Is anyone here an equipment manager?

[cgrays12 0]

Hey guys, so Ive got a job coming up this fall as Equipment Manager of my post-secondary school and Im pretty stoked about it. Is anyone else/ or has anyone else worked with a team before? I played a little Jr so Im familiar with the travel and the lifestyle but Id love to hear from other guys who have been on the staff side of things.

[doublemajor 0]

Somedays it sucks. I was a equipment manager for my local high school and also the local college I went to. The nice thing is you get to try out some new gear the college I worked for went from using Bauer to warrior. I got try out stuff before the team gave them out. The cool thing is everyday you work you have new things to deal with. I sharpened a lot of skates and worked on a lot of sticks. Just have fun with it. It could payoff someday. The head equipment manager that I worked for now works for a club in Europe.

[ibeck 38]

I've been an equipment manager for 4 seasons in the Midget AAA league in Quebec (under the QMJHL). Some days are great, long travel days sometimes suck. To be a successful equipment manager you need to know your players and how your other staff like to work because you essentially work for the players as well as the coaching staff.

-Figure out who the high end guys are and who the low end guys are

-Find out who is high maintenance and who goes with the flow

-Be organized, be organized be organized

-It's always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared because that 1 time you need something and you didnt pack it, is the time you'll need it

-The sooner you can prepare for practice, home games, etc the better, dont save anything for the last minute. In this job last minute things come up more often than not.

-Become friends with the other E.M around the league, they can always help out,real battle is on the ice.

-Always bring music/sudoku/book/crosswords or something to do on the bus during roadys

-Create a checklist in your E.M room for stuff you have to have done for home games, roady games and practices so you never forget anything

-Don't let players walk all over with you. Yes you want to have some fun with them but at the end of the day the players have to respect you and the job. They don't see all the extra hours you put in before/after they get there and leave.

-Become friends with the local rink staff, they always like to help out and can help make your job easier.

-Have fun

[cgrays12 0]

Great tips fellas. Appreciate the advice. Ill be going to school while I work for them so I imagine I will be spending alot of time in the area. Definitely excited for the new experience and hopefully it opens more doors.

[hyster110 3]

make sure you develop a routine with the players so everyone know coming in what the standards you set are. i worked for a uni team and we had some general rules for the players

- all undergear after practice had to put in the card if they expected it to be washed

- game days, all the players peft their jerseys on a hanger to be collected, socks were put in one shopping cart and the undergear in the other, towels in a third. if we had to look for something they got a "team fine"

- new equipment had to be requested before they needed it (with the exception of if it broke mid practice or during a game)

- abuse of equipment was not tolerated i.e intentionally breaking sticks, visors and such

- any stakes that had to be done for the next day had to be put on the board or they were not done unless you had the extra time (for practices anyway)

one thing that was mentioned was dont let the guys walk all over you about anything. one problem we had was our head manager kept giving out sticks and other equipment to guys who were taking them home. keep a in depth inventory of all equipment you have in stock and make sure its not going missing, for example with sticks, i made a spreadsheet that was organized by player (info was stick, curve and flex) then each barcode on the sticks were recorded). this allowed us to keep an accurate tract of what was being used and what we had in stock

the last thing i can suggest is to make sure you have a routine for games and practices that you can keep to and that maximizes your efficiency. this will make preparation for games and practices that much easier and hassle free.

[ibeck 38]

One note on the routine, you have to establish this early and be firm on it, laundry takes a while to do and the players dont necessarily understand this. Practice ends at 5pm, laundry is in the bin at 5:20 latest or it doesnt get washed. If you stick to your guns, the players will figure it out quickly and won't walk all over you.

[cgrays12 0]

Routine is definitely something I want to get down ASAP. Im pretty OCD about organization and routines and stuff like that so I think that once I get used to the layout of the rink and room I should pick up on stuff pretty quick.

I played some Jrs and am a little older than the players now (24) so Im kindve hoping that my experience at that level and my age should keep most of the team in check. I understand that every team has that one or more players that are difficult to deal with but the coach has been a great guy to talk with and the important thing is I know he has my back against anyone in the room. The two reasons I applied for this is a) the teams track record (5 years in a row League Champs, and 8 of the last 10 seasons in the finals) and b) All time winningest coach in the leeague's history with nothing but good words from friends who have played for him.

[Harv 86]

Some guys will be super anal about their stuff and you'll have other guys who if their sticks came in wrong-handed they'd still try to use it.

Get ready for ''this stick has no pop left''. Take those sticks, stash them away, then once the season is over and you need to hand out summer stock you'll know where to find them.

[Davetronz 109]

Hey guys, so Ive got a job coming up this fall as Equipment Manager of my post-secondary school and Im pretty stoked about it. Is anyone else/ or has anyone else worked with a team before? I played a little Jr so Im familiar with the travel and the lifestyle but Id love to hear from other guys who have been on the staff side of things.

Awesome opportunity. I saw in another thread that you're currently working with Gus. Awesome guy and really talented at what he does. I bet you're learning a ton from him.

If you're looking for an asst. equipment manager, I'm game! LOL. I'm also wondering which school you'll be working for. I know a certain position recently opened up, so maybe you're the lucky recipient. Shoot me a PM and let me know who you'll be managing for.

[ibeck 38]

Another thing important you have to establish is that business relationship that the coaching staff has with the players. Players are more likely to be more open with E.M and come hang out in your room than coaches but at the end of the day you have to remember you're an authoritative figure just like the coaches and it's business first, friends second with the players.

[SirJW 207]

Question for managers, when the personal laundry (undergarments) is done, do you leave it in the mesh bags to make it easier to keep track of each players clothing?

What cycles, heats and detergents are used most often (undergarments, jerseyes and socks)?

[ibeck 38]

Question for managers, when the personal laundry (undergarments) is done, do you leave it in the mesh bags to make it easier to keep track of each players clothing?

What cycles, heats and detergents are used most often (undergarments, jerseyes and socks)?

I think those laundry bags are being phased out personally, I've seen a lot more teams using these (link) with a players number on them, takes up much less space than the laundry bags. You can for sure do a hole load of undergarments and socks in one shot where as the jerseys may be split up into 2-3 loads because of size and space in the machine.

http://www.laundryloops.com/prod_info.html

[SirJW 207]

Cool, thanks!

[dsjunior1388 81]

Congrats Casey, and good luck. Don't have much advice on the day to day stuff, but considering you aren't too much older than most of the kids, I'd suggest you make sure to establish your authority early. Maybe it's just my opinion but I think the smaller age gap can be a disadvantage, respect wise.

[hyster110 3]

for the laundry

jerseys were washed after every game and left to hang dry. this kept them fresh, and the air drying kept them from shrinking. washed 8 at a time in a normal household washer. soap was just regular detergent and i always used cold water

undergear was washed for sure at least every 3 days, more often if i had time to do so. after every practice and use if i didn't have the time to wash them completely i rinsed the gear to get the sweat out. this did a good job. i usually washed/rinsed the gear in two loads. and used warm water

socks - washed every so often (game socks only) but always dried them in the dryer

towels were dried nightly but since they were used after the guys were clean they were washed once a week.

this was all done in a household size washer so if you have access to bigger equipment you can do more.

[SirJW 207]

Thanks for the reply hyster.

[niXon 4]

I take it you'll be working for

Routine is definitely something I want to get down ASAP. Im pretty OCD about organization and routines and stuff like that so I think that once I get used to the layout of the rink and room I should pick up on stuff pretty quick.

I played some Jrs and am a little older than the players now (24) so Im kindve hoping that my experience at that level and my age should keep most of the team in check. I understand that every team has that one or more players that are difficult to deal with but the coach has been a great guy to talk with and the important thing is I know he has my back against anyone in the room. The two reasons I applied for this is a) the teams track record (5 years in a row League Champs, and 8 of the last 10 seasons in the finals) and b) All time winningest coach in the leeague's history with nothing but good words from friends who have played for him.

Based on this post, I'm assuming your gonna be the EQM for the Trojans?

[cgrays12 0]

I take it you'll be working for

Based on this post, I'm assuming your gonna be the EQM for the Trojans?

Well that was what it was looking like when I created the topic but they surprised me and went with an older guy. The same day though I got an email from one of the coaches of the Calgary Mustangs in the AJHL seeing if I was interested in the same position. Talk about one door closing and another opening lol

[Wildcat85 0]

i want to be an equipment manager one day. i love messing with and repairing gear. what are some things i can do now (im 16) to increase my chances of getting the job one day? i appled at total hockey when it opened but it looks like they are just hiring college kids for the summer. maybe when school starts for them i will get the job.

[ibeck 38]

I will disagree with you on the fact that laundry bags are being phased out. We sell thousands of laundry bags every year year to NHL, AHL, ECHL, and Major Junior teams. I'd bet the use of laundry bags at theae levels is in the 90+%.As far as laundry loops are concerned, many of the orders we get for them are thoae teams who use standard washing machines and not commercial machines. We are making custom sublimated laundry loops for a few teams...

I'm sure you have a better handle on the situation then I do since you make the bags. It was just a trend (the loops) that I started seeing recently.

[cgrays12 0]

i want to be an equipment manager one day. i love messing with and repairing gear. what are some things i can do now (im 16) to increase my chances of getting the job one day? i appled at total hockey when it opened but it looks like they are just hiring college kids for the summer. maybe when school starts for them i will get the job.

shop experience is key. You need to be able to sharpen quickly and make changes on the fly. Apply at your LHS as a shop worker or at a rink with a small pro shop and just get your feet wet. Your not going to get good fast, its going to take alot of practise.

[iceman8310 103]

congrats bro