Whether one plays in the actual game, keep the stats book or fill the water cups, every member of a sports team plays a role in its success; even the student managers.<\/p>\n
Most mangers at Harding put in just as much time as those that are competing. They are required to take care of all the equipment, laundry, and be at all of the practices and games.<\/p>\n
Student manager for the football team, sophomore Hayden Hobdy said that he puts in 15 to 20 hours of work outside of practice each week.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job requires taking care of every players equipment needs and doing a lot of laundry,\u201d Hobdy said. \u201cWe take care of pads, gloves, helmets, uniforms and any other thing that the team needs to be able to perform their best on Saturdays and throughout the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Student manager of the volleyball team, sophomore Lauren Suddath said she sometimes even jumps into the drills the team is doing when needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come to practices and help in any way that I can, whether that is running drills or getting in drills sometimes if girls are injured and not able to play or warming up with someone,\u201d Suddath said. \u201cThey have a grad assistant who it\u2019s her paid job to do most of the assistant work. \u00a0I\u2019m really just there to do whatever else they need done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mangers also play an important role when it comes to their relationships with players on the teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very close to our previous manager, Braden Allman. He would be up here in between laundry loads and we would study and do homework together,\u201d senior Jack Thomas baseball player said. \u201cI really like our current manager, Clay. He\u2019s a solid dude and fits in with our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freshman basketball players Brandon Reeves and Garrett Sanderson said they spend a lot of time just hanging out outside of practice with their managers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are more than just helpers on the team, they are members,\u201d Sanderson said. \u201cThey are like brothers to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The feeling is mutual for the men\u2019s basketball manager, Kirby Christopher who is a junior and first year manager for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese group of guys are awesome. They don\u2019t look down or treat us any differently just because we are managers,\u201d Christopher said. \u201cThey treat me and all the other managers like players and we have a bond that can\u2019t be broken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coaches also value the hard work of managers as they play a huge part on the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey play a huge role,\u201d head football coach Paul Simmons said. \u201cIf we did not have our managers doing the jobs they do, it would be impossible for us to get things done because there are so many hours that are required that we just do not have without them. So they play a vital role and are really important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Often, the jobs managers do go unnoticed because sports fans do not see or know all of the work that goes on in the locker room<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do a great job making sure we have everything we need. They sacrifice nights and weekends to do the dirty work, literally,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThey work odd hours and I\u2019m grateful for their service for our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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