A team of 30-some volunteers work long hours at the "laundromat" to make sure all of the players have clean gear to practice and compete in.
INDIANAPOLIS — It takes a well-run machine to run all of March Madness.
In fact, it's taken 16 machines, running practically non-stop to keep up with all the laundry.
Think uniforms, warm-ups, practice gear and towels. It all needs to be cleaned, and it's all being done in two large trucks provided by Lowes at the rear of the Indiana Convention Center.
"We thought we knew what we were going to tackle, but it's been amazing," said Steve Sanner. "So far, we've done over 11 tons since last Monday, and it just keeps coming."
Sanner, a member of the Indiana Sports Corp Executive Committee, is in charge or all things laundry, initially for all 68 teams, now just the Sweet 16, which lightens the loads considerably.
With the help from 30-some volunteers, Sanner and his wife Jennifer, have been involved in their own full-court of sorts, often working from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. to get the job done.
Carrie McFall is a friend and an enthusiastic volunteer. She described herself as "a mother who's been doing laundry for years, so yes, it's the easiest job around."
Tuesday, McFall was stationed in the so-called laundromat, one of the Lowes trucks equipped with washers and dryers and bags of clothes ready to be loaded.
McFall has the process down. The dirty laundry usually comes stuffed in duffel bags delivered to a dock near the Lowes truck.
"We have Baylor here," she said grabbing a bag. "And we're going to wheel it over to the truck."
Each player's clothes are looped together (so they don't get separated) and thrown in a washer.
McFall takes it one step further. She points to a blue strip of tape with letters on it at the top of a washing machine.
"All the machines are marked with tape," she said. "It tells me who's in what washer and dryer, so we don't lose track."
And the laundry teams have a near-perfect record.
Sanner said, so far, the only items they've lost are "three socks in 11 tons. Just three socks."
He said it helps a lot when the players "do a nice job on their practice loops."
In fact, he said the laundry crew, many unable to watch the games have their own pools, picking teams based on "how well they follow the (laundry) rules and some are just crushing it," on the court.
While the uniforms are all washed, they don't go in dryer. That would be a big no-no. They might shrink.
Instead, they're put on hangers in a cordoned off area inside the Convention Center where they hang dry with help from high-power fans. And once dry, each uniform is hand-steamed to get rid of any wrinkles.
Sanner said while he hasn't had the chance to see any players wearing their freshly-pressed uniforms, "It's been a lot of fun, a lot of late nights but we love doing it. And every volunteer we've had has been the same way. It's the city of Indianapolis coming together in so many ways to make it happen."
March 24, 2021 at 07:52AM
https://www.wthr.com/article/sports/ncaa/ncaab/full-stream-ahead-as-volunteers-race-to-keep-up-with-march-madness-laundry/531-bb78a6a9-97dc-4947-bec3-6990f6dd60dd
Full steam ahead as volunteers race to keep up with March Madness laundry - WTHR
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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