Managers are the backbones of sports teams; always ready to give their all. Their jobs may go unnoticed to the common fan’s eye, but they are a key part of the basic function of a team. While the jobs of fall sports managers are coming to an end, the time and effort these leaders have given to their respective sports will not stay hidden behind that of star athletes.

Keeping her team organized since August, senior Jazz Ward will wrap up her first year as the girls varsity volleyball manager soon, depending on how well this year’s team does in playoffs. Even after making the decision to stop playing, Ward wanted to stay apart of the fun and accepting environment that the girl’s volleyball team has. By managing, she is still able to spend time with “the girls” while not having to make such a big time commitment. Her job is not all play though. She finds a balance between work and fun while helping with warmups, films, takes stats, and cheers from the sidelines at games. By doing this, she was able to get a new perspective on the sport as she saw it through a more technical, numerical lense this season. To Ward, the key attribute of a good team manager is: “being flexible,” meaning being “able to come in and do what [the team] need[s],” while also having fun.

Junior Clark Waltz, a member of the girls varsity soccer team, reflects on her manager, Gabby Harmoning, with nothing but praise. Harmoning has been managing the team for two years now, so she has been a constant through the change of an entirely new coaching staff.  “She’s personable and easy to get along [with],” Waltz said, which makes Harmoning very similar to her teammates. Her role as a manager is similar to Ward’s: filming games, setting up warmups and just supporting the team as a whole. One of the many things Waltz likes about having a manager is that it’s, “just one more person that’s cheering you on.”

While they have their technical duties, managers are loved most for their dedicated support to their teams. They may not be the ones winning games and scoring goals, but SPA sports managers should not go unappreciated.