BILLINGS — If you're not wrestling at Montana's state tournament, the next best thing may be waving a towel — not from the stands, but down on mats as part of the action.
These critical helpers do their essential work as the clock ticks down to end each period, serving as human timekeepers for wrestling officials who need to stay focused on the match itself.
Four of these young volunteers carefully explained the role to MTN Sports while taking a break from Friday's action inside First Interstate Arena.
Watch these young volunteers in action at Montana's state wrestling tourney:
"A towel tapper," explained 9-year-old Layla, "is when you kind of go out and then ..."
"... once it gets down to about 10 seconds left," 11-year-old Hadley continued, "you put your hand on his back and say five, four, three, two, one ... so he can be focused on the match and not the clock."
Aiden, 11, knows the strategy well.
"(It's) so they know when to blow the whistle, stop the match and just in case they're counting extra points they don't say three instead of two," he said.
"You just tap 'em, tap 'em," explained 12-year-old Easton with a technique demonstration.
If you've been to a wrestling match, you can't miss them. At the state tournament, towel tappers are everywhere, filling a job in high demand.
"A lot of these kids kind of get the taste of the state tournament by being close to the mat and eventually wrestle here," said Mark Sulser, School District 2 athletic director.
That's the dream for many of these young helpers — to one day wrestle before thousands inside the arena. But working in front of those thousands can be nerve-racking.
"It's kind of intimidating, but once you've done it a few times you get used to it," Easton admitted.
Technology has added a modern safeguard to the tradition. A couple years ago in Montana, officials started wearing wristbands synced with the timers. The wristbands vibrate when a clock hits zero after every period.
"The nice thing about it is you get an exact time," said Jeremy Shields, a Helena official. "Because a lot of times kids will get excited, or they miss, or they hit you early. Then you're going to the table going, 'Hey, did this get in in time? Yes or no?'"
But it's still fun to keep the rich tradition alive, though the youngsters admit being human means making occasional mistakes.
"It's not bad, but sometimes I mess up," Layla said.
"Yeah, we have done that quite a few times," Easton said with a smile.
"Oh yeah, all the time. Sometimes I'll do it a second off, sometimes five seconds off, sometimes I'll have to go run out there when there's three seconds and I'll throw it," Aiden also added with a grin.
It's never felt so enjoyable to throw in the towel.
