Managing the Crimson

It took more than just practice, team-work and dedication to bring the Harvard men's hockey team to the ECAC semi-finals and finals last weekend in Lake Placid, N.Y.--it also took the skillful planning of one Katherine Craven, who organized the team's travel considerations and room and board arrangements.

Craven's title of Head Equipment Manager for the Crimson hardly does justice to the responsibilities placed on the shoulders of this Kirkland House senior.

"We do all the transportation arrangements, all the budgeting, hotel reservations and of course manage the equipment," Craven says. "It's really a job with many hats."

The much-travelled Crimson team has called on Craven's services for all of its away games this season, including games in Minnesota and most recently Lake Placid. Her performance, like the Crimson's, has consistently been stellar.

Craven's duties, though, begin at home--specifically at the Bright Hockey Center where she attends the daily three-hour varsity practices. She helps set up for practice and clears the rink afterwards.

"It is a big time commitment," Craven says. "But if I budget my time wisely I can make it to practices and do all the administrative end of it at the same time."

This commitment began for Craven in the first week of her freshman year when she, along with five other women, tried out for the position of Assistant Equipment Manger--earning the position under then Head Manager Julie Rim.

Since then she has faithfully served the Crimson and risen through the ranks of Equipment Assistant to Head Manager this year. Only an intense love for Harvard hockey could keep such a commitment from becoming a burden for the history concentrator.

"My father was a Harvard hockey season-ticket holder, and he always took me to the games as a child," Craven says. "I was the little kid in the stands with the broken hockey stick begging players to sign it afterwards. When I came here I knew I wanted to manage. I knew there was a woman who managed the team then, and it wasn't man-only job."

Being a female equipment manager for a men's team can have its difficulties. Craven must hurry into the locker-room after every game before the players start changing to take care of any equipment needs.

"I remember some scary scenes in Detroit," Craven says, "when I'd have to yell in ahead of time and make sure everybody was dressed."

The situation has eased this year as Craven has a male assistant, junior Durand Arnold, who handles the locker-room aspect of the manager's job.

"It's always better to have guys, I think," Craven admits, "because they can go into the locker-room."

Like any good equipment manager Craven has gotten used to the whims of athletes when it comes to personal equipment.

"People are very particular about their sticks," Craven says. "They're all pretty superstitious about their sticks. One time I was standing with [junior] Steve Martins, and I remember his aluminum stick was broken beyond help. But still we persisted in taping it together because he was doing well with it."

Having spent a good part of her life at Harvard with the men's hockey team--at practice, on road trips and on the bench--Craven has become part of the Crimson in a very real sense.

"It's kinda like having an extended family," Craven says. "I remember freshman year was almost like having a bunch of older brothers. People like [captain] Sean McCann and [senior] Chris Baird I've known since the first day of Freshman Week."

Craven has also witnessed her share of childish pranks by her hockey "brethren." But she admits the situation has gotten better.

"It used to be really bad," Craven says. "Guys used to soak each other's clothes...one guy found his clothes in a huge tape ball and there's always the guy who will saw someone's stick in half so when he goes to take a slap shot the stick cracks in half."

But things have gotten better for Craven over the years. For the Crimson to reach St. Paul, Minn. for the NCAA finals, it must not only score goals and play good defense--Katherine Craven has to come through, as she had countless times before, and get them there.

"I have such faith in them this year," Craven says. "I haven't even bought a class ring yet--I'm hoping we'll have one provided by the NCAA."