An interview with Gryphons Manager of the Year – Rachel Simpson
Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
When you think of who makes a team work, you think the captains. When you think of who makes a company work, you think the CEOs. When you think of who makes a society work, you think of civil servants. And when you think of who makes a civilization work, you think of politicians and judiciaries.
However, behind the face of every captain, every CEO, every civil servant, and every politician, you can find a person – or a group of people – working feverishly to make sure success is achieved and sustained for the collective.
That’s the job of Rachel Simpson, the freshman manager of the women’s hockey team who was recently awarded the Cathy Rowe Manager of the Year honour at the 2013-2014 Gryphons Athletic Banquet.
After Simpson suffered a career-ending injury in grade 11, her days playing hockey were all but done. But it was a longing to rediscover the sport she loved in a new light that landed her a managerial position with the women’s hockey team.
“When I came to [Guelph] I was missing team sports so much, so I thought the next best thing would be to e-mail the coach and see if the team needed help around the rink. [Rachel Flanagan] said they did, and they actually needed a team manager, and it kind of just went from there,” said Simpson.
Simpson handled the day-to-day functions of the women’s hockey team. “If we were going on the road, I would call the restaurants and book those, call the hotel and make sure everything is in order,” said Simpson
Simpson attributes the ability to balance hockey, school, and a social life to her lifetime playing elite level sports. “Growing up an elite athlete, you learn a lot of time management skills…But I’m the biggest nerd of life,” said Simpson, laughing. “I am always in the library, so I know how to balance my work, and I am fine with being at the rink all weekend. When you do something [as work] that you love, it’s easy to be there all the time.”
The crowning moment of Simpson’s season was the Fight for Kevin charity game, which she had a lot of involvement organising.
“I think the FFK charity game hit home for a lot of the girls. We raised four times the amount of money that we wanted to, so to see how hockey brings people together and how it is more than just a sport is one of the biggest highlights of the year, I think.”
When asked what separated her from the rest of the managers nominated, Simpson remained humble. “I have no idea!” she laughed. “I just tried my best. I know, as an athlete, the kinds of expectations I would have for a manager, so I just tried to make it all about the girls, and I tried to make it feel as though it was. I just tried to be there for anything they needed.”
When asked whether she’d be back next year to do It all again, Simpson finished confidently, with her shoulders back and chin up: “I am…Definitely.”