As the school year starts, so do the activities. Families and friends are coming together to watch their favorite high school teams play and when entering the facility, everyone comes across the online ticket table. Many people can see this and instantly think in a negative way, but due to construction, the district had to develop a new, innovative way of collecting money from fans.
Construction has produced many problems, and the district had to find easy solutions. Mike Manderscheid, athletic director, said, “This summer, with construction, we had to change something for softball and baseball. There would be two entrances which would take two people per table, and we don’t have enough volunteers to take money.” The athletic boosters have been struggling with finding participants, and changing their tickets to online purchasing would help limit the amount of workers needed. The school is not officially cashless for activities though. Manderscheid said, “We still do accept cash, it just has to be the exact amount.” For example, if the ticket is six dollars then people either have to bring exactly six dollars or purchase an online ticket.
In recent years, the staff has been allowed to be volunteers at events and get a family pass as compensation for their work. This pass would last a year and allow teachers to get in events free. Now with the new system, the school has also changed the teacher arrangement to help better the online ticket system. Manderscheid said, “A lot of schools do this. In the contract, it says everybody that is a salary staff has to work two to three times a year. Anybody who is hourly has to work two or three times to get a family pass.” The goal is that if each staff member participates in this, everyone will only have to work two events. This regulation will help every activity have enough workers and will create smoother admissions.
Despite the fact of the school spreading the word of this new adjustment, there can still be communication issues. Since activities just recently started changing the ticket policy, it can be difficult to get the word out to other competing teams. When different schools come to the high school, it can be hard for their fans to learn about the new transition. Manderscheid said, “The downside is communication from other schools. Our people know what we do, but opponents coming in and giving communication is the hard part.” Even if people do not realize the new plan, they can still purchase a ticket at the venue. Although this is benefiting the school, it can be challenging for people to agree with it.
Some people may not like the online tickets, but the school is willing to help them change their mind. Manderscheid said, “They don’t need to have a phone to have tickets. They need to have a card. We can do Apple Pay or Google Pay. Exact amount or a card.” There are multiple ways to pay. The district is also allowing people to buy items from the concession stand and get the exact change to purchase a ticket. Manderscheid said, “This has gone well, and people need to realize that this is what will happen in the future, and everything is going to be a card soon.”
Online tickets have assisted the decrease of volunteers and will continue to provide support for the schools activities. So come to events with an open-mind, and be kind to the workers who are willing to lend a helpful hand to the school.
