Athletic Directors: At Your Service

Perhaps the most misunderstood role of all positions in the chain of offering interscholastic sport is the athletic director. While most have an opinion of what they would like to see the athletic administrator do, most do not have an accurate view of the true responsibilities of this key person. Students, parents, administrators, school boards and coaches depend on the athletic administrator's leadership, but from various points of view and avenues of expectation. One of my university professors, who prepared educators to be superintendents of schools, stated that the position of "athletic director" is the most demanding position in any school corporation. A former director of technology informed me that not only were the number of emails that I received as the athletic administrator more than double the quantity received by the next highest contacted person in the school district, but that the athletic office also received 50 percent of the phone calls delivered to the school corporation. There are a numerous categories of people that have interest in interscholastic athletics and their expectations are varied based upon perspective. This leader of the school athletic program is assumed to be an expert in a multitude of disciplines. At times, the many stakeholders in high school athletics believe the A.D. should be trained in medicine, meteorology, arbitration, motivational speaking, law enforcement, accounting, legal issues and counseling. He or she is expected to have the Wisdom of Solomon, the compassion of Mother Teresa, the inspiration of Dr. Martin Luther King and the patience of Job. To accept the premise that athletic programs are an extension of the school's regular classroom is a philosophical foundation necessary for building an athletic program. It then becomes the responsibility of the athletic administrator to ensure the offerings meet the educational mission of the school. In many cases, people see the existence of a sports program to be primarily about winning and focusing on what the program can offer them. The primary purpose of high school interscholastic sports is not to develop participants to receive a college scholarship. With over 7 million students nationally, and 160,000 Indiana kids participating annually in high school athletics, instead the programs must be based on assisting everyone to reach their potential as young people. Athletics should promote the provision of teachable opportunities where students can learn to serve others, develop teamwork, devote loyalty, display respect and teach "we" instead of "me". To win with humility and to react to disappointment with dignity are goals to be learned through participation opportunities that interscholastic athletic programs offer. To this point, the athletic director encourages participation and maturation through involvement as a form of measurement of success for each young person. The individuals that make up the corps of athletic administrators in Indiana's high schools are a group of leaders that strive to continually grow professionally. They are determined to be on the cutting edge of innovative educational ideas, allowing them to offer the best and safest opportunities for the student-athletes. As the gatekeeper of the standards for which an athletic program stands, the athletic director must set the tone and educate others in order to make a difference. One standard that speaks to the dedication in this effort is the involvement of Indiana directors in the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). This organization is located in Indianapolis and is the unifying entity for state athletic administrator associations in all 50 states. Indiana enjoys the second highest NIAAA individual membership, second only to New York, and has a history of providing strong leadership at the state and national levels. These two affiliated and professional groups ensure the opportunities experienced by Indiana's student-athletes are second to none nationally. The athletic director works long hours, continually balances family and school calendars and successfully handles multiple tasks in various stages of completion. They do so for the student-athletes and all who support them. (Mike Blackburn is the Associate Executive Director for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and carries 31 years of athletic administration experience. He previously served as athletic director at Northwestern High School and was on the IHSAA Board of Directors and Executive Committee for two terms.)