A host of tasks must be met before the start of any athletic contest at Pepperdine: The floor must be swept the scoreboard set and the bleachers cleaned so they are spotless.
Oh and the tickets must be ready for distribution.
In her fourth year as ticket manger for all Pepperdine athletic events Martha McClearen has hardly seen the spotlight in recognition for her tireless days and nights spent before after and between games. Responsible for all things ticket-related she often spends long hours promoting selling and allocating the mighty tabs of paper to their rightful place at the proper time. She is always counting counting and counting some more.
“I do everything that has to do with any of the events we sell tickets to for athletics she said. I’m responsible for balancing all of the games making sure the money matches the amount of tickets we sold. And packaging the tickets … It’s pretty crazy hours but it works for me. So I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Being a stockbroker in Nashville Tenn. for 25 years McClearen said she decided a change in scenery would do her some good. Since she has children in Los Angeles to the west coast she went packing her bags and settling in Thousand Oaks Calif. She planned on continuing her real estate career until a friend who worked at Pepperdine told her about an opening in the athletics department.
“I got my real estate license about two weeks before I took this job but I found out I really didn’t want to do real estate out here she said. [So] I became the fulltime ticket manager and on game-days we have students that work also. It’s been fun … It’s a lot of fun working with students.”
With many sports games for different teams overlapping at this point in the season McClearen has become even busier than the typical work week provides. Having to balance between the basketball men’s volleyball and now baseball teams is no easy task she said.
“This week I’m working on the WCC [which is] coming up in March for the men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas McClearen said. We sold all the tickets so I’m packaging up all those tickets collecting the money and getting ready for baseball season also. We’ve got a lot of game overlapping right now.”
Although McClearen has grown to love her role in athletics she also said she cannot do such a time-consuming and physically-demanding job forever. She tries to live in the present doing her best to enjoy the ride for as long as it takes her.
“I can’t see myself being here forever she said. Eventually a younger person will need to come in here and do this. It’s a very fast-paced thing so I just take it one year at a time and see how it goes.”
McClearen said she does not regret the decision to start life anew in Los Angeles. Spending time with children staying active and taking in the scenery are three things that she said makes all the difference in experiencing the joys life brings.
“I love to spend time with my kids she said. I love working with students … I love outdoor activities. I love going to plays movies and theaters.
“The cost of living out here is tough but it’s something about living in California that gets in your blood; that once you’re here you just can’t leave it.”