeremy Olson)

Brandon Maurisak & Lindsey Goss-Maurisak – In 2014, the Dark Clouds merch was a disorganized mess. Enter supercouple Brandon and Lindsey who found new vendors, designed an inventory system, put together a shop website, and on top of it all stood behind the merch table at the tailgate for hours at every home game. It’s hard to overstate the impact Brandon and Lindsey have had on our organization and the amount of time they’ve given over to us. Brandon remains in charge of the Dark Clouds Face Value Ticket Exchange he founded as they both move to Portland (boooo.)

Rob at the 2014 semi-final. (Photo: Jeremy Olson)
Rob at the 2014 semi-final. (Photo: Jeremy Olson)

Rob Chall – The buses from the Nomad, flags in the section, and musical instruments don’t just magically turn up where they do; Someone has to coordinate all of them. For two years as head of Gameday Operations, Rob Chall has been the man on the job of making the most visible and most essential part of the Dark Clouds happen. So when you see him tapping away at his snare drum in front of the section, just know he’s been responsible for a lot of what you love about our gameday experience.

We owe Doreen, Brandon, Lindsey, and Rob a massive amount of gratitude for their hard work. All four plan to remain active in the organization so make sure you buy them a beer when you see them next. They’re the absolute best of what this organization can be.

Thank you Doreen, Brandon, Lindsay, and Rob!

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