Each year, sports competitions and practices, as well as the daily use of equipment in the Charles Benson Bear `39 Recreation and Athletic Center by hundreds of students for health and recreation, is supported by the efforts of the building’s equipment room –– better known as the Cage.
From the demanding daily tasks of doing laundry for Grinnell’s many sports teams to the intricacies of making sure the football team’s helmets are safe or providing comfort to referees, the staff of the Cage is always at work.
Kara Lowe, assistant athletics director for facilities, equipment and events, wrote in an email to The S&B that the Cage is currently undergoing a number of significant changes. First, she wrote that the Cage’s inventory is set to be digitized with the implementation of Teamworks software, an operating system for sports purposes. Secondly, the Cage is in the process of hiring a new full-time equipment room manager and recently hired Luke Thompson as assistant manager. Lowe herself is a recent addition to the athletics staff. She has only been working in the department since January. Part of her job includes overseeing the equipment room.
The arrival of Thompson as assistant facilities and equipment manager, brought “passion, a positive attitude and a great work ethic,” wrote Lowe. Thompson said that he brings his experience of serving three seasons as an equipment manager for the Iowa Wolves, the National Basketball Association (NBA) G League team affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also worked the same job for two seasons with the Iowa Cubs, affiliated with their Major League Baseball (MLB) counterpart the Chicago Cubs.
“I love doing the kind of dirty, gritty work behind the scenes,” said Thompson, referring to his experience managing athletic equipment and facilities. “What makes a good equipment manager is being seen but not heard.” For Thompson, this means that they do not hear athletes, students, coaches, referees or spectators complain about the condition of facilities or equipment, but nonetheless recognize the work they put into their role.
On an average day, Thompson revealed that he and his colleagues receive between 8 to 12 bins of laundry from different teams depending on which sports are in season. “There’s quite a bit going in there, but we pump it out pretty well … This is honestly the best facility I’ve ever worked in when it comes to the rolling system we have in here,” he added.
The Cage’s current staff, which Thompson supervises, includes four call-in equipment room assistants –– Jon Muller, Dave Abarr, Bruce Gertsma and Jenna Keller `24.5. A number of student assistants also work shifts between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m..
Gertsma, who is the longest-serving current member of the Cage, has over 30 years of experience in the department, working mainly on the weekends.
Gertsma began by saying that working during the weekends has its unique challenges. He said, “Unlike workdays when athletes follow fixed schedules, some weekend training sessions extend past sundown.” As a result, he and his colleagues sometimes stay late to wash, dry and prepare laundry. Furthermore, most competitions take place on weekends, during which the Cage staff works closely with Facilities Management.
Nevertheless, Gertsma expresses deep appreciation for his job, finding many aspects of it rewarding.” In general, this has been a very, very good job for 30 years.” He emphasized his unique experiences with students from different backgrounds, saying, “Working with the students has been very rewarding. I get to see a lot of people from different cultures, such as international students or even just different cultures in this country, where they’ve been, where they’ve grown and I get to understand that better.”
Reflecting on the past, he also feels grateful to have worked with Ron Cooper and Roger Bauman, both of whom worked in the Cage for over 35 years, though Bauman retired last summer. “I’ve been very lucky to work with good people here in this room and this department, too. They [Bauman and Cooper] really were the Cage,” he said.
Lastly, Gertsma shared that the Cage has a special relationship with the College’s sports teams, often feeling like being part of their successes. “We’re used to having a whole wall of thank-you cards, pictures and things like that,” he said, pointing toward a hanging “Thank you” card from the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, who both saw success at the end of their season.
Despite working full time in the Cage for only a few months, Thompson shares Gertsma’s sentiments. Having known Bauman from working in the Cage part-time last year, Thompson said, “Roger was the absolute best at his job.”
Reflecting on his relationship with student-athletes at the College, Thompson said, “Seeing athletes succeed on the field and also academically, seeing them go to the next level is my favorite part of this job.”
