August 18, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
When Rocky Long decided his Lobos would practice at 6 a.m., it affected more than just the football players
By Greg Archuleta, Journal Staff WriterOf those who take part in University of New Mexico football coach Rocky Long's grueling, 6 a.m. practices, the players might have it the easiest.
Most of the bleary-eyed Lobos wander into the Tow Diehm Complex between 5-5:15 a.m. for the first of two-a-day practices in trance-like fashion.
By that time, however, some two dozen Lobo trainers and equipment personnel — collectively in a much more cheerful disposition — already have been setting up for football practice for up to an hour prior to the players' arrival.
"It's two-a-days for us, too," UNM equipment manager Rudy Garcia says. "We have to prepare just like the players and coaches."
Garcia, in his 36th year working the UNM equipment room and the last 18 as manager, and 14th-year head trainer Dave Binder oversee the practice setup. The operation is as smooth as silk sheets.
"If you don't have the kind of organization we have in our training room with Dave or the equipment room with Rudy, practice looks unorganized," Long says. "You don't get near as much done, and you're not near as effective. Even the intensity goes down because things aren't working like clockwork.
"We've got two of the best in the business, so I don't have to worry about that stuff at all."
Rise and shine
Garcia is the first to arrive, no later than 4 a.m.
"I try to beat everybody here, even coaches," he says. "That gives me a moment to focus on taking care of these guys. I want to make sure these guys are ready to go when they come in so they don't have to wait on me."
Garcia says he usually does the most of his work— laundry, helmet and shoulder-pad repair — the night before.
Assistant manager Jacque May and the rest of the equipment staff report between 4-4:30 a.m. Garcia and May work inside with players uniforms and equipment while dispatching another dozen student handlers to the indoor practice facility and furnish it with the appropriate blocking sleds, pads and other equipment..
"I am not a morning person!" senior Christa Redmond says. "Usually, I fall asleep at 3 in the morning, but for these practices, I've gotta make myself fall asleep."
Garcia assigns one student to each Lobo assistant coach so that each coach has the equipment he wants available for practice,
"Depending on what every coach needs and what each coach basically does every day, it takes about an hour to set up," says Redmond, who works with offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin. "Sometimes they need special things, so it takes a little bit longer. It's hard sometimes; my coach doesn't get here when I do and I'm like, 'What do you need? Oh, my God!' So I'm running back and forth, trying to figure it out."
When practice is set up, the students have about 15 minutes to themselves before the players file in the indoor facility.
Redmond and fellow senior Joe Anders primarily coordinate practice, getting with coaches just before practice starts to go over the daily schedule. They then get the other students organized in terms of where to go, with what equipment and when.
Practice ends about 8:30 a.m., after players who stay after for extra individual work leave the field. The equipment people put everything away by 11, then are required to return at 3 p.m. to start the night practice setup. Most are back by 2:30 p.m. and stay until 10.
"The first couple of times, it's hard," Anders says. "You get used to it, though."
Tale of the tape
Binder arrives at UNM no later than 4:30, along with assistant Bob Waller. They set out bananas and breakfast bars for the players to nosh upon their arrival.
Binder has eight trainers, about 50-50 graduate assistants and students, report at 5 a.m. when the training room officially opens to the players.
Lobo Glover Quin avoids the rush and enters between 4:30-4:45 a.m. to get taped and do stretching exercises.
"I don't like to roll out of bed and just come to practice," the senior cornerback says. "I don't want to sound too old, but I'm 22 and my body doesn't recover like it used to. It takes me awhile to get warmed up."
Some of the trainers get their field prep ready, filling water bottles and ice for practice, packing their own medical kits to take with them to the field. Others wait for the onrush of players in the training room at around 5:05-5:10 a.m.
"Do I mind it? Of course, I'd be sleeping right now," says graduate assistant Adrienne Wilson. "But you've gotta help the athletes get on the field."
The clock in the training room is 10 minutes fast to help accelerate the players' preparation. Binder shuts down the training room 30 minutes before practice starts.
"Getting taped is no excuse for being late," Binder says.
During practice, the trainers are at the ready with water bottles and on standby to treat injuries.
"They're excellent; I'm serious," Quin says. "Anytime you need something, they're right there on the spot."
After practice, trainers prepare ice baths and whirlpools, give additional treatment, restock and clean the training room.
They're done about an hour or so after practice, about 9:30 a.m.
The student trainers don't have to return until 5 p.m. Binder, Waller and select graduate assistants spend the entire day at UNM, work the evening practice and also stay until about 10 p.m.
"Those of us that stay here, we just find a table and lie down when we can," Binder says, only half-joking.
Another crew of about six or seven arrive at 5:20 a.m. to film practice.
Strength and conditioning coordinator Mark Paulsen, his assistant, Joaquin Chavez, team director of operations Gavin Bevis and assistant Josh Castle, also arrive between 5:15-5:30 a.m.
Paulsen ensures the players eat something before practicing. Then he collects himself before heading to the indoor facility to conduct the pre-workout stretch.
"You can't act tired," Paulsen says. "No matter what kind of night you've had, you've got to act energetic and look sharp in front of the players."
As Paulsen calls the players together to start stretching, he runs off, saying, "Academy-Award time."
The Golden Rule
"I've seen coaches grumpy, and I've seen players grumpy," Long says of the morning mood. "But I've never seen anyone from those groups grumpy."
Refreshingly, the coaches and players provide little for the trainers and equipment managers to get upset.
"Sometimes you don't get kids as good as these are," Wilson says. "The players are actually very polite this year. From these guys all the way up to the coaching staff, they're very appreciative."
Adds Anders, "They respect us. Our new linebackers coach treats us a lot; he'll bring doughnuts because we have to be here so early."
First-year assistant coach Tony White just wants to make sure the training and equipment staff know they're recognized.
"These guys put in as much time as we do as coaches," he says. "I remember as a player (at UCLA), they always took care of me, and I always said that as a coach I'm always going to look out for them.
"Coach Long makes sure that the players understand that these guys are part of the team."
Quin said the trainers and equipment people make it easy to give them respect.
"They take pride in what they do," he says. "I talk to them all the time, before, during and after practice. It's hard to be in good spirits at 4:30 in the morning, but they are."
Perks of perking up
Students find many ways to get themselves through school. Coming in hours before sun-up to work could be among the more difficult.
Why do they do it?
"Obviously, they get a lot of experience," Binder says of his trainers. "Three of our students right now are in NFL camps. The experiences they get will allow us to recommend them for positions."
Wilson, who will be the Lobo softball trainer in the spring, says she experiences different types of injuries in football.
"You've got huge collisions going on," she says."You're also working with 300-pound guys, so it's a little different than working with a tiny little tennis player. I get exposed to a lot things I wouldn't normally working with other sports. It broadens my résumé, helps me be more marketable."
Anders loves to travel with the team.
"I've gone places that I probably wouldn't have gone if I wasn't part of UNM football," he says.
Quips Wilson, "Travel's a perk. Some good food at lunchtime, some nice clothing and shoes, working with some great people. Not a bad gig."
More than anything, these people are Lobo fans.
"I've been around Lobo football since I was 10," says Redmond, whose brother-in-law, Stacy Washington, was a UNM linebacker from 1996-99. "I love Lobo football. Our emotions are probably the same as the players. When we win, we celebrate just as much as the players do. When we lose, we're down. I don't like to lose."
Redmond, who is all of 5 feet, has one of the more dangerous jobs. She stands in the middle of drills during practice, retrieving and feeding footballs.
"I've been hit three or four times this year by offensive linemen," Redmond says. "And it's really gross because they're really sweaty, but I'm like, 'OK, let's move on.' It's just part of my job."