Lending A Helping Hand
JEFFERSON TWP — Sam Thinnes has a summer job that is different from most.
Thinnes, 16, entering his junior year at Knoch High School, works every day while surrounded by Pittsburgh Steelers. He is one of 12 “ball boys” at the NFL team's training camp in Latrobe.
Despite being a Steeler fan all his life, Thinnes is not at camp to watch practice or seek autographs.
He's there to work.
“It's a job and I treat it that way,” Thinnes said.
A member of Knoch's swimming team, Thinnes does not play football. But he's loved the game and was hired as a ball boy after hearing of openings and writing a letter explaining why he wanted to do it.
“My favorite player of all-time is Heath Miller. He was awesome,” Thinnes said. “I don't really have a favorite player now. I like them all.”
He is staying in the dorms at Saint Vincent College — a dorm separate from the Steeler players and coaches — and joins the other ball boys in eating meals with the team.
“We don't want to bother the players,” Thinnes said. “We give them their space. No one wants to over-step his boundaries.
“We're just happy to be there. I love this job. I've learned a lot about organization and taking pride in yourself.”
Among his duties at training camp are preparing players' locker stalls, making sure everything is in its place for when they report for practice or come in from practice.
“I look at their locker areas, how organized everything is expected to be, and I think of my closet and room at home,” Thinnes said. “They're a mess. I'm going to have to change that.”
Thinnes and the other ball boys did not go to Philadelphia with the Steelers this week. They will not travel to any road game.
They will, however, work home games at Heinz Field, doing much of the same duties they do on the practice field.
“After lunch at 11 a.m., we have to set up the field for practice, help the equipment people make sure everything is out there and in its place,” Thinnes said. “Once practice starts, we're all assigned stations. I work with the running backs and their coach.
“I give footballs to the coach and retrieve any footballs the backs don't catch during drills. It's important to help keep things moving.”
While the Steelers line up and play their “practice games” — running plays covering different situations — Thinnes is among those walking the sidelines, picking up paper cups and cleaning garbage.
“They keep us busy up there,” he said. “There's a lot of behind the scenes type work that needs done, stuff I never imagined until I came up here.”
The ball boys clean out sweaty helmets, organize and arrange shoes, and assisted the equipment manager in loading gear on trucks for the Steelers' trip to Philadelphia.
“They give them a couple of breaks during the day, but they're kept busy,” said Tammy Thinnes. Sam's mother, of the ball boys. “They don't have access to their cell phones at practice because the team doesn't want anything put out on social media.“This has been a great experience for Sam. It keeps him off the video games and he's met a lot of new people.”The ball boys toss footballs or frisbee to each other during some of their down time. They stay at camp as long as the Steelers are there, coming home only when the team is hitting the road for its first two preseason games.“They won't leave the boys up there unattended,” Mrs. Thinnes said. “Sam has to be back there by 11 p.m. (Thursday night) to get ready for the next day.”Thinnes' last day on the job at training camp is Wednesday. At Steeler home games, he will again help with locker room and pre-game warm-up preparation.During the games, he will assist in filling cups with Gatorade and asking players if they want a drink when they come to the sidelines.He said he does not inititate conversations with players, but some have done so with him.“They'll run by and ask how your day's going, how was breakfast, stuff like that,” Thinnes said. “A lot of people think of these players as gods walking the earth. I've learned they're just regular guys like you and me.“It's just that their job is playing pro football.”Thinnes is hopeful of returning to Latrobe and training camp as a ball boy again next year.“If they'll have me back, I'd love to stick with this,” he said.
