NMU Ground’s Crew
Marquette’s weather can be beautiful by the lake but it can also become down right nasty during the winter months. I was out for a morning jog my sophomore year, sloughing through a foot and a half of new snow with more coming at me sideways, when I heard a guy yell at me from the up in his big snow plow.
“Hey you, want a job?” I was really confused at first but he continued by saying that the Ground’s Crew was looking for some hardworking students during the summer months. He said, ” anyone who would be out in this kind of weather must be a hard worker”. So I thought about the offer for a few days and stopped by later that week to drop off an application.
I worked at a summer camp in VT push-mowing lawns and weeding tennis courts, I cleared and maintained Cross Country trails at Ole’s and I was part of an awesome group who walked up and down Mad River Glen Alpine area, mowing the trails with a metal scythe, so it seemed like the NMU Ground’s Crew would be a good fit.
Sure enough it was one of the best jobs I have ever had. We spent almost everyday all day outside during the summer. The boss was great and the entire crew was supportive of my training and racing. Some of these guys have been working on the crew for over 20 years and you could tell they never wanted to leave! They were kind of like a group of big brothers for me. They would give me a hard time, but always help out when I needed it. Throughout the summer the guys brought me rabbit meat,chicken meat, and vegetables from their gardens to eat.
When I finally decided it was time to get a car everyone pitched in to help me find a decent running reliable vehicle. For the rest of my time at NMU I was able to bring it in to the Ground’s Crew shop and the guys would show me how to repair it.
I took pride in my work and made some great friends that summer. Returning to NMU during our CXC August Camp was a great opportunity for me to re-connect with the Crew and remember the hard work on campus and the good talks down at the shop.
Thanks Guys for watching out for me!