20 for 20: Friendsgiving

The 2020-21 athletic year is the 20th year that I (Paul Welker) have served as Alfred State's Sports Information Director. During this school year I plan on writing a 20-part series on my time covering the Pioneers.

As most, I am reflective this week as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. When thinking through topics for this series I always wanted to include a story about the people I have developed relationships with over my years. Not only my colleagues at Alfred State but the students and student-athletes that I have interacted with.

Colleagues at Alfred State

I wrote specifically early in the series about Gina Boyd and Jerry Jusianiec as they are the two people that have been working at Alfred State for the entirety of my career (check out that story here:Gina and Juice) but there have been many colleagues that have come and gone during my time covering Pioneer athletics.

Gary Moore is a legend at Alfred State and his passion and love for the college are something I admire and try to emulate. He continues to bleed blue & gold. He is my right hand man when it comes to the athletic department Hall of Fame and is a great sounding board of ideas.

Retired baseball coach Tom Kenney is one of the reasons I applied and sent my resume into Alfred State. When I started my career in college athletics at Mercyhurst North East my main focus was baseball and Alfred State along with Monroe CC were the top dogs. They were the teams that you wanted to compete with and beat. Having his support when I applied for the job and developing a friendship with him has helped me in both my professional and personal life. He continues to be a mentor to me.

Kathy Feldman was my first boss and I learned the ropes from her. I still laugh about my first day when she taught me how to pump gas on campus as she was heading out for a NJCAA Regional meeting. She was hard working and helped me grow as a professional. She helped make our office feel like a family. She was generous (we spent many lunchtimes at the Alfred Sub shop courtesy of Kathy) and always taught us to be there for each other.

Sandy Kinnerney became an older sister to me. She was the glue of the department and helped me through the learning curve and the craziness that some school years became. She was a good sounding board of my ideas and taught me the importance of taking care of myself. She once "bet" me that I couldn't run to the Big Dipper (5.75 miles) and got me addicted to taking a running break daily.

Mick Caba is one of only four coaches that have led the Pioneer football team. He, like Gary Moore, was a father like figure to me. He showed me the importance of loving your job and the people you worked with. 

I have had quite the ride with Anne Holmok and Gene Doorley over the years. Both of their programs have seen much success and watching the growth and development of their players and the friendships they build with their athletes is inspiring.

Suzie DeNillo and Jonathan Hoover are two coaches that weren't necessarily at Alfred State very long but they jumped in the trenches with me when it came to Sports Information/Game Management duties. DeNillo is probably the only true assistant SID I have had during my years at Alfred State and she worked hard to help cover the events and make them memorable for the student-athletes. Hoover coached two sports (soccer and lacrosse) but always volunteered to help when we needed it. He jumped in and helped with technology issues and even learned how to stat games.

Alexe Pask, Jessica Hurlbut, JR Smeenk, and all the other Athletic Trainers. Comparing jobs and time spent working is tough in athletics but athletic trainers and Sports Information Directors are in the same boat. Neither of these positions get much say in when games are played and someone has to cover the games from the pregame to the final buzzer. I have spent countless hours freezing or getting sunburned with athletic trainers (this is Alfred so more times than not it was freezing). The text message updates of games on the road, or the snacks we have shared, to the end of day debriefing sessions have helped keep me going during the busiest of times.

Jen Enke came to Alfred State as we transitioned to NCAA Division III athletics. She has helped make the change go as smoothly as possible. We have many conversations about what is going on within our department and within NCAA sports. She is a great at calming me down or helping me see others perspective.

Mike Caba and I shared a wall for many years. We didn't need to call each other as we just talked through the brick wall that separated our two offices. We both grew into adults together. Starting families and balancing work responsibilities with family responsibilities.

Darryl Arroyo, Kelly Higgins, and Jason Doviak have followed Kathy Feldman into the Director of Athletics position as the college made the move from NJCAA to NCAA. Each one of these leaders has taught me something different and has helped mold me into the leader I am today.

Stephanie Sprague, Gerry Amidon, Larry Peacock and all the other assistant coaches that have stepped in and worked in our department.

My current colleagues in the athletic department that I haven't mentioned above are inspiring to me. They are motivated to make a name for their program at Alfred State. It is exciting to hear their ideas and see them work towards executing those ideas and building their own program.

Students & Student-Athletes at Alfred State

Throughout my years I have had the ability to work with and interact with countless students whether they worked with me as work study students, sport management students, or on my gameday staff.

When I took the job in 2001, my first work study was Matt Wing. Matt Wing knew more about my job than I did. He helped me through my first couple years and became one of my friends. He went on to write for the local newspaper in the sports section and currently is coaching basketball locally. We still laugh about some of my early shenanigans learning the duties of this job.

I have had students in and out of my office working on projects, running scoreboards, and designing graphics throughout my 20 years. Students like Ally Vargeson, Grace Hall, Alan Ackley, Satchel Page (yes that is his real name), Dan Crosby, Stevie Smith, and Pat DeFoe to name just a few. Most of my students have made my job easier or helped add something to our department. Many of these students have transitioned into colleagues and friends.

The development of the sport management department here has led me to work with more students in the major. Relationships with professors like Rhema Fuller, Cliff McPeak, Brandon Harrison, and Keary Rouff have helped me develop skills of students wanting to get in sport management field. I have overseen the field experience class for at least the last five years (probably more) and I have watched students learn, develop, and join the sport world as professionals. 

Telling the stories of our athletic events is still my favorite part of my job. Watching student-athletes grow and change over their two or four years wearing the blue & gold is amazing. Staying connected with them after they graduate and watching them start families and start careers makes me feel old but also inspires me to keep grinding. Following their lives after Alfred is a great joy - watching some of them introduce sport to their kids brings a smile to my face. I look forward to the day, which is coming sooner than later, that I am telling stories of the kids of former student-athletes. 

Colleagues at Other Schools or in the Sport Industry

Developing relationships with fellow Sports Information Directors and local newspaper writers has been helped me develop as a professional. Picking their brains, seeing their work, and just chatting about what they are working on or going through has only made me a better person.

Friendships with people like Steve Mullen, Doug Lorrow, Chris Potter, Kara Rehbaum, Nikki Slatcoff, and many others have helped continue my growth and have challenged me to go even further. 

As you gather around friends and family this week and during the Holiday season please take the time to realize the importance of those people in your life. We are all shaped by the relationships that we have with others. 

Disclaimer - In writing a story like this I know I might miss someone. I apologize in advance for anyone I may have missed. I tried to be as thorough as possible.

Previous 20 for 20's:

Story 1: The First Fall

Story 2: Gina and Juice

Story 3: Nose, Ear, Knee

Story 4: Football Tales

Story 5: Sand Storm

Story 6: The Voice of the Pioneers

Story 7: Homecoming

Story 8: USCAA Championships - Part 1 - Women's Soccer

Story 9: USCAA Championships - Part 2 - Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Cross Country