WORKING FOR INTRAMURAL SPORTS Many students on campus participated in club and intramural sports. On any given night, students could be found on the fields playing football and spread across volleyball courts in the Ganus Athletic Center, focusing on the game ahead of them and little else. But there was a group of students working behind the scenes. They were responsible for refereeing games, setting up equipment and booking space for games. Junior Adam Knoske was a part of the team of students ensuring intramural sports ran smoothly. Knoske played football, basketball and baseball in high school, so he was familiar with sport culture and loved the atmosphere. lntramurals offered an opportunity to be involved in sports in college. Knoske was friends with Assistant Professor and Director of Men's lntramurals Jim Gowen and graduate student Chase Gentry, who also worked with men's intramural sports. Additionally, Knoske's brother worked with intramural sports, and the three men helped him get the job. According to Knoske, the job was a rewarding way to be involved with sports in college. He had the opportunity to be around sports and build relationships with a variety of people. "The reward is getting to know people around Harding,'' Knoske said. "A lot of ... relationships are born through sports for guys. I meet a lot of good people and have made a lot of great friends and memories working." Knoske's duties included setting up and closing down the fields with the proper equipment and ensuring other workers arrived on time and knew what games they were to referee. He refereed some games and answered questions when Gentry and Gowen were unavailable. He also managed a group of several student workers. According to senior Reed Teel, who began working with Knoske in the spring of 20131 Knoske set a good example for the people he worked with and energized them to do their jobs well. "Adam has a very good work ethic," Teel said. "He is always the first one there and the last one to leave. He is an excellent example of someone you want to work for." Freshman Locke Adair began working with Knoske in the fall and also appreciated Knoske's attitude at work. "Adam is a very relaxed guy, but when it comes to work, he will get what needs to be done, done," Adair said. "He also wants to make sure everyone else is enjoying their time working there. I have learned [by] working with him that having a good time and working is possible." For Knoske, working with men's intramural sports was both enjoyable and a learning experience. It taught him responsibility, but it also helped him build relationships and spend time in an environment he loved. "The challenge of the job is that we have to be out late every night and balance that with schoolwork," Knoske said. "The fun parts are just getting to hang around with close friends and work around sports." Mallory Pratt
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