Kellie Templeman loves data so much that it’s not just her day job but her night job too. Kellie, the research data management coordinator at the University of Georgia Libraries, is a team statistician for the Athens Rock Lobsters, the minor-league hockey team that recently began playing at the Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center.
Learn more about Kellie — and how her love of data can help UGA faculty and students in their research journey — in the Q&A below.
What’s your job at UGA Libraries?
I'm the Research Data Management Coordinator in RCDM (the department of research and computational data management), and in our office we work with faculty and students on all aspects of the research data lifecycle (planning, analysis, visualization, Open Access publishing, etc).
What do you do for the Rock Lobsters?
I work with the off-ice team doing game statistics. We have crew on the ice level in the scorekeeper's bench running the timeclock and communications, working the penalty boxes and goal lights, and we have statistics staff (including me) upstairs in the Arena Press Box keeping track of the starting lineups, line changes, plus/minus, goals/assists and penalties — we even have to keep track of the start/end times, nightly attendance numbers, and the "3 stars" of the game. All the game data we report is updated in real time throughout the game on our data system and on the FPHL (Federal Prospects Hockey League) website. At the end of the night, we also get the final game reports signed by both coaches and the referees for final submission to the FPHL league office.
Have you always been into stats and data?
Yes! I've been working in data driven positions since I was an undergraduate student. My first full time role was as a Research Lab Manager at Georgia Tech and since then, I've had other data/IT administrative positions in K-12 education and here at UGA.
What about sports? Did you play sports or were you a fan growing up? Do you have favorite sports/teams/players that you keep up with?
I've always been a huge sports fan my whole life. I grew up in Niagara Falls, NY and being a stone's throw from Canada, hockey is king! When I was young, I would spend weekends at the rink watching my brother play on his house league team (Girls were not allowed on boys teams in the late 80's). In high school and my freshman year of college, I played basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey.
My favorite hometown teams are the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills and here in Athens, I love supporting the UGA Ice Dawgs, the Lady Ice Dawgs and the Rock Lobsters.
I'm happy to share my love of sports with my teenagers, as they both play ice hockey here in Athens for Northeast Georgia Youth Hockey. I also love being a part of growing the Athens hockey community as I'm on the NEGA Youth Hockey Board of Directors as well as the UGA Ice Dawgs Foundation Board.
What skills from your day job translate into your hockey job?
Individually, working statistics both in my day job at UGA and for the Lobsters really depends on accuracy and attention to detail. Teamwork is also critically important in both roles! It's always good to have a second set of eyes to double check your work — whether it's writing code in the Data Studio or watching a replay with the stats team to get the right players credited with their goals/assists.
What do you wish more people understood about data?
Data literacy is so important and knowing the context behind data is always the key to success. I wish that people understood that data always contains the bias and perspective of whomever collected it.
What’s your favorite Rock Lobster stat/event so far?
My favorite RL event this season has been the Pucks and Paws night, in conjunction with Athens Humane Society. Having so many dogs just chilling in the arena and sitting with their owners during the game and then watching the dog races on the ice between periods was so much fun!
Anything else you think people might want to know?
If you haven't had a chance to check out a hockey game, come on out and join Crustacean Nation -- you'll have so much fun! Akins Arena is such an amazing place and I'm so thrilled to have this wonderful community resource sitting right down the street from our campus. As we say on the ice, it's always Claws up and Go Dawgs!
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UGA faculty and students can learn more about the Department of Research and Computational Data Management at UGA Libraries at researchdata.uga.edu. Feel free to reach out to Kellie and her colleagues for help with your own research data needs.