Week Five: Job Shadowing

     As we enter week five of our project, Christina and I were presented with the opportunity to job shadow. While we both always seem to be at a game, there are not many times we are able to attend a tournament without being expected to play. This weekend, we attended the Club West Spring Bash and also came into the Ethos facility in Nashville to watch how coaches prepared for practice. To prepare we interviewed a club director and coach, and below we transcribe our interview!

Troy Helton
Club Director
By: Christina Stacy

When you are looking to enter a tournament, what are the steps you take?
     There are a lot of steps. First we look at location, do we want to stay local or do we want to travel? After finding a city, we look at the dates of the tournament. We keep a master calendar in our office, so we often use that when scheduling anything. Next, we look at the entry costs. If you have a team with 6 kids, and the fee is $400, thats charging kids over $65. We try to keep 8-10 girls on a team and budget around $50 per player. Last, we call the tournament director and enter the teams in their designated age group.

If you are working on the first tournament, what is on the calendar that you plan around?
     Every year our club hosts a tournament ourselves. So typically that is the only thing we plan around. Other factors include scorekeeping clinics, skill clinics, and in-club competition, but those typically are scheduled in December, before the actual tournament season starts.

You mentioned hosting your own tournament. Can you tell us a little about what goes into that?
      In April, we host a tournament open to anyone. We began planning in October by booking a venue, scheduling refs, choosing age brackets, and finding sponsors. Throughout November, up until January, coaches will call and register their teams to play. Brackets filled up quickly this year, we were even turning some teams away.

What are the benefits of hosting your own tournament?
     Most of the benefit is going to be the profit we make off it. Entry fee, concessions, t-shirts, admission, it all begins to add up at a point. The only other benefit for the club is exposure. Other than that, it is just a way to get more time on the court. It is all about the kids, after all.

Ashleigh Sympson
6 Year Coach
By: Claira Tracy

So on Wednesdays, you are in charge. Can you take us through what you do to open up the gym?
      First, I open up the gate so people can get in. Then, we come into the building, go to the office and follow this sheet that is taped to the wall. It is basically all housekeeping, restocking bathrooms, sweeping courts, turning on fans/heaters, stuff like that.

Do you do anything to prepare for practice?
     As a coach, the only real responsibility we have is to print our the practice plans Coach Helton e-mails to us. The only thing I do is I like to warm up with my girls. It helps me get in the same mind-set I expect them to be in.

Besides running and operating drills, what else do you do?
     The only other job I have has to do with Black Jersey. Black Jersey is the MVP of the month that is voted by the team. After every practice, girls vote for two players who worked the hardest. I tally the votes and announce the winner at the end of each month.

     We were able to gain insight as to how to enter a tournament and what criteria it has to meet. In addition, by interviewing Coach Ashleigh, we were able to learn what the daily routine of a coach is. We also were able to take one step further, and witness it first hand by being at the tournament and practice. Overall, it was a great experience and Christina and I are very thankful for all the help!

Helton, Troy. "Tournament Preparation." Personal interview. 9 Apr. 2016.

Sympson, Ashleigh. "Practice Preparation." Personal interview. 9 Apr. 2016.