Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

Freshman water boy enjoys his job
By Matt Dingler, Corner Post staff

Mizzou football practices are not easy. Each player is constantly being pushed to the limit. While giving it all they’ve got, they develop a thirst. Some might call it a thirst for victory. But Patrick Elmore knows better; he knows it’s a thirst for water.

Elmore is pretty much a typical freshman. He goes to classes, helps out around his fraternity house and sleeps when he can. But on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons he provides fuel in the form of water to some of Mizzou’s finest athletes.

Elmore’s position is a work-study job.

“My official title is Training Room Assistant,” Elmore said. But for a while he was not even sure if he had a job.

“Yeah, they didn’t know it (the job) existed. Rex (Elmore’s boss) didn’t know the training room had a work-study job,” Elmore said.

He knows he lucked out.

Most people who work at practice are sports medical majors. Elmore is studying secondary education. Just because he is learning to become a teacher and not a sports trainer doesn’t mean Elmore hates what he does.

“I love it,” Elmore said. “I get to see the football team up close.” After spending so much time at practice with the players, Elmore has stories he can tell.

“One time one of my co-workers wasn’t paying attention, and Damien Nash plowed right through him in full pads. They (a group of football players) got it on tape and all the other players laughed,” Elmore said. The co-worker was fine and attended practice the next day.

Even though he has a lot of fun, Elmore plans on finding a new job at the end of this semester.

“It seems more fair to leave that (the job) to people majoring in sports med,” he said. If another work-study job is not available, he plans on finding a job somewhere around town.

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