During the show, everyone executes their tasks flawlessly; all props are replaced immediately if broken, ripped costumes are mended without a lost moment, and injured actors are tended to, creating the perfect scene for those in the audience. It is a show that is better orchestrated than the grandest Broadway production.
The Tools of the Trade
Greg Stringfellow has served the LSU Equipment staff for more than 30 years.
“Most people, for some reason, think that we just do laundry all day,” he said. “But equipment managing is so much more than that.”
After three decades, Stringfellow has distilled the ins and outs of the job down to a science.
Stringfellow said that for football, the equipment staff is in
“Everything that you see someone step out on that field in, we’re in charge of it.”
Stringfellow’s small staff assists him in the day-to-day duties of managing the team. During football practice, his staff is on the field, doing whatever coach Les Miles needs them to do.
According to Stringfellow, they main- tain the facility, the practice facility and the locker room on a daily basis. And Stringfellow does not shy away from the less glamorous parts of the job.
“We do do laundry,” he admits. “And that is a big part of what we do.”
Beyond laundry, Stringfellow’s team decides what equipment the team will use. That translates to hours of research on a myriad of things including the most efficient fabrics, the safest and most technolog- ically sound helmets, and the newest, most advanced shoe technology.
When game day arrives, Stringfellow and his team are prepared. As soon as the team gets back, he said, they begin working on the pads, cleaning helmets and noting what needs to be replaced.
“We’re always getting ready for game day,” he said.
The Thursday before each game, the equipment team begins packing a large 18-wheeler with the multitude of things that the team will require, including alter- nate outfits for every coach on staff, “just in case.” This process happens regardless of whether the team is playing across the street or across the country.
Stringfellow also knows that, despite what may happen on the field, the show must always go on, and tries his best to ensure that all actors can continue to play their part despite injuries.
“If someone gets hurt, we’re there with wraps and tapes to see if there’s any way we can get them back out there and keep them playing,” he said.
Also like a stage manager, Stringfellow prefers to remain out of the spotlight, let- ting his work speak for him. When asked about the sideline stitching that took place during last year’s Iron Bowl, he rolled his eyes and sighed.
Getting ready for the closeup
A football game is just as carefully choreographed as the most lavish dance numbers in any over-the- top musical. At every mo- ment, each player on the field has been given de- tailed instructions on ex- actly how to move, based on dozens of external fac- tors. This choreography is crafted by the coaches, with the majority of the vision by Doug Aucoin, the video coordinator for the LSU football team.
“We shoot the games differently than what you’re used to seeing on TV,” Aucoin said.
Aucoin sets up a wide shot on the sideline that captures all 22 players, he said. That way, the coaches can see what ev- ery player on the field is doing at any moment. In the endzone, he sets up a tighter shot so coaches can get a better glimpse of po- sitions.
Aucoin and his staff film every LSU football game and practice for use in strategic game planning. This means that each time LSU football players step on the field, Aucoin and his team are there, capturing every snap, every tackle, every throw and every fumble. The video department edits the footage and presents it to the coaches as soon as the players step off the field.
After editing football videos for 28 years, Au- coin said he still enjoys his job now as much as he did when he first began.
“I still tell my wife that I’m going to have to figure out what I’m going to do when I grow up,” he said. “I’m having too much fun.”
Greener Pastures
The field in Tiger Sta- dium is known nationwide for its quality. Though often admired for the fa- mous, intricately painted eye in the center, months of preparation go into perfecting the ground itself.
Once the season be- gins, the ritual of creating and recreating the set each week is set into motion.
Amanda Adams, man- ager of Internal Projects and Facility Operations for the Tigers, said the field is mowed every day and monitored for mois- ture content and fertility.
Preparing for game days is a different story. Each Wednesday, the first coat of paint for logos is applied. On Thursday, the lines, numbers and hashes are painted. By Friday, the logos receive their second coat and touch-ups are made.
“We notice could have worked better and always keep an eye on how we can strive to be the best,” she said.
Like the equipment and video departments, much of the work Adams and her team do goes un- seen. Not only are they responsible for maintain- ing the field, but also for the mechanics of the items that help them do so, in- cluding lawn mowers and the maintenance of all golf carts utilized by the athletic staff.
The grounds crew prunes and pulls any and all weeds on the field, while the custodial staff makes sure that the venue is in its best shape before the audience arrives.
It is the true founda- tion of LSU football; no extravagant show can be staged without an equally extravagant set on which to play, and a lot of work goes into ensuring that field is up to the highest standard. Adams acknowl- edges that it is the collabo- ration of all these different efforts that ensure the Saturday night spectacles are always executed smoothly.
“It is the hard work of all our of staff together as a team that makes us able to accomplish what we ac- complish.”
