Within the heart of the athletics department operates a crucial yet often overlooked force, whose meticulous work ensures the smooth running of every sports game. Marc Lofchie, the equipment manager of 28 years, stands as the mastermind of the sports programs, organizing hundreds of uniforms for athletes each day.

Lofchie began his career at Driscoll Elementary School, where he taught Life Sciences for 22 years and coached basketball and softball. His involvement in sports persisted as he moved to the high school, where he went on to coach the freshman girls basketball team, the freshman field hockey team and both the varsity and junior varsity softball teams. As time passed and Lofchie retired from coaching, he took on the job of equipment manager.

Lofchie typically comes into work 15 minutes before the end of the school day and stays for an hour and a half. His days are busy and quick-paced, involving frequent trips between the two equipment rooms in the basement.

“Our athletics department is bigger than a lot of colleges for the amount of things we do and the number of teams we have,” Lofchie said. “I know this guy who worked at Newton North and is now at BHS, and when he first walked in, he commented on the difference between what we have in our equipment rooms and what most other schools have: only a box for each team.”

According to Lofchie, tracking, organizing and distributing hundreds of uniforms can sometimes be stressful. He hopes to hire permanent part-time help next year.

“I’m always nervous when I get brand-new uniforms if I get the right size or not,” Lofchie said. “I ordered for five different teams in just the last few months, and sometimes the size of the players can be tricky to predict. I usually manage the ordering, but I always need two people to help me on a regular day-to-day basis: one person to focus on the computer and one person to scan the items.”

Lofchie began hiring students to help manage the expansive inventory and distribution demands during his second year as the equipment manager. Junior Sasha Ebralidze has been a part of the student staff for three years.

Ebralidze said her job entails figuring out how many people are in each sports team and which uniforms are missing. She also helps with the physical distribution of the uniforms, particularly at the beginning and end of each season, which tend to be the busiest times.

“When the seasons are ending or beginning, I work pretty much every day to give teams their uniforms, but later in the seasons, I work maybe once or twice a week,” Ebralidze said. “I really like working there.”

Junior Noelia Ames, who plays both tennis and squash, said her experience with Lofchie, although short-lived, has been only positive.

“I’ve hung around his room a couple of times with my friends who work there. He likes to work super fast—almost like he’s on three-times speed doing everything at once,” Ames said. “I remember that he used to have birds in his room which was fun. He’s just generally a really nice guy.”

According to Ebralidze, Lofchie has always been flexible with students’ schedules and has made her work something she can always look forward to.

“He always takes into consideration what I have to do and my workload, and he gives us food and water,” Ebralidze said. “He’s honestly really sweet and considerate.”