This week's storms buried Mackay Stadium in a few inches of snow. With one day until the rivalry game between UNLV and Nevada, about 25 staff and volunteers spent Friday morning shoveling snow off the field and the bleachers.
"It was a field of white," Jaystid Davis, Nevada Equipment Manager said. "You couldn't see any green or anything like that but we've been working hard all day."
Some showed up at 6:00 a.m. to clear snow before the Wolf Pack's morning practice.
"First thing was like 'We have a lot of work to do,'" Shannon O'Hair, Nevada Football Equipment Assistant said. "We saw Jay (Norvell) out here, shoveling snow and I was like 'Coach, what are you doing?' He was like 'Oh, we have to get ready for practice.'Â We immediately started shoveling and doing whatever we could so we can practice for today."
O'Hair was one of many people who used shovels to clear the football field. Eventually, they used a side-by-side with a plow to clear the field. A PVC pipe on the blade allowed the plow to slide across the field, preventing the blade from ripping the turf.
"From the middle of practice to the end of practice, we probably only got to like the 15, 20 yard line," O'Hair said. "So when he came out here, he just knocked it out. So it saved a lot of time doing that."
Doug Knuth, the Director of Athletics for Nevada shoveled snow off the bleachers. He was happy to see about 25 people show up to help, including staff.
"Most of these folks have the day off, today, but for them to come in and put in a few hours of work here, getting the stadium ready is really incredible and just shows this is an incredible community and I just love the fact that we have a community here that people chip in and help when needed," Knuth said.
The stands at Mackay Stadium are made out of aluminum, so clearing snow from the stairs and walkways is a major focus for fan safety.
"What we're doing its trying to clear the stadium, make it safe and accessible for our fans, comfortable as much as we can," Knuth said. "We're trying to clear all the snow off the seats so that people have a day set and a place to sit tomorrow."
"They're super, super slick," O'Hair said. "So if someone were to slip and fall, it just looks bad on our end, so we're trying and do whatever we can to make sure all the players, fans, staff, everyone is safe."
The athletic department is also putting ice-melt on the stairs and walkways to keep them from icing over.
Clearing the field before the two universities have the battle for the Fremont Cannon was also important for player safety. Crews laid tarps on the field's surface to keep it clear until game day.
"We want to make sure the experience is as great as possible for our student athletes, tomorrow, to get a win," Drake Sacenti, Director of Annual Giving for Nevada Athletics said. "So this is what we're out here doing."
The track and the common areas near the concession stands are also clear. Most of the seats will be free of snow but the space in front, where people put their feet will likely have snow leftover. The forecast for game day is a high of 35 degrees with snow expected later in the day, most likely after the game ends.
"Everyone coming to the game, make sure they wear their boots, make sure they wear warm clothes," Knuth said.Â
"I'm looking forward to it and I think our locker room is looking forward to it because it's northern Nevada and we've got to show what we're made of and there's nothing better than a snowy day up here in Reno," Davis said.
"We want to pack the stands and get the cannon back," O'Hair said.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
