By Andrew Kilstrom of the McMinnville News-Register, 9/13/2013
Every Linfield home football game, John Schindelar and his five-man water crew arrive at Maxwell field two and a half hours before game time.
The men help prepare the locker room, mix Gatorade, prepare the various water jugs and bottles and collect towels.
They then move to the field, where they set everything up for both the offense and defense, making sure everything is perfect before kickoff is underway.
During the game, Schindelar follows the defense with a “six-pack” of water bottles, ready for anyone who needs a drink.
John O’Connor does the same for the offense.
Eric Lundeen is in charge of mixing all the Gatorade and helps Schindelar with the defense.
Schindelar’s son, Jason, is in charge of providing the coaches and referees with water at a moment’s notice, and Bill Harlan roams the sideline doing whatever else is needed.
Together, the five men help Linfield run as smoothly and efficiently as possible on game days, unnoticed by most, but vital nonetheless.
“That’s our only goal, really,” John Schindelar said. “To do whatever is needed of us and help out in whatever way we can. Our main job is taking care of the water, but there’s a lot more we do, too.”
The group does more than work home games. They work summer practices, making sure the players get the water they need.
Schindelar said their rule is to always be at practice when it’s 80 degrees or warmer. They don’t always work practices in the morning or later in the season when it’s cooler, but when they are at practice — around 48 hours a week combined — they’re helping with more than just the water.
In addition to handling the water, Schindelar and company help equipment manager Mack Farag with cleaning helmets and applying decals. They’ll stay as late as 10 p.m. some Fridays making sure everyone’s helmet looks brand new for game day.
“They do a lot more than what you see on game day,” said Tim Marsh, creator of the Wildcatville blog. “There’s so much behind the scenes stuff that no one gets to see.”
The five members of the water crew are all volunteers, donating their own time and money on road trips to serve the Linfield football team. The entire group rarely travels to away games, especially ones across the country like Saturday’s game against Hardin-Simmons, but there’s always someone with the team to take care of the water.
This week it’s Schindelar traveling with the team to Abilene, Texas. While it’s expensive at times, he said making the trips with the team is always worth it. He’s experienced many great memories during his 25-plus years of working on the Linfield water crew.
“I’d say the best memory is the year we won the national championship,” he said. “There’s so many great memories and great people you meet, but that was special. I still remember it, a beautiful day, even though it was 15 degrees below zero. It was special.”
The members of the water crew aren't the only ones that enjoy what they do for the Wildcats on a daily basis. Their efforts don’t go unnoticed by the coaching staff and players.
Coach Joseph Smith and his team realize the sacrifice and hard work the five men put in, and are always appreciative.
“I can’t say enough about our water crew and the things they do for us every single day,” Smith said. “They’re out there in the heat running around with water bottles, helping out with anything and everything. It’s people like them that allow our team to be successful every single year.”
Schindelar said he sees the appreciation on an everyday basis. Interacting with the players has always been one of the most appealing aspects to the position.
Nothing the crew does goes unappreciated by the Wildcat players.
“The draw is that at Division III you have a really nice program,” Shindelar said. “You have really, really nice kids. When we take water to them, every kid says, ‘thank you, appreciate you being here today, this is the best water we’ve ever had.’ It just goes on and on and on.”
Chances are Linfield will experience its 57th consecutive winning season this year, the all-time record for all divisions of college football.
While the five men running around the sidelines will often do so without recognition, their impact will be major. Win or lose, Schindelar and his team are happy to do what they do.
“It’s just so much fun he said,” he said. “Some of my best memories have come from Linfield football.”
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Photo cutline: John O'Connor, left, and Eric Lundeen prepare water for Wildcats players. Photo by Marcus Larson.
