A.D.MINISTRATION ATHLETIC DIRECTOR STRATEGIES Providing Help For The Athletic Director
From state associations to clinics, resources are available for those who need them
Baltimore County, Md. T
here should be little debate that an athletic administrator has an extremely busy and demanding position. The job is so complex and encompassing that even knowledgeable and experi- enced individuals may occasionally need help. Where do you go? Fortunately, there are many great avenues and resources that are available for the current crop of athletic administrators. While the following is not meant as an all- inclusive list, it is a great starting point. When you need help, try one of these possibilities: • The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association offers a full range of courses—38 at this present time. In these four-hour sessions, athletic administrators can be informed, updated and provided with an enormous amount of help- ful, practical information that can be immediately applied to their own in- dividual settings. Visit
niaaa.org for more information. • The NIAAA also has a CD, en-
titled “Athletic Administration: A Comprehensive Guide,” which can be purchased for $30. This resource contains templates and example forms, documents and policies for everyone. One only needs to save the document on his or her com- puter, enter the school’s name and you have the beginning of a usable policy or form that can be adapted to the needs of your school. • The National Federation of State High School Associations publishes High School Today and
8 May/June 2013
By Dr. David Hoch, CMAA, Retired,
this magazine is mailed free to ev- ery high school athletic administra- tor in the country. The eight issues each year contain a wide variety of extremely helpful and topical arti- cles. There must be at least one ar- ticle per issue that will benefit most athletic directors. All you have to do is read the pertinent article and if you lose one of your copies, past issues are posted on the NFHS website at
nfhs.org. • As a member of the NIAAA, you receive a subscription to Inter- scholastic Athletic Administrators magazine and it contains articles that are specific to the athletic direc-
“Take advantage of mentors, educators and supportive friends, all of whom are there to help ...”
tor position. While there are other outstanding benefits of membership, this publication alone is a significant source of help. • The NFHS and NIAAA co- sponsor the National High School Athletic Directors Conference ev- ery December. With approximately 30 Leadership Training Courses and 35 workshop sessions avail- able, these cover current issues and provide practical solutions along with the chance to visit with several hundred vendors.
This
function is a fantastic opportu- nity to expand your background and knowledge. It also is a virtual smorgasbord of helpful hints. • In like fashion, most state ath-
letic director associations also sponsor their own state confer- ences. Professional development is also the major theme on the state level and often leadership training courses and workshop sessions also are provided for their members. • The NFHS website provides links to numerous resources for the athletic administrator, one of which is Coaching Today, an online pro- fessional publication for coaches. Athletic administrators should pe- riodically
check this publication
for articles that will help coaches improve within the concept of ed- ucation-based athletics. And don’t be surprised if you also learn a thing or two. For more information, visit
nfhs.org. • A number of state athletic di-
rector associations—Florida, North Carolina and Maryland come to mind—offer mentoring programs for their members. While these ef- forts are extremely beneficial for new, inexperienced individuals, they are ready resources for all athletic administrators. If you need help, just ask. • In addition to mentoring pro- grams, a number of state athletic director associations offer work- shop sessions for new and aspir- ing athletic administrators. These sessions are crammed with prac- tical ideas, example forms, poli- cies and everything needed to get started in the position. Some also may have a manual or hand- outs that accompany their teach- ing sessions. It would be wise to check to see if your state association has an existing pro- gram, because this could be the help that you were looking for. • Even without a formal, estab- lished mentoring program, your
coachad.com
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