Airis Thomas, sports information director at Winston-Salem State University, manages all sports at the university and mentors athletes while being the only female football SID in the Triad.
ALWAYS A LOT GOING ON WHEN PLAY IS UNDERWAY ON THE FIELD OR THE COURT. BUT BEHIND EVERY GAME DAY RUNNING SMOOTHLY, THERE IS A SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR THAT STARTS THE REAL WORK LONG BEFORE THE BALL IS ACTUALLY KICKED OFF. AT WINSTON-SALEM STATE. THAT’S ERIC THOMAS, THE ONLY FEMALE FOOTBALL CID IN THE TRIAD. WXII 12 SPORTS REPORTER CHANEL PORTER HAS HER STORY, AND THIS WEEK’S GAME CHANGE HERS. MY WHOLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT IS RUN BY WOMEN. AFTER A 15 YEAR SOCCER CAREER, STAYING AROUND THE WORLD OF SPORTS WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN FOR ERIC THOMAS. IN WHAT CAPACITY WAS ANOTHER QUESTION? GRADUATING WITH A KINESIOLOGY DEGREE FROM MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE. IT WASN’T UNTIL THOMAS GOT AN INTERNSHIP AT MORGAN STATE THAT SHE DISCOVERED HER LOVE FOR BEING BEHIND THE SCENES FOR A FOOTBALL TEAM. I’M A NUMBERS GIRL. I LOVE THE ANALYTICS SIDE OF THINGS. I LOVE STATS AND FOOTBALL. IT REALLY IT GETS DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY WHEN IT COMES TO STATS, AND THEN THE CAMARADERIE OF IT ALL. FOOTBALL IS A REALLY BIG SPORT. YOU’RE NOT WORKING WITH 11 PLAYERS, YOU’RE WORKING WITH 9 TO 9. SO IT’S SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY. ERIC HAS SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS AS THE SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR AT WINSTON-SALEM STATE, NOT JUST HANDLING FOOTBALL, BUT INSTEAD TAKING CARE OF ALL TEN SPORTS AT THE UNIVERSITY. WE TRY TO GET HERE AN HOUR BEFORE OUR INTERNS, SO IF THEY’RE HERE AT EIGHT, I’M HERE BY SEVEN, 730 AT THE LATEST. AND TYPICALLY I’M THE LAST PERSON TO LEAVE THE FIELD OUT. SO IF WE PLAY AT ONE. MY GOAL, I WOULD SAY, IS TO BE HOME BY SEVEN. IF I’M HOME BEFORE IT GETS DARK, THAT’S A GREAT NAME. THE BEHIND THE SCENES OF A GAME DAY AT WSU ALL GOES THROUGH HARRIS FROM THE STATS AND PRESS RELEASES TO THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE THAT FALLS ON THE PLATE OF HER AND HER INTERNS. AND YET, AS THE ONLY FEMALE SPORTS SEDAN IN THE TRIAD, HER KNOWLEDGE STILL COMES UNDER QUESTION. I’M CONSTANTLY GETTING QUESTIONED, AND WHAT I TELL THEM IS, LOOK, ARE YOU IN PRACTICE BECAUSE I WAS WERE YOU AT THE GAME? BECAUSE I WAS. DO YOU EVEN READ THEIR BIO? BECAUSE I WROTE IT? SO IT’S OKAY IF YOU QUESTION ME BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN. WE MAKE MISTAKES, BUT IT’S IF WE OWN UP TO IT AND HOW WE CORRECT IT IS HOW I LOOK AT IT. FOR HARRIS, THE NEXT STEP IN HER JOURNEY ISN’T CLEAR, BUT FOR NOW, SHE DOESN’T TAKE ONE MOMENT FOR GRANTED. AT THE UNIVERSITY THAT HAS BECOME HER HOME AWAY FROM HOME, THE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE, THE PLAYERS ARE GREAT, THE COACHES ARE AMAZING AND I KNEW RIGHT WHEN I GOT HERE THAT THIS WAS A GREAT FIT. THAT WAS SPORTS REPORTER CHANEL PORTER REPORTING. HARRIS TELLS US ONE OF HER FAVORITE PARTS OF THE JOB IS MENTORING THE WINSTON-SALEM STATE ATHLET
