As many of you know, MCPS mandates students achieve a total of 75 student service learning (SSL) hours prior to graduation. Students fulfill this requirement in various ways, but a commonly taken route is that of sports team management. Oftentimes students who enjoy sports or are familiar with a specific one manage a sports team in exchange for SSL hours, striving for that 75-hour mark or the “purple tassel” granted at 240 hours if they’re ambitious. The question is: is sports management right for you?

Each management role entails something different.

As you may imagine, the responsibilities of a manager vary from sport to sport and coach to coach. Make sure the sport you choose is right for you. B-CC senior Miranda Reed, the girls’ varsity soccer manager, plays a more active role in the girls’ soccer team than the average manager. “As a manager, I took time to still get very involved,” said Reed. “Every day I would help with the set up and takedown of practice, while also being active in drills” she followed. 

Reed attended every game and practice, doing everything she could to help the team succeed. Although Reed’s case is uncommon, it is still possible that a coach wants their manager to be extremely involved with the team. On the flip side, Junior Aurora Bosco, the co-ed wrestling manager, was asked to complete a less time-consuming role. “Each day I helped clean the wrestling mats for around fifteen minutes before practice” said Bosco “We were asked to attend matches to keep score, but we all didn’t have to attend each one” Bosco followed. The difference between working 12 hours per week and 3 to 5 hours is stark, so ensure you know what’s being asked of you before signing up. 

Managers earn more than SSL hours for their work. 

Obviously, all of the time and commitment a manager puts forth doesn’t go without paying its dividends. On the surface-level, each manager is provided with SSL credit for each hour they log. Take, for instance, Reed’s acquisition of “two hours for every practice and game” that she attended, which tallied out to over 60 hours over the year.

Reed also stated that she was “awarded a lifetime of friendships” and that it was all “definitely worthwhile.” Bosco also thought her time was worth it. She stated, “Sometimes it’s tedious, but it’s been fun to be immersed in a sport that I wouldn’t have been otherwise.” By the end of the season, Bosco earned around 30 hours and didn’t miss a beat of her outside life. She does mention that it “would be nice to earn more than 30” because her time spent calculates out to a bit more than that, but even so, the team’s “appreciation makes it all worth it”. 

Is managing right for you?

It really comes down to a matter of factors: Do you need SSL hours? Do you enjoy sports in some regard? Can you find a situation right for you? Managing comes in all shapes and sizes and finding the right fit is really the biggest factor. If you can find a sport that meets the level of commitment you’re looking for, it is absolutely worth a shot!