10 minute read
Work With the Pros
by DFWChild
kid culture.
As a bat boy for the Texas AirHogs, Noah Barton organized equipment, among other tasks, before enjoying games.
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the perks of being a ball kid WORK WITH THE PROS
HILE HIS BUDDIES WERE TOILING AWAY busing tables, bagging groceries and flipping burgers, Noah Barton was talking about how to hit a curveball with a local professional baseball player. And he was getting paid to do it. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out I had gotten the job as bat boy for the [Texas] AirHogs,” says the 15-year-old freshman. “For a first job, I couldn’t have found a better one. And the experience really taught me a lot about how to put in a hard day at work and enjoy it at the same time. It was very fulfilling.” Like a select group of youngsters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Noah found his peek into the professional sports world to be eye-opening—and definitely never boring. Noah’s day at the Grand Prairie stadium usually started two hours before first pitch and included W
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filling water jugs, getting the umpires’ room squared away, making sure there were enough baseballs for the umps and organizing bats and helmets in the dugout. Then he could have some fun. “Probably my best lesson was never putting things off until later,” he says. “When I had something to do, I did it quickly so then later I could better enjoy the experience of the game and mix in with the players. That was the best.” Not surprisingly, breaking into the sports world is super competitive. After all, anyone who’s ever attended a ball game has dreamed of how cool it would be to work for a sports team. Fortunately for kiddos in our area, the opportunities to work in sports are numerous thanks to our abundance of professional sports teams (more than a dozen). Still, landing one of these gigs can be as challenging as defending Luka Dončić on the fast break. “Being a ball kid is an excellent way to become part of the Texas Legends game operation at a young age,” explains Brock Berenato, who heads up basketball operations for the Frisco-based Legends. “Ball kids rebound before the games for our players and opposing players, move the ball racks on and off the court, mop the floors for slick spots, move towels and other gear to and from the locker rooms, and make sure players have water or Gatorade when they need it. “Of course they also get to see how our operations staff do their jobs and enjoy [watching] NBA-caliber players perform,” he adds. “The kids are a vital part of our game day operation.” UP TO PAR The minimum age for kids to get involved varies from team to team. With the Legends, it’s 10. For the AirHogs, it’s 15. For the Mavericks, who choose their Mavs Ballkids from among participants in their skills camps, it’s 13. It’s smart to check out your favorite team’s official website for age requirements. (See sidebar at direction for more local teams’ requirements.) “We want kids who are responsible, and we interview them to talk about that beforehand,” says Kelsey Armand, community relations specialist
for the AirHogs. “We prefer bat boys/girls to continue in the job even when school begins but understand that they will have to miss from time to time since school always should come first.”
Travis Charles, director of
basketball operations for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, loves his team’s ball kid program—but he emphasizes that the kids are there to work. “We treat them like employees because they have some very important jobs to do at every game,” says Charles, whose team plays home games at the University of Texas at Arlington. “You’ve got to take care of the officials before the game, run errands for players in both locker rooms, rebound during the pregame shootarounds, work with the game crew, handle halftime duties for the refs and more rebounding during shoot-arounds after halftime.”
Charles says while rebounding sounds fun—and is fun—pros can be demanding. “We’ve actually had some complaints from visiting players when they didn’t love how our kids were rebounding and feeding them the ball,” he reveals. “So, yes, it’s important to be good at the game to be a ball kid.”
For really good ball kids, an internship with the team could be in the cards. “We’ve definitely hired interns from our ball kid program,” Charles says. “It’s awesome watching them mature over the course of the season and blossom into great members of our game day staff.” Your Best Shot It may be the coolest first job ever, but being a ball boy or ball girl is exactly that—a job. Here are some ways to put your kiddo in the best spot to land the gig: + Make sure your child is in it for the long haul. Seasons aren’t short. Plus, the job starts well before the game begins—usually two to three hours prior—and ends long after the parking lot clears of fans. That’s a huge time commitment away from friends and family, so make sure your kid is fully on board. + Professionally pursue the job. Just like in the adult world of job seeking, it may take a little extra to get the attention of the team. After submitting an email to the team’s website, follow it up with a handwritten note from your kid. That definitely cuts through the clutter. + Focus on job duties versus how cool it will be to hang with Joey Gallo or Dak Prescott. Have your kiddo communicate that they understand the responsibilities and are ready to earn their stripes. Operations people work really hard to put on a great show every game, and they appreciate someone who understands that the job is not all glitz. + Put up a lot of shots. Have your kiddo apply to numerous opportunities in the area. If the RoughRiders don’t work out, there’s the AirHogs. If the Mavs say, “Not at this time,” try the Legends. Lots of kids want to be part of the action, so it’s important to shoot early and shoot often.
THE LINEUP Here are some local teams with opportunities for kids:
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS Looking for: Bat boys and ball shaggers Must be: At least 16 years old and capable with the leather— in other words, able to catch a fly ball hit by a professional baseball player How to apply: Visit teamworkonline.com and search “RoughRiders” Frisco; ridersbaseball.com
TEXAS AIRHOGS Looking for: Bat boys and girls Must be: 15 years or older How to apply: Email Kelsey Armand (karmand@texasairhogs.com) Grand Prairie; texasairhogs.com
DALLAS WINGS Looking for: Ball boys and girls Must be: 16 years or older How to apply: Contact the Dallas Wings office at 817/469-9464 Arlington; dallaswings.com
DALLAS MAVERICKS Looking for: 90 Ballkids (per season) to help out on game nights Must be: Ages 13–18 and a Dallas Mavericks Hoop Camp or Elite Camp attendee How to apply: Attend camp to receive an application; mavs.com/hoopcamp Dallas; mavs.com
TEXAS LEGENDS Looking for: Ball boys and girls Must be: At least 10 years old and a capable basketball player How to apply: Email Byron Bogar (bbogar@texlegends.com) or Brock Berenato (bberenato@texlegends.com) Frisco; texlegends.com
ALLEN AMERICANS Looking for: Help for the equipment manager, game day promotions and media relations Must be: At least 10 years old, but the age requirement varies based on job responsibilities How to apply: For equipment management roles, email Tim Abbott (tabbott@allenamericans.com); for game day promotions, email Corey Essman (corey@allenamericans.com); for media rela- tions, email Tommy Daniels (tommy@allenamericans.com) Allen; allenamericans.com
DALLAS SIDEKICKS Looking for: Interns, as well as kids to help with the in-game charity ball toss Must be: In high school (for internship) How to apply: Email Paul Donaghy (paul@dallassidekicks.org) Allen; dallassidekicks.com
THE CAPITAL WITH KIDS travel tips from YouTube mega-stars
WORDS ALEXIS PATTERSON
F YOUR CHILD IS A YOUTUBE FANATIC, chances are they know all about the Izzys. The longtime Austin residents—known to viewers as Stridor (mom), Eddie (dad) and Bubs (their 6-year-old son)— started making videos in 2016, showcasing their elaborate train-track builds. Fast forward to 2020, and they’ve reached a billion (yes, billion with a B) views on their main channel, youtube.com/theizzys. Today their videos range from creating a LEGO obstacle course for Happy the Hamster to playing video games to opening fan mail from their 920,000 subscribers. We tapped the bona fide YouTube stars to give us their recommendations for a trip to the state capital with kids. I
3 4 march 2020 / dfwchild.com OUT(SIDE) & ABOUT Spring is a wonderful time to visit Zilker Park. Dubbed “Austin’s mostloved park,” it stretches across 351 acres in the heart of the city. “Take a ride on the Zilker Zephyr train,” Stridor suggests. There’s also a huge playground, canoeing, the Barton Springs pool, Barking Springs for your pup and more. The Izzys like to start their Zilker Park outings with a family picnic— P. Terry’s Burger Stand is their choice. Later, enjoy the city by land and water with Austin Duck Adventures. “They tell you lots of interesting facts I never knew about Austin, and you get to boat on the lake and quack at people along the way,” Stridor says, adding that you should check Groupon for discounts before buying tickets. The Izzys
INDOOR FUN The Texas heat can creep up anytime, so it’s good to have some indoor spots on your itinerary. Stridor recommends The Thinkery,
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Austin’s children’s museum. “We love it here,” she smiles. “We shot a show on it awhile back; you can check it out to get a better feel of it.” When the kids have worn you out there, make your way downtown to the Central Library. “This place is a work of art,” says Stridor. “I bring kids here just to walk through, and I drink a cup of coffee at the top.”
SUSTENANCE After a full day, both you and the kids are no doubt hungry. According to Stridor, Phil’s Icehouse on South Lamar is a great choice. “Hello, playground!” she says. “They have ‘parent recess’ prices on beer and wine, and there is an Amy’s Ice Cream.”
When the Izzys have guests, they take them to The Oasis on Lake Travis. “There’s music and tons to see,” says Stridor. “Get there early if you want to sit right on the rail, closest to the water.”
THE BATS When you’ve wrapped up dinner, there’s one more outdoor outing that’s an Austin must. “We have bats!” Stridor exclaims. “They leave their spot under the Congress Avenue Bridge every night and it is amazing. And a little stinky.” But worth it to see North America’s largest urban bat population (we’re talking hundreds of thousands of bats) start their night flight. The bats are
1 / The Thinkery boasts “play-based” learning. 2 / P. Terry’s offers a great burger unique to the Austin area. 3 / Crowds gather to see Austin’s bats. 4 / The Austin Motel is within walking distance of all the South Congress attractions.
active from late March through early fall and begin to move between 7:30 and 9:45pm.
SLEEP IT OFF For a cool hotel pick, Stridor suggests the Austin Motel on South Congress. “It’s weird. I like weird,” she explains. There’s also The Driskill, the iconic property on Sixth Street. “This is my husband’s pick. Because it’s haunted,” Stridor says. “He’ll be staying there alone.”
ZILKER PARK austintexas.gov/zilker P. TERRY’S BURGER STAND pterrys.com AUSTIN DUCK ADVENTURES austinducks.com THE THINKERY thinkeryaustin.org CENTRAL LIBRARY library.austintexas.gov/central-library PHIL’S ICEHOUSE philsicehouse.com THE OASIS oasis-austin.com CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE BATS austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/ bat-watching AUSTIN MOTEL austinmotel.com THE DRISKILL driskillhotel.com
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