A look at the life of a student manager

It’s not unusual for Kayden Calder to be the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave.

But Calder is not a student-athlete. He is one of the managers for the Utah State basketball team.

The managers do whatever the coach needs them to do to help the team, Calder said.

“Basically anything from doing laundry to setting up for practice,” he said.

Connor Garner is another manager on the basketball team with Calder. He said that a manager does whatever the team needs.

“If someone needs a better pair of shoes, we go up to their locker and get it,” Garner said “We do the clock, clean up sweat spots on the floor while we’re there. You know, all that little stuff.”

Managers for all school sports put in a lot of time but aren’t usually noticed for what they do.

“It’s a lot of the gritty work that people don’t really think about, like ‘Who does that? Who does that?’” said Nico Bronzati, one of the managers of the football team. “It’s usually us. … It’s kind of all the behind the scenes stuff that a lot of people don’t realize.”

Not only do the managers help with practice and do laundry, but they also work during the games.

“Game days are long,” Bronzati said.

Garner agreed.

“During the games we’ll do whatever they need us to do: towels, water, make sure that the guys that are on the bench are taken care of,” he said.

Because the managers are students, they still have to find the time to complete their schoolwork while fulfilling their responsibilities as managers.

“It’s pretty tough because it’s the same as the guys [on the team],” Calder said. “We travel with them and everything. We have that same load where we have to keep on our grades because we’re on scholarship as well, so we have to maintain all that.”

Calder’s sister, Shani Calder, is the manager of the volleyball team and said she feels similar pressures.

“It’s really hard with school, but it’s worth it I think,” Shani said.

In order to aid the coaches and players, the managers often put in extra work that goes unseen by people outside the team.

A lot of times the basketball managers stay late after practice to rebound for the players who want to practice shooting, Kayden said.

The football managers come early to practice so they are ready to help with whatever the coach needs, Bronzati said.

“We have to be here by 5 a.m. because practice starts at 6 a.m., but coach hasn’t decided whether he wants practice indoor or on the field yet,” he said. “So we have to be here extra early and then when we get the call, we have to set up.”

The managers agreed that traveling with the team is difficult because of the time commitment but is also one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.

Being able to see all of the different basketball environments in the Mountain West Conference was a great experience, Kayden said.

“I mean, you go from the Pit to San Diego,” he said. “There’s great places everywhere. So that was probably one of my favorite things about it was just feeling all the different environments.”

Bronzati also enjoys the travel aspect and being a part of the team.

“The BYU game last year was pretty cool,” Bronzati said. “And then just to see how all the coaches react and how all the players react as it happened, you know, and the locker room after is always something special.”

According to both Calders, the job is a grind, but it’s also a lot of fun.

“I think it’s definitely worth it,” Shani said. “You know, you do miss a little school, but you learn a ton doing it, and it’s helped me a lot.”

— thomas.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu

Twitter: @tomcat340