We all love some good ole college football. Here at App State, most of us know who the head coach is, our quarterback, and some of our key players, but what about behind the scenes?
Mountaineer Pride is the Student Football Staff for Appalachian State. The members of this organization work with football coaches to welcome visiting recruits to campus. They’re trained to give tours of campus and the athletic complex before kick off on game days as well as when prospects visit campus for an official visit.
Sydney Willis joined Mountaineer Pride the spring semester of her freshman year, which was almost three years ago. Last fall, Sydney served as the Game Day Coordinator for the staff. For this position, she was responsible for making sure all members were trained to give tours of the athletic complex and help explain to visiting prospects what Appalachian was all about. This year, Sydney served as the New Member Coordinator in the spring and is currently serving as the Administrative Coordinator. As the NM Coordinator, she helped welcome the new members of the staff and made sure they were well adjusted, while giving them the basic training. Her current duty as the Administrative Coordinator is to basically act as a secretary.
When one of Sydney’s sorority sisters reached out to her about the program her freshman year, she decided to give it a shot. “I honestly had no idea what it was when I applied, but I knew that anything where I could work for the football department had to be pretty cool. I came from a high school where football was a huge aspect of the culture, which is also partly what made me want to come to Appalachian. Sitting through my interview with my now boss, I felt right at home and wanted to love this school as much as he did. During my new member process, I was a little overwhelmed but everyone made me feel so welcome and I gained so many new friends that season and it’s only gotten better over the last three years.”
Sydney’s favorite thing would have to be working towards helping the team grow and succeed. “I don’t personally know a lot of players, but being able to work hand-in-hand with the coaches and the high school relations department is one of the coolest opportunities I’ve been lucky enough to experience. While giving tours to prospective football players, I love being able to share my love for Appalachian, not only as a University but also the football program.”
“I can honestly say that I have gotten some pretty amazing friends from MP,” Sydney said. “Whether we knew each other before working on the staff together or starting out as total strangers, Mountaineer Pride has strengthened a lot of friendships over the last three or so years. MP has also helped me to improve my leadership skills, people skills, and organization. From helping at camps to working in the office, I feel that I really have gained some professional development and conversation skills.”
My biggest question was if they got all of that cool gear for free. “Unfortunately, we don’t get all the awesome gear for free,” Sydney said. “However, we do get an amazing deal on all of it! Every year we pay dues, which go toward Nike jackets, shirts, name tags, and the embroidery. My favorite thing was when we got Nike Frees last season (for less than half the price)!”
Applications for Mountaineer Pride will go out some time near the end of this semester and should be available on the Mountaineer Pride website.
Image Sources:
Syndey Willis