The Real Stories of Women Who Work in Sports
ALMA DAVILA-TORO
Alma Davila-Toro is an event manager and director of championships at the University of Michigan Athletic Department. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2006 with a degree in sport management and communications. Alma is an incredible example of someone who has worked hard to be where she is now. With "Those who stay..." tattooed on her wrist, Alma has dedicated over 17 years to working in Michigan Athletics in some form. I have had the chance to work with Alma in passing at various sports events and was thrilled to sit down with her to hear her story. In addition to sports, Alma is passionate about the arts and social justice.
Q: How long have you been working in the sports field?
It depends on how you want to define that but I started working in sports when I was about 11 years old. It was the early 90s and I just moved to New York City from North Carolina. I lived in a rough neighborhood where most families during that time put their kids in after-school programs to keep them off the streets. For me, it was a place where I found my first love.
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Q: Can you explain your current role?
I am currently an Event Manager for the University of Michigan Athletic Department. I’ve worked with all 29 sports on campus, but currently help plan and direct all game day operations for men’s and women’s basketball, rowing, and track & field. I also serve as the Director of Championships for all hosted Big Ten Conference and NCAA post-season play.
My duties include coordinating everything from credentials, parking services, game day traffic control, event staffing, training and hiring ushers, ticket-takers and guest services staff for all home games. I work closely with both internal and external units to not only provide the best game day experience but also ensure the safety and security of our teams and fans. I also communicate game day details to game officials, visiting teams, volunteers, M Den, and concessions.
As Director of Championships, I help take the lead on planning any Big Ten and NCAA championship or preliminary round Michigan wants to host or is selected to host. With this position I play more of a neutral role for Michigan since we’re hosting on behalf of the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA. For example, if we play the fight song for Michigan then that means we’re playing the fight song for all schools. I assist with venue arrangements, participant information, security, lodging, transportation, marketing, and financial reports. I enjoy hosting teams from other conferences and hearing feedback of their time in Ann Arbor.
What I love about this position is the ability to see things through to completion. The process of planning and executing an event from start to finish. Every sports season is brand new and you never know what will happen at the end of the season.
Q: What is the biggest event obstacle you've had to overcome?
A few years ago, we hosted the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championship at the Natatorium. There was norovirus outbreak on campus that eventually reached the pool. I have never dealt with a public health crisis during an athletics event before and wasn’t sure how it would affect the championship. There were 14 schools in town for the championship and it all started the night before practice day. Long story short, I had to wake up all 14 head coaches in the middle of the night to tell them practice was cancelled and there was an emergency coaches meeting the next morning but I couldn’t tell them why. Let’s just say they weren’t happy.
Alma and Michigan Women's Basketball Coach Kim Barnes Arico with the 2017 National Invitational Tournament Trophy
Q: What is your favorite memory working in sports?
One of the first big ones would be taking the lead on planning my first national championship – the 2014 NCAA Men's Gymnastics National Championship. We hosted and it was the first time we used the gymnastics podium in Crisler Center. It was the first time BTN broadcasted a national championship. It was the first zero waste championship for the NCAA. I think we also broke an attendance record. On top of all of that, what made it even more special, Michigan won the national championship.
Q: How did you get started in sports?
For some insane reason, my grandmother signed me up for dance but I lost interest in it because I was too much of a class clown and couldn’t move like the other kids. I also didn’t like wearing leotards or ballet shoes. My comfort came on the basketball court. I remember walking into the PS 121 gym for the first time and meeting the men who would change my life forever.
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Larry Wingate worked full-time as a PE teacher in the city and part-time at my after-school basketball program sponsored by SCAN-NY. Earl “The Goat” Manigault was a playground legend from Harlem known as one of the greatest basketball players never to make it to the NBA. When I decided to focus on basketball, Larry and “The Goat” took me under their wings. I became their little helper and would always arrive early to help them set up and stay late for the break down. At first, I was too young for working papers, so they paid me out of pocket until I was old enough for my first paycheck. Basketball kept me off the streets and saved my life.
These two guys became my male role models at a time when my father was absent in my life. “The Goat” always told us that education was life. Larry saw me as his daughter and helped me focus on becoming a better ball player. I fell in love with the game and figured it would be my way out of New York City. Unfortunately, “The Goat” died in May of 1998 and I stopped working there to focus on my basketball development. I played basketball all four years of high school and when it came down to choosing a college, I decided on Michigan in 2001. I knew I wasn’t a good enough player to be recruited by a big-time school like Michigan, but if you survive the streets of Harlem in the 90s like me then you can do anything you set your mind to. It was also a nice plus to have my best friend, Kristel, already at U of M finishing up her first year.
Michigan was everything I wanted in a school – it wasn’t in the state of New York and had a Division I basketball program. It was highly ranked among universities and had exactly what I wanted to study – Sport Management & Communications. I loved the colors and that Michigan was a Nike school.
The summer before my freshman year, I started looking for a work study job online and came across a post looking for a student assistant facility manager at Cliff Keen Arena. Shelly Fabrizio was the Facility Manager at the time who hired me in. Although I knew I had my foot in the door with the athletics, I still had my mind on joining the basketball team. I became more involved in Event Management with Ragine Dvorak working little jobs around the department like being a videographer for women’s gymnastics, speed wiping at volleyball games, and score flashing at men’s gymnastics meets.
Q: Did you end up trying to walk on the women's basketball team?
Unfortunately, my basketball career ended when I injured my back during my Freshman/Sophomore years at Michigan. I actually received workers comp from the injury and Michigan paid for my medical bills. All the heavy lifting and cleaning I did at Keen created bulging and herniated disks in my lower back. I still deal with it today. I can't play basketball or sports the way I used to anymore but everything happens for a reason. By the end of my sophomore year, I heard there was a student manager position open on the men’s team and applied.
I became a student manager from 2003-2006 under Tommy Amaker and lettered in men’s basketball. I could have easily gone to the women's side, but I am always up for new challenges. I didn’t see female managers on the court or on the field. I questioned why the men's basketball and football managers were the only ones who lettered in their sport. What made them different? How much work were they putting in compared to other sports?
By my senior year, I ended up becoming the first female manager to letter in men's basketball, according to Tom Wywrot. I wear my varsity jacket with pride because I know I earned it. If the student athletes got there at 6 a.m., the managers got there at 5 a.m. to set things up. During away games, I remember many late nights being in charge of recording our away games. I’d have to go into a pitch black Crisler Arena and run all the way up to our booth which was in the last row near the catwalk. I’d have to start our ten VCRs and come back after the game to rewind them and pray to God each tape was recorded properly. I’d put the labels on the VHS tapes and drop them off in the coach’s locker room before they returned that night.
You could not just put me at a desk to do mail outs or take calls. There was no way in hell. There were other female students working for the basketball program then, but you only saw them in the office doing office work. I am a basketball player. You better put me on the court and I'm going to take a pad and hit our players. I am going to do everything that all the other male managers are going to do. That’s what I loved about Coach Amaker. He was always inclusive and treated me like everyone else.
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"By my senior year, I ended up becoming the first female manager (at the University of Michigan) to letter in men's basketball...I wear my varsity jacket with pride because I know I earned it."
Q: What's it like to have men's basketball as one of your events now?
Everything has come full circle! I went from playing pick-up basketball with the women’s team my freshman year to sitting behind the bench during all men’s games as a manager and now to sitting at the head table representing both men’s and women’s basketball. Some people say I have the greatest job in the world. I’d have to say I can’t really complain. I love it. To be in Crisler Center now and just knowing that there's different stories and roles I have had in that building is something special.
Q: How do you find a work life balance?
Work life balance is very important to me because there are so many things that I’m passionate about. Sports, Music, Art, Photography…you name it. I’ve always believed that you should do what you love and love what you do. I see that in every aspect of my life. That’s why I love my job. Who has it better than us? I mean, I work for my alma mater and it doesn’t hurt that we’re one of the best athletic departments in the country.
If you work in sports, then you know you’re giving up nights and weekends especially when you’re starting in this career. As a student worker at Keen, there were many late-night set-ups and clean-ups. Even as a basketball manager, I was already getting used to giving up holidays and spring breaks to be with the team. After graduation, I worked almost every single Olympic sporting event on this athletics campus minus the big three so my life was always athletics.
Once I became full-time and dove into football operations, I ended up burning out. Football was 365 days a year and that was on top of the other sports I was primarily responsible for. I think it was hard for me to say no during this time. It was also hard for me not to be in the office when we didn’t have events going on. After my burnout with football, I think being honest with my supervisor at the time helped tremendously. I learned to say no and knew my limits. I couldn’t do everything!
Another step towards work life balance came when I moved to Detroit few years ago. I was trying to figure out if I wanted to leave Michigan to look for a job but all the signs were keeping me here. Moving to Detroit provided the balance I needed. I needed that art, culture and music. When I lived five minutes away from the athletic campus, I would come in late and put in a couple of hours at the office if I was bored at home.
Q: What is the best way to set yourself apart?
For me, it was art. If it isn't sports, it's art or music to me. Those are my passions. I think in anything that you do, whether it's engineering or whatever, if you're able to utilize and expand and be free creatively and artistically, that brings out the most amazing ideas and discoveries in the world. Being creative allows me to think outside the box and provides diverse ideas. My life experiences and creative side stand out a little more than others.
Q: How did you become comfortable working in a male-dominated industry?
It comes from experience. As a kid, I always felt like one of the guys. I was a big tom boy. When I was five years old, I was told I couldn't do karate because I was a girl. When I was seven I was told I couldn’t play football because I was a girl. When I moved to New York City, I was the only girl playing in the male dominated basketball tournaments until I physically couldn’t hang with them. In high school, I was the only girl in my graffiti crew and they named me “Nena” which is Spanish for “Girl.” It started off when I was young and when you told me I couldn’t do something, there was no stopping me. That's where I am relentless.
Q: How have you overcome struggles as someone who also identifies as a minority not only as a woman but racially/ethnically?
It's hard when the number of people that look like you or understand your experiences are just not there -- you could count them on your hand. A lot of times, I don't want to be that one person that when a diversity question is asked, everyone looks to you to answer.
Q: What advice would you give yourself when you were just starting?
It’s going to be a long road and it will take lot of work but in the end, it will pay off. Stay focused and don’t let politics get in the way of your goals. I got a full inside scoop on what this athletic department, a top major athletic department, looks like, experiences, how it grows, and sometimes falls. I went through four different athletic directors. If there's one thing, I would say continue to be a sponge and just pull the best practices from everything and everyone you encounter. Everyone here has something to share.
Q: What would you rate the level of importance of getting a master's degree to work in sports?
I think it depends on what you want to do in the sports world. Personally, I don't feel like my undergraduate SMC curriculum gave me what I needed to be great in this athletic department. To me, it's been my hands-on experience. It's lifting up your sleeves, getting it done and experiencing it.