Day in the life of a football manager
Senior Manager Kate Sawyer holds water bottles for the team on the sidelines.
October 28, 2019
The football managers have a very different role for Friday night football games. Instead of cheering from the stands, they help out on the sidelines.
According to Coach Joe Creer, it’s no wonder that the managers this year are top-notch. “I handpick my managers so they bring a lot to the team because without our managers we couldn’t go. They’re our glue. Kate [Sawyer] and Skylar [Burnside] are probably the best managers this school has ever seen,” Creer said.
Dedication is a must-have quality in each BSM football manager. Senior Skylar Burnside has been a manager for the team for three years. “I go to most of the practices. Even in the summer, I had to go to the ‘two-a-days’,” Burnside said.
Practices may be laid-back for the managers, but on game days, these managers buzzing around, keeping on the coaches’ beck and call. “On game days we go out on the field before the guys come out for warm-ups. We fill up the waters and make sure all of the headsets are working. We also take the coach’s food orders and bring them to concessions. As the game goes on, we each hold waters for the boys whenever they need it. During timeouts, we have to hustle on to the field and hand out waters. At halftime, we have to rush to clean up the band room and fill up waters again. At the end of the game we clean up all of the trash, foam rollers, and pack up the coaches’ cart,” senior Kate Sawyer said.
Beyond the game day grind, Burnside, in particular, makes brownies for the boys after every win. “The Monday after every win, the team looks forward to Skylar’s brownies. In particular, the Reese’s ones are my favorite,” senior captain Joe Marinaro said.
With their notable work effectively helping the team, these managers hope to take their talents beyond BSM’s turf. “I’ve been talking with a lot of D1 Men’s hockey coaches, and at all of the schools I’m applying to, I have an opportunity to be their student assistant on the team. At most schools, this opportunity would also count as a work-study,” Sawyer said.
After three years as the team’s manager, Burnside highlights her favorite part of managing. “I like how the team is so close and everyone is so nice. Sometimes the team talks to me in the halls and I can talk to them just fine,” Burnside said.
