Football managers get Valdosta grants

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Misty Watson/ The Daily Citizen Northwest Whitfield football managers Maryann Gutierrez, left, and Kristen Smith look through a scrapbook after signing partial athletic scholarships with Valdosta State on Tuesday.

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March 16, 2010

Adam Krohn adamkrohn@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Tue Mar 16, 2010, 10:41 PM EDT

Kristen Smith wants to set the record straight about a certain myth regarding the duties of a football manager.

“First of all, it’s not all about just giving out water like people think,” said Smith, who along with Maryann Gutierrez has been a Bruins manager since her freshman year. “We’re fixing helmets and shoulder pads, cleaning and sterilizing the locker room, helping the trainer, taping up players and much more.”

Being a football manager also can lead to rewards far greater than just feeling like part of the team. On Tuesday, Smith and Gutierrez signed partial scholarships with Valdosta State University. Both plan to pursue degrees in education.

Bruins coach Mike Falleur said he’s glad to see the two managers’ hard work has paid off.

“They were there everyday for four years and did everything under the sun you could ask,” he said. “They were willing to do whatever we needed, and they’d even get up at 5:30 am to be at the early practices.”

Falleur also said Smith and Gutierrez are the first football managers at Northwest that he’s aware of to earn college grants. Two former football players, wide receiver Tyson Street (2008) and defensive end Drew Allen (2009) went on to manage at Tennessee and Georgia, respectively.

Smith said she looked into other schools, such as Shorter, but decided Valdosta State was the best fit because it’s a public school that accepts the HOPE Scholarship. She said she wants to be a fifth grade teacher because of her experience interning at Cohutta Elementary.

“I teach once a week,” she said. “The teacher gives me the lesson plan and I put together activities. I realized this is definitely something I want to do.”

Gutierrez, who played co-ed football from kindergarten to fourth grade, has been a manager since seventh grade at North Whitfield Middle School. She said she enjoys managing because she can be close to the action during games and observing in practice.

Managing aside, the main reason she’s going to Valdosta State is its reputation for having one of the best early childhood education programs in the country. The school offers the option of earning a master’s degree in just four years and six months, and that’s the path she plans to take. However, she realizes she’ll have a full schedule between her school workload and managing with the football team.

But based on the amount of activities she’s involved with at Northwest, Gutierrez believes she’s prepared for the challenges ahead at Valdosta State.

“I don’t think (the heavy college workload) will be a problem,” she said. “Right now, I’m in three different school clubs, the student government, have two jobs with CiCi’s Pizza and Pleasant Grove Elementary, I’m a wrestling and football manager and I run track in the 800, 400 and 1,600-meter relay events.

“And I have perfect attendance.”

Smith and Gutierrez describe themselves as family oriented and will be far from home — Valdosta State is nearly 300 miles from Dalton — but are glad they’ll have each other’s company.

“That makes it so much easier,” Gutierrez said. “If we need somebody, we’ll have each other.”

Valdosta State is a Division II school that competes in the Gulf South Conference. Last season, the Blazers’ football team finished 6-4 overall and 5-3 in league play.

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