• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Helmet Tracker

Inventory management platform for all sports

  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Pricing
  • Resources
    • FAQs
    • Order NOCSAE RFID Tags
    • Order HTE RFID Tags
    • AEMA Certification Scholarship Application
  • Sign In
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Blog

Helmet Reconditioning and March Madness

March 3, 2020 By Jeff Zogg

Nick Watson, Director of Equipment Operations, Illinois State University

It used to be that in the life of an equipment manager there were months of rest.

No longer.

Helmet Reconditioning

March brings Spring football, helmet reconditioning, plus all the Spring sports are in full swing— baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, track and field and more.

Nick Watson, the equipment manager at Illinois State University, also reminds us that winter sports aren’t quite completed.

Even swimming and diving continue to roll.

Nick has two assistants and about 10 student managers, so he doesn’t have to get elbow-deep in sports outside of football. Still, running the program and making sure everyone is heading in the right direction takes time and effort.

“There is always, to be sure, things to do,” Nick told Helmet Tracker on the eve of March. “Inevitably things we put away after the football season can’t be found where they’re suppose to be. There are new drills and equipment the coaches want.”

For an equipment manager, March is as busy as any off-season month. Spring football begins the last Saturday of the month and Nick has to have everything ready.

Nick ordered new helmets and shoulder pads to take advantage of early-bird specials, and this new equipment is coming in—along with the new players—transfers and the occasional walk-on.
“We’ve got to get all those guys outfitted with jerseys, practice clothes, lifting clothes, and workout stuff.”

New Helmets

Come summertime, ISU will have 115 or so guys working to get ready for the season. Because seniors are allowed to purchase their own helmet before they graduate, Nick orders about 35 to 40 new helmets every year.

“It’s always busy,” he said. “The only quieter times now are in December if we don’t go deep in the playoffs, and Spring Break.”

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.”

Kenzie Obrochta, football equipment manager, is a candidate for our AEMA Certification Exam Scholarship.

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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.

“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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.
Mackenzie Rivers, Assistant Director of Equipment Services at UConn.

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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.

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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.
Mackenzie Rivers, Assistant Director of Equipment Services, University of Connecticut.

“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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.
Kayla Modahl, Western North Carolina Assistant Equipment Manager

“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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.

“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.

Read about female Equipment Managers and their beginnings, the struggle to advance, and the status of the profession for women.

“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.

Kayla Modahl, Assistant Equipment Manager, Eastern Carolina

“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.

Kenzie Obrochta, football equipment manager, is a candidate for our AEMA Certification Exam Scholarship.
Kenzie Obrachta, Football Equipment Manager

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?

This stock image has been used on the home page of the AEMA website for years.

“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.”

Molly Hart one of several Equipment Managers to serve in an African orphanage with Managers On A Mission
Molly Hart, Notre Dame student Equipment Manager.

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.

Share
Tweet
0 Shares

Lopers the Helmet Bowl III National Champion!

January 13, 2020 By Jeff Zogg

The Nebraska Kearney Lopers outdistanced the Louisville Cardinals to claim the Helmet Bowl III National Championship.

Congratulations to the Lopers!

The Lopers, the only college football team named after antelopes, become the first DII Helmet Bowl Champions and the first non-DIII Champions of Helmet Bowl. They defeated the Cardinals by a percentage score of 67 to 33 percent to claim the trophy.

Lopers Triumphant

“The news this week that we were in the championship spread like wildfire,” said Tanner Drews, the Loper's Equipment Manager.

“The local news helped us out, then the alumni started hearing about it,” he said. “It's pretty cool when you come from small school like this and now live in California or the East Coast and hear about Nebraska Kearney. They jumped on board.

“I've got a lot of thank yous to hand out to everyone here in Kearney, too” he said. “It just goes to show that the support of your fans and community really does matter.”

Students at UNK returned for classes today and there was excitement on campus.

“They were coming in for the first day back and they were amazed!” Tanner said.

In the end, the Lopers gathered about twice the votes during championship week than the Helmet Bowl II Champion Dickinson Red Devils, but about half as many as the Helmet Bowl I Champion Gallaudet Bison.

Louisville

Louisville GA Equipment Manager Joe Mikesic said he had a blast in Helmet Bowl.

“It was a lot of fun getting to represent Louisville and see us go that far. The contest is a lot of fun and I think it gives smaller schools like UNK a way to get their name out there,” he said.

“Don’t be surprised, though, if you see us in the finals again next year!”

HB 3 Trophy

The Helmet Bowl III National Championship trophy is presented by Schutt Sports, a leading manufacturer of football helmets in North America. Schutt also provided the Helmet Bowl II trophy and the HB2 and HB3 Conference Championship trophy helmets as well.

Visitors to the American Football Coaches Association convention in Nashville can view the trophy at the Helmet Tracker booth, #523.

Loper's Route to Win

First, the Lopers defeated the Northeastern State RiverHawks in the Mid-America Intercollegiate semi-final. Then, they surprised the conference by beating the Central Missouri Mules – but just by two votes.

The Lopers were on no-one's radar. They barely squeezed into the National Championship bracket of 64, being seeded as #11 in the West.

When they beat the DI Wyoming Cowboys helmet (#6 Seed) it was a nice win for a little school on the prairie. The Dakota Wesleyan Tigers put up a fairly bland helmet and were dismissed. We knew what was next – the fan-favorite UT Permian Basin Falcons.

This was Round 3, when teams start to get serious about making a deep run in Helmet Bowl. The Falcons had been here before and had a great image this year. But the Lopers beat them by more than 100 votes. and were gaining traction.

Hmmm. Who were these guys? The Loper's voting numbers were healthy, but not spectacular. They next faced the Kansas State Wildcats for the West Regional title. K-State seemed poised to finally break into the Fabulous Four and exchanged the lead with the Lopers nearly daily. In the end, the Lopers gathered 7 more votes than the Wildcats and advanced.

Next, most thought, was the end of the road. The HB1 National Champion Gallaudet Bison awaited and after having been beat early in HB2, and were eager to reclaim the top spot.

Gallaudet scratched back from an early deficit and took the lead late in the semi-final week. Once Nebraska Kearney heard of it, though, they would have nothing to do with losing. It was just a matter of hours, maybe even minutes, until the Lopers regained the lead. They would not relinquish.

Then, onto the Championship.

Tanner, the Loper's Equipment Manager, said he and AD Marc Bauer had some new strategies to try during the Helmet Bowl III National Championship week and they jumped out ahead of Louisville immediately.

“I am proud and thankful for the outpouring and support of the Loper community and our faithful fans,” said AD Marc Bauer. “It took a team effort to come out on top in the voting. It was our first time competing in the Helmet Bowl, and we look forward to being back next year.

“Helmets are cool! Go Lopers!”

The Lopers grew the lead daily until they had doubled up the Cardinals. Then, they brought in more votes. In the end, the Lopers gathered about twice the votes during championship week than the Helmet Bowl II champion Dickinson Red Devils, but not nearly as many as the Helmet Bowl I champion Gallaudet Bison.

What will Helmet Bowl IV have in store?

Lopers vs Cardinals: The Helmet Bowl III National Championship Finals

January 7, 2020 By Jeff Zogg

Here we are.

After three months of voting, thousands of voters, and hundreds of thousands of votes, we come to the finals. A DI school versus a DII school.

The Louisville Cardinals versus the Nebraska Kearney Lopers.

Which one won a bowl game this year? Do you know?

We’ll get to the answer below.

First though, the Semi-finals.

Semi-Finals

Louisville and Dickinson traded blows throughout the week. It seemed like every time we looked at the percentages, they would flip-flop. When we looked closer at the data, the Red Devils were 150 votes ahead. A day later we’d look and the Cardinals would be 140 in front.

December 31, Dickinson was in the lead by six percentage points. Same stat the next day. It back and forth, then suddenly on Saturday, Louisville was ahead by two percentage points—and in this case, not even 200 votes. By Sunday, the Red Devils were back on top. Then, early on Monday morning, the teams were knotted up. Louisville soon took the lead, and held it through the Semi-Final.

Amazing!

Meanwhile, the Gallaudet Bison showed determination to once again appear in the Helmet Bowl National Championship. They won the whole enchilada in HB1 and were a great champion. They wanted a return trip and the votes started piling up.

Whoa. By the first of the year, Nebraska Kearney had taken the lead away from the Bison.

Everyone expected Gallaudet to fight. And fight they did.

It took a couple of days and we watched as the Bison reeled in the Lopers. It was mesmerizing. Little by little, they plodded along, racking up votes a little bit faster than UNK. Then Friday, they were ahead. It was only a seven vote lead, but they were out front!

A day later, the Lopers had regained the lead and built a 200 vote cushion! They would not relent.

By Monday morning, it would take a herculean effort to catch them. The Bison were known for their amazing comebacks, so we were ready to watch it happen. It just didn’t this year.

Fallen Champion

By noon Monday, both former Champions had fallen.

The Dickinson Red Devils were a great champions. They represented well. We expect to see them back in the hunt in Helmet Bowl IV.

The Gallaudet Bison wore the mantel of the First Helmet Bowl National Champion with pride. We know they’ll be back and itching to hoist the trophy again.

Trophy

Speaking of the trophy, Schutt Sports has once again agreed to provide the Helmet Bowl National Championship trophy helmet. We understand it will be shipped sometime this week and may arrive before Monday.

Thank you to the good folks at Schutt!

Bowl Winner

Which of the National Championship match teams won a bowl game this year?

Trick question – they both did.

Louisville won the Music City Bowl over Mississippi State (another great Helmet Bowl team).

Nebraska Kearney won the Mineral Water Bowl over the Winona State Warriors.

This little public school out on the prairie schools with about 6,300 students takes on Louisville which holds classes for 22,600. It’s quite a matchup.

Lopers

The Lopers had a great football season, their first winning season in quite some time. A Helmet Bowl National Championship would fit right into their rebuilding efforts.

“We’ve got big things planned for this week,” said Marc Bauer, the Athletic Director at UNK.

Marc knows how to win. As a collegiate wrestling coach, his wrestlers have hoisted individual and team national championships. Marc has escorted his wrestlers to the Olympic games and saw one of his men bow to receive a bronze medal in Rio.

Tanner Drews, UNK Loper Equipment Manager

“A couple of months ago I was walking down the hall and Tanner (Tanner Drews, the Loper’s Equipment Manager) pulls me into the equipment room and shows me this gold Loper head on a helmet. He was so excited about this helmet.”

It was later Marc learned about Helmet Bowl.

Nearly Disappeared

In fact, the Lopers almost missed the dance. Truth be told, they won the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association by just two votes, but only drew 28.

Yes, 28 votes. The lackluster effort barely got them into the Championship bracket and they were seeded 11th. It could have been much lower.

In the first week of the Helmet Bowl III National Championship, the Lopers increased their previous voting best by a factor of 23. TWENTY-THREE times the number of votes!

How?

“Tanner is the guy behind the effort,” Marc tells us. “He was sending out Tweets all the time. I was excited for him because he was excited about Helmet Bowl and is excited to be promoting UNK Athletics.”

“Helmet Bowl has been a lot of fun,” said Tanner Drews, the Loper Equipment Manager for three years.

“I have a brand new Twitter account for the equipment room and Helmet Bowl has been a lot of our content,” he said, though the staff cares for the needs of 14 sports at UNK.

Tanner says the only other school in the country with the Antelope is Grand Canyon U, which does not have football.

“Our area around here is known for the Sandhill Crane migration so some people ask if our helmet is a representation of a crane or something.”

Tanner's staff switched the decal from white to gold during the football season and let us know. We at Helmet Tracker switched it on Helmet Bowl and it was at the right time. The votes started rolling in.

Tanner's uncle got him interested in being an Equipment Manager. Jeff Parsons worked in the Kansas State equipment room, then eventually for the Washington Redskins.

The athletes who vote and the community support has been the key.

“I was tweeting out and this community just caught onto it,” he said. Kearney is about 25,000 people. Some of the town's bars are encouraging patrons to vote, and have requested helmets to showcase.

In early finals voting, the Lopers took a lead into the first evening.

Then, when Louisville submitted a new helmet, the Lopers followed up a couple of hours later.

“It’s awesome. We are a small, rural Nebraska school and although the odds will be stacked against us, we have some things lined up that may give us a chance,” Marc said.

Louisville Cardinals

For only the second time in Helmet Bowl, a DI school vies for the National Championship.

“Of course I've heard of Nebraska Kearney,” Joe Mikesic, one of two Cardinals GA Equipment Managers.

The Cards won the ACC and rolled through the rounds of the Helmet Bowl III National Championship until they faced Dickinson.

“It's been a lot of fun,” Joe said. He grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, caught the equipment care bug, and worked for the KU equipment staff for five years before being accepted at Louisville where he is working on his masters degree.

Joe has championed the Helmet Bowl effort at Louisville.

“My first day on the job last summer they handed me the keys to the Twitter account and said ‘Go!'”

“Once you guys notified us we won the conference, I started really getting the word out,” Joe said. “I can't say enough about how great our fans are. Every time I tweeted, you could almost see the percentages jump!”

Now, the Cardinals have submitted a new image for the finals!

Ed Connell, Associate Director/Equipment Operations for the Cardinals, said the fan interest and support for Louisville football has grown in recent years and continue to climb.

“Fans don't want an offseason,” he said. Helmet Bowl gives fans a way to support the team.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 27
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Sign up here to receive Helmet Tracker blog updates. We'll automatically send them to your inbox everytime we post something new. It's free.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Articles

  • Helmet Reconditioning
  • How to win the Helmet Bowl National Championship
  • Top 10 Strategies to Win the Helmet Bowl Championship
  • Josh Meyer joins Helmet Tracker
  • Equipment Manager Job Openings

Helmet Tracker Twitter

Contact Us

Helmet Tracker LLC.
15007B W. 95th Street
Lenexa, KS 66215
(855) 435-6388
Sales@HelmetTracker.com

About Us

Helmet Tracker is a sports equipment technology and logistics company that offers a comprehensive set of software application services and technology solutions for the sports equipment industry.



Learn More
Helmet Tracker LLC.,
15007 B W 95th Street Lenexa, KS 66215
(855) 435-6388
Sales@HelmetTracker.com

Made in Kansas -- Copyright © 2023 Helmet Tracker LLC. All rights reserved.

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Order NOCSAE RFID Labels
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions