A Day in the Life, Volume V

On the lawn in front of the athletic building, I encountered Pam Privasky and Elizabeth Hatfield, two Middle School colleagues, who were cooling down the best they could on this increasingly oppressive morning following a run over the cross country course.

 

Elizabeth will begin her third year coaching cross country and track, and she was giving Pam, who will join Rives Fleming and Robby Turner on the JV staff this fall, a lay of the land, which includes a 2,000-meter system of trails through the woods.

 

I didn’t know you were a runner, I said to Pam.

 

 “I ran cross country in high school,” she said, noting that she graduated from Grosse Ile High in Michigan. “When I got to college (Central Michigan University), I met an incredible group of friends, and for fun, we’d actually go and run half marathons. Then I had a family and children and that kind of derailed me off my running path. Now, I’m coming back.”

 

Finding fun in running half marathons makes perfect sense to me, I offered. What motivated you to get involved with cross country at this point?

 

“It’s getting to know kids from a different perspective,” she said. “I’m a math teacher so I’m working with kids in the classroom, and this is a great opportunity to see kids grow and motivate them and enjoy them in a different setting.”

Cross country is a lot of fun, you know? I said.

 

“I loved it in high school,” she replied. “It was one of my favorite memories.”

 

And Elizabeth is your mentor? I said. They both laughed.

 

“Maybe in running only,” Elizabeth said, “although Pam’s been running more years than I have. She’s been pretty much my mentor in the math classroom. It’s a nice little trade-off here, maybe. I’m really excited to come back and coach again. It’s been so, so awesome getting to be a part of those [cross country and track] programs at Collegiate.”

 

There’s much to like about coaching distance runners, I said.

 

“It’s just a great environment,” Elizabeth continued. “It’s exactly what Pam said. We see these kids in the math classroom during the day. I teach in the Middle School, but I coach the varsity, and it’s nice to see my 8th Graders who are now 9th Graders and get to know them through track and cross country. I’m really excited for it to start again.”

 

So how was the run today? I asked.

 

“Hot,” she said. “But good.”

 

I next encountered Assistant Athletic Director Andrew Vigne at the turf field adjacent to the athletic building.

 

What brings you out here today? I asked.

 

“We’re putting a new Hudl camera on this field that will livestream and record games,” he said. “We decided we were going to put it on the top of the tower. I was out here with Carroll [Campbell, who’s the Maintenance Supervisor] planning for that and getting our film ready so we can stream all the field hockey and girls’ lacrosse games on the Karen Doxey Field.

 

You mean “The Dox”? I replied. We’ve streamed games before. Right?

 

“In the past, we’ve had some good filmers and streaming cameras,” he said, “but there’s not much wi-fi out here so it’s been tough to get games on this campus streamed. This [the Hudl camera] will be nice because it’ll go directly to YouTube. It will be easy for parents and other people who want to watch. It’s really the kind of cool device we have in both of our gyms.”

Other than this, what’s your summer been like? I inquired.

 

“Summer is obviously a bit slower for athletics, but a big part is when July starts, we have to order everything for the whole year like uniforms, footballs, basketballs, practice gear,” he said. “We’ve done all the ordering. Now it’s coming in. We’re getting it to the right spot and getting inventories ready for sports to start up in a couple of weeks. Summer’s gone by quickly.”

 

Erin Deloye, who’s served as an athletic trainer for a little over a year, was on the sideline of “The Dox” watching a field hockey camp. More so, she was watching the weather, a necessity considering the rising temperature and dearth of clouds to block the sun. She pointed to an instrument called a wet bulb globe thermometer perched on a tripod next to the field.

 

“It’s a special thermometer that takes into account relative humidity, ambient air temperature, wind, and solar radiation,” she explained. “It gives us a number, and we get guidelines to the coaches about whether it’s safe to be outside or how many water breaks the kids need to reduce the risk of heat illness. There’re also storms on the radar, so I’m monitoring for them as well.

 

So the trainer’s role is more than treating injuries? I said.

 

 “Yeah, definitely,” Erin replied. “We do a lot of things to minimize heat illness in the summer and preseason and in the fall and spring because it’s pretty hot here for a good amount of time. And we do a lot of pre-hab — preventative rehab — with athletes after an injury, and we continue it once they’re fully healed to keep their strength up and prevent another injury from happening.”

 

What makes this enjoyable for you? I asked.

 

“I love being with the kids,” she said.  “They always bring a smile to my face. The coaches and the staff are amazing. We have a good chunk of admin stuff we have to do — desk work, you might say — but for the most part we’re out and about with people and outside and watching sports. That’s what I love. It’s awesome.”

  ~Weldon Bradshaw