On any given weekday, sophomore Catherine Martin has a full schedule of classes as well as a three-hour tennis practice. Instead of taking the rest of her day to relax, she rushes to a basketball game to work for Terrier Vision, which is Wofford’s medium for streaming athletic events. In addition, Terrier Vision conducts interviews with coaches and players of all sports and keeps the Wofford community up to date on what goes on in athletics.Martin specifically works with the basketball teams and the baseball team. Her boss, Garrett Hall, explains exactly how she contributes to Terrier Vision.
“Catherine is in charge of the stream and graphics during live events. Being in charge of the stream means that she monitors our feed that is going out to make sure we are staying live, and she is also responsible for taking us to and bringing us back from commercial. At a bigger school, there would be someone remotely taking us in and out of commercial, and it would be their only job.”
However, for Martin, managing the stream is just a small part of her job. Another large responsibility she has is operating the scoreboard while athletic events are streaming. Hall says that percision in her job is vital.
She also adds how understanding her boss is about her rigorous schedule.
“Garrett understands my schedule. He is always talking about school and athletics first and how certain priorities are supposed to come before work.”
Martin also thinks that being a student-athlete has helped her be more successful at her job.
“I think that being an athlete helps me understand what I am doing a lot more considering my area of focus is in sports,” she says.
“Every day is different for Mike. Most importantly, he’s the first person that someone sees when he or she walks in. Mike sits at the front desk and greets visitors, answers the phone, helps take ticket orders, helps set up for Terrier Club events, works on Excel or does any paperwork we need him to do.”
Jones says that although he is interested in pursuing a career in physical therapy, he has gained a lot of skills from working at Wofford.
“I have gained better social skills through working with athletic administration. A lot of times I am talking to people who come in and are pretty important because they are donors to the Terrier Club. Meeting those people and making connections is really beneficial,” Jones says.
The Terrier Club is Wofford’s fundraising organization for athletics, so donors make it possible for student-athletes to secure scholarships. Like Martin, Jones says that working on campus helps because his employers recognize Wofford’s demanding schedule.
“If I have a busy week with football and a lab poster due, I can text my boss and say ‘I can’t make it today’ and as long as I get in touch, she will say, ‘Okay that’s fine. Thank you for letting me know.’”
Although student-athletes schedules do not always permit them to work, Jolly says that having a student-athlete working for her definitely has its perks.
“To have a football player, like Mike, work for us during football season is so helpful because they already know everything about their sport. If someone calls for football tickets, he already knows who the football team is playing and at what time.”
Jones explains how he applies skills he learned as a student-athlete to his job.
“Just like athletics, I have to be on time and my superiors have certain expectations of me.”
Jones and Martin are great examples of dedicated student-athletes who contribute to the Wofford community by transferring what they learn in the classroom and in practice to a professional setting.
—Tanner Kaplan
