In her sixth grade year, junior Kaitlyn Reed was passionate about basketball and the Indiana Fever. She got the chance when she was about 14 years old to work with the Fever team as a Fever Ball Kid.

As a Ball Kid, Reed set up the court, distributed towels and water to the team, fold warm-ups towels and, Reed’s favorite part, shagging basketballs for the team during warm-ups and at halftimes.

This was Reed’s first job, and she thinks that it was a great experience. She said that she did get paid to do it, but she enjoyed it so much that she did it for free sometimes.

Reed said that her love for basketball fueled her enthusiasm during her time as a Fever Ball Kid.

“It was really cool to me to be able to do that,” Reed said. “I got to meet most of the team, and I even got to talk to Katie Douglass, who was kind of like my roll model. I got to stand right next to them and work with them, the whole thing was just a blast.”

Although Reed no longer plays basketball, she still views her time as a Fever Ball Kid as a very touching and motivating experience.