What made you start managing?
Senior Maddie Osmundson: “My brother played football in high school, and I always thought the program was really cool. It looked fun, so I just decided to be manager. I really like watching football. I figured I could be manager and watch a lot of football.”
What do your responsibilities include?
MO: “For practices, we are in charge of getting water ready. We are also in charge of equipment, like parts of helmets. You have to be ready to fix stuff all the time. We also organize the equipment storage room. On game nights, we are in charge of getting all the water together, having extra equipment ready, getting boards out — everything the coaches need. We do the warm-up music at home games. During the games, sometimes it’s stressful because it is kind of a high stress area — a lot is going on. It’s just really intense.”
How much time do you dedicate to managing?
MO: “About 16 hours a week.”
How do the athletes treat you?
MO: “They are usually pretty nice, when we are doing everything right, which is most of the time.”
What sides do you see from the team that people who attend the games wouldn’t see?
MO: “You realize how close they are to each other. You see all the stuff they do. You see all their conditioning, and they put a lot of time into it, which not a lot of people understand how they actually do. I have more respect for them, because I see everything that they do on Mondays through Thursdays.
What is your favorite part of managing?
MO: “I like being on the sidelines on Friday nights. It’s fun to be down on the field and see everything that goes on.”
Varsity Boys Soccer
What made you start managing?
Sophomore Taylor Daniels: “Well, I thought it would be a fun way to get some community service hours. I play soccer myself, and I thought it would be a fun experience. It’s a way for me to stay involved in the school in some way.”
What do your responsibilities include?
TD: “I do a lot of the filming. At all of the games I have to make sure the camera is set-up, and that Coach [K. Dean] Snell likes the view. I also take care of the equipment before the away games.”
How much time per week do you dedicate to managing?
TD: “Usually it depends on the amount of games, but it is around 5 or 6 hours.”
How do the athletes treat you?
TD: “They are actually all really nice. A lot of the seniors like to give the managers some trouble sometimes. They like to be like, ‘Hey, go get the water.’ But they are actually really nice and fun to be around. They make it a good experience.”
What sides do you see from the team that people who attend the games wouldn’t see?
TD: “Usually when you go to the games, you don’t really understand how the team is feeling about how they played. They may play an amazing game, and they are actually really disappointed by their performance. Especially when they lose, you see a whole different side of the team. They just don’t talk at all. They are all just so mad, and they won’t even look at you. They just look at the ground, and they walk. Also, they joke around a lot on the sidelines. Before the games, they are always making jokes and playing around. It goes both ways, where you see a happier side and a more serious side.”
What is your favorite part of managing?
TD: “I really like how you get a first-hand experience of the game. I love going to sporting events, so now I have an excuse to go to all of them. And I think it is fun to travel and watch the different teams. I love it when I do it for myself, but even not having to play — having to look at it from a filming perspective — it is just interesting. It helps me learn more about the game itself.”
Cross Country
What made you start managing?
Senior Jane Webb: “Freshmen year I managed cross country, and then I ran my junior year, but then I was injured last track season. But, I still wanted to be part of the team because I just love the family, community feel cross country has. It’s a really fun sport. I still wanted to be part of the team.”
What do your responsibilities include?
JW: “I take times at meets. I’ll do paperwork for Coach [Diana] Huber. I do a lot of organizing data and times from races. I will ride with [Huber] to where they are running and drop off water.”
How much time per week do you dedicate to managing?
JW: “I am probably at cross country practice an average of an hour a day — some days more. I’ll go to all the meets. I’m usually there for probably six or seven hours.”
How do the athletes treat you?
JW: “I feel like I’m treated as a pretty big part of the team. I know they really appreciate a lot that I do. I think it helps that I was a runner, so a lot of the seniors and juniors who know me as a runner treat me as one of their teammates. It’s really nice to know that I am appreciated and can be a part of their cross country family.”
What sides do you see from the team that people who attend the games wouldn’t see?
JW: “You definitely see how much they work. Obviously, cross country, you think, ‘Oh, they work so hard.’ But being at their practices, you really see how far they are running and how much effort they are putting into their run and how sometimes they won’t stop for water until they get one more mile in. So you really see the dedication.”
What is your favorite part of managing?
JW: “I don’t know about other sports, but I know cross country is just really fun to manage because it has given me the opportunity to be part of the team and to be able to go to meets and team practices and dinners, like a runner could, even though I can’t run. So, I’m still part of the team atmosphere.”
