Equipment Management

Hiring Student Equipment Managers

February 25, 2020 By Jeff Zogg

Note: Originally Published 3-19-2019

Equipment Managers somehow work with the same amount of time every day to maintain scores of football helmets, shoulder pads, track equipment, and coaches. To say nothing of laundry, communications equipment, and tracking truckloads of apparel.

Each day requires more time, more work, more energy.

And so, Student Equipment Managers were created.

Helmet Tracker talked with seasoned college Equipment Managers to create the Top Seven Things to Look For When Hiring Student Equipment Managers.

7 Use Your Student Equipment Managers' Friends Network.

It's not who you know, but who they know.

“We rely on the students who are here working for us first and foremost,” says Sonny Sanfilippo, Assistant Director of Athletic Equipment Services at San Diego State University. “They know what it takes and it seems these kids have a lot of friends on campus.”

You may not think that your student managers, stuck in the bowls of your facility folding laundry at all hours would have a network of friends, but don't underestimate the bright personality that draws other campus students to your Student Equipment Managers – that and being part of your program.

“They know what the job takes–what it entails. They know it isn't for everyone and takes a special type of person,” Sonny says.

Al Cerbe, Head Football Equipment Manager at Kansas State, said he very rarely has to go out and search for Student Equipment Managers.

“Nine times out of ten I tell my current Student Managers when we have an opening and they go out and recruit.,” he said. Those recruits start to add up. Cerbe has 10 people on a waiting list to work in his equipment room.

6 Resumes, Job History, Activities, Grades

Hiring is hiring. It's not a box of chocolates. You don't have to guess what you are getting. Approach to hiring Student Equipment Managers the same way any supervisor approaches anyone applying for any job.

Require a resume. Check their job history. Pay attention to their extracurricular activities. Look at their grades.

“Grades are important because this job takes a lot of time and if we see you had poor grades in high school, chances are you are not going to have success in college,” says Harley Warren, Assistant Equipment Manager at Southern Mississippi.

At K-State, Cerbe says some things stand out to him on an applicant's work history.

“Kids who work on the farm or help out on a farm, they are usually good working kids,” he said.

5 Interview

Schedule and bring in your candidates for an interview. It amazed us how many Equipment Managers mentioned how carefully they pay attention to how potential Student Equipment Managers dressed for an interview.

“If a kid comes in in sweats and a T-shirt, that's not going to work,” Warren says. “Any job interview you have to take seriously. I've worked in fast food and you still have to dress professionally, especially for the interview.”

At K-State, Cerbe interviews each applicant.

“Yes, I do watch how they dress. When a kid comes in and has khakis on and a nice shirt and even a tie, I notice that and I know that he is serious about it and that gives me a good feeling.

“On the other hand, I had an applicant come in just before Christmas. Flip flops and shorts! I wondered if he thinks this is a funny deal or a way to get close to football. When I explained the amount of work, he said that it wasn’t for him,” Cerbe says. “I wasn't surprised.”

At SDSU, Sonny also interviews applicants and makes sure to try to balance the expectations of the job with the good stuff, too.

“Some of the benefits are the game-day duties, maybe getting some gear, and potentially traveling with the team,” Sonny says. “I am always checking for a sense of urgency in people. Things are very faced paced and coaches will not wait for anybody.

“Aside from that, we want to know if they understand football terminology.”

He tells us the number one issue that always comes up is, you guessed it, laundry.

“When we sit down with someone, we tell them the benefits and what the job entails. We talk about laundry because everyone wants to know. It's simple – you wear gloves and throw stuff into a big industrial washer. It's not difficult, just time-sensitive. It's got to be done when it's got to be done.”

What eliminates a candidate?

Lackadaisical attitude.

Desire to get gear.

Showing up late.

Sonny: “I don't have these guys out here more than they need to be, so that means they will be here on time and be ready to work.”

4 References, High School Coaches, Junior Colleges

Equipment Managers start somewhere and so do Student Equipment Managers. Some managed their high school football team or played in high school or managed at a junior or community college.

“Our Equipment Manager Pat (Patrick Stewart, Assistant Athletic Director for Equipment Operations) knows every football coach in the area and they will send kids to work,” says Warren in Hattiesburg. “I'm starting to get to know them in the area, too, so I am starting to hear from them.”

Some applicants even want to make a career in the Equipment Room, Sonny says.

“These types of people are few and far between. We have a student right now who I wish would do that, but most guys who stay really enjoy doing it for a few years and being part of the team and part of the program,” Sonny says. “The hours are long sometimes and the appreciation is low, plus the pay isn't stellar. Kids recognize all this pretty quickly.”

Shameless plug: Student Equipment Managers preparing to take the AEMA Certification Exam should apply for Helmet Tracker's Scholarship.

3 Twitter, Instagram, and Posters (really).

“We needed four people this Spring. We posted on Twitter and Instagram and got a couple of people through that,” says Sonny. But not enough. The Aztecs needed at least one more Student Equipment Manager, so they got low-tech.

Among the Lost Dog, Apartment for SubLease, Summer Painting Jobs, and Join Our Campus Ministry flyers, Sonny posted his “Student Equipment Manager Needed” flyers. It's different. It's fun. It's an opportunity to be part of Sports on Campus.

It worked.

“We needed at least one more Student Equipment Manager this Spring and so we put up some flyers and got one student that way,” says Sonny.

Just about every program posts their needs on Twitter, says Warren. “I follow most of the equipment programs who are on Twitter and they are all posting for student managers,” he said. “It works.”

2 Tryouts, Especially Spring Ball

This makes or breaks a potential Student Equipment Manager. You know it, but maybe they don't.

Your candidates don't have to know it's a tryout, either. In fact, you may get a better idea of who will fit into your staff best by not calling it a tryout.

“In the Spring, we may give some of them a couple of weeks to volunteer and see how they like it and if it doesn't work out we just tell them thanks and move on,” Warren says.

At Kansas State, Cerbe says bringing high school graduates into summer camps used to be a standard way of finding good Student Equipment Managers, but now more care must be taken.

Cerbe says NCAA rule changes prohibit him from hiring someone with a friendship or relationship with a recruit or player, so hiring through camps has to be a bit more selective. Still, it's a good way to see if someone will work out.

“Camps are a little more laid back and student managers can have a lot of leadership there,” he said. “Now, though, we eliminated incoming freshmen from coming to camps.”

Oh, and remember, your student managers are students first. Most won't pursue a career as an Equipment Manager, so it's best to remember their studies are primary.

“We've got some working for us a couple of days a week and we have to work around class schedules,” Sonny said. “We understand there is a whole life outside of here.”

1 Check the Vibe, Listen to Your Gut

Your potential Student Equipment Managers offer clues about if they will be a positive addition to your staff.

“Sometimes it's a vibe and you can pick up on that,” Warren, at Southern Miss, says. “Sometimes you get a bad feeling or you don't think it's going to work out. When that happens, we won't take them.”

The same is true in Manhattan.

“Trust your gut,” Cerbe tells us. “My gut is pretty spot on.”

Women Equipment Managers

February 18, 2020 By Jeff Zogg

Note: We originally published this article last year as a two-part series.

Women in men’s locker rooms today gains no attention, draws no shock, creates no news.

It’s been 46 years since the first women entered a professional locker room when two female reporters were allowed to conduct after-game interviews in the locker rooms at the 1975 N.H.L. All-Star Game in Montreal.

No one seems to know when the first female Equipment Manager was hired. No one seems to know when the first female Equipment Manager for football was handed the keys. No one seems to know when the first Assistant Athletic Director for Equipment was shown in her office.

Some Things Haven’t Changed for women Equipment Managers

But we found that everyone seems to agree that much has changed in the last several years, and some things have not.

“At one school I worked as a student Equipment Manager and I had to be careful when I would walk into a boys locker room – this was just a couple of years ago,” said one female Equipment Manager we talked with.

“Once, a player shouted my name and, on purpose, dropped his towel in front of me,” she said, with no small amount of disgust clearly in her voice.

“But I have to say, most players were, and are now, very respectful of me.”

Helmet Tracker talked to several female Equipment Managers to find out something about the rewards, challenges, and status of the profession for women. We asked about beginnings, the struggle to advance, opportunities at the AEMA, and other aspects of being a female Equipment Manager.

Here is what we found.

Our Interviews

We talked with Mackenzie Rivers, Assistant Director of Equipment Services at the University of Connecticut where she works with field hockey, softball, men’s and women’s track, and the rowing teams.

We talked with Robin Wert-Eller, Coordinator of Equipment Operations at Franklin & Marshall College, where she works with 27 varsity sports and is the only full-time equipment professional.

We talked with Clifton Perry, Head Equipment Manager at Princeton University and President of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association; and we touched base with AEMA Office Manager Sam Trusner.

We talked with Sherry Ankeny, Equipment Manager at Skidmore College, who oversees all 19 sports, including men’s and women’s. “I’m a one-man show here,” she said, tongue in cheek.

We talked with Kathy Saltis, Equipment Room Manager at Westfield State who recently stepped down as AEMA District I Director to make way for a younger female Equipment Manager to lead. She built the equipment room and equipment program from the ground up there.

We talked with Kayla Modahl, Assistant Equipment Manager at Eastern Carolina University, who works with Olympic Sports, but wants to be in the football equipment room (“I force myself in there to help out when I can.”).

And, we contacted more than a half-dozen additional female Equipment Managers. Some were busy, some were on vacation, some just didn’t respond.

Beginnings – Women Equipment Managers

Most female Equipment Managers began their journey as high school or college athletes, or both. They like the camaraderie that sports create and the excitement of the competition.

Like their male counterparts, they found ways to stay involved—taking paths that may have begun in sports marketing, administration, or aim for the training room. Soon, they find that those paths lead away from the locker room and the activity and the contact with the athletes and the fields.

Many were treated well by their own Equipment Manager. So, some targeted the equipment room from the beginning, knowing it is the career they want.

Others are told to “Go see Ray.”

Go See Ray

“My Mom was like, ‘What are you doing!?’” Mackenzie Rivers told us about announcing her first student equipment management job at Western Connecticut State University.

“YOU’RE doing laundry?”

Mackenzie simply needed a job in college, loved sports, and when she asked around, was told to “Go see Ray in the equipment room.”

She worked with many sports and enjoyed maintaining the equipment. When she graduated from college, she immediately applied to be an Equipment Manager at UConn.

“I really liked it.”

She didn’t get the job, but through the process, she was guided to the Naval Academy where she landed an internship with Greg Morgenthaler, now Associate Athletic Director/Equipment in Annapolis.

After a stint at Binghamton University, Mackenzie did land that job at UConn and has been there for 15 years.

Good Role Model

For Robin Wert-Eller at Franklin and Marshall, a longing to work with equipment and the timely help from a female equipment manager made the difference.

“I was involved with working with equipment while I was in college and when I got out I missed it,” Robin said. “I had a good role model.”

Kelly Jones, Head Equipment Manager at Gettysburg College, was that person.

“Kelly reached out and encouraged me,” Robin said.

She started working part-time nights and weekends, but when the full-time equipment manager left the Diplomats, she stepped in.

Classified Newspaper Ad

Sherry, at Skidmore, has worked in the equipment room for 21 years and has been AEMA Certified for 14.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women. — Sherry Ankeny, Equipment Manager, Skidmore College.

“I played sports in college (softball at Pace University), but really had never even heard of an Equipment Manager,” she said.

She graduated and landed a business job, but when she and her husband began thinking more about the future, they decided a job for Sherry that aligned better with her husband’s job at a community college would work better.

“We started looking at jobs that I could do and we happened to find an ad in the paper,” she said. “It sounded interesting to me. I got the job and didn’t know anything about hockey.”

Sherry now works with 19 sports.

“When I got the job I didn’t feel like I was out here alone because I was a woman, but because the closest college to us is nearly an hour away.”

The Real Equipment Life

Kayla Modahl, at Western North Carolina, just passed her AEMA Certification Exam this summer in Indianapolis.

“In high school, I worked closely with the football and basketball teams. We didn’t have equipment positions, but I was like a student manager,” she told us.

“From there I thought I wanted to be an athletic trainer but found out quickly that wasn’t for me.”

Kayla got a taste of what she calls the “real equipment life” during an internship at Wake Forest.

“I thought it was the greatest thing ever!” she said. “I was really intrigued by the Wake Forest jersey and helmets and cleats and their design and chrome gold helmets.”

She says she forced herself into the equipment room at Miami where she went to grad school.

“I wanted to be right there with the action—interacting with the helmets and jerseys—that’s my big thing.”

“It took about two months to land this job,” she said. “Right now I’m not a football equipment manager technically, but I force my way into helping there. I just show up and start helping out.”

From the Ground Up

Kathy started as a college rowing coach, then decided to return to school and earn her Master’s in Organizational Development. She said she was intrigued by an ad from Springfield College for an Equipment Manager.

“They guaranteed me they would teach me about football and that was the start of my career.”

She had 32 sports programs there and worked eight years before landing at Westfield College.

“The equipment room was just a room. There was not much in the way of organization and not much in the way of understanding of what it could be,” Kathy said. “I built it from the ground up.”

Glass Ceiling for women Equipment Managers?

The female Equipment Managers we talked to told of struggles and difficulties landing jobs and keeping them and advancing. But predominately, these women clearly avoided complaining or blaming. They spoke of the blessings and the goodness and the joy they are rewarded within their chosen jobs.

“In some cases, it was helpful being a woman,” Mackenzie admitted. “I know some universities are looking for females to help—though mostly with female sports.

“Begin female could help you at times, and it could hinder you at times.”

Mackenzie, at UConn, believes the opportunities, for the most part, are there for those who are good at their jobs.

“Look, if we weren’t good at what we have done, we wouldn’t be here anymore,” Mackenzie said of being a female in a male-dominated industry. “I would like to think in this day and age that it doesn’t matter if we are men or women, but I’m sure that it does in some places and in some sports.”

Kathy at Westfield State said that while the doors are more open for female Equipment Managers in general than in the past, there are some that still need to be pushed.

“I think there is still a strong feeling that it is fine for women to deal with Olympic sports, but when it comes to football, it is very male-dominated—and even in men’s ice hockey, which I also have, it is very male-dominated.”

Because women Equipment Managers have to deal with males in sports and male Equipment Managers have to deal with female athletes, the challenges are similar, Robin says.

Always Challenges

“I think there are always challenges, but I think the men have challenges too – dealing with the female athletes – it kinda goes both ways,” she said. “However, it’s still not a big career path for women.”

“This job takes a lot of time – nights and weekends – so it’s tough when you have a family.”

Sherry said she doesn’t see the bias often, but it does show itself, and very clearly, at times.

‘You just eliminated ever having a female equipment manager here!’

“Not too long ago I was part of a tour at (a very large, nationally-ranked university football and lacrosse programs she’d rather not have published) a new facility and I had to go to the Equipment Manager after to talk with him. I said, ‘I don’t understand why your locker room and equipment room is set up the way it is.’ This is for men’s lacrosse and football.

“‘The locker room is tied directly to the equipment room,’ I said, ‘You just eliminated ever having a female equipment manager here!’”

“He heard me, but the whole thing was surprising to me.”

Pushing Harder

Kayla, the youngest Equipment Manager we talked with, said she thought being a female may have negatively affected her, but not as much as other aspects of who she is.

“I definitely felt like I had to push a little harder, but not directly because I am a woman but more about my frame. Between me and a guy that can lift 150 pounds, who is more helpful to load a truck?” she said.

“As far as me being a woman and being around the sport, I don’t think I had too many barriers.”

Robin described the gender bias as much more subtle than it may have been in the past.

“I think there is still a tendency to think this is a male-dominated profession, but there are enough women who have done it and done it well, that the door is open,” Robin said. “However I am in DIII and I can’t say if at D1 that would be the same.”

DIII vs. DI

Mackenzie, who works at a D1 school, admits that the barrier more difficult to vault nowadays is not the gender issue, but the jump it takes to go from a Division III school to D1.

“It is so hard to get in,” she said. “I feel like once you are in, you’re in, but if you mess up, it’s very hard. College athletics is huge, but it’s small because everyone knows everyone.”

“In the end, I think the opportunities for females are the same…,” she said. “Maybe some people don’t think we are as capable, but I think sometimes we see the detail a bit more.”

She goes on.

“I struggle to say that any difference is because of being a female. Our bosses here have not treated us any differently, though I think we are fortunate in that.”

Next week we continue the story about what we found by talking with several women Equipment Managers. We will bring you perspectives on dealing with male athletes, the AEMA, the pay gap, and what advice these women Equipment Managers would give their younger peers.

Dealing With Male Athletes

“Being female in this profession never really crossed my mind early on,” Mackenzie said. “At Navy, those guys in football were never in a rush to get out of the locker room and when we needed something I had to wait—I couldn’t just go in there.

“But the longer I do this, I have ways now of moving things along. The boys here are usually pretty good about things.”

Nearly every female Equipment Manager said something along these lines: “I am not your mother. I will not treat you like that and you will not treat me like that,” as Mackenzie said.

Admittedly, we’ve heard male Equipment Managers say the same thing to their athletics – “I am not your mother.”

Mackenzie admitted there have been young athletes with some attitude problems around her and her female co-workers.

Mackenzie Rivers, UConn Assistant Director of Equipment Services

“Look, I’ve had that at times,” she said. “But I don’t think that was because I was a woman—it’s because that kid was a jerk.”

“These are kids. These are 18, 19, 20-year-old who think they are being funny and they are not.”

Female Equipment Managers Questioned

Mackenzie said she sees female student Equipment Managers pressed and challenged, but it is not much different than how male student Equipment Managers are similarly made to prove themselves.

“We have definitely had some pain the ass kids, that’s going to happen,” she said. “But we also don’t have any problem going to the coaching staff and telling them a certain kid needs some talking to.”

For Kayla, it’s the female athletes mostly who question her about her job choice.

“This is my first year working totally with female athletes and that’s great, but it’s definitely different,” she said of her work at Eastern North Carolina. “I feel like the girls are a little more surprised that I am an Equipment Manager than the guys.”

She said football players especially are used to having student Equipment Managers who are female.

“With the women’s teams, I get asked why. ‘Why would you want to do this?'” she said. “Some girls don’t see the appeal of being at all the sporting events and not being there to be cute and dressed up.”

“I have a good relationship with most of my athletes – it’s not an issue.”

AEMA for female Equipment Managers

All are associated with the Athletic Equipment Managers Association. The AEMA counts nearly 1,200 members, draws about 500 to its annual Convention, and certifies Equipment Managers through an initial exam and continuing education.

Many colleges and universities now require their Equipment Managers to be certified or to gain certification within a year of taking the job. AEMA Certification means something and its importance is growing.

We asked our panel about their experience in the AEMA.

Mostly Men Here

Kathy first confronted the lack of women Equipment Managers at an AEMA convention.

“When I went to my first convention as an Equipment Manager, that’s when it hit you in the face – there are mostly men here.”

“When I took the certification exam – as I recall – they wanted input on whether it was a fair exam for women to take and I had to ask, ‘Why wouldn’t it be? We do the same job and yes I do deal with football.’”

Much has changed and progress has been made, Kathy said, but not enough.

“Since that time, in my opinion, it has not evolved enough. This is still a male-dominated field.”

Robin is the Continuing Education Committee Chair of the AEMA, an important and influential position. Still, she believes there is somewhat of a barrier to the higher positions.

“In the AEMA, yes, there is an opportunity for women. Yet, there is a bit of a glass ceiling—I think that is probably true, too,” she told Helmet Tracker.

AEMA President

Clifton Perry, the AEMA President, treads lightly on the issue.

“I wish I had a female Equipment Manager,” he said. “I have almost 500 student female athletes and I don’t have a female Equipment Manager.”

Clifton Perry, Princeton Equipment Manager, and AEMA President

Across the organization, however, Clifton says the number of female Equipment Managers is growing.

“I think there need to be more women in this profession and I encourage more women to get actively involved in the AEMA,” he said.

The barriers are there, he admitted. “Some women feel like they are behind the 8-ball at times and have to work twice as hard.”

Clifton admitted there were no specific programs or efforts to recruit women into the profession or the organization, yet said progress is needed.

“We should be evolving quicker in this,” he said.

Sam Trusner, the AEMA Office Manager, says membership lists do not specify gender so any survey of the membership to see if the female enlistment has grown would be guessing.

Still, he says it is clear the number of female Equipment Managers is growing.

“Many more are getting involved and the more experienced are being hired as head positions and in administrative roles,” Sam wrote us.

Gender Pay Gap for female Equipment Managers

Last year’s AEMA Salary Survey found a gender pay gap for Equipment Managers, but not nearly the size of the national gender pay gap.

Women Equipment Managers averaged nearly 9 percent less pay than men, according to the survey. A 2018 study suggests that national pay gap seems to be somewhere around 20 percent and a 2020 study by Noel Griffith, Ph.D., states “Women Earn 79 Cents for Every Dollar Men Earn“. Female Equipment Managers are doing significantly better than some of their counterparts in other industries. Clearly, however, there is work to be done.

The gender pay gap for Equipment Managers may be affected to some degree to the longer tenure of older men in the industry. Those with more experience are simply paid better.

“Overall, in our association, Equipment Managers are predominately white and male, so those numbers are skewed,” said Matt Althoff, AEMA Associate Executive Director who administered the survey. Matt is Director of Equipment at the University of Virginia and talked with us last summer about the survey.

The 11-question survey found the national average salary for Equipment Managers of $52,575, a nearly 20 percent increase over the average from five years previous.

AEMA Leadership

Kathy said there have, for many years, been female Equipment Managers in important positions at the AEMA. She cites Robin as Chair of the Continuing Education Committee and Kelly Jones, the Chair of the Certification Steering Committee.

“There have always been strong leaders there, but it’s never been embraced in the quite the same way as some of the male roles have been embraced,” she said.

What would that look like?

“I think what it would look like would be years where there might be a female President or female Executive Director—so that it is not always going to be a man.

“It would look like the Glenn Sharp award going to a female in the profession—more than twice in 40 years.”

Networking

Kathy told us that women have begun to gather at the AEMA conventions with purpose.

“It started with a time slot at the national convention to organize a meet and greet and to share a little bit about where women are at in different organizations,” she said. “The goal was to be a mentoring program for younger female Equipment Managers.

“I don’t know if it has developed into that specifically – but more of a network.”

We asked if it would be accurate to call the gather a caucus—a group seeking political-type influence in the AEMA.

“We are not motivated to create power in the organization, but there can be unique issues that female Equipment Managers deal with because they are, in some circumstances, women dealing with male athletes, male-dominated sports, and male coaches.”

She, and others, said the goal of the coalition is networking.

“We want to network with others to find out the most effective way to do things.”

Advice

We asked what these Equipment Managers would tell a young woman getting started as a Student Equipment Manager or someone who wants to make it a career.

Kathy at Westfield State said she would not discount starting small.

“I think that tone of the things I would suggest they do is to check out their local equipment room, to see what the coaches would say they need in the way of support,” she said. “It may be easy to look at a D1 program and say ‘I really want to be involved,’ but sometimes the best place to jump in is a place where you deal with more than football.”

Robin at Franklin and Marshall said staying current is important.

“I would advise her to do research, keep up her education, and be up to date with some of the trends in what is going on,” she said.

Keep At It

Tenacity is at a premium.

“Just keep at it, and stick up for yourself. There have been times that coaches didn’t speak well to me and vendors who didn’t take me seriously. You have to carry yourself with professionalism and if someone treats you condescendingly, take it up with their boss or yours.

As for Kayla, she said she hasn’t met many female equipment managers but hopes to help other young women succeed in the profession.

“I hope to become a role model for others.”

Note: Special thanks to Kayla Modahl for sharing photos of her in her equipment room with us for this story.

Standards on the way for Shoulder Pads?

July 25, 2019 By Jeff Zogg

You know how the standards for football helmets cause much gnashing of teeth and created rules in the NFL about what helmets you can and cannot wear and consternation about helmets that are not allowed anymore (read: Tom Brady and read: Adam Vinatieri) and passionate debates about what it really means to be the highest rated and how minuscule the actual difference is in the best and worst rated acceptable helmets?

Not to mention safer helmets.

Know that?

Well, get ready. The football world may be facing the same kind of rankings and testings and discussions and such, this time with shoulder pads.

Research May Start Immediately

“We are looking at the topic of shoulder pad standards,” Michael Oliver told us at Helmet Tracker. Oliver is the Executive Director and General Counsel at NOCSAE. NOCSAE is the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.

“We’ve not formally started the process, but every new standard begins with a broad survey of what is out there, what are the injuries, how frequent those injuries are.”

“We ask if there are standards in place from somewhere and what a set of standards are trying to protect.”

NOCSAE will address the issue at this weekend’s meetings in Boston. Its decision could set off a multi-year process of research, study, testing, discussion, and eventually the creation of standards for football shoulder pads.

NOCSAE Efforts

Here’s how they put it in a press release several months ago:

“NOCSAE is also considering possible criteria for a performance standard for football shoulder pads. While the most common shoulder injuries cannot be prevented by shoulder pads, limited research studies suggest shoulder pads could potentially provide a buffer to other collision dynamics. The Standards Committee voted to continue to explore both areas and consider potential criteria for safety standards.”

Oliver said some of the first steps would be to find any research related to the effectiveness of shoulder pads to prevent or reduce injuries, and to find any data about shoulder injuries in football.

“We, of course, know that football players wear shoulder pads and we think it is mandated by the organizations and leagues that run football and we think there are no standards for shoulder pads,” Oliver said. “But, we need to find out what kinds of injuries happen to the shoulder in the course of football.”

Not Necessarily the Shoulder

The focus on building a better shoulder pad and establishing standards for shoulder pads and developing tests to determine if a shoulder pad meets the standards may address several shoulder injury issues, but that may not be the most important focus.

“Coming from research for the NFL where they have done so many concussive event reconstructions, one of the things they are noticing – somewhere in the 20 percent range – is that some concussive events occur when the helmet comes into contact with the shoulder pad of the other player,” Oliver told us. “So the question has been raised: Would a shoulder pad standard affect those concussive events? We know what we require of helmets when it comes to damping concussive forces, but we don’t have anything about the shoulder pad.”

Later this fall, NOCSAE will meet with Biocore to discuss the topic. The NFL has relied on Biocore research for years to provide research, data, and consultation about equipment and safety.

NFL and the AEMA

The NFL is interested in the topic—specifically the Equipment Managers who work in the league.

These Equipment Managers have formed a group—one that requires certification by AEMA for membership, said Sam Trusner, Office Manager for the AEMA—the Athletic Equipment Managers Association, which administers the Certification Exam.

“These guys want to have one voice with the league and the players’ association,” Sam told us.

“We’ve been working with their safety committee about NOCSAE’s interest in coming up with a standard for shoulder pads,” he said.

These efforts regarding football helmets, Trusner said, have proven beneficial to players.

“I think we are getting a lot better helmets, safer helmets, now because of the standards and the testing,” he said. “I knew NOCSAE was working on the shoulder pads and it’s been interesting to see it right from the beginning.”

Material, Fit, and Design

The research, data, and testing could help determine everything from the padding used on a shoulder pad (we know some players remove as much of the padding as they can), to how it’s positioned and what it’s all made of.

“We need to not only understand the performance of the equipment, but also probably a coverage issue as well,” Oliver said. “How close to the neck should the shoulder pad come? How high should they be, how tight should they be, how should they be harnessed?”

Impact on Shoulder Pad Manufacturers

Yes, a new standard could impact how shoulder pads are made and marketed, but in the end, the whole effort is to look out for football players.

“The primary stakeholder is the athlete who should benefit from using equipment that provides an acceptable level of protection,” Oliver said. “We don’t look at sales or manufacturing, but we have to take them into account if we move toward establishing a standard that organizations will abide with.”

After all, if a league such as the NFL or a ruling body such as the NCAA adopts a standard for a specific piece of equipment, then that equipment must be available to players and teams. It does no good to establish a standard and not give manufacturers time to develop the product.

First, though, standards must be established based on research and testing, then agreed to.

Standards Not Always Adopted

NOCSAE has no authority or leverage to force any athlete to adhere to equipment standards—that’s the league’s job. When NOCSAE says a football helmet must pass certain tests to be certified by the organization, it means nothing until the NFL or the NCAA or another entity says its players must wear helmets that are NOCSAE certified.

“Someone must mandate compliance with the standards or they are just words on a page,” Oliver admits.

“A perfect example,” be beings. “Look, we have standards for lots of equipment – for helmets, soccer shin guards and a whole pile of equipment. We have a standard for ice hockey helmets—a very demanding standard that requires far more than the current standard by the high school association and the NCAA.”

“They aren’t interested in adopting our standards because they don’t want the helmet to change. We have a standard out there that would result in an ice hockey helmet that would protect far more than the one currently used, but I can’t compel anyone to adopt our standards.”

Oliver said it would be a minimum of two years before a new standard for shoulder pads is in place—that is, if the organization decided to go forward tomorrow or Saturday. There is the research, the data, the development of a testing mechanism, the detailed standards, buy-in by significant sports organizations, time for manufacturers to respond, and more.

“The first step will be to hold a six-month comment period,” Oliver told Helmet Tracker. “Anyone who wants to comment—we take all those comments and address them individually by providing a response. The Standards Committee will look at those comments and determine what to do next.”

Audits and Taxes

April 18, 2019 By Jeff Zogg

Tax month in the United States brings out the paperwork, the receipts, and the stress. Put it on the calendar – mid-April. Every. Single. Year.

Will you or won’t you get audited? Though the IRS audits well more than a million tax returns, it’s just one-half of one percent of all returns that get the second look.

Equipment Managers, though, don’t have audits normally scheduled. They can’t see them coming at them.

It’s like a pop quiz – a pop quiz / final exam combo.

“Most universities get audited,” admits Matthew Althoff, Equipment Operations Manager at the University of Virginia.

Some universities do an audit regularly—like every four years. But administrators don’t normally tip their hand at what they want to inspect.

“Every university does it differently, but they are not looking to get you in trouble. What they do what to see is if you are following policy and procedures,” Matthew said.

Inspectors may count jerseys or check other inventory. They may check certain bookkeeping or paperwork.

Internal or External Audit

Once they are completed, the internal auditors or inspectors will return a report that includes recommendations and a timeline of when improvements must be made – typically within a year.

An external audit, Matt says, is much more serious.

When the state or another governmental agency, conducts an audit, their findings may result in much more serious consequences—such as fines or penalties. If serious negligence is found, some people may lose their jobs.

“What they may do is pick random purchase orders for the year and ask for the PO, then the invoice, and then they would check the inventory,” Matt says. “And you have to show what you used, how it was used, and who used it.”

Preparation for an Audit

How do you prepare?

“It’s what you’ve been doing throughout the year,” Matt says. “Have your paperwork done and complete. Documentation is important—such as your purchase orders and invoices, and all that.”

How to do it?

Organized files. Everything written down. Everything accounted for. No shortcuts.

“Everybody hates the paperwork – but that is what they are looking for,” Matt says.

The bigger the school, the more equipment, the more apparel, the more paperwork, and the more frequent audits.

Taxation Issues

Lately, the big question about audits is how the new tax situation impacts equipment rooms. Now, coaches are taxed for the apparel they are provided. So, it’s up to the Equipment Manager to report what goes to the coaches and what it’s worth.

When we started asking around about the apparel tax issue, one name kept coming up – Chuck Hall at the University of Louisville.

“This situation is going to impact everyone,” said Chuck, Director of Equipment Operations at Louisville. “What is happening is that programs are signing with these huge sponsors, such as Nike and Under Armor. These are huge numbers and the big contract comes in and the IRS comes in and says they want their portion.”

Taxing Coaches’ Gear

So, coaches and staff now get taxed on gear. It’s treated as extra income and no one particularly likes it, but that doesn’t matter.

Some coaches take in thousands of dollars of apparel in a month. The tax on that kind of benefit is going to significantly impact that month’s paycheck. The equipment staff must be able to work with payroll, the accountants, and the finance department to get it right.

Athletes are not taxed for their equipment and apparel (but there are other rules to be aware of, of course).

“I created an inventory system here that helped create a taxing system. That report goes to our payroll department every month, then every quarter we get spot checks to ensure we are reporting everything.”

Questions remain about whether coaches' game day wear should be taxed. As more programs are audited, the answer will become less fuzzy. As for Louisville, Chuck has his marching orders.

“Some don’t tax game day stuff. We were told we had to, so we do,” he said.

Equipment Managing Changing

Chuck says the job has changed dramatically.

“Your equipment background is what you learn through the course of time,” he said. “Now you’ve got to know some accounting, finance—a lot of numbers, a lot of sitting in front a computer.”

Equipment Managers must be able to put together and keep a budget maintained. Then, they need to keep an inventory system that shows what you have, where it came from, and where it went or where it is.

The Louisville staff implemented a new inventory system and budget system a few years back when Chuck was hired after an audit and follow-up checkups found systems lacking.

A year ago, in February 2018, systems where checked again and the department was audited.

“We passed.”

Should You Fear an Audit?

Does it scare you? Does it make you frightened of an audit?

It shouldn’t, Chuck counsels.

“One of the big things I remind our staff is that we aren’t going to get in trouble if we are off a little. I remind them that the report will be published and we will need to respond to what we can do better.”

One advantage of undergoing such scrutiny is that the Equipment budget can grow. When Equipment Managers or Directors request funds for more people, software, and other equipment to do the job, some administrations can be slow to respond.

But when an audit shows the millions of dollars of apparel that run through the equipment room and the requirements of the job, suddenly funding comes through.

Some schools are implementing new systems and reporting the gear, others are taking a wait and see approach. Those who aren’t moving along must be wary of an audit and the possible fines, or worse, that will come eventually.

This tax situation isn’t going anywhere, Chuck said. “Everyone will have to do this.”

“Uncle Sam wants his portion.”