Tweet

Everyone knows teachers in school and what they are like in the classroom, but have you ever wondered what your teachers do outside of school?

In his free time, Bellwood-Antis history teacher Mr. Gary Rhone  works for the Altoona Curve at PNG Field and the Penn State football team at Beaver Stadium. He has worked at Penn State for 6 years and 1 year at the Altoona curve.

“The atmosphere at both stadiums is exciting,” Mr. Rhone said. “I get to meet people from all over the nation at both stadiums and talk to them.”

At Beaver Stadium Mr. Rhone is an ADA ( American Disability Act) cart driver. Disabled ticket holders are driven to their seating area within the stadium. There, Mr. Rhone said the hardest part of the job is ” trying not to hit any of the 100,000 fans with my cart while driving through them.”

At PNG Field he works in customer service, helping people find their seats and answering questions for fans who may not be from around the area.

One perk of this job, he said, is that he gets in for free for all the games he attends, but that comes with a small downside.

“Getting in free is fantastic, but you miss some of the games since the customers come first. But you get access to areas of the stadium normally fans would not have,” he said.

Another perk of the job is that the atmosphere of the work environment is exciting. At Penn State, he is working Big 10 games featuring some of the best teams in the country. In Altoona, he is watching the progress of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ future stars.

Mr. Rhone had found few drawbacks to the jobs, and the ones he did centered around the physical challenges they can present.

“It can be very cold at Penn State football games, and you’re outside the entire time,” he said.  “Also, I’m on my feet at the curve the entire game, so you have to wear good shoes.”

The 2022 Curve season begins at PNG field on April 8 against the Harrisburg Senators. If you get a chance, stop by to say hello to one of B-A’s most popular teachers.