At ‘Iolani, seeing a star athlete walking the halls is not an unusual sight, but do you ever wonder who makes their games run smoothly behind the scenes? This is from the help of team managers.
Not every sport may have a team manager, but for the Fall season the Varsity Football and Varsity Boys’ Water Polo teams are lucky enough to have team managers behind the lines. For each sport, team managers don’t have set jobs to complete, their agendas are all dependent on the coaches needs. Each manager’s story may be different: if a student transfers schools and tries out for a team they will be labeled as a manager but will actually be a full participant that won’t play because of the ILH transfer rules. Coach Mo explains “So oftentimes managers are people who enjoy it and want to do it and love the community of it, but maybe it’s not their sport. Maybe it’s the other gender of their sport.” But on the other hand there are managers that love the game but chose not to play or maybe they didn’t make the team; these managers would be listed as a manager but not a participant. This means only the students that transfer will get PE credit for being a manager.
One of `Iolani’s most prominent sports, football, has Kathrine S. ’26 on the sideline as their team manager. From being a water girl last year, Katherine moved up the ranks, taking over the previous manager Jordan T.’s ’25 spot. After Jordan graduated, Katherine was invited to move up into the spot of team manager.
When discussing her role in Varsity Football, Sur said “I definitely make their responsibilities easier.” During games Katherine will have jobs like passing out balls and getting the tee for the kicker. While many think team managers are just water boys, they do much more than what meets the eye. “I also help the training room, so we don’t have to load everything into the cart and then take it to the field.” Katherine explains how many team managers do not have one designated job. Often managers have a general job to help the coach with anything they need with their jobs changing from game to game and to the coaches needs. Whether it is a home game or an away game, their job is constantly changing to the confines of the game.
The only other spring sport fortunate enough to have multiple team managers is the Varsity Boys’ Water Polo team. Keani I. ’28 and Zoe O. ’28 are the ones on the bench and at practice keeping every play running smoothly. Their journey as team managers started from hearing about upperclassmen being managers and asking the head coach about being managers to actually becoming ones. As a manager of water polo, they may do much more than you think, from scrimmaging with intermediate to cheering them on from the bench. Keani ’28 says that they help boost morale amongst the team, explaining “We’re the loudest people on the bench.” In the end managers play a vital role in supporting the team and getting them to victory.
