Friday, November 06, 2009
Nemzek setup crew helps out Setup manager Kelsey Fehl keeps events running smoothly at the fieldhous
It’s that time of the year again. Footballs are flying toward the end zone and basketballs float through the air in the journey to the hoop.
One thing that is often overlooked is the setup behind all the events. Someone has to set up the ticket booth, the concession stand and the field itself. This is where Kelsey Fehl and the rest of the Nemzek setup crew come into the picture.
Fehl is the assistant coach for the MSUM Dragons softball team, but also takes on an immense responsibility of setup management for MSUM events held on campus.
There is a lot of time and effort put into preparing for an athletic event.
“For every game, I have to start ahead of time, sometimes earlier in the week,” Fehl said. “I have to hire workers, these usually include student athletes, to take on tasks such as ticket booth and snack bar.”
Fehl’s student workers allow her to accomplish everything she needs to during the day. These students accomplish tasks like washing mirrors, sweeping the fieldhouse and helping with the general operation of the facilities.
On the day of the event, Fehl sets up the booths and sound system. She also greets the visiting team and shows them to their locker room to make sure they have everything they need.
Once the game starts, the hard part is over. Half time consists of assisting with contests and the dance team. After the game, clean-up starts.
Fehl arrives to set up for games several hours before the event begins and stays for the entire day. She said that the tasks she needs to accomplish cannot always be done right away.
For Fehl, setting up and cleaning are things that are not as difficult as they used to be.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she said. “It comes naturally to me now, and it’s not so stressful anymore. We show up and get done a lot quicker now than we used to.”
Not every event is the same to set up for, so Fehl’s work keeps her on her toes.
Fehl said football is the hardest athletic event to set up for.
“There’s a lot more that goes into football events because there usually tends to be bigger crowds,” Fehl said.
With bigger crowds, more things need to get done and more people need to be hired.
“When it comes down to it, generally every event has its goods and bads and usually seems to be about the same in general setup,” Fehl said.
Fehl’s job cannot be brushed off too easily.
“It’s important that we get everything set up right by the time the whistle blows,” she said. “There are NCAA rules to follow, such as the start time for the game and player introduction. Plus, it is good to make sure that everything is set up right because it is easier for the teams and coaches. If they’re worried about helping get everything ready, it’s harder to focus on coaching and playing.”
Attending a basketball game, one may not consider the number of people or the amount of time the game they are enjoying took, but that’s the beauty of it. If no one notices the setup crew, then they have done their jobs.