With the understaffed bus drivers at the time, it can be very difficult to make sure that the FHN school sports teams get picked up at the right time, at the right place and make sure that the team gets there on time. 

“It’s very stressful for all of us,” JV team captain and sophomore Sophia Manzella said. “Especially since the school wifi doesn’t allow communication through GroupMe.” 

The stress of not knowing if a bus is going to show up can get overwhelming for the players and coaches. The communication between coaches and players can get a little rocky since the information can change any time, any day. JV head coach Jeff Ott feels that the communication between the school and bus drivers could be easier by having a centralized pickup spot so everyone knows where to go and where each pickup spot is going to be. 

“Honestly, the bus not showing up has been a fear of mine because we could end up just being late or having to cancel our game and a team never wants to forfeit,” Mazella said. 

Many emotions can go through the process of making sure that a bus will show up but Ott knows that one will most definitely be there because he knows how hard everyone works to make sure players and coaches arrive on time and he doesn’t want the players worrying. 

“I don’t want there to be any concern about buses not arriving,” Ott said. 

Coaches in the athletic department have a process to communicate with bus drivers and bus scheduling, so the teams have a generalized idea of when they should get picked up. 

“I appreciate all that the bus driver does and I know it’s a hard job and they’re understaffed right now,” Ott said. “They are doing their best to get us to where they need to be safely and responsibly.”