To them, it’s all just fun, the job that is. With nearly two decades of experience, no doubt they’ve had a lot of fun. Twins Aaron and Stan Anderson, both LN alumni, are the men behind the scenes of game days for LN. Over the years they’ve become a key part of what makes sure those game days go off without a hitch for the Wildcats. But they love what they do, because they love sports.
“We just love watching and being around sports at the high school level,” Stan Anderson said. “We played sports as kids and still love to enjoy them so really this has been really enjoyable.”
In many cases the Andersons, who balance roles at LN with positions at Meijer on 96 St, are some of the first people to show up to LN and the last people to leave on a game day. They have responsibilities with game day setup and tear down, along with scoreboard and clock duties in all three athletic seasons. The Andersons could also stand in for athletic administration at a non-LN or sub-varsity event.
“Our goal is to do whatever we can to make the sporting event, whatever sport it may be, run as smooth as it can,” Stan Anderson said. ‘We pretty much do anything that Mr. Penrose or Mr. Zeller need done when it comes to the athletic department.” Stan Anderson said.
The Andersons gained their first experience with an athletic department at LN feeder middle school Fall Creek Valley. Then Athletic Director Kevin Stephenson sought help running the chains at football games and other needs for the athletic department and looked for that help from the Andersons. After approval from their parents, the Andersons began helping with game day operations as 6th graders in 1995.
“As 6th graders you couldn’t play many sports in middle school so that was our way of having something else to do after school,” Aaron Anderson said. “I was happy because I wasn’t expecting anyone to pick us out of a large group and give us the opportunity to help out in that way and have fun while we are doing it.”
For Stan Anderson, aiding the FCV athletic department taught them valuable lessons that have translated to their jobs at LN.
“As kids it was nice for us to help out at Fall Creek because the job taught us responsibility,” Stan Anderson said. “We have been able to expand our roles as the years have passed.”
As students at LN in the late 90s, the Andersons continued their roles with FCV and added new duties with the LN athletic department. In their roles with several athletic departments, including a short stint at Beech Grove, Stan Anderson estimated that the two have worked over 1000 games, maybe 2000, dating back their middle school days.
Assistant Athletic Director Jim Zeller, who has been a part of the athletic department for nearly as long as the Andersons, says the twins have become a vital part of the department’s operation.
“They are a tremendous asset for us because they are hard working and they know what needs to be done without saying anything,” Zeller said “Without their help we’d have to do a lot more work and hire a lot more people to help us run things.”
While their jobs may be more focused on athletes, for Aaron Anderson, one of the most rewarding aspects of his job is the impact that it can have on those who don’t play sports.
“In the past there have been several students who have asked us how they could become involved with the athletic department,” Aaron Anderson said. “We’ve helped a lot of students over the years do the things that we do with the athletic departments, so I think that’s had a nice impact.”
Aaron Anderson has enjoyed seeing his roles for the athletic departments expand over the course of nearly 20 years.
“Compared to when we first started doing smaller things at Fall Creek Valley, our responsibility has grown throughout the years,” Aaron Anderson said. “We’ve been able to gain their trust over the years, so we’ve been handed more and more roles as the time has passed.”
While there may be a large amount of work that goes into the Andersons’ role with the athletic department, for them, remember, it’s all just too much fun.
“I like to believe I’m still a kid at heart, and this role doesn’t really seem like a job for us,” Stan Anderson said. “We’re just two guys who love sports.”