The Lantern
Senior manages wrestling and football teamsThursday, February 24, 2011 By Grace Berry
As the Revere sports teams prepare for an upcoming game, someone must arrange their jerseys, equipment and water to help the day run smoothly. All of this behind-the-scenes work is completed with the help of the team managers. The jobs that the team managers complete, however, are oftentimes taken for granted and go unnoticed. Senior Minnie Wright has been managing the school’s football and wrestling teams for four years. In the course of those years she has made discoveries that will help her throughout her life. Wright decided to start managing football because her sister had been manager. Then she decided to help out the wrestling team because her brother wrestled and she enjoyed taking the statistics. Her jobs as manager consist of ensuring that the boys have water. She also keeps the statistics and organizes other aspects. "It’s really fun when you manage with people you like, and you get to meet more people than you would if you just watched the games…I like getting to go to the practices and learning what the sports are all about and being on the sidelines during the games," Wright said. To manage a wrestling team Wright must know how to keep score, which can be difficult at times. RHS wrestling coach Dan Mosher explained how Wright dedicates her time to the team. "She’s a big help. She keeps the scorebook for us during matches. She really knows how to follow the sport and how the points work. She also helps me calculate the statistics for the team by coming to some of the practices on her own time. [Managing] is a big responsibility because if there is a situation during the match over one of the scores, we have to refer to the scorebook to see what the correct call is. It’s very important for her to be accurate with the scorebook and make our statistics accurate, too," Mosher said. Wright and the other managers are also there to help and encourage the players. Head football coach Phil Heyn explained how the team managers are team members, too. "More than anything, the thing that gets overlooked is that the managers are part of the team. Many people overlook that she and the other managers are a valuable part of the team. [They] allow the players to focus on on-the-field things, not on water or uniforms," Heyn said. It is important that teams have a person who is sure to provide a positive presence on the others, especially when the mood is tense. Wright serves as this person for the teams in which she partakes. "She’s always very positive and has a good attitude. She keeps the mood light hearted and fun. She loosens up the boys a little bit," Mosher said. Wright not only helps maintain the team on the field, she also sustains them off the field by showing her school spirit. She makes sure to wear her jerseys on game days, and attends many school sporting events. "She’s a huge spirit person. On a Friday at school she always has her face painted and is wearing a jersey. She spearheaded the Copley tailgate this year and passed out the football jerseys to the student body who wanted to support the team," Heyn said. When one becomes a manger, they not only learn expressions used in the sport, but they may also obtain new characteristics. These characteristics will help them throughout their high school career, and throughout the rest of their lives. "I have learned a lot of terminology that you wouldn’t know being a spectator. I have also learned how to be responsible with time management, with homework and the team," Wright said. Coaches appreciate the help of their team managers and hope for them to accomplish new things through assisting their teams. Heyn acknowledged what he hopes for Wright to achieve through assisting his team. "I hope for her to gain being a part of something special, build her work ethic, and having fun with the other managers as well as the players," Heyn said. Wright will graduate this June and will be attending either Muskingum University or Hiram College. She plans to major in Early Childhood Education and will continue her softball career in college. "She’s going to be greatly missed after she graduates. I hope she will come back and help out when she comes home from college," Mosher said. Wright is involved in numerous after school activities and clubs, and she enjoys being a representative of RHS. Heyn acknowledged Wright’s involvement in the school. "She exemplifies being an active Revere student. She is the manager of the football and wrestling team, she is on the softball team and is part of the yearbook staff. She is a great representative of this school. She is a well-rounded student who really cares for this school," Heyn said. Wright has helped out the football and wrestling teams her whole high school career and has learned many new things and has enjoyed many experiences while exemplifying her RHS school spirit. |