University of Minnesota Athletics
Behind the Scenes: The Women's Basketball Team Managers
11/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The answer is quite simple actually. When things are going smoothly, they are both seemingly invisible. When either a team of officials or a team of student managers is at the top of their game, no one notices them and complete focus is on the play on the hardwood. That, in an odd way, is their highest form of compliment.
Very much like a team where the coaches spend countless hours preparing their players for a season of competition, the Golden Gopher student managers get put through their paces as well, learning, practicing and prepping for their duties with the final goal of securing that undefined level of invisibility.
The Golden Gopher women’s basketball program has a dedicated and talented group of seven student managers this season. They vary in their backgrounds, interests and personalities, yet to an individual, each will tell you they are managers for neither the glory nor the monetary reward. They enjoy being part of the team and take their responsibilities behind the scenes, in total obscurity, very seriously.
Seniors Brynn Hanken and Rachel Larson are the seasoned veterans of the group. They have mastered the invisibility factor so well that likely the only time you might notice them is when they truly are not there. This duo keeps the Gopher ship on course, while also keeping an eye out for the future to make sure the course is adhered to once they are gone and graduated. Just how dedicated are they? Both will graduate in December but neither would even think of leaving the program in mid-season.
Hanken, a Grand Meadow, Minn., native, is in her fourth season with the Gophers and possesses the desirable asset of paying attention to even the tiniest detail. She has accepted the task of documenting the specific duties of the managers, day in and day out. Call it a training manual if you will, helpful in the present and especially so in the future. Brynn also oversees the huge responsibility of handling many of the team meals, especially ones on the road. As you can imagine, food, in the athletes’ eyes is of utmost importance.
“Being a manager has given me a sense of identity, of being a part of a team,” said Hanken. “My best college memories are from basketball. One of my favorite memories is the NCAA Sweet 16 trip to Arizona in 2005. It was one of my first times getting to travel. It was a great bonding experience for me.”
Larson, from Brooklyn Park, Minn., is kind of the mother hen of the Gopher managers. She has a knack for building chemistry among the managers, doing so by arranging dinners and outings aimed at giving the managers a sense of family. Rachel, a fanatic of the video game Guitar Hero, uses her vast knowledge of college basketball to find ways to improve the effectiveness of her team of managers.
“The best part of being a manager is just being able to be around the game, the players and coaches,” Larson said. “You get to see the inside of what it’s like to be a Division I athlete without doing all the hard work, like the running, for instance. The worst might be getting up for those early-morning preseason workouts and doing laundry.”
Laundry duty might have slipped to the bottom of Larson’s list as recently as last week when a power outage on campus locked the managers out of Williams Arena upon return from Northern Iowa at 1 a.m. Rachel ended up with the bags of dirty laundry in her car overnight. Let’s just say her car was in dire need of an air freshener come the next day.
Brynn and Rachel are charged with preparing their younger counterparts for stepping into their shoes next year.
“Each year we get a few newbies,” added Rachel. “It’s our responsibility to show them what we do so that when we leave, the team is left in capable hands and the high standards are continued.”
“Brynn and Rachel are really the cornerstones of our team of managers,” said Abby Kalland, who as the Gophers’ director of operations and oversees the managers. “Because they have been here for a number of years, they understand the big picture, all the things from the smallest details that need to be taken care of to the over-arching objectives through practices and throughout the season.”
Two other junior managers, Amanda Belz of Pelican Rapids, Minn. and Alyssa Knese of Sauk Rapids, Minn., are in line to step into leadership roles next season. They were recently put to the test when Kalland gave Rachel and Brynn a week off from practice. The objective was to give the two juniors the chance to step up and take charge, an exhibition game if you will, though preparing a season a year away.
“It was a challenge I enjoyed, stepping up, becoming a leader,” said Amanda, who lists the gym time, the relationships and the traveling as her favorite aspects of being a team manager. ”I take this seriously and think that by doing a good job myself, the newbies can look up to me, too.
“Being a manager for this team has been a great experience for me,” she added. “To have two people like Brynn and Rachel that I can learn from has been great. They are mentors on and off the court.”
The time commitment of being an athlete is well documented. Team managers must accept that level of responsibility and commitment as well.
“I look forward to being here every single day whether I’m on the floor, the clock, taking stats during drills or video taping,” said Alysa. “I love every part of being a manager. Sometimes I think I’m living vicariously through the players. I love the sport and having always loved playing it.”
Managers often do come to the Gophers after playing in high school and searching for a place to remain in the game, so to speak, and be a part of a team.
Emily Benson, a junior from Orono, Minn., was a walk-on player for the Gophers a year ago. Injuries forced her to the sidelines and she unfortunately never saw playing time in any games, so this season she was asked to remain part of the team by becoming a team manager.
“I didn’t realize how much these guys did,” said Benson. “I knew they contributed to the program, but now seeing it from the inside, it’s crazy how much they have to do and I respect them so much more for it. I appreciate what they do and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The “newbies” of the Gopher managers this season are Emily Oberlander and Kelly Taylor. They are only months into their college careers both as a student and a manager.
Emily comes to the Gophers from St. Anthony, Minn. “My favorite part of being a manager is hanging out with the team and helping them be successful in any way that I can. I love being a part of the Gopher family.”
A native of Morristown, New Jersey, Kelly is the only non-Minnesota native among the managers this season.
“Going to college far from home, it’s nice to have a group of people I see everyday and they have become like a family to me,” said Kelly. “It’s going well. I have learned how much work goes into a collegiate program both on and off the court. It’s been challenging for me to learn all the drills we help with on the court. We need to be able to look at the practice schedule and know where we need to be and what equipment we need when and where. Overall, the players are a great group. It’s just fun being around them.”
Though the managers try to be invisible, players and coaches do notice.
“We are truly fortunate to be blessed with such great managers,” said senior Leslie Knight, one of the Gopher team captains this season. “They would do anything for any of us players. I am sure there is a ton of other stuff that they do that I don't even realize.”
"Our team managers play an important role for our program,” added Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. “They do so much for our players and coaching staff that too often goes completely unnoticed. They are a wonderfully dedicated group. We don't tell them enough how much they are appreciated, but they certainly deserve a huge thank you."
Story written by Becky Bohm
