At a basketball game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion plenty of events take place. The band plays, the cheerleaders get everyone going, the fans yell for the team and the game on the court forms the center of it all — but the job done by the ushers often goes overlooked. While many may not know it, come game day, the ushers play as much of a part in Hec Ed as the floorboards, the big screen and the Dawg Pack.

‘Good morning Norm’

For usher supervisor Norm Ives — a veteran usher of 25 years — the job begins at 11 a.m., two hours before the start of the recent women’s basketball game vs. WSU. At 11:30 the rest of Ives’ crew checks in at the facilities office in a back corner of Hec Ed. Once Ives has briefed the approximately 30 ushers on their daily assignments, the gold-jacketed workers disperse throughout the Pavilion to prepare for the arrival of the crowds.

In the early ‘80s, Ives started working at gymnastics meets when his daughter competed on the team. He branched out to other sports as a fundraiser for the gymnastics team. He soon fell in love with the job and now works at almost any type of athletic event the university hosts, including football, soccer and softball.

“I enjoy watching the women’s sports because they’re more team-oriented,” Ives said. “My favorite is probably softball because I watched the coaches when they came up. I followed Eve [Gaw] from the day she was a new recruit in the door.”

As the fans begin to enter Hec Ed at noon, Ives walks around to check in with all of his ushers and make sure everyone has gone to the right place. He disguises his intentions by grabbing a pile of the team rosters for the day and hands each of his ushers one as he makes the rounds. The ushers each greet Ives with a “Good morning Norm” and thank him for the gift.

“This is one of my traditions,” Ives said. “Some of them get mad at me because sometimes I get busy and forget to hand them out.”

Ives obviously enjoys his time working with the other ushers and does the job for “fun” after his day job. Between working for Washington Athletics three to four nights a week with a night or two at Key Arena, and working 40 hours a week as a business analyst for rocket-engine manufacturer Aerojet, Ives often ends up working close to 70 hours a week during the winter months.

“It’s my entertainment,” Ives said. “Down here, it’s great, because the people you associate with are great. You get to associate with the athletes and these kids are great kids. I really enjoy it.”

The busiest time of the year for the 68-year-old Ives comes in December when he devotes a large amount of his time to playing Santa at the Bellevue Square mall. Ives bears such a resemblance to Jolly Saint Nick that many Washington athletes and fans simply know him as Santa. Ives enjoys playing the part of the Christmas gift-giver and plays along when parents tell their children that the usher is actually Mr. Claus keeping an eye on them all year.

‘He’s our grandpa’

While most fans could probably recognize Ives, they may not know about one of his long-time co-workers, George Hickman, who sits behind the curtain at the end of the tunnel next to the Washington bench during basketball games.

“George is just the nicest, sweetest person,” senior basketball player Erica Schelly said. “I think everyone looks forward to getting a high five or a hug from him. He always tells us that he’s praying for us and that he’s cheering for us. He’s our grandpa.”

Now 82 years “young,” Hickman started ushering at Husky Football games in 1967 with the ulterior motive of getting a closer view.

The job soon blossomed into more than just a way to get closer to the action on the field. Hickman found himself befriending the students he interacted with on a daily basis. He talked to the players he saw at the games and gave them encouragement. Except for a short hiatus from the job in the early ‘80s, Hickman has been a mainstay at Washington athletic events for close to 37 years.

While Ives could point out that he has served more consecutive years than Hickman, he can’t contest whom the athletes and coaches appreciate most.

“I don’t know anybody around here [who] is more loved here than George,” Ives said. “Two years ago we put George somewhere else, and [women’s basketball coach] June Daugherty came up and said ‘Where’s George?!’”

Over the years, Hickman has played the role of superfan, mentor, encourager, hug-giver, substitute parent and has sometimes even provided a shoulder to cry on after a tough game for Husky athletes both male and female.

“The money isn’t what I am here for; it’s those long-term relationships that I am here for,” Hickman said. “It’s the inspiration I can give these kids and encourage them to get their degree. And not only that, when they’ve had a bad game, cheer them up and let them know, well, that’s not the end of it all.”

Let the game begin

Now 1 p.m., each of the players has received their pre-game hug from Hickman and they are out on the court ready to play. The game will soon begin.

Another veteran usher, Herb Mosley, sometimes sings the national anthem to open games, but the fans will not be blessed by his gospel choir voice today.

From a seat at the end of the media section, Ives observes the court during the game and watches out for any trouble. On this Saturday the main problem comes from fans using flash cameras. Using his radio and earpiece, Ives tells the ushers where the fans are sitting and those ushers find the fans and politely ask them not to use the flash.

Ives admits his job is pretty easy once the game starts, as long there are no ambulance calls. At half-time and then again at the end of the game, he escorts the referees to their dressing area. During the second half he coordinates where the other ushers will move after the game, and makes sure there are no problems.

Washington beats Washington State with ease, and much of the crowd has thinned by the end of the game. After the final whistle, Dan Edmunson, who has ushered for 15 years, receives an autographed ball and takes a picture with the team since today will be his last game as an usher.

The ushers who had worked at the tunnels before come down to make sure none of the fans come onto the court after the game.

Once the visiting team clears the locker room, the ushers are almost done. The cleaning crew moves in on the arena, and the lights begin to dim. The ushers begin to ask the few remaining fans to head out, and another day of making sure that everything runs smoothly at Hec Ed comes to a close for Ives and his crew.

Reach reporter James Schleicher at features@thedaily.washington.edu.