Athletic Management 25.6 by Momentummedia

NFHS/NIAAA Conference Preview

October/November 2013

1988

Vol. XXV, No. 6

$7.00

2013

CELEBRATING

YEARS

A YEAR OF CELEBRATION

Right at Home Including homeschoolers in your program

› Promoting Unexpected Success › Non-Faculty Coaches › 25 Technology Innovations › Ted Leland on Leadership

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Circle No. 100

GATORADE SPORTS SCIENCE INSTITUTE THE CARBOHYDRATE COMMITMENT

Roberta Anding, M.S., R.D./L.D., C.D.E., C.S.S.D. Director of Sports Nutrition, Texas Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Sports Dietitian, Houston Texans

All athletes require dietary carbohydrate as a fuel source for working muscles. However, carbohydrate needs can vary significantly depending on the type of sport and even within sport, by event or position. As a general rule, athletes participating in aerobically-based sports will require higher amounts of carbohydrate than those competing in anaerobic sports. The nutritional needs of athletes who participate in stop-and-start sports such as soccer, basketball and football need to be specialized not only by sport but also by position. THE AEROBIC ATHLETE Aerobic sports include distance runners/swimmers, triathletes and cyclists. The oxidation of glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate in the body) and intramuscular triglycerides are the predominant form of energy in the aerobic athlete. High intensity endurance events (>85% VO2 max) maximally sustained for 90 minutes require large stores of glycogen, so adequate stores are critical. These athletes benefit most from carbohydrate loading (glycogen supercompensation) in the days leading up to competition. On low to moderate training days, these athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; carbohydrate needs are estimated at 5-7 g/kg/day. On harder training days and during the active season, these endurance athletes will require 10-12 g/kg/day. Without adequate carbohydrate, these athletes will not be able to perform at maximal capacity. Before Exercise: Consume 1-4 g carbohydrate per kg body weight up to 4 hours prior to exercise During Exercise: Consume 30-60 g carbohydrate per hour up to 2.5 hours or 90 g carbohydrate in events lasting >2.5 hours After Exercise: Consume 1-1.2 g carbohydrate per kg/hr for the first 4 hours following exercise THE ANAEROBIC ATHLETE Anaerobic sports include but are not limited to sprinters, power lifters and gymnasts. Creatine phosphate is the primary source of energy for anaerobic athletes but is not readily stored in the body. In a 30-second sprint, creatine phosphate stores can be decreased by as much as 75%. The reduction in stores and the demand for continual energy, the secondary source of energy, is glycogen oxidation. Since anaerobic events are short in duration, the anaerobic athlete will require substantially less carbohydrate than the aerobic athlete. The regeneration of phosphocreatine is actually an aerobic process although little is known regarding the carobohydrate demand for recovery of stores. Most studies do not observe a significant benefit of a high-carbohydrate diet over a moderatecarbohydrate diet in these athletes. It is important to remember that although the event may be anaerobic in nature, it is the practice that can drive the carbohydrate need. The carbohydrate requirements for the anaerobic athlete are 5-7 g/kg/day and these athletes will most likely not benefit from carbohydrate loading days prior to competition.

THE STOP-AND-START ATHLETE Stop-and-start sports include basketball, soccer and football. These athletes have complex carbohydrate needs due to the fact they are activating both aerobic and anaerobic pathways throughout competition. Increased reliance on carbohydrate as an energy substrate parallels the increase in intensity. Conversely, the oxidation of intramuscular triglycerides and plasma-free fatty acids increase as duration increases (and intensity naturally decreases). Glycogen depletion is directly associated with fatigue and exercise intensity and, therefore, adequate carbohydrate in the diet is important in the stop-and-start athlete. Carbohydrate guidelines for stop-and-start athletes (Adapted from Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals 5th Edition) TIME

AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATE

SPECIFICS

1-4 hrs prior to competition

1-4 g/kg

Low-glycemic carbohydrates

1 hr prior to competition

25-30 g

Liquid carbohydrates may be beneficial due to rapid stomach emptying

During Exercise

0.5-1.0 g/kg/hr; 30-60 g/hr

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After Exercise

1.0-1.2 g/kg

Every 15-30 min for up to 4 hrs

CARBOHYDRATE COMMITMENT While most athletes fit into the three categories mentioned previously, the International Olympic Committee has created general recommendations for athletes based upon time commitment per day. These guidelines can be beneficial for the busy high school athlete as well as the elite athlete. The commitment to adequate carbohydrate is often challenging with school and practice schedules as well as common misinformation. Sports dietitians, strength coaches and athletic trainers need to follow evidence-based guidelines and use individual assessment skills to assist athletes in meeting their nutritional goals. COMMITMENT

AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATE

Low intensity exercise; 3-5 g/kg/day athletes with energy restriction 1 hr per day

5-7 g/kg/day

1-3 hrs per day

7-10 g/kg/day

>4-5 hrs per day

8-12 g/kg/day

Carbohydrate needs cannot be addressed in a one-size-fits all approach. Prioritize carbohydrates appropriately depending on intensity, duration and nature of your sport for maximal performance benefits.

References: 1. Rosenbloom CA, Colemen EJ. (2012). Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals. Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2. IOC Consesus Statement on Sports Nutrition. J Sports Sci. 2011; 29: Suppl 1:S3-4.

Contents Oct/Nov 2013

Vol. XXV, No. 6

1988

2013

CELEBRATING

YEARS

Join Us In celebrating our 25th year of publication! Look for this special logo throughout the issue.

WARMUP

7 Facilities

33 26

COVER STORY

Right at Home

Thanks to changing laws and state association rules, more and more homeschooled students are being allowed access to public high school sports. Athletic directors discuss how to address the challenges that accompany these studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inclusion.

PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS

The Future Is Now

How do you get student-athletes excited about their post-sports careers? At Oregon State University, a program called Startup Weekend shows them how to kick off their futures now.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

When no faculty members apply for an open coaching position, community members are often quick to step up to the plate. Having a thorough plan for training them can be the ticket to their success.

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

While millions watched Florida Gulf Coast University make a historic run in the NCAA Division I Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basketball Tournament last March, a small team of administrators were making their own run at future success.

TECHNOLOGY

No More Teachers

A new look underfoot

9 Fundraising Names for sale

9 Ticketing Technology Filling the front row

12 Leadership

Catching up with Ted Leland

14 Promotions

How to define a legend

Q&A

17 Chuck Gordon Ramapo College

A Chance to Dance

New World

What would your job be like without the advancements in technology born over the past quarter-century? Try removing these 25 items.

PRODUCT NEWS

Facility Solutions

Read about new installations at a variety of athletic venues, and also check out products for baseball and softball facilities.

On the cover Tucker Bouchard, a homeschool student, was a co-captain and league all-star in basketball for Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, Mass., a state that has allowed independent students to play public school sports since 1995. Story begins on page 26.

2 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

GAMEPLAN

20 Playing by the Rules By Dr. Mike Davenport 23 Retirement Options

By Dr. Richard Borkowski

68 Advertisers Directory 70 NFHS/NIAAA Conference Preview

COVER PHOTO: DAVID MORRISON

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Editorial Board VOL. XXV, NO. 6

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013

Elizabeth “Betsy” A. Alden, PhD, President, Alden & Associates, Inc. Dan Cardone, Athletic Director, North Hills High School, Pa.

PUBLISHER Mark Goldberg

James Conn, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Health & Human Performance, Central Missouri State University Robert Corran, PhD, Director of Athletics, University of Vermont James Cox, Facilities and Events Coordinator and Adjunct Professor, Barry University Joan Cronan, Former Women’s Athletic Director, University of Tennessee Roger Crosley, Director of Communications, ECAC

EDITOR IN CHIEF Eleanor Frankel ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dennis Read ASSISTANT EDITORS RJ Anderson, Patrick Bohn, Kristin Maki, Mary Kate Murphy, Patrick Pizzuti ART DIRECTOR Pamela Crawford

Bernie DePalma, Assistant Athletic Director/Head Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist, Cornell University Tom Douple, Commissioner, Mid-Continent Conference

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Robin Flower

Jay Gardiner, Commissioner, Southern Athletic Association

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Maria Bise

Dale Gibson, EdD, Chair, Dept. of Education and Sport Management, Tusculum College Tom Gioglio, EdD, Director of Athletics, East Stroudsburg University Mike Glazier, Partner, Bond, Schoeneck & King Steve Green, Deputy Director of Athletics, Northwestern University Kevin Hatcher, Athletic Director, Cal State San Bernardino Phillip Hossler, ATC, Athletic Trainer, East Brunswick High School, N.J. E. Newton Jackson, Jr., PhD, Associate Provost, University of North Florida

GRAPHIC ARTIST Trish Landsparger PREPRESS MANAGER Neal Betts BUSINESS MANAGER Pennie Small SPECIAL PROJECTS Natalie Couch, Dave Wohlhueter ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Sharon Barbell MARKETING DIRECTOR Sheryl Shaffer

Dick Kemper, CMAA, Executive Director, Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Bob Knickerbocker, Athletic Equipment Coordinator, Michigan State University John Knorr, EdD, Professor of Kinesiology, former Director of Athletics, St. Edward’s University Donald Lowe, MA, ATC, Chairman of the Board, College Athletic Trainers' Society Robert Mathner, PhD, Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Troy University Tim Neal, Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine, Syracuse University Fred Nuesch, Coordinator of Athletic External Affairs, Texas A&M-Kingsville Jamie Plunkett, Head Athletic Trainer, Allegheny College Chris Ritrievi, Vice President of Development, Indiana University

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Matthew J. Robinson, EdD, Associate Professor/Director of Sport Management Program, University of Delaware Calli Theisen Sanders, EdD, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Iowa State University Terry Schlatter, EMC, Equipment Manager, University of Wisconsin Tim Slauter, CMAA, Assistant Principal, West Lafayette High School, Ind. Michael Slive, Commissioner, Southeastern Conference Donald Staffo, PhD, Professor, Health, Phys. Ed., & Rec., Stillman College Ellen Staurowsky, EdD, Professor of Sport Management, Drexel University William F. Stier, Jr., EdD, Director of Sport Management/ Coordinator of Sport Coaching, State University of New York at Brockport Lou Strasberg, University Travel Coordinator, The University of Memphis E. Michael Stutzke, CMAA, Athletic Director, Sebastian River High School, Fla. Michael Thomas, Director of Athletics, University of Illinois Troy Tucker, Athletic Director, Northampton Community College

Athletic Management (ISSN 1554-2033) is published bimonthly for a total of 6 times a year, by MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Athletic Management is distributed without charge to qualified high school and collegiate athletic program and athletic facilities personnel. The paid subscription rate is $24 for one year/six issues in the United States and $30.00 in Canada. The single copy price is $7. Copyright ©2013 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Periodicals postage paid at Ithaca, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Athletic Management, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, NY 14852-4806.

Michael Vienna, PhD, Athletic Director, Salisbury University Randy Warrick, Athletic Director, University of South Carolina at Aiken William Whitehill, EdD, ATC, Director, Athletic Training Curriculum, Middle Tennessee State University Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, CMAA, Athletic Director, Xavier College Preparatory, Ariz. Tom Yeager, Commissioner, Colonial Athletic Association

4 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

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WarmUp Unique court designs are growing more common in college basketball. Few schools, however, take the bold step of painting the majority of their court an entirely different color. The University of Central Florida did just that this summer when it installed a black-stained wood playing surface. The idea was hatched in the fall of 2012, when Zack Lassiter, UCF’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, was discussing ways to change the look of the court with the school’s inhouse graphic designer. “We had seen an example of an allblack court in England and the more we talked about it, the more doing something similar appealed to us,” Lassiter says. “We thought back to playing on the blacktop at the playground as kids and realized that it could create a strong sense of nostalgia with fans and players.

Awards

Stefan Nelson (BOTTOM); university of central florida athletics (top)

Not the mvp

Facilities

New FlooR plan

Inspired by nostalgia for outdoor blacktop courts and with a nod toward promoting its school colors, the University of Central Florida will unveil a black-stained basketball floor this season. “Our administration and coaches see this as a chance for us to make our own mark in a way that almost no other schools have,” says Senior Associate Athletic Director Zack Lassiter. “But the biggest draw for us was that it would fit in with the overall branding of our athletic department since our school colors are black and gold,” he continues. “Several of our teams are incorporating more black jerseys into their

wardrobe, and our basketball arena is nicknamed ‘The Dungeon.’ So we thought a black court would tie in nicely.” Before the idea could take any sort of shape, though, Lassiter needed buy in from his athletic director, the head men’s and

What’s better than being named a team’s “most valuable player?” At Southwest High School in Minneapolis, it’s being chosen “Most Improved Athlete,” which is accompanied by a $2,500 college scholarship.

Ryan Lamberty, Athletic Director at Southwest, says the award was the brainchild of Harvey Feldman, a former football and basketball player at the school who is donating the scholarship money. “He told me, ‘I want to do something for kids who aren’t the best athlete, but who work incredibly hard,’” Lamberty says. “So we created a scholarship for the most improved senior girls’ and boys’ basketball players and offensive and defensive football players. “Aside from it not being yet another award for the ‘best’ athletes, it’s something the whole department

Deaudrey McKinley, winner of one of Southwest High’s Most Improved Athlete scholarships last year, poses with alumni Harvey Feldman, who funds the award.

women’s basketball coaches, and the players. “Because the school was established just 50 years ago, there’s a strong entrepreneurial spirit here,” Lassiter says. “Our administration and coaches see this as a chance for us to make our own

can take pride in,” Lamberty continues. “For example, the player who won Most Improved Defensive Football Player came to our school weighing about 95 pounds, but he got bigger, stronger, and faster and was making plays all over the field by his senior season. A lot of people contributed to his development, and this scholarship recognizes that.” For last year’s inaugural awards, Lamberty asked the coaches to choose the winning athletes. “But in the future, Harvey, the coaches, and myself are going to sit down and come up with specific criteria,” Lamberty says. “This is by far our biggest award, and whenever you’re dealing with something involving money, you don’t want people to complain it was determined unfairly.” The student-athletes who received the scholarship are recognized on a plaque outside the athletic office, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “When you reward kids for working hard, people appreciate it,” Lamberty says. “The winners each wrote thank-you cards to Mr. Feldman telling him how honored they were to be selected. It is a great way to show your athletes the value of working hard and getting better.”

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 7

mark in a way that almost no other schools have, so the buy in was easy to get.” Determining if the concept was actually feasible was a little more challenging. “We wanted to make sure the color

ues. “So we asked our flooring company to send us a one-bytwo foot wood panel with the shade we were considering. We had our video department film a player standing on it to get a better idea of how it

“A lot of alumni have told us they’re proud their school would try something like this, the current players say they’re excited to play on such a unique surface, and the coaching staff believes it’s made a positive impact with recruits.” wasn’t so dark that it was a distraction for players, but still dark enough to set us apart,” Lassiter says. “A lot of schools designing unique fields or courts find out that the way a playing surface looks on a computer isn’t how it looks in real life,” he contin-

might look on television. That showed us we had chosen the right shade of black.” The next step was a promotional campaign. “We created a Twitter hashtag, #OperationBlacktop, to help promote the new floor through social media, posted

a series of videos on our Web site detailing the process, and sent copies of the design to selected alumni and media members,” says Lassiter. “It was important for us to stay connected with our fans while this was coming together and collect their feedback. It helped give them a sense of ownership of the project.

the people we’ve spoken with like the way the court looks,” Lassiter says. “A lot of alumni have told us they’re proud that their school would try something like this, the current players say they’re excited to play on such a unique looking surface, and the coaching staff believes it’s made a positive impact with recruits. It’s been fantastic.”

“The campaign also allowed us to promote the corporate partners who were involved, especially the company that delivered the floor,” he continues. “We felt it was important to recognize their role in the process.”

While UCF’s bold gamble in court design has paid off, Lassiter cautions that such a move isn’t right for everyone. “Of course you want to make a splash, but it’s important to stay patient and wait for the right opportunity to tell your story and further the school’s mission,” he says. “We hope fans will see our court and become motivated to learn more about the university and all it has accomplished. And in the process, we’ve created a court design that looks great from every seat in the house.”

Once the floor was assembled by the UCF facilities staff, the athletic department posted a time-lapse video of the sixhour installation process on its Web site, and the positive feedback continued to pour in. “I would say 95 percent of

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WarmUp Fundraising

names for sale

When Kris Garrett was hired in July 2012 to be Activities Director at McCracken (Ky.) County High School, he was issued a

huge challenge: to make the athletic department financially self-sufficient. A year later, McCracken is well on its way to reaching that goal after selling naming rights contracts and sponsorship packages for the school’s athletic venues.

No athletic department wants to have empty seats close to the court during a home basketball game. And fans in the

upper seats grow discouraged when they see prime locations below them going unused. The University of Maryland has solved this problem with a mobile application that allows fans to upgrade to empty seats closer to the court during a game.

using a credit card. Once they’ve bought the ticket, it’s displayed on their smartphone, which they can show to an usher. The seat’s cost varies based on its specific location and goes down as the game progresses. “For example, a ticket may have a face value of $65,” Monroe says. “Five minutes after tip-off, the price might be $20, and it will

McCracken is a new school—the 2,000-student campus is a consolidation of three area high schools and opened its doors for the first time this fall. Making athletics completely selffunded is a long-term goal, begun by reaching out to local businesses. Opportunities sold include naming rights and varying levels of facility advertising signage, video board commercials, and media guide and Web site advertising. There are also different levels of promotional opportunities for single games and events, and the ability to sponsor merchandise such as T-shirts and schedule posters.

“We talk candidly about the challenges of school funding and how allowing our athletic department to pay for itself benefits the school district, the student-athletes, and the taxpayers.” In putting together each offering, McCracken has been careful to keep the benefits negotiable. “We work with each sponsor on creating a customized package based on their feedback,” says Garrett. “It isn’t so much about having a marketing or PR strategy, but more about sitting down with folks and talking honestly. At the beginning, I was sure to emphasize that it was all new to us as well.” Most negotiations have centered on addressing each sponsor’s individual needs. “Things like seats, parking passes, and tabling opportunities in the school have been key,” Garrett says. “Those have been bigger than going back and forth about the money.”

Thanks to an app called “LetsMoveDown,” fans in upper-row seats at University of Maryland men’s basketball home games now have the opportunity to move closer to the court.

“Lower-bowl seats are hard for many fans to purchase,” says Matt Monroe, Maryland’s Assistant Athletic Director of Ticket Services. “They’re usually seats that season ticket holders keep for years, and when they do become available, they are quite expensive. This app allows fans to get an up-close view of a game that they might not be able to otherwise.” Available for iPhone and Android phones, the free “LetsMoveDown” app enables season ticket holders to create an account, then post unused tickets for sale on the app’s marketplace. During a game, fans in the arena can log into the marketplace and purchase the upgraded seats

continue to decrease as the game goes on.” When a ticket sells, 90 percent of the purchase price goes to the season ticket holder, with Maryland receiving the other 10 percent, although the seller has the option to donate their share to the athletic department—something Monroe says happens often. The buyer is also charged an extra 10 percent for the transaction by LetsMoveDown. Put in place for the 2012-13 season, the department promoted the app through ingame announcements and an e-mail to season ticket holders. “We had about 20 to 25 tickets available each game, and we usually sold most of them,” Monroe says.

Ticketing Technology

COME ON DOWN

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 9

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WarmUp He also emphasizes how much a sponsorship would help the entire school. “We tell potential sponsors that every dollar they contribute, whether it’s for naming rights or advertising, is a dollar that doesn’t come from the school budget,” says Garrett. “We talk candidly about the challenges of school funding and how allowing our athletic department to pay for itself benefits the school district, the studentathletes, and the taxpayers. When you explain it that way and they see the value their dollars could provide, the message really strikes a chord.” In April, Garrett was helped by the hiring of Mallory Breeding as McCracken’s special events coordinator. Breeding targeted potential sponsors and did much of the cold calling. Once she and Garrett got companies to come look at the shiny new facilities, interest really took off.

The first company on board purchased naming rights for McCracken’s football field at $200,000 a year with a contract of 10 years. “That set a precedent for that level of sponsorship,” Garrett says. “From there, the other deals quickly went through, and we then had several companies contact us saying they were kicking themselves for not taking a closer look at our highdollar venues.” Like the football field, the naming rights to the basketball arena is bringing in $200,000 annually. The Mustangs’ soccer facility’s naming rights sold for $50,000 a year and the school’s baseball field and tennis complex will yield $22,500 and $15,000, respectively. In some cases, it isn’t just dollars and cents being exchanged for name placement. The Orthopaedic Institute of Western Kentucky

sponsors three athletic buildings on campus, including the school’s indoor practice facility and locker room areas, with a portion of the payment coming in the form of a yearly stipend for medical supplies and helping to fund a full-time athletic trainer position.

basketball arena because we want the fans’ focus to be on our video display boards where we’ll have commercials and other advertising opportunities.” With a huge taste of success before the school even opened, Garrett is optimistic

The first company on board purchased naming rights for McCracken’s football field at $200,000 a year with a contract of 10 years. Though aiming to maximize its earning potential, McCracken has been careful not to clutter its facilities. “Offering a limited number of signs creates demand and more interest,” says Breeding. “We didn’t sell any fence signs on our football field or any banners for our

about going forward “Our school board took care of the up-front costs for things like uniforms and essential equipment,” he says. “From here on out, though, we would like to have our athletic department, with some collaboration from our boosters, take on all future expenditures.”

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Circle No. 106 AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 11

When Athletic Management talked to Ted Leland in 1997 about his leadership style, he was in the midst of a very successful 15-year run as the Athletic Director at Stanford University, where he made a name for himself as a leader, planner, negotiator, and fundraiser. Eight years after retiring from Stanford, Leland is now

which went into effect during the 201213 school year, contains four stated goals and 10 action items. “One of our action items was to get into a conference that was more appropriate to our university, which we did when we joined the WCC this year,” says Leland. “So of the 10 action items, we’ve already achieved one of them. Now we’re working on the others.”

Leadership

man with a plan

Leland says the fluid nature of today’s college athletics model makes mission statements and documented goals a key component to keeping a department on track. “I’ve found that a written plan gives you credibility on campus,” he says. “It

here are our action items, how did we do on those?” he says. “We give ourselves grades of A, B, C, D, or F in each category to judge the progress our department is making.”

1988

2013

CELEBRATING

YEARS

At the same time, Leland recognizes that the key to keeping your strategic plan relevant is staying flexible and being able to roll with the punches. “You have to be willing to pull your plan off the shelf and edit it from time to time,” he says. “If there is a goal or action item that we just can’t possibly meet, we can remove it or add another goal if we need to.”

back in an athletic director role, at the University of the Pacific. For Athletic Management’s 25th year celebration, we caught up with Leland to ask about how his leadership style has held up in today’s college athletics model. Part of that approach includes crafting and implementing a formal strategic plan, which Leland says is more valuable than ever before.

A year and a half later, Pacific’s athletics program was presented the opportunity to join the West Coast Conference (WCC). Eibeck convinced Leland to shepherd the department through the move and add the athletic director duties to his Vice President job. But even before the WCC came calling, Leland had been working with the athletic department on developing a new strategic plan, a tool he had used with great success at Stanford. “During my 15 years in Palo Alto, we were like the Soviet Union in that we had a series of five-year plans,” Leland says. “I find great value in crafting a mission statement and putting in what I call ‘big, hairy, audacious goals.’” At Pacific, the five-year strategic plan,

›

THE RECORD NEWSPAPER

Leland’s retirement in 2005 was shortlived. Settling in Stockton, Calif., home of the University of the Pacific, where he was athletic director from 1989 to 1991, Leland was immediately offered a job as the university’s Vice President for Fundraising. He accepted and spent the next four years in that role. “Then Pamela Eibeck was named President, and as part of an administrative re-organization, she asked me to become Vice President of External Relations and have the athletic director report to me,” says Leland.

As former Athletic Director at Stanford University and current Vice President of External Relations at the University of the Pacific, Ted Leland finds “great value in crafting a mission statement and putting in what I call ‘big, hairy, audacious goals.’” can make your bosses, your board, and your president comfortable knowing you have a direction they understand and have agreed to. “It also helps with your external constituencies,” Leland continues. “The WCC was very impressed with our five-year plan because one of our action items was to emphasize men’s basketball, which is something the conference really wanted to see.” Leland’s strategic plan also serves as an objective evaluation tool. “When I did my year-end performance review last spring, we pulled out the plan and said: Here are our goals, how did we do on them? And

To download a copy of the University of the Pacific’s five-year strategic plan, go to: www.pacifictigers.com/information/traditions/5_Year_Strategic_Plan_011012.pdf

12 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

Along with having an adjustable plan, Leland says it’s important to be flexible in letting your staff do their jobs. “When you delegate, sometimes things aren’t going to be done exactly as you would do them,” he says. “The key is still being able to support the person. “There’s a saying: ‘Tell them what, not how,’” Leland adds. “You have to live by that. You want people who are talented, passionate, and willing to take a chance. Give them the freedom to be creative, then back them up if mistakes are made.” As for Leland’s future, he says his time as an athletic director has a limited shelf life. “Despite my best efforts to retire, I agreed that once we got into the WCC, I would remain through the transition,” he says. “That means I’ll probably stay at least two more years in this dual role.”

WarmUp Many coaches shy away from interacting with their athletes’ parents. At Amesbury (Mass.) High School, Head Girls’ Tennis Coach Brett Manoloff has taken the opposite approach by starting a summer camp designed for mothers of his players.

Called the Summer Moms Tennis Institute, the camp serves as both a fundraiser and a way for Manoloff to build relationships with parents. “It started when a handful of moms asked if they could learn to play tennis,” he says. “I agreed to teach them, and in exchange, I asked them to donate $10 per lesson to the team.” That was in 2012, and this past summer, Manoloff

expanded the camp beyond maternal affiliations. “The program has been quite popular again—and even though we kept its original name, anyone is welcome to attend,” he says.

to do is a great way for the parents to work on their skills without worrying about what their kids are doing.”

an opponent. By doing that, attendance is relaxed and people can come when they have time and not worry about falling behind if they miss a week. And having something for younger kids

Manoloff figures that the more parents learn about tennis, the more they will support their daughters on the team. “We’re offering an opportunity for everyone to try something that we are passionate about and enjoy,” he says. “And hopefully we can spread that enjoyment.”

While he focuses on teaching adults, a few Amesbury tennis players work with any youngsters who come with their parents. “We play on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for about an hour,” Manoloff says. “We’ll work on one or two specific techniques and then allow people to try them out against

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parent camp

Mothers of tennis players at Amesbury (Mass.) High School practice their serves during last summer’s camp.

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Promotions

defining a legend Honoring successful coaches of the past by naming them “legends” is a great way to promote the history of an athletic department. But how do you decide what exactly makes a coach worthy? The Cape Henlopen (Del.) School District has been working on an answer to that question for more than a year. The idea to honor coaching legends began over a decade ago, when members of the Cape Henlopen community commissioned a granite structure embossed with the photos of four former coaches from its school district. It was placed outside the Cape Hen-

lopen High School football stadium, which is now called Legends Stadium. More recently, administrators began discussing how it might honor additional coaches with plaques at the stadium. Creating a committee to determine an appropriate process was the first step. “It was important to make sure all our constituents were represented,” says Michael Kelley, Committee Chair and the district’s Director of Curriculum. “So we formed an eightperson group composed of myself, the current high school athletic director, a former athletic director, several teachers

Looking to increase its emphasis on student-athletes’ academic performance, Coppin State University has put many new initiatives

in place. The latest was to start a chapter of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Chi Alpha Sigma was founded in 1996 as the first national society to recognize student-athlete success both on

and administrators with ties to athletics either as a former coach or player, and a parent booster with several children who played sports here.” The committee’s most difficult task was coming up with selection rules. “We didn’t want to make the criteria too rigid, but we also didn’t want to make it so easy that it would become a rubber stamp for those who were nominated,” Kelley says. “So we ended up making the benchmarks fairly flexible.” The first component that will go into the selection process is success, although there is no specific bar coaches will have

Academic Support

The second aspect is longevity, with all coaches needing to be retired or older than 65. “We don’t have anything against younger coaches,” Kelley says. “But we felt like the legendary status should only be reserved for those who distinguished themselves over a period of time.”

first class

Coppin State is the seventh college or university in the state of Maryland to join Chi Alpha Sigma, and the group is officially recognized as the Maryland Eta Chapter. Twelve Coppin State student-athletes from seven different sports were inducted in last spring’s inaugural class. The athletic department honored them at its end-of-the-year banquet, presenting the student-athletes with pins and a certificate to recognize their achievement.

In the past, Coppin State’s athletic programs struggled with low APR scores, GPAs, and graduation rates. Since joining the department in 2008, Athletic Director DerLast spring, Coppin State University inducted 12 studentrick Ramsey has set it athletes into its newly formed chapter of the Chi Alpha on a new path, offerSigma National College Athlete Honor Society. ing special learning seminars and increased academic supthe field and in the classroom. Varsity port. A Faculty Enrichment program athletes in their junior or senior year who have maintained a 3.4 cumulative was also created to help professors better understand what it means to be GPA or higher are eligible. Schools can a student-athlete. They were encouropen their own chapter after applyaged to attend games, travel with ing and receiving approval from the national office.

14 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

to clear. “I think you get into trouble if you make the criteria too specific, such as ‘the coach must have a winning percentage of at least .750,’” Kelley says. “When you do that, you risk leaving out some great coaches who come up just short.”

teams, and get a feel for an athlete’s average day. Since Ramsey took the reins, Coppin State athletes have maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher for 10 straight semesters, and forming Chi Alpha Sigma came about as a way to recognize this achievement. “A group of student-athletes helped me do some online searching, and we looked at several institutions with Chi Alpha Sigma charters,” says Fred Reynolds, Coppin State’s Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services and its Chi Alpha Sigma chapter advisor. “Once we learned more about it, we applied, got our students verified, and were eventually awarded our own chapter.” Now that the first group has been inducted, Reynolds hopes the new members can serve as an inspiration for current and future studentathletes. “During the athletic department’s welcome-back gathering before school started, our chapter president introduced the Chi Alpha Sigma members to the entire studentathlete population,” he says. “We hope starting this chapter will encourage other athletes to focus more on academics so they too can join the group.”

WarmUp The final criteria is that a coach must have brought honor to the school and district, on and off the field, both during their career and after it concluded. “It’s important to have something in your policy to cover what happens after a coach retires,” Kelley says. “Some people might feel we’re being vague with that component,” he continues. “But when it comes to off-the field incidents, I think you can drive yourself crazy trying to come up with a set of rules to govern every possible situation. We decided it was better to leave the definition open After recognizing four former football coaches with a granite structure, the Cape Henlopen (Del.) School District decided to develop specific criteria to choose which coaches it would honor as “legends” in a variety of sports.

and look more closely at each coach’s history after they’ve been nominated.” The specifics of the nomination process are also being nailed down. Currently, the idea is to accept nominations from the public annually from January to March, and select a maximum of two coaches each year. However, there has been some discussion about making the nominations less frequent, perhaps every three to four years, and selecting more individuals at that time. Kelley says the school board received the initial recommendations from the committee in late June, and approved the first three coaches as legends two weeks later. Now, the focus is on finalizing the criteria. “We presented it to the board in sort of an open-ended fashion,” Kelley says. “And we’ll take their feedback, look to tweak it perhaps, and then proceed with their blessing.”

Does Your Athletic Trainer Deserve Recognition? ANNOUNCING THE 2ND ANNUAL

To honor: High school athletic trainers who have become MVPs in their athletic departments by going above and beyond their job duties to deliver outstanding sports medicine care to their athletes. Criteria: To be considered, an athletic trainer must work with high school athletes (in either a school or clinic setting) and have the following qualities: • Have earned the respect of coaches they work with and student-athletes they care for • Go beyond their job description to support student-athletes • Put in extra effort to make the athletic training program the best it can be • Serves the local or larger community through community service

Nominations: Please provide us with a 400-800 word description of how the nominee fits the criteria. Any supporting materials are welcome. Full contact information, including email addresses, for both the nominee and the person nominating must be provided. Winner: Will be featured in the April issue of Training & Conditioning (a sister publication to Athletic Management ) and honored at the NATA Convention. He or she will also receive a plaque and product-related prizes.

Questions: Please feel free to contact us with any questions: Eleanor Frankel, 607-257-6970, ext. 18 | ef@MomentumMedia.com Sponsored by:

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Deadline: December 31, 2013

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 15

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Q & A

Chuck Gordon Ramapo College 1988

AM: Thinking back to the mid-1980s and your first athletic director position at Rhodes College, what comes to mind?

If experience is indeed the best teacher, then the Ramapo College athletic department is in very good hands. In 2011, it hired Chuck Gordon as Director of Athletics, who has spent the last three decades running collegiate athletic departments from the Midwest to the Middle East. Gordon started his career as an Assistant Athletic Director at Washington University in St. Louis and was hired as Athletic Director at Rhodes College in 1985. He spent 13 years in the same position at Emory University, where his teams won multiple national championships and finished in the top 10 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup standings for NCAA Division III five out of his last eight years. From there, Gordon spent four years at Augustana College (Ill.), then accepted a unique opportunity to lead the athletics program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Gordon: I had a small staff, and we had lots of good times together after football games and other events. We all went out for burgers and beers together, and a number of us had young children, so our families grew quite close. For my family, it was a wonderful time in our lives.

What were the most pressing issues pertaining to NCAA Division III athletics? I think many of the issues we faced then remain the same as what we have today. You try to build a good staff, recruit hard, and at this level, secure resources from the institution. I don’t think those things have changed much over the last 25 years.

In 1989, you wrote an article about facility construction for Athletic Management. How did that topic become important to you? One of the things that has been consistent throughout my career has been working to improve facilities. I was lucky enough as a high school student to be on a committee that helped build a new high school in our town. Since then, I’ve always been involved in facilities work, and I’ve really enjoyed that part of the job. I like being able to look back on a building project and say, “I’m glad we did that” or “I’m glad we made those changes.” The key to successful facility projects is understanding

and appreciating the process that goes into getting something constructed.

2013

CELEBRATING

YEARS

How would you characterize your career path? It’s been a little unusual but very rewarding. If you want to enjoy your career, you have to be flexible and roll with the punches. Not everything is going to end up the way you would like, although some things will end up better than you expected. I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve been and I’ve had the chance to work with some wonderful coaches, staff, and student-athletes. Working with student-athletes is what’s always motivated me. That, coupled with an understanding wife who accepted the lion’s share of raising our kids—because I was always watching other people’s kids play—has helped me realize a fulfilling and enjoyable career.

Do you think athletic directors today should move around every few years or stay in one place for a long period of time? It depends on the place, the individual, where they feel they can have the most impact, and where they’re most comfortable. I wouldn’t suggest that every athletic director should frequently change schools or take a job out of the country, but it’s worked for me. My wife and I enjoy traveling and getting to know new people, so this kind of lifestyle has been a great fit for us.

Over his career, Gordon has built successful athletic programs, served on NCAA committees, hosted championships, constructed facilities, and has never been afraid to try something new. In 1989, he wrote an article on overseeing construction projects for Athletic Management’s second issue and talked to us for a Q&A in 2002. As part of our magazine’s 25th anniversary, we caught up with Gordon to ask him about his diverse career path and what he’s learned during his time in Division III athletics.

Outfielder Jaclyn Lima scores for Ramapo College in a game last spring.

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 17

Q & A But at the same time, it can be challenging. We’ve moved eight times during my career, and the only people we knew after relocating were the ones I interviewed with. Also, while picking up your life allows you to meet a lot of great people along the way, you leave behind the good friends you’ve made.

How did you end up taking the position at the American University in Cairo (AUC)? It was kind of a lark, actually. When I applied, I didn’t expect to get it, and I wasn’t positive I would accept it if offered. When we went over for the interview, my wife and I weren’t sure of anything. We were just excited about seeing the pyramids. But with all of our kids having graduated from college, the timing was perfect. And we thought it would be fun, which it was. It turned out to be one of the greatest opportunities of my career and a very exciting experience.

What made you say yes when offered the job? AUC was building a new campus on the edge of the desert. Not only would the athletic facilities be new, but so would the entire campus. It was a $400 million construction project that I would have a large role in.

When I came in, a lot of the design was already done and construction was underway, but I got to equip the facilities and set the policies. To have an impact on what was in the building and how it functioned was very appealing.

What were the biggest challenges of operating an athletic department in a foreign country? My staff was made up of all Egyptians and my Arabic wasn’t very good. Fortunately, their English was much better. But the biggest challenge was actually locating and acquiring equipment and building resources. For example, there aren’t many wood gym floors in Egypt. So not only did we have to figure out where to find the flooring and how to install it, but our maintenance staff had to learn how to resurface and take care of it. All the detail work was worth it because when we were done, our athletic facilities were some of the best in the Middle East. And that led to us hosting the Arab University Games, which included teams from 18 countries. The event marked the last time the nations in that region were together for anything, given the Arab Spring and political turmoil of the past few years.

Is that what spurred you to leave Egypt? It wasn’t the only reason my wife and I left, but it was a big factor in our decision. It was pretty clear things were going to change dramatically. I was there for about seven months after the revolution, and it clearly was not as safe as when I took the job. Also, by that time, the work I had gone over to do was pretty much done. We had opened the buildings, equipped them, and set the policies, and everything was up and running pretty efficiently.

What are the keys to being an effective leader in Division III athletics? For me, it started with having a great mentor. When I moved over from rec sports into intercollegiate athletics at Washington University, I started working for John Schael, who has been a big influence on me and my career ever since. Having someone who you can call and share things with is critical in this profession, and John has been that person for me. Also, you have to figure out how your specific campus works. Every school is different, and you need to learn the lay of the land. People who say they’re going to hit the ground running need to adjust that mindset and

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Circle No. 109

9/17/13 9:17 AM

instead hit the ground listening. You have to determine how to maneuver administratively and who the major players are. The people who are successful when they change jobs are those who figure that aspect out quickly. If you don’t, you’ll end up beating your head against the wall and not getting anything done.

What has motivated you to be involved in association work? I think everyone should give back to the NCAA, and I encourage my staff to do it. Over the years, I’ve heard enough people complain about things, and one of my responses is, “What would you do to fix it?” Being on a committee is a way to create change.

stand that we’re going to lose some, too. That’s been a challenge for some people to understand.

What is your management style? My style is management by walking around. I spend a lot of time in coaches’ offices and walking around at practices. What goes on at practice is very telling because coaches have 100-percent control at that time. The same is not true during a competition where there are so many other variables. I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of national coaches of the year and when you watch their practices, you see how they get the most out of every minute and that athletes are held accountable. The standards an athlete is held to during practice translates to how they compete. Success isn’t an accident.

“People who say they’re going to hit the ground running need to adjust that mindset and instead hit the ground listening. You have to determine how to maneuver and who the major players are.” Plus, it’s fun. I was on the NCAA Council when it was still Divisions I, II, and III all in the same room. That was great because I was exposed to a lot of issues and discussions. As Division III representatives, we were only spectators for most of the bigger debates, but it was a wonderful experience being a part of it.

What’s your philosophy on hosting NCAA events? I don’t think there’s an NCAA championship my school has competed in that I haven’t been a part of as a host athletic director— except for track and field, which you have to be nuts to host. You need to give back to the organization, and hosting a championship is a great way to do that. Plus, playing at home is an amazing opportunity for the studentathletes and their parents.

What have been the most positive and negative changes you’ve seen in college athletics over the last 25 years? The expansion of the NCAA Division III championships has been fantastic. The NCAA has invested more money over the years, which has allowed us to create better championship experiences for our student-athletes. On the negative side, I think there are more unrealistic expectations among studentathlete parents, coaches, and fans that every team should be above .500 every year. That’s just not possible. Every team and every player is not above average. Somebody wins and somebody loses at a sporting event. I hope we win our share, but people have to under-

How do you go about finding and hiring great coaches?

I look for someone who is committed to the things that fit the Division III model. For example, in their interview, I want to hear about their approach to the studentathlete experience and whether they understand the importance of recruiting. Also, at Division III, coaches can’t have a “my way or the highway” attitude—our student-athletes are not paid to play, they’re paying for the experience—so I look for that. But sometimes, finding a great coach is simply luck. You won’t know a ton about them until they’ve been on the job for a few months.

What are your fondest memories from your time in athletics? Personally, the best was watching my oldest daughter, Mary Ellen, have a great tennis career and win multiple national championships at Emory. She won four doubles titles, two singles titles, and the team won the overall championship twice. It was fun being able to see her success up close. But honestly, I’m a horribly nervous spectator when my school is involved and even more so when watching my kids play. When Mary Ellen competed, I didn’t actually see a lot of her matches because I would check in on a score, then go for a 45-minute walk. I’m not a good sitter and watcher. I need to walk around.

What are your career goals? I plan to be an athletic director until I don’t enjoy it anymore, which I don’t think will happen for a while. Maybe after I’m done, somebody will need a golf coach and they’ll give me a call. At some point, it might be nice to do something that is a little more relaxing with a little less pressure, but I don’t think I’m there yet.

Circle No. 110 AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 19

GamePlan Coaching

ing team is breaking a rule. Often this makes a bad situation worse. Your own coach coming to inform you and ask your advice is showing a sign of maturity and trust in you. Therefore, you need to come through for her.

Step 2: Discuss with players

By the Rules

What should a coach do when he or she is committed to playing by the rules, but an opponent is not? Here’s how you can help. By Dr. Mike Davenport I remember the look on her face. She came into my office, sat down, and painfully announced, “We lost our game last night. The other team cheated.” This was one of the most honest coaches I know, who never blamed others or blew a situation out of proportion. She was not just venting. “They broke a conference rule, it gave them a competitive advantage, and I’m not sure what to do about it,” she said. When conversations like these happen, it’s very important for an athletic administrator to be prepared. At the heart of the matter is a rule being broken, but there are other issues to consider. I believe most rule violations are unintentional or a misunderstanding, and thus warrant acting carefully. For example, as

a team leader for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Rowing Team, I was questioned by racing officials and the FBI on whether our team’s coaches were using radio transmissions to gain an unfair advantage. Even though it was not true (television broadcasting equipment was found to be the culprit), the stigma that we might have even entertained the thought of cheating was a tough pill to swallow. In many ways, relationships are central to moving ahead when you suspect a violation. Your relationship with your coach, your athletes, and the other program will all be affected. With that in mind, here are six steps to consider when violations by others are brought to your attention. Step 1: Thank your own coach Some coaches will take matters into their own hands when they believe an oppos-

20 OCT/NOV OCT/NOV2013 2007| AthleticManagement.com ATHLETIC MANAGEMENT.COM

Today’s athletes are savvy and know a lot. Continual access to the Internet and social media creates a spotlight that bares all. Chances are, if you know about an infraction, your players do too. And if they don’t, odds are favorable they soon will. We suggest to our coaches that a short, simple statement to players, with carefully chosen words, might be called for. Something along these lines might work: “I want to let you know a rule may have been broken by the other team in last night’s game. Steps are being taken to address the issue. I’ll let you know when the issue is resolved, but in the meantime we need to move on, not focus on it, and not be involved in any discussion about it, especially on social media.” Step 3: Contact the other coach Now for the hard part. Your coach needs to skin her own skunk. Ask her if she is willing to contact the other coach, directly. Let me explain. Mike Davenport, EdD, is Director of Rowing, Head Coach of Women’s Rowing, and Assistant to the Athletic Director for Professional Development and Compliance at Washington College. He writes about professional sustainability for coaches at: coachingsportstoday.com and can be reached at: mdavenport2@washcoll.edu.

GARY HOVLAND

The first part of that is to affirm that you appreciate the coach’s decision to discuss the matter with you. “Coach, you did the right thing coming to me,” can be important words to voice. Remember, relationships are critical here and you want the coach to know you have her back.

The essential resource for high school athletic directors NIAAA’s Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration presents an overview of high school sport administration from experienced athletic administrators across the United States. This resource help readers better understand the athletic director’s multifaceted role and confront several challenges they face: • Providing comprehensive professional preparation for athletic director candidates and continuing education for today’s athletic directors • Aligning the goals of athletic programs and the conduct of coaches, athletes, and parents engaged in the program to the educational mission of the school, district, state, and national governing organizations • Ensuring ongoing education in vital areas including student citizenship, staff support, safety, risk management and budget preparation ©2013 • Hardback • 408 pp Print: ISBN 978-1-4504-3277-1 E-book: ISBN 978-1-4504-6009-5

• Making consistent efforts to provide equitable opportunities for participation and accommodate the abilities and interests of all student-athletes

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HUMAN KINETICS The Information Leader in Physical Activity & Health Circle No. 111

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GamePlan Coaching You are asking your coach to make a courtesy call to the other coach. It is not about accusing. The purpose is to help a fellow coach and his or her team stay out of trouble. If your coach has a solid relationship with the other coach, then simple wording for

stronger relationship between programs. The important thing here is not to accuse. It must be clear that your coach is trying to help a peer do the right thing.

coach in an uncomfortable position. Similar to the coach-to-coach call, I suggest not making any accusations and simply starting a conversation.

If you feel that this option should be avoided, or if the call flopped, there is a next step.

Step 5: Report it to your conference

Making this type of phone call is difficult ... The important thing here is not to accuse. It must be clear that your coach is trying to help a peer do the right thing. the call might be, “Hi Jane. My athletic director and I had a meeting this morning, and we are concerned that a conference rule may have been broken during last night’s game. I want to bring it to your attention so you could address it, and I hope you would do the same for me.” Then let the call go where it may. I know this sounds difficult. However, when done in a positive manner, it can actually be a building block toward a

Step 4: Contact the other team’s athletic director Now the action to take is yours. Place a call or send an e-mail to the other team’s athletic director or program director. This is what administrators are expected to do and, again, the focus should be on relationships. This step might get more action in terms of addressing the violation than the coach-to-coach call, but it has the downside of likely putting the other

If you decided against Steps 3 or 4, then it’s time to contact the governing body responsible for rules violations. This is a serious step that may have ramifications. There will be protocol established for this, depending on the organization, so get ready for possible paperwork and follow up. There is also the possibility that the friendly conversation with the other school will not resolve the problem. Maybe they say, “Thanks for the call,” but the violation continues. In order to support your coach and the integrity of the sport, a call to the governing body is a must in these cases. Step 6: Be patient The issue has been addressed, and now it is time to wait. This is not easy to do, but if the wheels have been put into motion, allow time for the violation to be resolved. Remember, the next contest is right around the corner and that is where your coach’s focus is best placed.

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GamePlan Career Planning

GARY HOVLAND

was requested. It turns out the coach in question had read an article I wrote that addressed this activity as well as safety precautions to take. The school district successfully defended itself, and the judge wrote that it won because of the testimony from me, their “expert” witness.

After School Options When retirement beckons but the rocking chair does not, you need a plan for what lies ahead. This author offers a blueprint for beginning a consulting career. By Dr. Richard P. Borkowski One of the great perks of having a career in education is the opportunity to retire fairly young. After working nights and weekends for so many years, the allure of handing in your keys as soon as you reach that magic age is often too good to pass up.

trator has allowed me to now enjoy the perfect retirement—part-time consulting work, additional income, and continuing to be involved in a field I’m passionate about.

The only problem with this can be figuring out what to do next. A month or two into retirement, many former athletic directors find themselves bouncing off the walls, wondering how to fill their oncebusy days. Part-time work is the obvious solution, but how do you find something that utilizes the skills you gained tackling the toughest job in the world?

My foray into consulting began with some luck, but it’s a situation that can happen to anyone. How I used it to begin a second career is more important.

An avenue to consider is becoming a consultant in one area of athletic administration. For me, becoming adept in sport safety as a high school athletic adminis-

Getting Started

In 1965, a Syracuse, N.Y., law firm asked me to testify on behalf of a school district. One of its coaches allegedly caused a leg injury to a player by using a game-like drill defined by the plaintiff as inherently dangerous. As a young coach and athletic director whose only knowledge of a court involved basketball, I wasn’t sure why I

As lawsuits involving high school athletics became increasingly common, I started receiving more and more calls to evaluate a situation at a school or testify on its behalf based on my first court appearance. Through meeting these requests, I realized there was a limited body of knowledge about sport safety, and I became motivated to read, learn, pursue graduate degrees, and write about ways to lower the chance of injury in sports. I consulted on risk-management issues as time allowed during the school year, and when I retired in 1993, it became my parttime career. Of course, there are many other fields besides sport safety to become a consultant in. A former athletic director in Georgia has started a business focused on fundraising for high school athletics. Another colleague in Ohio is working part-time as an advisor on conference scheduling. Other retired athletic directors have become experts on Title IX compliance. My best advice is to aspire, then perspire. Work at your chosen area, get another degree, read books on the topic, join professional groups, and continue to learn. Richard P. Borkowski, EdD, CMAA, is a sport and recreation safety consultant and the former Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pa. His most recent book is Game Plan for Sport Safety, and he can be reached at: drbork@nc.rr.com. AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 23

GamePlan Career Planning Most sport experts out there teach at colleges. They understand theory, write books, and give lectures. Don’t be intimidated by these competitors in your area of expertise. I have found there is also a need for the hands-on expert who works in a secondary school. The individual who has both pragmatic experience as well as additional education, coursework, bylined articles, and a list of presentations offers well-rounded credentials. Do your best to be that well-rounded consultant who offers something different than the academic. Regardless of the type of work you choose, make sure you have the correct temperament for it. For example, to be an expert witness, you must be a detailoriented person. Research is a key factor in preparing written reports and testifying. You also have to understand that one side will paint you as the best thing since sliced bread, and the other will make you look like a hired gun who will say or do anything for a paycheck. You can’t take it personally.

result of a business plan I came up with that included some self-marketing. You don’t need a fancy logo or catchy slogan, but a few steps can help. Consider the following: n

Marketing Yourself While my consulting career began with a phone call out of the blue, it grew as the

Spend a few dollars on professionallooking stationery, including a business card, and then send an introductory letter and your resume to those who might hire you. Making these items available in electronic format is also important. Write an article about your specialty for the local newspaper or an industry publication. Produce a newsletter to e-mail to potential clients. Keep the newsletter short. Include your contact information. Create a Web site about your business. Be sure to highlight your credentials in your chosen field. Offer to be a speaker at local, state, and national conferences. Introduce yourself to the media. Let them know you are available if they need to quote an expert in your area of expertise. Join a few organizations related to your

field. This can allow that all-important networking, which can lead to securing clients. n

Stay in touch with former clients. I send a newsletter along with a short hello. It helps keep your name in their file.

Final Thoughts One big question many have when starting a consulting business is how much to charge for services. Expert fees range considerably, from about $100 to $400 an hour. A new business should start at the lower end and focus on obtaining clients. Another area current athletic directors ask about is how to start a business while still working full-time. My advice here is to restrict consulting work to the summer months. Inform clients ahead of time that you are available only at certain times. Most important, enter the consulting business only if you honestly want to share what you’ve learned. Every time you evaluate a situation, write an article, and pass on knowledge, you are helping others in your area of expertise. That should be the motivation. If you put money first, you will be disappointed and have a short retirement career.

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SYNTHETIC TURF:

TOTAL GLUE-DOWNS ARE JUSTIFIABLY COMING BACK Total glue-down by squeegee

Total glue-down by spraying

ynthetic turf technology has greatly improved with time. It is called “progress” and the word is synonymous with change and improvements. While better in many ways over the old ones, these new turf systems also have their own problems, which we think could be solved by total glue-down instead of loose-laying turf. More people are realizing that the higher quality and higher initial cost of a total glue-down is worth it in the short run and even more so in the long run.

istory - In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, artificial grass/ synthetic turf began to make its mark as an alternative surface in areas where natural grass could not perform such as: a) athletic fields – especially after bad weather or heavily used fields, b) in high foot traffic areas without athletic activities, c) when maintenance is a hazard like highway median strips, d) in areas where grass growing is a problem such as: the desert, boat docks, around swimming pools and areas devoid of sunlight. In the beginning, most good synthetic turf installations were totally glued-down on both hard surfaces or flexible shock absorbent bases. However, there were problems with the older turf systems (not related to the adhesive) so a slow evolution began to take place, which eventually led to new and better synthetic turfs; loose-laying the turf over crushed stones instead of gluing to a uniform sub-surface; by simply gluing only 6 inches or less of each side of the turf to seaming tape or even less joining area by sewing (called loose-laying). Then sand and/or rubber granules (called infill) is sprinkled or combed between the grass blades. The newer loose-laid systems with infill have their benefits but the major reason for their selection over total glue downs is their much lower price but not better performance. Even when infill continues to be used, we think that many of the problems and expenses of repairing loose-laid systems could be prevented and/or avoided if the 15 foot wide turf rolls were totally glued down to a hard or shock absorbent sub-surface.

Loose-laid narrow seams over stone

expansion and/or contraction due to hourly and day-to-day changes in weather conditions (hot, cold, wet, dry, wind, etc.) are distributed over the entire installation instead of concentrating it only at narrowly joined seams like loose-lay installations. Total glue downs also prevent game line movement (“dancing lines” in trade jargon). Whether they are 15 foot wide turf rolls or smaller inserts, strong and tightly bonded seams are essential not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to avoid injuries from dangerous installations and hazards like tripping or other injuries due to an open seam or shifting turf. While the types of loose-lay installations that fill the turf matrix with sand and/or rubber granules hold the turf down due to gravity, they do not eliminate either lateral seam stresses and/or line movement. Also, infill does not hold the turf down when wind gets under the loose-laid turf, causing the turf to act like a sail. A seam break, whether it be accidental due to high stress or an intentionally cut sewn seam by vandals, can cause a completely loose field. Hence, instead of a small localized and easily fixable seam problem of a total glue down, it is often a major problem with a loose-lay. Also, thieves can cut and remove large sections of loose-laid turf for their home use or to disrupt an upcoming event. It was easy to remember the problems with the older systems, especially when new problems with the loose-lay systems had not had enough time to surface. It’s no longer the case now that the aging problems of loose-laid installation have surfaced such as: broken or unraveled seams resulting in the entire installation being loose; infill getting underneath cut turf or open seams which must first be removed before repairs; shifting lines, numbers, logos, etc. due to expansion, contraction or machinery moving on the turf; vandalism, such as cutting sewn or glued loose-laid seams; and thievery by cutting and removing a large section of turf.

Total glue-downs are gold and loose-lays are silver

Loose-Lay seams are tHe big bad woLf -

Artificial turf surfaces that are used for athletic fields, playgrounds, landscaping and other applications, are basically rolls of engineered high-tech carpet joined to make one piece that covers the entire surface. In trade jargon, the joining is called “seaming”. Additional seams are created by purposely cutting or shaving the turf in order to insert lines, logos, numbers and different colored turfs. An artificial turf surface is only as good as its joined seams because, historically seams are the weakest link of a good synthetic turf installation. Hence, from a seam standpoint, total glue downs are by far the best because high stress from athletic activities, maintenance vehicles, dimensional turf movement such as

VaLue summary by anaLogy - We think total gluedowns are gold and loose-lays are silver.

Norris Legue is a chemist and President of Synthetic Surfaces Inc. (www.nordot.com). In about 1969, he invented the first urethane adhesive that was used successfully to install synthetic turf athletic fields. His company’s new generations of NORDOT® Adhesives are used to install synthetic turf more than any other adhesive in the world. His peers have dubbed him the “Guru of Glue®”.

COVER STORY

By Mary Kate Murphy

ny discussion of homeschool students

playing for public school athletic teams has to include Tim Tebow. As a result of a 1996 Florida state law, Tebow was allowed to receive a home-based education during the day and play football for Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra on Friday nights. His two national championships and Heisman-Trophy winning season with the University of Florida might never have happened without the hotly contested state legislation. Since then, home-based education has continued to grow at a rapid rate. Estimates put the current number of homeschool students in the United States at more than two million, and like Tebow, many of them want to compete in athletics. Although specific leagues for homeschoolers have popped up across the nation, an increasing number of athletes are looking to their local public high school for sports opportunities. State athletic associations and legislatures have taken notice. As of this writing, 30 states allow homeschoolers some degree of access to public school athletic teams, and that number will likely increase as more states address the issue. But what happens after a law is passed or a policy is officially on the books? For athletic directors, that’s when the heavy lifting begins, as they will then face several challeng-

es including academic oversight, eligibility concerns, and community response. How do they make sure everything goes smoothly? YEAR ONE

This fall, there have been lots of new faces on Indiana’s prep athletic fields and courts following a recently passed Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) bylaw. The 2013-14 academic year marks the first time Indiana public high schools will have the option to allow homeschool students to participate on their sports teams. The rule originated in the political sphere and is a compromise. “This process began almost three years ago with a bill in the state legislature that the IHSAA lobbied against because it did not include an academic accountability piece,” says IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox. “The bill was withdrawn, and we eventually convinced state legislators to let us change one of our bylaws to accommodate the policy. For the past year and a half, we’ve been working on the new language with them.” The resulting criteria for homeschoolers wanting to play sports for a public school is that they may only compete for the high school that serves their legal residence and they must have been educated at home for at least the previous three years. The latter rule aims to prevent student-athletes from

Right

home

At Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, Mass., homeschooler Tucker Bouchard was a co-captain and league allstar on the basketball team, as well as conference co-MVP in baseball. Silver Lake Athletic Director Martha Jamieson says the key to opening your doors to homeschoolers is setting up systems to monitor their academic eligibility and making expectations crystal clear. PHOTO BY David Morrison

suddenly choosing home-based education when they are facing academic ineligibility. In terms of academic standards, homeschool student-athletes must submit their grades in writing at the end of every marking period and sit for all statewide standardized tests. Lastly, the homeschooler has to enroll in one course per day at their public high school.

join or come out for sports teams, but our member schools don’t have to embrace that concept,” says Cox. “They can refuse to grant the homeschooler’s request to try out for a squad.” In Tennessee, the state legislature passed a stricter law that went into effect this year, making it mandatory that all Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) member institutions allow homeschoolers in their district to try out for their athletic teams. Previously, the decision to accept homeeducated individuals on sports teams was up to each school district, as stated in a 2011 TSSAA bylaw. To be eligible, a homeschool student must receive no less than four hours of instruction per day and provide proof of their good academic standing to their school district every semester. They will become ineligible if they fall more than three months behind their grade level’s curriculum. The homeschooler is also held to the same off-field conduct standards of their public school counterparts. One district adjusting to these changes is Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Public Schools.

“Independent students don’t need to start school at 7 a.m. ... Our students must answer to several teachers and have a rigid academic schedule. I worry that this accountability piece is not as strict for homeschool students.” Once all of these criteria are met, the student can present him- or herself as a candidate for membership on an athletic team, although that does not mean the school has to open its doors. “We have provided an opportunity for homeschool individuals to

As a private school that is not a member of the state association, Calumet Christian School in Griffith, Ind., has had home-educated athletes on its rosters for years. But a new Indiana High School Athletic Association bylaw allowing homeschoolers on public school teams threatens to take some away as they explore their new options at other, larger schools. “We only have about 50 students in our high school, but we offer five sports,” Dan Obinger, Athletic Director at Calumet Christian says. “We would not be able to field most of our teams if we did not include homeschoolers.” He points to Calumet Christian’s girls’ volleyball team, which has won three consecutive championships at the National Association of Christian Athletes tournament and is typically ranked in the top 10 regionally. “We have about 35 girls in our volleyball program and field a varsity team, two j.v. squads, and two junior high teams,” Obinger says. “Half of those players are homeschoolers, and our program won’t be as successful without their continued participation.”

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“Before this year, we chose not to provide that option for our district’s homeschoolers,” says Roosevelt Sanders, Director of Athletics for Metro Nashville. “Our high school students are required to be in attendance for at least half the school day if they want to take part in extracurriculars. That rule wouldn’t apply to a homeschooler, and that didn’t seem fair. “We were also concerned about our funding from the Department of Education, which is calculated using pupil enrollment,” he continues. “Homeschoolers wouldn’t be on our roll and wouldn’t bring in any additional funds. But by utilizing our sports equipment, they become another expense for our district.” This year, Metro Nashville has implemented the state mandated guidelines. “Independent, home-educated students who reside in our district may try out provided they registered with their local public high school between August 1st and 15th,” says Sanders. “A couple of homeschoolers were denied athletic participation in this district last year, so I’m anticipating a few will take advantage of the state’s rule change.” Sanders says his biggest concern with this new policy relates to homeschoolers’ daily schedules. “Independent, homeschool students don’t need to start school at 7 a.m., and they don’t have to be in school for half the day in order to practice,” he says. “Our students must answer to several teachers and have a rigid academic schedule. I worry that this accountability piece is not as strict for homeschool students.” SUCCESS STORY

While Indiana, Tennessee, and other states enacting new policies this year are just getting their feet wet with homeschool students, other states have been making it work for close to two decades. For example, after years of lobbying from parents of home-educated students, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) began letting them join public school teams in 1995. Athletes are only permitted to play for the district in which they reside, and their home-education curriculum has to be approved by the superintendent prior to the start of the year. What started with controversy has become standard for many Massachusetts high schools. “We welcome homeschoolers in everything from dance to football,” says Martha Jamieson, Athletic Director at Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, Mass. “It’s pretty common in this district.” Mary Kate Murphy is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. She can be reached at: mkmurphy@MomentumMedia.com.

COVER STORY

After several years of tweaking, Silver Lake has developed a fluid policy regarding academic oversight. “We don’t check to make sure the homeschool students start their academic day at the same time as our public school kids or anything like that,” says Jamieson. “But in order for them to remain eligible, they have to produce a report card at the end of each marking period, which shows that they are taking and passing four age-equivalent major courses—English, science, math, and history.” Of all her experiences with homeschool student-athletes, two stand out. In one family, four children have suited up to be Lakers. Two graduated before Jamieson’s time, but the two she has gotten to know have become stars at Silver Lake. “One of the boys, Tucker Bouchard, graduated in 2013 after playing baseball and basketball for us for four years,” Jamieson says. “In basketball, he scored more than 1,000 points, was a co-captain, and a league all-star along with his younger brother. He was also the league co-MVP during baseball season. Tucker will continue his playing career at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, and

his brother will return to Silver Lake for two more years of basketball and baseball.” For the second family Jamieson mentions, the process to participate wasn’t quite as simple. “One of their daughters wanted to play basketball here, but she was part of a homeschooling collaborative—a group of families that get together, pool their resources, and teach each other’s kids,” says Jamieson. “At most, 20 students were part of this arrangement, but they had enough boys to form a basketball team. Because of that, the MIAA claimed the program was a school and wouldn’t allow the girl to play for us. However, after a few appeals, the young woman was allowed to participate and has been a key part of the team.” One area that still challenges Jamieson is monitoring the daily behavior of homeschool students. “I always tell our public school student-athletes, ‘You need to earn your way onto the field,’” she says. “In other words, if they get in trouble during the school day for disrupting a class, they don’t have any business being at practice. The homeschool players are held to the same standards, but I can’t monitor them when they aren’t in the building.”

She does make the school’s behavioral expectations very clear.“Our homeschool athletes clearly understand our athletic department policies regarding healthy choices and avoiding alcohol and drugs,” she says. “If we find out they were at a party where alcohol was served or were behaving poorly off the court, they will face the same consequences as someone who is in school every day.” When it comes to team chemistry and acclimating homeschool student-athletes to the rest of their teammates, Jamieson says the social nature of the Silver Lake community has made it a non-issue. “Although a lot of these families homeschool for moral or religious reasons, they are so ingrained in the community through youth programming that most of the kids know our students before they even get to high school,” Jamieson says. “They’re already acclimated in many ways, so interacting with public school kids is not foreign.” MAKING IT WORK

Due to a high demand from the homeschool community, North Dakota followed Massachusetts in 1999 and enacted a state

Circle No. 114 AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 29

law that permits students in home-based education to participate in public school athletics. In the Bismarck Public School District, the policy has been openly accepted since its inception, and Activities Director Jim Haussler has overseen a relatively flexible model. “There are three public high schools in this district,” he says. “Any homeschooler within its boundaries can pick the one they would like to compete for. However, once they pick a school, they can’t play another sport for another school. They have to stay put.” Some might think that such an open policy would result in stacked teams and unfair advantages, but Haussler says he hasn’t seen anything but parity since the law passed. “Homeschool student-athletes have never thrown off the competitive balance or created a stacked team,” he says. “We only have about a dozen each year, which is not enough to create an uneven situation.” However, Bismarck’s high schools do employ a strict transfer policy. “If a home-

school student transfers to another school for athletic reasons, he or she would be ineligible for varsity competition for 180 school days,” says Haussler. “This keeps them from jumping ship to what they think is a better program.” Greg Goldthorpe is Athletic Director for the Central Dauphin School District, one of the largest in Pennsylvania, with 11,000 students. Since 2006, his two high schools have allowed homeschool athletes to compete without controversy. He believes developing close relationships with the families who choose to home-educate has been the key to the policy’s success. “There are about 60 high school-aged homeschool students in our district, and I know the ones who partake in athletics very well,” Goldthorpe says. “One family has two daughters on our girls’ basketball squad. The older one is a senior, and she’s already scored 1,500 points and secured a scholarship to an NCAA Division I school. Her sister is a junior and just as talented.”

In 2010, the Louisiana state legislature passed a bill that allowed the state’s more than 8,000 homeschool students the chance to compete for their resident school district. Besides meeting all the eligibility and academic requirements of public school athletes, the homeschoolers also had to be approved by the high school’s principal. Father Anthony McGinn, S.J., the former principal of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, was a staunch opponent of the bill, and believed it would destroy school spirit, make athletics more important than academics, and create a financial burden for schools. Because McGinn wasn’t in favor of the law, Jesuit Athletic Director David Moreau has not allowed any homeschoolers to participate on his athletic teams. “Everything is enmeshed when you have a student enrolled in your school,” he says. “The entire community works hand in hand to educate well-rounded individuals and develop the whole person. When a student is here for athletics alone, he or she is only getting a piece of an education. Our stance is much more about adhering to a philosophy than letting a boy or girl play a sport.” Although states across the country have implemented more open policies in regards to homeschooled students playing public school sports, Moreau doesn’t see Jesuit’s approach changing. “We are driven by our mission and have a set philosophy on why we exist and how we want to educate our students,” he says. “If our policy was to change, it would have to be discussed at many different administrative levels, and we would weigh faculty and parental concerns. We won’t be at that point for quite a while.”

not here 30 OCT/NOV 2013 2010 | AthleticManagement.com

By working closely with the girls’ parents, Goldthorpe has helped ensure their education plan follows all of Central Dauphin’s policies. “Their mother submits an affidavit every year for our pupil services director to review,” he says. “This form states her goals and objectives for her daughters, and emphasizes the material they will be covering in math, science, and English. “In order to advance to the next grade, the girls’ mother submits a portfolio at the end of the school year that highlights all the work her daughters did,” Goldthorpe continues. “This portfolio is evaluated by someone the mother chooses and then again by our pupil services director. The district has approved them every year.” At Loveland (Colo.) High School, Athletic Director Glenda Bates requires weekly academic updates from parents of homeschoolers, which are then assessed quarterly by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). The CHSAA has been allowing homeschoolers on public school athletic teams in the district in which they reside for years, and Loveland boasts Kansas State University’s former All-American quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein as one of its former homeschooled student-athletes. For the most part, parents of homeschooled students remember to submit the weekly forms, but when they forget, Bates is quick to take action. “We have a series of steps in place to make sure we get the information we need,” she says. “We contact the parents after they miss one week, and there is a consequence for every week that goes by without a grade report. After three consecutive weeks of no updates, we will temporarily suspend the homeschooler from participation until we get appropriate documentation. Once a parent sees their child is no longer allowed to play, they usually get their reports together quickly.” THE ROUGH PATCHES

When schools first implement new homeschool policies, they can expect to encounter a variety of responses from athletes, parents, and members of the community. Cox says his member schools are split on the change so far. “Some athletic directors were very supportive of this measure and even lobbied for it,” he says. “There are others who are not comfortable with the idea. They feel that parents who choose to homeschool have to face the consequences of that choice, one of which is their child not playing high school sports.” Through her years of overseeing this policy, Jamieson says parents have been

COVER STORY

most concerned with homeschool athletes taking roster spots from public school students. “If a coach is picking 14 kids for a varsity basketball team and a homeschooler gets picked over a public school kid, sometimes the public school parent gets upset,” says Jamieson. “Some hold the belief that because their children are in school all day, Monday through Friday, they have a tougher, more rigorous experience than those who are educated at home and therefore are more deserving of a roster spot.” When faced with this situation, Goldthorpe tells parents he stands behind his coaches’ decisions. “The best kids should play, period,” he says. “And the coach should have the chance to choose the right players for his or her team, whether they are homeschooled or in the building all day.” Every time Lanness Robinson, Athletic Director for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Fla., encounters an individual who thinks a homeschooler unfairly took his or her spot, he urges them to use it as motivation to improve. “Florida law says that homeschoolers can play, so that’s the way it is,” he says. “If a student-athlete thinks a player has taken their spot, I tell them, ‘Work hard, get better, and take your position back.’” Complaints can also come from homeschool athletic leagues worrying that public schools will take all of their talent. Sanders says he is prepared to remind them of the optional nature of the bylaw. “I compare the different choices now available at our level to the college athletics model,” he says. “An athlete can go to an NCAA Division I, II, or III school. In terms of notoriety and the level of competition, I believe public school leagues are equivalent to Division I. If homeschoolers believe playing in public school leagues will be the most beneficial to them, they are free to come here. But some will choose to stay where they are. Nothing is mandatory.” When faced with concerns from homeschool leagues in Indiana, Cox is ready to speak to them as one administrator to another. “I will tell them the same thing I tell my member schools—if you make your programs attractive enough, kids will want to be a part of them,” he says. “If those leagues are providing an enjoyable and meaningful experience, the student-athletes will not want to leave. If they do decide to go, evaluate your program and figure out how to make it better.” Another potential rough patch is the homeschool student-athletes not knowing or understanding school or athletic department rules. Robinson says it is crucial to

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COVER STORY

make these students aware of the protocols you expect them to abide by. “Set expectations for them like you would for any

it is sometimes necessary to turn a homeschooler away if they can’t meet your expectations. “We make it very clear that if they want to participate on one of our teams, they have to fully commit to it,” he says. “We’ve had to deny more than one home-educated athlete because they weren’t able to make all the practices.”

“High school activities cut across religious, ethnic, and racial lines and welcome a variety of individual experiences. The life of a homeschooler is very different from someone who attends a public school, so they can educate each other.” player,” he says. “If there is a time they have to show up for practices or games, they should be on time regardless of where they are coming from.” Dan Obinger, Athletic Director of Calumet Christian School in Griffith, Ind., says

FUTURE IMPACT

For all the challenges athletic directors might face as they implement a homeschool athlete participation policy for the first time, Bates believes they are trumped by the positives of such a rule change. “Athletics and activities are a vital part of the formative teenage years that homeschool students don’t always get to experience,” she says. “The more opportunities they have to get involved, the more wellrounded they will become.” And the homeschool athletes can positively impact their public school counterparts. “I think the students who have

Circle No. 117

been in the system don’t always appreciate school-based activities as much as the homeschoolers,” says Jamieson. “Those kids really value the opportunity to play on a high school team, and sometimes they work harder and are better teammates, which often rubs off on our Silver Lake student-athletes.” Haussler also thinks public school students benefit from spending time with homeschool athletes. “High school activities cut across religious, ethnic, and racial lines and welcome a variety of individual experiences,” he says. “The life of a homeschooler is very different from someone who attends a public school, so they can educate each other.” As someone who has worked with a homeschool policy for over a decade, Haussler advises athletic directors to take any rule changes in stride. “Don’t fear the unknown,” he says. “A lot of people were apprehensive when North Dakota started allowing homeschool student-athletes, but we’re still doing it almost 15 years later. Let it play out. Most likely, this policy will prove beneficial for all involved.” n

PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS

The Future is Now How do you get student-athletes excited about their post-sports careers? At Oregon State University, a program called Startup Weekend shows them how to kick off their futures now.

By Akili King

Throughout the weekend, OSU studentathletes worked in teams and were mentored by business owners and coaches as they developed entrepreneurial ideas into full-fledged business plans.

t can be hard to convince

college athletes who compete at the NCAA Division I level that they need to develop a plan for their life after athletics. Balancing the demands of their sport and academics while working hard to get a shot at the pros can take up all their time and energy—and then some. Like many other schools, here at Oregon State University, we’ve initiated programs to guide student-athletes toward that postsports future, whether they’re ready or not, through leadership training, life skills programming, and career services. This past spring, we took these efforts a step further through a new and unique program called Startup Weekend, which proved incredibly successful. A world-wide entrepreneurship program, Startup Weekend provides participants with a chance to collaborate on the building of business prototypes. At Oregon State, it brought student-athletes and nonathlete students together with people from the campus and community to learn how to take an idea and make it a business. It

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 33

was a great opportunity for the Oregon State family to explore a different approach to earning a living. It was also a subtle way to show student-athletes that their ideas can take them places just as exciting as the football field or basketball court. We understand that our athletes are more than just their sport. Our message for them is that their ideas can change the world. BUILDING BLOCKS

The germination of the project actually began back in September of 1997, when I was a few months removed from being a football player at OSU. My identity as an elite athlete had suddenly ceased to be relevant. After playing football for 18 years, I did not make the last cut with the San Francisco 49ers. Being at an NFL camp, I quickly realized that this was no longer just

ing programs and events that incorporate the entire OSU community—sports, academia, and the vast pool of innovators residing in Corvallis. I first learned about Startup Weekend a few years ago. As part of the Startup America Partnership (SUAP), a non-profit organization based in Seattle, Wash., it is led by UP Global and is a grassroots movement focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs learn the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. The intent is to empower students and build networks that drive collaboration and strengthen entrepreneurs through action-based learning programs, resources, and networks. Startup Weekend supports this expansion of entrepreneurship through a 54-hour immersion process designed to bring an idea for a new business to market. Aspiring businessmen and businesswomen form teams and work together on a prototype. They are aided by successful entrepreneurs from diverse fields. After the weekend is completed, SUAP continues to help participants move ahead with their ideas. It provides startups access to the people, opportunities, and knowledge they need to succeed. There are more than 100,000 alumni, thousands of volunteer organizers, and more than 100 trained facilitators spread across more than 400 cities in more than 100 countries.

There is a gap between athletics and academics at most universities, and part of my job was to bridge that gap. The Startup Weekend is an exciting piece to the puzzle. about playing a sport. It was a business and I was a product. This was one of the toughest lessons of my entire life. So when I returned to Oregon State to complete my degree and was presented with the opportunity to help our athletes, I jumped at the chance. There is a gap between athletics and academics at most universities, and part of my job was to bridge that gap. The Startup Weekend is an exciting piece to the puzzle. The full puzzle is laid out at the OSU athletic department’s Leadership Institute, which exists to enhance student-athlete development. It’s aimed at advancing the academic potential of athletes, broadening their non-athletic career horizons, and creating and expanding an awareness of their current and potential networks. It advocates a collaborative approach to student-athlete development by establishAkili King is the former Managing Director of the Athletics Leadership Institute at Oregon State University and is currently working in an advisory role for the athletic department. He was a football student-athlete at OSU and is an active duty Army officer with more than 20 years of service. Anyone interested in learning how to host a Startup Weekend on behalf of their athletic department can contact him at: akili@wearemeta.com.

34 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

ATHLETE BUY-IN

One of the key ingredients in making Startup Weekend happen at Oregon State was having the support of Senior Associate Athletic Director Marianne Vydra. In September 2012, Marianne and I had a series of conversations and decided the Startup Weekend framework was a good fit for OSU athletics. We then spent the fall semester educating administrators and members of the Academic Advisory Committee about Startup Weekend. We gained buy-in from the College of Business as well as from the ViceProvost of Student Affairs, Larry Roper. In November, I attended the Portland Startup Weekend and informed its organizers of OSU’s intent to host our own. This proved valuable because the Oregon Startup Weekend Community uses a city-hub approach to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Portland serves as the main hub, while other cities like Bend, Eugene, Corvallis, and Roseburg help coordinate events around the state. Organizers from all the cities provided valuable

advice and guidance as we put together our weekend at Oregon State. In order to prepare for our event, I served as an organizer for the Willamette Valley Startup Weekend, which was led by members of the Technology Association of Oregon and the Willamette Angel Conference. The experience I gained working at that Startup Weekend was instrumental in the OSU event’s success. We also partnered with the Oregon State College of Business Management Club to help spread the word around campus that the athletic department was planning an entrepreneurial program in the spring. Fully aware of our athletes’ time constraints, we used the winter term to start educating them about Startup Weekend, which would be held in May. We created a for-credit, one-night-a-week course on leadership for student-athletes in which they were also introduced to ideas in entrepreneurship. Our student-athletes are used to being given a syllabus and guidelines for their classes, but for this course, we didn’t do that. Instead, we exposed them to business model thinking using an online tool (www. slideshare.net/katheilousking). This new approach did not resonate with everyone in the class, but it did for some. We ended up having 15 of the 30 athletes in the course buy in to what we had presented. Our intent was also to listen to the athletes and adjust our approach based on what mattered most to them. With the feedback we received, we decided to split the class into two groups, one focused on business model thinking and the Startup Weekend and the other using the more conventional approach to leadership development. This meant we had 15 student-athletes working toward participating in Startup Weekend, but we wanted a larger group for the event. As we all know, the best way to recruit athletes is to use other athletes and that’s exactly what happened. Those 15 athletes told their teammates and friends about this opportunity. Marianne then arranged a presentation for Oregon State coaches, who also helped us spread the word about the Startup Weekend. We approached the football team’s Chief of Staff, Jay Locey, as well as Head Men’s Basketball Coach Craig Robinson, with the concept and they both saw the value in the program and offered to speak at the inaugural event. Startup Weekends usually cost participants $75-$100. However, since we were dealing with college students, we lowered the fee to $40, with a $25 early-bird incentive offer. There was no application process other

PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS

than buying a ticket via a sign-up page. In terms of hosting a Startup Weekend, the largest expense is securing a venue and food costs. Luckily for athletic departments, we know how to host events and we own the facilities needed to do so. Our Startup Weekend was held on the club level of Reser Stadium, which was attractive

to would-be participants considering how difficult it is to gain access to the club level during the year. The other important piece was timing the event so that it fit the schedules of our athletes but did not conflict with other Startup Weekends around the state. This small constraint prevented some athletes

from participating, but overall we found that mid-May was a good time to hold the program. A GREAT WEEKEND

On May 10-12, 2013, Oregon State athletics successfully hosted the first Startup Weekend organized by a major university athletic

The following ideas were chosen as the winners from our inaugural Startup Weekend: Second Place Tutor App

Third Place Just 2 Nice

This business aims to provide student-athletes with opportunities for experience in the workplace. The idea is for the company to find short-term project-based work that fits the schedules of studentathletes who often don’t have time to go off-campus for internships. www.facebook.com/ StudentAthleteExchange

What student wouldn’t love to have a tutor help them with math? The idea behind this business is to develop an app that serves as such a tutor, offering a convenient, effective way to learn math through solutions, practice problems, and relevant resources. www.facebook.com/TutorApp

This group is looking to provide quality clothing that looks and feels good. The company was actually started prior to Startup Weekend by one of our football players. www.just2niceclothing.com/

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The following Web sites offer information about hosting a Startup Weekend, as well as great advice on leadership and being an entrepreneur.

oregonstate.startupweekend.org Oregon State University’s Startup Weekend Web site, which details the 2013 event

www.facebook.com/startupbeavers Oregon State University’s Startup Weekend Facebook page

www.slideshare.net/katheilousking A look at Oregon State athletics’ Leadership Institute

www.steveblank.com Steve Blank, a widely-respected tech entrepreneur, author, and professor offers advice and resources on startups

www.businessmodelyou.com A resource to help people “define and reinvent personal business models”

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department. Twenty student-athletes participated, as well as 30 OSU students and community members. We also had 17 coaches attend, some of whom came all the way from Canada. We had a total of nine organizers who were volunteers from the university and the Oregon Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Our judges included business leaders as well as the Chief Startup Officer for Oregon State’s Venture Accelerator. Beginning on Friday evening, participants pitched 19 unique ideas and everyone involved in the weekend placed a sticker on the three ideas they liked the most, with the top seven moving on to the next stage. If your idea was not picked, you joined another team. The seven teams, consisting of athletes, students, and community members, worked throughout the weekend on their business prototypes. Four of the teams were led by Oregon State athletes and all were assisted by “coaches” who were on hand to help. Three of these coaches were former OSU football players who now have successful business careers. The teams were charged with develop-

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PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS

ing their idea by forming a business plan. On Sunday, the plans would be judged by leadership and business professionals who would choose three winners. Students were given outlines and guidelines to help them develop their plans. They were warned to not spend too much time on the frills and features and instead be sure to answer questions that are core to a business model, such as: > Who is your customer? > What is your core value proposition? > What are your key activities? > What are your revenue streams? > What is your cost structure? > Who/what are your key partners/ resources? > What are your distribution channels? > What is your rollout strategy? Participants were also told to focus on customer validation. They were asked questions such as: Have you taken the proper steps to ensure that the people who matter (your future customers) support and reinforce your assumptions? This helped them learn that the more feedback you gather, the more you’re able to integrate it into the

Not everyone is meant to become an entrepreneur, but business model thinking and entrepreneurial mindsets will set your athletes apart as they prepare to enter the workforce. business model and product development, resulting in a better product. When picking winners, the judges looked at what each team was able to actually build over the weekend because even the strongest business plans are useless if people can’t execute them. Getting as far along as possible in the development of a prototype gave judges a tangible vision of what the final product could be, as well as a look into the strength and skills of the team. The big take-away was that investors don’t invest in ideas, they invest in teams. The top three teams were all led by OSU student-athletes, and two of these teams are still developing their business models (see “Results” on page 37). The first place team, Student Athlete Exchange, focused on pro-

2014. Bringing this type of event to a university campus was new and strange to people who typically take the “business as usual” approach to athlete development. But what made the event a success was the simple fact that we listened to our primary customer, the Oregon State student-athlete. Not everyone is meant to become an entrepreneur, but business model thinking and entrepreneurial mindsets will set your athletes apart as they prepare to enter the workforce and become productive members of society. n

viding project-based internships for studentathletes by working with local businesses. It is currently preparing to apply for an incubator while continuing its search for a scalable business model. The third place team, hoping to start a clothing business, completed the five-week Portland Startup Weekend Next Program, another initiative of the UP Global movement, over the summer. OSU’s Startup Weekend proved to be an awesome experience for all involved and we are planning a second one in the spring of

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Circle No. 123

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

At Westminster High School in Atlanta, non-teacher coaches Kat Ledlie (in front) and Janna Kaufman (in back), both in green shirts, celebrate the girls’ lacrosse team’s state championship last spring.

No More Teachers

When no faculty members apply for an open coaching position, community members are often quick to step up to the plate. Having a thorough plan for training them can be the ticket to their success.

clyde click

By Jay Watts

Finding qualified individuals to coach high school sports is getting tougher and tougher. In Maine, a high school recently hired a college sophomore to be head coach of its varsity girls’ basketball team. In North Dakota, a 20-year-old will head up a high school’s softball squad this spring. Overall, there are fewer faculty members interested in coaching than there used to be, so most athletic directors need to look

outside their school’s walls to fill open slots. Sometimes, we can find great coaches in our community who understand educational athletics and are a perfect fit. Other times, we need to hire “someone” or “anyone” and they don’t end up meshing well with our standards and expectations. At first glance, the risks of hiring community coaches for a high school team may seem negligible. They often possess proficiency in their particular sport, bring

a great deal of enthusiasm to the team, and can offer a fresh perspective to a program that needs a change. However, athletic administrators must consider the inherent risks of bringing a coach on board who probably does not know the rules, regulations, and expectations of a full-time, on-campus educator. A teacher is regularly exposed to the school’s mission and value system and has an instructional background that goes beyond AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 39

X’s and O’s. It is unrealistic to expect a community coach to have the same perspective right off the bat. Many state athletic associations have a certification requirement that all high school community coaches must satisfy. Mandatory classes in coaching principles and basic first aid are also common. But these formalities are only the tip of the iceberg for what a community coach needs to know to effectively support student-athletes. In response to current trends, it’s important for all high school athletic departments to have a plan in place for the hiring, train-

school. It can work well to ask the applicant to list several skills or traits they would hope to teach their athletes. An answer that pertains only to sport-specific abilities could indicate the coach would fail to see sport as a way to teach character and life lessons if hired. Will the time constraints of coaching mesh with the candidate’s other obligations? Sometimes, community coaches don’t understand that they can’t delay practices when they are held up at their other job. They may also not be prepared for the extra hours of meetings and communicating with others. A sub-varsity coaching candidate may not know that

discern the candidate’s potential to remain a long-term employee. Finally, checking references for community coaches is essential. If possible, administrators should pay close attention to any clues regarding the candidate’s punctuality and willingness to put in extra time when necessary. One of the biggest differences between a coaching job and almost any other form of employment is the need to be on time—if not early—for every event and understanding that games and other team functions can go longer than expected. PART OF THE TEAM

The community coach should be given clear expectations regarding sportsmanship and sideline behavior, not only for themselves but for their players. An AAU basketball coach who is accustomed to boisterous sideline behavior needs to understand what will and won’t be tolerated by your school. ing, and mentoring of community coaches. It should start with being vigilant in the selection process and continue with educating coaches on the school’s mission, expectations, and philosophy. HIRING PROCESS

Popular non-faculty candidates for high school coaching positions often come from the ranks of local club teams or are personal trainers. Others are alumni or members of the booster club. Before thinking seriously about hiring any of these individuals, there are two big questions that need to be answered about them: Does the candidate understand and embrace your school’s approach to educational athletics? You may be able to glean this from their resume and cover letter, but more likely it will take some pointed questions during the interview process. Such questions can be about their coaching philosophy, how they might emphasize sportsmanship with their players, and how they will support the academic mission of the Jay Watts, III, CMAA, is the Assistant Director of Athletics at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Ga., winner of the 2012-13 MaxPreps Cup for overall athletic excellence. He assists with the day-to-day operations of a program with more than 80 interscholastic teams and 25 varsity sports, and serves as Head Girls’ Lacrosse Coach. He is also Lacrosse Coordinator for the Georgia High School Association and Chair of the NFHS Girls’ Lacrosse Rules Committee, and can be reached at: JayWatts@westminster.net.

40 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

he or she will be counted on to help out with the varsity team. These aspects of the position should be explained and thoroughly discussed during the interview process. A tricky situation can arise when an applicant doesn’t have another job. This person may have no problems with the coaching schedule at the time of the interview, but employment down the road could interfere with the demands of coaching. Athletic directors should also keep an eye out for a few red flags. In some cases, a community coach might be considered for a position because of a relationship with the school. Perhaps they are an alum or a member of the booster club. If this coach does not work out or ever needs to be disciplined, there can be widespread backlash. Negative feelings can spread among your most important supporters and put you in a very difficult position. Another potential conflict is hiring the parent of a student-athlete to coach their son or daughter. In this case, it is very easy for other players’ parents to perceive favoritism from the parent-coach, which can cause problems within the team. It’s also important to think about the higher turnover rate that exists among the community coach population. The time demands and encroachment on other obligations often means they don’t stay in high school coaching for long. When that happens, the time you spent training them can seem wasted. Therefore, it’s important to

Once a community coach is hired, it’s important to give them the training needed to understand the job and fully grasp the institution’s athletic philosophy. That often includes creating an action plan to make sure he or she knows all school rules, policies, and expectations. In the high school setting, a truly effective coach understands that athletics is a vehicle to help student-athletes with cognitive, social, and physical development. This is not to say that every faculty coach has this mastered, but it is typically harder for someone from the outside to embrace the concept. To remedy this, it can work well to partner the community coach with a mentor or veteran school-based coach in their first year who can impart those important lessons. It’s also important to educate the coach about your school’s standards and protocols. Because coaching hires can take place at random times of the year, and because community coaches are not full-time school employees, they are rarely part of the new faculty orientation that takes place at the beginning of the school year. This means they are not included in various training sessions related to school policies and the institution’s points of emphasis. It falls on the athletic administrator to bring the community coach up to speed and explain both the faculty and coaching handbooks during a one-on-one meeting or in a small group setting. Often, community coaches need instruction on appropriate communication strategies. What is and isn’t acceptable during face-to-face, telephone, e-mail, and social media interaction with student-athletes, parents, and faculty members should be thoroughly explained. Examples of best practices as well as potential pitfalls can be shared during this conversation. Non-athletic information must also be passed on. For example, your school may expect coaches to support their student-athletes in reaching their academic goals. Some programs may also be involved with com-

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

munity service initiatives that aren’t always understood by someone from outside the school. All of these “non-athletic” details are just as crucial to the coach’s eventual success as any preseason training regimen or defensive strategy. In addition, the community coach should be given clear expectations regarding sportsmanship and sideline behavior, not only for themselves but for their players. An AAU basketball coach who is accustomed to boisterous sideline behavior needs to understand what will and won’t be tolerated by your school. Finally, if the community coach will be evaluated at year’s end, remember to explain the process to him or her. Let the coach know the criteria you use in your evaluations and how the process works. COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

Communication between the athletic department and a community coach is inherently more challenging because the individual is not on campus during the school day. While e-mail is a convenient way to stay on the same page, it is not the only method that should be used to keep community

coaches connected. Athletic administrators must make an effort to see these coaches after school and observe their practices or games, offering feedback as often as possible. When a community coach is part of a large staff, such as with a football team, that

is amplified due to the fact that the faculty coach is usually tasked with deciding to cancel games or practices because of inclement weather, contacting opposing coaches when games have been postponed, arranging school transportation for off-campus

In order to make up for time missed during the day, a community coach may need to set aside a half hour after practice or before games to connect with their athletes on a personal level. has mostly school-based members, communication among coaches can be a challenge. Planning practices during a common free period or in the cafeteria at lunch is not possible, increasing the need to meet outside of normal school hours. Another issue that could result from this is faculty coaches feeling like they are carrying the bulk of the coaching burden during the school day while trying to balance the demands of their teaching schedule. This

events, and counseling student-athletes who are facing discipline issues. On the other end, the community coach can sometimes feel left out of impromptu personnel decisions or game planning that occurs on campus among faculty coaches. This may create confusion or frustration for the community coach regarding their role with the team. Therefore, it’s important for a coaching staff to talk through these potential issues

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Why is it increasingly difficult to keep faculty members coaching long-term? I see today’s high school coaches dealing with a lot more stress than in years past, which can lead to burnout or simply feeling the hassle is not worth the effort. The solution? More support from their administrators. The biggest source of stress can be parents seemingly trying to live vicariously through their child’s athletic endeavors. More and more parents feel they are entitled to an outcome for their child and are making unrealistic demands of coaches.

Another area of stress can come from winning and losing. While some of this may be self-imposed because of a coach’s own competitive nature, it is the responsibility of an administrator to remind the coach that their most important job requirement is taking care of their student-athletes, not stocking the school’s trophy case. Schools must also recognize the time commitment that faculty coaches make away from the classroom. Many top coaches are also extremely dedicated teachers during the day. Coaching an athletic team is like adding one or two classes to an educator’s load. The school’s central administrators should be educated on this so they do not overburden teachercoaches with other school responsibilities. In addition, a coach’s work with student-athletes should be taken into consideration when handing out teaching awards and other school-based recognition.

ATHLETIC MANAGEMENT Salsbury Industries

Faculty and community coaches alike need to be given support from their administration on handling difficult parents. A clear chain of command must be in place where coaches can refer parents who are consuming far too much of their time to a school administrator. In a nutshell, coaches need to be empowered to say “no.”

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Circle No. 126

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

before the season starts. They should come up with a plan to keep the community coach in the loop throughout the school day and possibly designate tasks the community coach can take on to assist with team management. Last, but certainly not least, community coaches have almost no contact with their student-athletes during the school day. This can limit the impact of their relationships with players on academic, leadership, or social matters. In order to make up for time missed during the day, a community coach may need to set aside a half hour after practice or before games to connect with their athletes on a personal level. In these situations, the willingness and ability of the community coach to be flexible with their schedule is crucial for developing chemistry with their team. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Like faculty coaches, community coaches should be encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities. Coaching conferences and clinics can help them increase their knowledge of the sport and formulate coaching methods consistent with the school’s expectations.

Because they often lack a background in educational philosophy and developmental psychology, community coaches may benefit

new laws that govern the care of children. Community coaches should be included in these educational opportunities whenever

In addition to first aid training and CPR classes, many schools offer in-house professional development opportunities to instruct faculty on everything from technology to new laws that govern the care of children. Community coaches should be included in these educational opportunities whenever possible. most from conferences that deal less with sport-specific instruction methods and more with general coaching pedagogy. Curriculum from the NFHS covering the fundamentals of coaching or workshops led by the Positive Coaching Alliance could be very valuable to the community coach. In addition to first aid training and CPR classes, many schools offer in-house professional development opportunities to instruct faculty on everything from technology to

possible. In some cases, special sessions may need to be held after school to work around a community coach’s schedule. Having community coaches on staff usually requires more foresight and planning than using on-campus faculty. However, that doesn’t mean you should rule out this potential avenue. When the hiring and training process is done right, a community coach can become an integral part of a school’s coaching staff. n

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Circle No. 128

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

uring March Madness every year, there is always at least one college or university that rises from obscurity to become the national media’s darling. It’s become an unofficial tradition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, and it is every athletic administrator’s dream.

Last year, it was our turn. Florida Gulf Coast University went from a regionally known school to one the entire nation was talking about. Thanks to the inspired play of our basketball student-athletes, millions of people suddenly knew about our team, athletic department, campus on the beach, and passionate student body. As we became the first 15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16, the moniker “Dunk City” was on everyone’s lips.

While the situation was playing out at lightning speed, the athletic department staff knew we had two options. We could sit back and enjoy the media frenzy, or we could quickly figure out how to take advantage of the situation to promote FGCU and position ourselves for future success. Of course, we chose the latter.

By Denise Da Silveira

AP Photo/Naples Daily News, William DeShazer

FGCU players join fans for a pep rally to celebrate the team’s trip to the Sweet 16.

A Chance to Dance

While millions watched Florida Gulf Coast University make a historic run in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament last March, a small team of administrators were making their own run at future success.

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 45

BEFORE DUNK CITY

FGCU is a growing, mid-major Division I university with just six years at the D-I level. In that time, we have compiled more than 30 conference and tournament titles. Although we became eligible for NCAA D-I postseason play just two years ago, we’ve already sent seven teams to their respective NCAA Tournaments and had individuals compete in NCAA Championships in men’s golf and women’s swimming. When Ken Kavanagh, Director of Athletics, hired Andy Enfield as our Head Men’s Basketball Coach in April 2011, the administrative staff knew it was just a matter of time before our men’s basketball team caught up to the successes already experienced by our other sports. Everyone anticipated a slow build but knew we would get there. Our goals in external affairs in the meantime were to create a basketball culture at FGCU and surprise people with the caliber of talent our team displayed at each home game. As our team started to win, our fan attendance began to grow. FGCU students, area families, retirees, and snowbirds make up our four target markets.

We began the 2012-13 season with an attention-getting win, beating the University of Miami in our home opener in front of a sold-out, floor-storming crowd. This game brought our first taste of national media commentary, and after a 21-10 regular season, we headed to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, in Macon, Ga., as the second seed. There was a very real chance we might win our league, which meant an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament. For the administrative team, this was our first glimpse at what was to come. We knew we needed to make the most of whatever happened at the conference tournament. But we also knew we had a budget to adhere to. To create our game-day environment for the tournament, we gained our University Foundation’s financial backing so our band, mascot, and cheer squad expenses were underwritten. Our men’s and women’s teams and spirit squad traveled by charter bus, with donors invited to fill extra seats on a first-come, first-served basis. This was arranged by our director of athletic advancement, who chaperoned the bus. Our president, Wilson Bradshaw, and his wife,

Jo Anna Bradshaw, joined our director of athletics, senior associate athletic director for external relations, and senior woman administrator in flying up to the game. Traveling later in the week, my family and I made the trip, too, driving up to Macon. I assisted in helping to entertain donors and fans and handled the typical marketing director game-day presentation responsibilities. FGCU’s hard work paid off as our men’s team won the tournament, earning a bid in March Madness 2013. It was fortunate planning to have the conference tournament final on March 9, because FGCU became the very first team in the nation to be invited to the Big Dance. We made national news that night, and #FGCU trended on Twitter. Denise Da Silveira is Director of Corporate Sponsor ships and Marketing for the Florida Gulf Coast Uni versity athletic department, where she has helped increase attendance and boost student and commu nity support for the Eagles’ 15 NCAA Division I sports. She previously worked as a sales and marketing executive and was a student-athlete at DePauw Uni versity. She can be reached at: denised@fgcu.edu and @FGCUMarketing.

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MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

After the long bus ride back, our team enjoyed a warm reception from fans waiting at our facility, Alico Arena. Immediately, our coaches began researching their possible opponents, and the athletic department staff began planning potential travel scenarios. I can’t say we were preparing to become the year’s Cinderella team, but we were focused on not missing a promotional opportunity. In some ways, we were in our own preseason training for the postseason to come. FIRST DANCE

The marketing and promotions staff’s first goal was to make the most of the selection show, primarily focusing on our Southwest Florida community. How could we use the excitement surrounding the show to increase season ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, donations, and Eagles Club membership? We decided to hold a pep rally event, inviting current and prospective sponsors and donors while publicizing everything to our local media. A video and sound company was hired to set up a big screen so the selection show was shown live and we had tailgating activities beforehand. To reward

our student fan group, the “Dirty Birds,” for their support during the season, we offered free food donated by a corporate sponsor and gave out blue and green leis. To provide memorabilia we distributed a two-sided poster with the NCAA Tournament bracket on one side and photos of our team after they won the Atlantic Sun Championship on the other. The band and cheerleaders performed at the pep rally with our mascot, Azul, and President Bradshaw, Coach Enfield, and players spoke, thanking the fans for their support and inviting them all to attend the NCAA Tournament. Social media was aggressively utilized by athletic department staff, using hashtags like #ASunMVP, #DunkTank, and #WeAreFGCU on our @FGCUEagles, @FGCU_MBB, @AzulTheEagle, and @FGCUDirtyBird Twitter accounts. We were also very active on Facebook and Instagram. The event was a huge success, and we used photos from it to promote the sale of

our allotment of NCAA tickets. A certain number of tickets were reserved for students and Eagles Club members before they were made available to the general public. This

The New York Times informed us it was sending a reporter, and we took a deep breath. The national media was starting to tune in, and we wanted to capitalize on the visibility. We convened with central administration at this point.

CING INTRODU ™

strategy generated a steep increase in Eagles Club membership as fans sought a guaranteed ticket to the Big Dance. The selection night event left everyone smiling for a few more reasons. We learned our first opponent would be Georgetown University, which the coaches and players

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felt was a good matchup for us. The game’s site, Philadelphia, was close enough for us to have a chance to generate fan support and is a short driving distance from Coach Enfield’s hometown of Shippensburg, Pa. The selection show also marked when the sports information staff started getting calls for interviews. The New York Times informed us it was sending a reporter, and we took a deep breath. The national media was starting to tune in, and we wanted to capitalize on the visibility. We convened with central administration at this point. Our University vice president quickly began to channel interview requests, coordinating with her staff and our assistant athletic director for communications. After the requests were processed, press coordination was assigned out to key external communications administrators. Additional assistance was also provided by the Office of Community Relations. It took all of us working in tandem to manage the inquiries and interview requests.

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In my case, I handled background stories. I compiled information on how the cheerleaders, band, and mascot were preparing for, and then enjoying, the trip to Philadelphia. Another topic I researched was what was motivating Southwest Florida fans to make arrangements to travel to the game. The Southwest Florida television networks each wanted to find a unique angle for their stories, and I helped them do this. This free publicity would be key in attracting additional corporate and private donations and further expanding our success within our targeted admissions pool. Though at this stage we could have easily worked full-time on our newfound public relations responsibilities, we were also keenly focused on the logistics of affording and attending the Tournament. We have a small administrative staff who all wear many hats, especially at a time like this. Our external relations and administrative personnel were attending to the finan-

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

While our men’s basketball team’s Cinderella season in 2013 expanded our fan base in every demographic, we have been careful to not forget our most faithful supporters. When we began our first season of basketball in 2002, we marketed heavily to younger retirees and snowbirds from the Midwest with much success. Many of them bought season tickets that year and have never left us. To keep our retirees coming back each year, we encourage them to join the Eagles Club,

our group for athletic donors, and consider them in our selection of music, game times, and featured events. In 2009, we furthered our outreach during our reclassification to NCAA Division I, encouraging these fans to adopt us with our marketing campaign, “Root for the Home Team!” With this campaign came the theme we shared at all public speaking engagements: “We know most of you are from somewhere else and have loyalties there, but while you’re here, support us too. Adopt us as your team, since you live in Southwest Florida now. Root for the home team, FGCU!”

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cial ability of FGCU to put together a travel party that would be able to manage the press, ticketing, marketing, and administrative needs in Philadelphia. They were also working to make travel arrangements for the team, coaching staff, cheerleaders, band, and local press. At the same time, development was arranging for our Eagles Board of Advisors and Eagles Club members to be at the Georgetown game. Our highest donors and VIPs were even offered the unique opportunity to travel with the team both on their plane ride and the charter bus in Philadelphia. On top of everything else, our communications staff had their hands full trying to get the media to stop referring to us as Fl Gulf Coast or Florida GC. They were also in charge of working with the individual men’s basketball players to manage their face time and review our policies on social media, which we’ve broken down into eight rules. The most important one is: If you aren’t sure you should say it, don’t. All season long, we had reminded our student-athletes that the Internet is permanent. If they wouldn’t say it

to their parents, teachers, or religious leaders, they shouldn’t say it on social media. As we took our seats to play Georgetown, the increased media attention was really heating up. The players, however, were taking the historic opportunity for FGCU in stride. They were loose and relaxed going into the game, our athletic trainer told us. When we won, the athletic department staff was proud and excited, but not shocked. While enjoying the moment, we quickly realized we must double our effort for the next barrage of attention. There was a game against San Diego State University to play. CROWNED CINDERELLA

Those of us in Philadelphia and others back on campus began working around the clock to make sure word got out about FGCU. People had never heard of us, so there was much to do to highlight the great aspects of our university. Web site hits set a record with a 431-percent increase, and crews worked to expand its capacity to accommodate the traffic. At the same time, we needed to keep the momentum going at the Tournament.

Student government had funded the FGCU student bus that came to Philadelphia, but that only covered the Georgetown game, and the bus was slated to travel back to Florida right afterwards. The moment we won, we began working rapidly to make plans to allow the students to stay for the San Diego State game two days later. Thankfully, generous athletic donors contributed to the effort to make the students’ stay possible and our dean of students helped handle the arrangements from her office back in Fort Myers. I was proud of our loyal fans and donors and great administrators for managing this logistical challenge. As we worked to get the students checked into their hotel, dunk highlights from the game were being played all across the country. Sometime during these thrilling hours for FGCU, the nickname Dunk City was born. Social media and television crowned FGCU the Cinderella of the Tournament, and the hashtags #DunkCityFL and #DunkCity with #FGCU were born. Bloggers and members of the national media embraced the FGCU story as the perfect underdog for

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MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

Rocky’s hometown. The story’s momentum was easy to sustain and somewhat overwhelming for those of us charged with managing the message. We were also thinking about the bigger picture—how to translate the excitement into increasing future ticket sales and connecting with new donors. As more people flew in from Southwest Florida to catch the San Diego State game, we quickly made arrangements to entertain them at a pre-game event coordinated by additional staff that was sent to assist us, thanks to the University Foundation, Community Relations, and Alumni Affairs offices. Another focus was quickly launching a reserve-your-season-ticket-now campaign for the Southwest Florida radio market, capturing our season ticket holder demographic. This was initiated the day after the Georgetown win. We allocated a three-channel, $2,500 short blitz with the headline, “Saturday night, FGCU shocked the world.” In the meantime, the FGCU Bookstore and licensing saw a drastic escalation in requests. After the Georgetown win, our legal team had to intensify its time com-

mitment to protecting our brand loyalties. There was a 1,732-percent increase in our licensed sportswear sales as well as a proportionately large increase in illegal use of our logo. This was quickly addressed, and our license protection vigilance is ongoing.

We did not show the Sweet 16 matchup in Alico Arena, so we listed which of our sponsors were hosting viewing parties. This was a huge boon to our sponsors, whose business more than tripled during this time period.

IT GETS SWEETER

Coach Enfield felt the game against San Diego State was winnable, and we were humbly optimistic. When we won, things got amplified that much more. The postgame celebration by the team, the FGCU student body, and Southwest Florida made national headlines. Our plane back from Philadelphia landed in the wee hours of the morning, but nevertheless we were greeted by television cameras and students in large numbers. When we returned to work the next morning, the media was everywhere. The coach and players were not only get-

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As we had done a week earlier, all interview requests were vetted and channeled appropriately, and then scheduled as able. At this point, we needed to protect the players’ and coaches’ time so they could get back to class and practice. The university com-

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munications team was extremely careful to provide appropriate oversight, because there was an upcoming game to play. My assistant and I in the marketing department began immediately planning the pep rally to celebrate our trip to the Sweet 16. We later learned it would be broadcast live on ESPN. At this point, a very new consideration arose: safety. The crowds and media presence were larger than anything we had ever dealt with. Therefore, for the pep rally and the team send-off the following day, our facility team provided additional safety by controlling access to team areas with extra security guards and crowd barriers. The pep rally was a packed house of over 3,500 students and fans. Two students performed their viral Dunk City song that had recently become a YouTube sensation. This video’s proliferation was a fantastic moment for our marketing team. We now had raving fans telling our story to other raving fans. Many other students made their own versions. In addition, we began to organize morning live broadcasts. Although the players

needed to concentrate on getting enough sleep, the cheerleaders were able to do live appearances and we gave the local media some clips of the past two games to use. During all of this activity, additional interesting opportunities came up. Our local news requested to be part of the travel party to the Sweet 16 in Dallas, and arrangements were made for those who were approved for the trip. A national billboard company offered us free Dunk City billboards but put the art up before we could actually approve a proof. They were fine, and we were appreciative, but things were happening at a frenetic pace. Local newspapers put special sections together, and area businesses wanted to say they worked with FGCU, whether they did or didn’t. We didn’t squabble over the inaccuracies, but rather placed these businesses on our list of future potential sponsors. In Dallas, there were live shots for all the news segments from the hotel where the team and the FGCU travel party were staying, and the athletic department staff was busy working behind the scenes to find appropriate and interesting personalities for the media. I

arranged interviews for President Bradshaw, a business school faculty member, a few students, some season ticket holders, parents of players, a few players, and Coach Enfield’s father-in-law. Our sports information department handled interview requests at Cowboy Stadium with the players and coaches. Back in Southwest Florida, my marketing assistant worked with facilities to host several hundred students as The Today Show broadcast us live at 7 a.m. from Alico Arena and sponsors and non-sponsors alike were planning to host FGCU viewing parties for the game. We had requests for our cheerleaders that were not part of the travel party to make appearances, but we only let them visit locations where we had existing corporate partnership relationships. We did not show the game in Alico Arena, so we listed which of our sponsors were hosting viewing parties through social media and our Web site. This was a huge boon to our sponsors, whose business more than tripled during this time period. When the Sweet 16 game started against the University of Florida, the beginning minutes were hopeful, and we raced out to a double-digit lead. Ultimately, our shots

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stopped falling, and the larger Gators wore us down. Though disappointed, we were very proud of what the team had achieved. We were positioned to accomplish our ultimate goal for the program—to garner respect as a mid-major basketball powerhouse. We had a chance to make our men’s basketball program something very special. Though not an easy task, our trip to the Sweet 16 had created significant value for the university’s future. Overall, we had generated a transformational moment for FGCU, and we had nationally branded our Dunk City school by the four letters of F-G-C-U. ONWARD AND UPWARD

When Coach Enfield announced he was leaving for the University of Southern California, it was not a surprise per se, but it was a hard reality. Ken Kavanagh had been very smart in hiring Coach Enfield, and we had faith that he would be smart again. When it was announced that Joe Dooley, an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Kansas, was being hired as the next FGCU men’s basketball coach, the community was thrilled.

But there was much more to be done in the off-season than welcome a new coach. To keep the buzz going, we worked with WGCU, our Southwest Florida public television affiliate housed on the FGCU campus, to put together a documentary called “Dunk City: We Are FGCU.” The television documentary premiered in May, and we participated with WGCU to host a community event to celebrate how Southwest Florida had come together because of FGCU’s very special basketball team. We attended the 4th of July parade in Naples with a Dunk City Mustang, a Dunk Truck, some student government members, student fan group members, and former Sweet 16 hero and recent graduate Sherwood Brown as the special attraction. Sherwood is always happy to assist FGCU as he is able, and he is now a shooting guard for the Maccabi Haifa Basketball Club. Later in July, we were awarded an ESPY for the Best Upset of 2013. This kept our story in front of millions of viewers over the summer. A lot of blogs had also named us one of the most entertaining teams in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

We’ve continued to work on growing our student fan base. During new student orientation this summer, we hosted a Dunk City 101 info session, which received local television coverage. To celebrate back to school, we also hold an annual all-sports pep rally called “Eagle Revolution.” In its fourth consecutive year, this year’s event set a new attendance record with more than 3,500 students. The Dirty Birds have grown from 750 to over 2,300 members. I’d like to be able to brag that we had a great plan in place, saw all of this coming, and thus were able to maximize the opportunity and make magic out of March Madness. But sometimes in sports, as in life, magic happens all by itself. I am glad that I worked with a team of professionals to guide and facilitate all the excitement and opportunity created by FGCU’s historic 2013 NCAA Tournament run. Yet, we remain focused on finding new and creative ways to grow our attendance, sponsorship, and donor base so that we have an increased opportunity to get back to this experience, or even top it, in 2014 and the years beyond. n

Circle No. 136 AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 53

Circle No. 137

TECHNOLOGY

1988

2013

CELEBRATING

YEARS

A New World

Of all the changes athletic administrators have experienced over the past quarter-century, those in technology have clearly had the greatest impact. Whittling those advancements down to a Top 25 list wasn’t easy.

By Dennis Read

kayla anderson/tennessee athletics (TOP left)

Imagine being an athletic administrator without a cell phone, e-mail, or personal computer. When we published our first issue of (College) Athletic Management back in 1989, that was exactly the case. While some administrators were set up with a computer, it was a secondary

tool and few made phone calls on anything other than a landline. As we celebrate our 25th year and take a look back on the top innovations since 1989, it’s clear that technology has changed how athletic administrators do their job. But it’s also changed the job they do. From

school Web sites to online fundraising to social media, many of today’s most important tasks were not even part of the job description 25 years ago. With assistance from a panel of veteran high school and college athletic directors who helped identify the biggest trends

Top innovations in technology over the last 25 years include online ticket sales, promoting your athletic department through Web sites, and live streaming of contests.

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 55

and rank which were the most significant, we compiled this list of the top 25 changes in technology. Who knows what the next 25 years might bring?

1 Web sites

For most of the 20th century, schools had to fight to publicize their athletic programs, working with newspapers, radio, and television. But the rise of the World Wide Web has allowed athletic departments to eliminate the middleman and get messages directly to their fans. Colleges and universities have expanded their sites to aid in recruiting, loading them with information and features aimed at prospective studentathletes. And by selling merchandise and charging for premium access, some schools have turned their Web sites into revenue streams.

2 Live streaming

The advent of live-streaming video over the Internet means almost any school can televise its sporting events anywhere at any time. For a bare-bones video feed, all it takes is a good Internet connection and a camera. In other cases, a full-fledged production crew with announcers and multiple cameras is used. Either way, schools are able to broaden their reach and appeal to fans worldwide.

3 Online ticket sales

Although camping out to secure tickets is still a tradition in certain places, fans now appreciate ordering and printing tickets from their own home or carrying them on their smartphones. In addition, schools are now able to mine a wealth of data to learn more about their ticket buyers, and software allows for dynamic pricing where prices change based on demand.

4 Digital scouting systems

While coaches still “look at film,” the systems used to scout opponents are far different than those of 1989. Everything is digital now, removing the need to develop film and cut it up into segments. Coaches can access footage as soon as a game ends, and software allows them to quickly call up plays based on various criteria. Players can then access the video from just about any location using computers, tablets, and even smartphones.

5 More TV exposure

While ESPN had established itself as a major player in sports television by 1989,

56 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

it was pretty much the only game on cable. Now there are numerous cable channels that carry significant amounts of college and high school sports programming, while major college conferences—and even individual schools—have started channels of their own. The result has been an explosion of television opportunities, such as college football games that occur almost every night of the week, and high school games on national and an ever-increasing number of local outlets.

schedules by hand, often through giant wallboards or voluminous notebooks. Plus, systems had to be developed to notify everyone, from opponents to the media, when there was a change. Now, computer scheduling systems provide an easy way to track schedules across many sports and seasons, automatically alerting users to conflicts and quickly notifying everyone of updates. And conference-based systems can keep all members on the same page, reducing conflicts and misunderstandings.

10 Concussion Management

Fan experience enhancement As schools have tried to broaden their attendance base beyond hard-core sports fans, there’s been an increased effort to make games into entertainment experiences. Technology has helped through digital message boards, video replay boards, and wraparound video boards. The result is a more exciting event that leaves fans wanting to return.

7 Performance analysis

While nothing can replace a coach’s keen eye, video analysis equipment has provided innovative ways to help improve athletic performance. Using high-speed cameras, these systems allow coaches to pick up details in an athlete’s technique that previously may have gone unnoticed. In addition, the ability to show these clips to athletes makes it easier for them to see what coaches had only been able to talk about before.

8 Heat stress PREVENTION

The heatstroke death of Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer in 2001 brought wider attention to the risk of heat illness, prompting athletic trainers and coaches to search for ways to better protect their athletes. Technology was there to answer the call with a tool originally developed for space travel. A tiny thermometer is imbedded in a pill that athletes swallow and it then relays body temperature information via radio signals to a base station that a coach or athletic trainer can monitor for dangerous increases. Another system uses a headband to monitor body temperatures and then sends an alert should they get too high. And specialized weather monitors have been developed to warn when the temperature and humidity reach dangerous levels.

9 Scheduling software

A quarter-century ago, scheduling was a labor-intensive effort and athletic departments spent countless hours maintaining

Concussions are a major health concern, and new technology is helping to detect the injury. The most common system places impact sensors in football helmets that measure the forces generated by collisions and then signal that an athlete has experienced a hard hit and should be checked for signs of a concussion. These notifications are typically made through an alert light or a message sent to an athletic trainer or coach monitoring the system. Other systems place sensors inside headbands or mouth guards to provide similar results. Computer-based testing systems have also been developed that compare an athlete’s neurocognitive performance after a concussion to their preseason baseline results to help guide return-to-play decisions.

11 Apps for mobile devices

As technology gets bigger, many of its products and uses are getting smaller, as demonstrated by mobile apps. From recruiting to scheduling to video systems, there’s usually “an app for that,” making it easier for administrators and coaches to do their jobs from anywhere. Fans, meanwhile, can use their smartphones to access a wealth of information about their favorite team, whether they’re in the stadium or a grocery store. Some schools have even developed special game-day apps, designed to provide spectators all the information they need to enjoy their day, from parking and tailgating information to in-game polls.

12 Live scoring systems

Even though the number of televised games has greatly increased, there are still plenty of untelevised contests and occasions where fans can’t watch but still want to folDennis Read is an Associate Editor at Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dr@MomentumMedia.com.

Instead of being limited to one static message in a traditional banner, today’s signs can display rotating messages, allowing schools to tap into multiple revenue streams for each sign. And many of these signs incorporate graphics and video, raising their appeal to potential sponsors.

18 Sideline communication

with tools that can track injuries and treatments securely and effectively. Fortunately, software programs have been developed to do this. Athletic trainers are able to enter information into a protected database on their mobile devices or computers rather than filling out long paper forms. This information can then be shared privately with other medical professionals, eliminating the need to transfer paper copies.

save money and in part to reach an audience accustomed to online publications. Produced digitally, these online editions allow schools to impress readers with color pictures that are not permitted in printed media guides, along with videos and links to other material. In addition, the publications can be kept up to date rather than becoming more and more dated as the season progresses.

20 Online fundraising

22 Security systems

systems Technological advances have made some jobs obsolete in athletics, such as the cord handler. A past fixture on football sidelines, these individuals would trail behind coaches, winding and unwinding the cords that connected headsets. Wireless communication systems allow coaches to roam freely unencumbered by their leashes. Modern systems also provide more flexibility in terms of who can join the conversation and added security as teams can bring their own system on the road.

Like the rest of business and society, fundraising efforts have also gone digital. Athletic administrators are now able to manage numerous fundraisers online and many donors like the ease and convenience of making their donations through the Internet. Some fundraising projects are completely Web-based, such as online stores that allow people to buy a school’s merchandise from anywhere in the world.

19 Injury software

21 Digital media guides

For reasons of efficiency and privacy, schools need to equip their athletic trainers

Schools are printing far fewer media guides than they did 25 years ago, in part to

Keeping watch over dozens of buildings and fields covering hundreds of acres has been made easier by technology that allows security personnel to monitor facilities remotely. Alarm systems can help one person keep multiple buildings secure when they’re not being used while camera and pass card systems record access while they’re in use. Cameras can also augment security efforts during games as an extra set of eyes.

23 Online education

Many people in athletics, includ-

State Heat Policies Are Changing! Are You Ready? 94% of states follow some form of heat safety guidelines, according to the Korey Stringer Institute. Be Prepared. Monitor Real-Time Weather Data. · WBGT (the most recommended composite measure for predicting heat stress) · Temperature · Heat Index · Humidity

Recommended by: The Korey Stringer Institute 21 Creek Circle • Boothwyn, PA 19061 800-784-4221 • NKhome.com

fb.com/kestrelmeters

Circle No. 140 58 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

AVA I L A B L E W I T H

WIRELESS DATA TRANSFER

Designed & Manufactured in the U.S.A.

TECHNOLOGY

ing strength coaches and athletic trainers, have to obtain continuing education credits to maintain their certification. In the past, this usually meant attending educational sessions at various clinics or conventions. However, the rise of online education provides a new avenue for getting CEUs. People can watch online presentations and then take a quiz to get their credits. Some states and sports governing bodies use a similar system for coaching certification. As certification and ongoing education become more common in coaching and athletic administration, these systems will become even more valuable and appreciated by all involved.

24 Digital playbooks

Although printed playbooks are far from obsolete, the rise of tablet computers like the iPad have ushered in a new era of digital playbooks. For athletes raised in a digital age who are used to doing almost everything online, these virtual playbooks are more appealing than printed ones. For coaches, it offers the ability to add video and audio to their presentation. In addition, changes can be made much more easily and quickly, and security functions can deny access should a device fall into the wrong hands.

25 Concession technology

No fan wants to miss game action while standing in line for something to eat or drink. In the 1980s and ’90s, schools started offering waiter-type service to spectators in certain sections. Now, fans in some arenas can use their smartphones to satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst. Using a free app, fans can place their order with the concession stand, pay for it electronically, and either arrange to pick it up during a break in the action or have it delivered. While vendors hawking hot dogs and drinks won’t disappear anytime soon, the new e-vendors should make both fans, who miss less action, and schools, who get more revenue, happy.

In 2001, SIDEARM Sports designed their very ﬁrst athletics focused website, Syracuse University’s SUathletics.com. Twelve years later, SIDEARM is now the nation’s leading provider of athletics websites – providing athl an online platform for 693 athletic programs across North America.

TEXASSPORTS.COM

SIDEARM has leveraged its aggressive technology development and customer-service-first mentality to forge partnerships with collegiate athletic programs at every level, from junior colleges to some of the most prestigious Division I programs. Most recently SIDEARM has welcomed the University of Texas Longhorns, the University of Kansas Jayhawks and the newly-formed American Athletic Conference to their client base. SIDEARM’s focus is to provide a website management platform that focuses on efficiency and ease of use for the athletic staff, while also providing a premiere interactive experience for fans. SIDEARM websites are compatible and adaptive to any comp modern mobile device and designed to allow fans to engage and interact with a school’s content across all social media platforms.

Additional product oﬀerings from SIDEARM include live in-game statistics, live audio and video streaming, digital media guides, and an all new fan-centric social media experience, SIDEARM Social. SIDEARM’s in-house design staﬀ starts each and every website from a blank slate, ensuring that no detail is too small, and no two sites look alike. To learn more or get a demonstration of the industry leading athletics-based content management system, visit www.SIDEARMsports.com

A quick look at the top 10 innovations in technology advancements for athletics over the past 25 years. 1. Web Sites 2. Live Streaming 3. Online Ticket Sales 4. Digital Scouting Systems 5. More TV Exposure 6. Fan Experience Enhancement 7. Performance Analysis 8. Heat Stress Prevention 9. Scheduling Software 10. Concussion Management

KUATHLETICS.COM - ADAPTIVE

SUATHLETICS.COM - ALL ACCESS

WEBSITES . SOCIAL . STREAMING . STATS

ThE Top 10 Circle No. 141 AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 59

E A D E R S

IN THE

1988

2013

CELEBRATING

• I N D U S T R Y • YEARS

Veritix® provides a single ticketing and business platform for

Kestrel Weather & Environmental Meters are

colleges and universities to manage all their ticketing, fundraising and fan relationship needs. Veritix recently made history with Flash Seats®, the only patent-protected, fully-integrated paperless ticketing platform available, at the NCAA Men’s Final Four--the largest digital ticketing event ever.

known for extreme accuracy, reliability and ultimate portability. Used by the NFL teams and NCAA Division I colleges, the Kestrel line offers a multitude of instant environmental measurements, in-depth storage and Bluetooth wireless data transfer capabilities. They’re rugged, backed by a five-year warranty, and made in the USA.

Veritix is an industry leader in the college ticketing market. Building on strong relationships with current college clients, including Texas A&M University, Veritix will continue its history-making progress by providing versatile, dynamic and flexible ticketing and business features, including digital and student ticketing and a secure, branded secondary marketplace. To find out more, visit veritix.com.

Recommended by the Korey Stringer Institute, Kestrel Heat Stress Trackers by NK are designed to prevent heat stress injuries in athletes. Measure real-time temperature, humidity, heat index, wet bulb, and WBGT—the most recommended composite measure for predicting heat stress. To find out more, visit nkhome.com.

Circle No. 501

Circle No. 534 Pixellot is a ultra-high-resolution unmanned video capture system and

BoxCast has made it easier for anyone with a camera to broadcast

a virtual, compact remotely located production suite. It is an affordable broad and webcasting platform, also ideal for coaches’ customized video clips.

games to a worldwide audience in HD. BoxCast offers a live video streaming solution that does not require a computer. BoxCast has a simplified setup— just plug the video source and Internet connection into the powerful box. Never miss a memory, as games are viewable from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Scoreboard integration is also available for real time and score overlays on the stream.

Pixellot offers: • Fully automatic and affordable games video production using a remote production suite, and unmanned low-cost cameras array for both broadcasting and webcasting. • A customized video preparation engine for coaches • A low-cost platform for new media productions, mobile, and web interactive applications. Pixellot cofounders, Dr. Miky Tamir and Gal Oz, have been involved in sports enhancement (yellow line in Football), data and stats augmented replay and virtual advertising technologies for many years. For more information, visit pixellot.tv Circle No. 538

Established in 2001, SIDEARM Sports began with one athletic client, the Syracuse Orange. Today, SIDEARM works with 693 athletic partner schools/conferences at all levels, and 2013 brought the addition of the Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks along with the American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt Conference. SIDEARM websites adapt to any modern mobile device and allow fans to engage and interact across all social media platforms. Offerings from SIDEARM include live statistics, live streaming, digital media guides, and a fan-centric social media experience. To find out more, visit

BoxCast will continue to improve broadcast quality while also making it easier and cost-effective for schools to broadcast more events. Thanks to the BoxCast broadcast box, video streams are available in television-quality HD. Innovators like BoxCast will allow high schools and colleges to broadcast more events with quality similar to television productions for thousands of dollars less. Including existing coaching video and tools, such as data export from scoreboards, schools will extend streaming to encompass all sports at all levels. To Circle No. 536 find out more, visit boxcast.com. BigTeams plans to bring down the walls of duplicate data entry

while continuing to make cutting edge, lucrative, and time-saving Web sites for athletic programs. To date, BigTeams has helped schools raise over $680,000 for their athletic programs while providing professional-level Web sites and tools for high school sports. For more information, visit

bigteams.com.

SIDEARMsports.com.

Circle No. 541 60 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

Circle No. 500

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Fleming College, Ontario Need: Gymnasium

Iowa State University Need: Seating for the band at football games

Solution: Speedy Bleachers were pulled in for use as band seating during games.

Key features:

• These highway-towable, hydraulic folding bleachers set up in less than 10 minutes--with one person • Can be easily moved by a pickup truck for use at baseball games, track meets, parades, and more • When not in use, bleachers can be rented out to help the community and raise revenue

Kay Park Recreation Corp.

800-553-2476 • Fax: 319-987-2900 www.kaypark.com Circle No. 502

sound system Solution: A sound system that provides clear, intelligent announcement capabilities in a gymnasium that can be divided into three separate areas.

Key features:

• Clear, high-quality sound in a reverberant space • Ease of installation and low cost per speaker • The ability to cover each of the three gyms with only one speaker per gym • Heavy-duty construction easily able to withstand hits from basketballs, etc.

KDM Electronics/Octasound 800-567-6282 www.octasound.com Circle No.503

Episcopal Academy, Newtown Square, PA Need: Elevated press box and video tower that could be moved from field to field Solution: AAE’s Donkey Ultimate Media Package, which is a portable, elevated, multi-purpose center, and video tower combination that offers great flexibility to any athletic program. Key Features:

• Four-foot-high platform with extra, onfield storage • Generously sized, 18-inch-deep scorer’s table • Sleek, powder-coated aluminum canopy • Bird’s Nest Video Tower

Aluminum Athletic Equipment 800-523-5471 www.myaaeworld.com Circle No. 504

Rice University Need: Cleaning and

Salpointe Catholic High School, Tucson, AZ Need: Custom weight training equipment Solution: Samson Equipment custom-

designed Full Power Racks attached to 8’x10’ platforms with custom adjustable benches and movable weight trees—all with custom school colors incorporated into each piece.

Key Features:

• Highest-grade materials available on the market • “Built for Strength” warranty • Customization options • Designs are approved before product is built

Samson Equipment

800-4-SAMSON • Fax: 575-523-2100 www.samsonequipment.com Circle No. 505

61 OCT/NOV 2011 | AthleticManagement.com

High Schools & Colleges Need: Meeting a tight deadline for field installation

Solution: Total glue-down via airless

spray done fast and efficiently with negligible overspray & airborne aerosol mist using NORDOT® Adhesive.

Key Features:

• Easy-to-use one-part urethanes—no time lost mixing or measuring • Can be used in adverse weather • Exceptional green strength (grab) • Long-term durability in any climate

Synthetic Surfaces Inc.

908-233-6803 • Fax: 908-233-6844 www.nordot.com Circle No. 506

disinfection of athletic laundry Solution: Added a Sports Laundry System ozone tower to the university’s current Sports Laundry System washers. Now, the athletic laundry is disinfected, and the uniforms will last longer.

Key features:

• Sports Laundry Systems provide cleaner, disinfected laundry • Implements a proactive approach to athlete health • Improves laundry productivity and turnaround time • Decreases infection among athletes

Sports Laundry Systems

800-256-1073 • Fax: 920-231-4666 www.sportslaundrysystems.com Circle No. 507

AthleticManagement.com AthleticManagement.com | | OCT/NOV oct/nov 2013 61

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Battle High School, MO Need: Scoreboard with video and audio Solution: A scoring solution that

combines an LED football scoreboard and a dynamic video display with an integrated, single-point source audio system.

Key features:

• Football LED scoreboard with multisport capability • LED video display with unrivaled image clarity • Single-point source audio system with broad, even coverage over stadiums

Daktronics

1-800-325-8766 • Fax: 605-697-4746 www.daktronics.com Circle No. 508

]

University of Texas Need: Outdoor seating Solution: Replace all brackets, bench

seating, chairbacks, and chairs on the lower levels of east and west sides of the stadium.

Key features:

• Prior history of working with the University of Texas • Quality of service • Quality of product • Maintaining a tight schedule

Sturdisteel Company

800-433-3116 • Fax: 254-666-4472 www.sturdisteel.com Circle No. 509

Chicago State University Need: Indoor and outdoor facility branding Solution: Dura-Mesh banners and fence screens printed with vibrant graphics to brand Chicago State University’s entire gymnasium and baseball and softball stadium.

Key features:

• Graphics are digitally printed with UltraBrite inks, making them long lasting • Allows 30-percent wind pass-through and is stronger than your typical vinyl mesh banner • Dura-Seam hem and grommet reinforcement makes them one of the most durable banners on the market • Pricing is all-inclusive—from design to product

BigSigns.com

800-790-7611 • Fax: 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com Circle No. 510

Reedsville High School, WI Need: Sponsorship

University of Tulsa Need: Custom padding Solution: Custom padding was made to fit the new message boards and short wall of the football stadium.

Key features:

• Custom pads to fit new message boards • Custom color to match stadium color • Ability to work around the university’s schedule for stadium use • Finished in time for the football season

Future Pro, Inc.

800-328-4625 • Fax: 620-585-6799 www.futureproinc.com Circle No. 511

62 oct/nov OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

banners for its baseball field

Solution:

Humphrys-Cover Sports custom created affordable, high-quality banners for the school’s baseball field that were prominently noticed by fans and the community.

Key features:

• Affordable solution to promote facilities • High quality, durable fabric imprinted to specifications • Superb customer service • Excellent community feedback

Humphrys-CoverSports

800-445-6680 Fax: 215-724-8706 www.coversports.com Circle No. 512

Rollins College, FL Need: Portable, efficient strength training racks

Solution: New York Barbell provided

double training efficiency within a limited space using walk-through, two-sided power racks that allow two athletes to work on the same rack simultaneously.

Key features:

• Walk-through capability • Usable rack on each side • Space-saver exercise stations • Sturdy, but easily movable

New York Barbell

800-446-1833 Fax: 607-733-1010 www.NewYorkBarbells.com Circle No. 513

[F A C I L I T Y

University of Wyoming Need: Custom wall graphics Solution: High-impact, high definition

graphics from Fathead, custom-designed and installed from floor to ceiling.

Key features:

• In-house design • Installation services • Graphics for any surface or application • Permanent and temporary solutions

Fathead

313-373-6049 Fax: 877-600-3161 www.fathead.com/corporate-solutions Circle No. 514

University of Kentucky Need: Highlight the sounds and feel of

softball in its new facility by allowing media and suite holders to control their open-air experience. Solution: G2L® Window Systems provided the school with a unique frameless window system that was installed in less than two weeks. Its design team assisted with the architectural design process and the layout for sliding windows.

Key Features:

• Individually controlled sliding windows • Provides easy open-air access • Quick installation • Assistance with design process

G2L® Window Systems 479-444-6214 www.g2lwindows.com Circle No. 532

Willo-Hill Christian Academy, OH Need: Cost-effective, moisture-resistant flooring

Solution: Installation of Matéflex sport

surface. Unaffected by moisture, Matéflex tile allows airflow and keeps the playing surface away from dampness.

Key features:

• Product is unaffected by existing damp conditions • Quick factory installation • Excellent customer service and follow-up • Cost-effective solution

Matéflex Flooring

800-926-3539 Fax: 315-735-4372 www.mateflex.com Circle No. 515

Texas A&M University & the 12th Man Foundation Need: Better resale experience for fans Description: Flash Seats, the patented

Veritix digital ticketing platform, provides a branded secondary marketplace and flexible, convenient digital ticketing entry method

Key Features:

• Branded secondary marketplace that Texas A&M owns and controls • Convenient digital fan entry with registered IDs or phones • Complete online ticket management for fans (buy, sell, and transfer) • Fully transferable, guaranteed tickets through Flash Seats

Veritix

216-466-8082 veritix.com Circle No. 533

S O LU TIO N S

]

UCLA Need: Update television coverage facilities

at Rose Bowl Stadium Solution: Camera SportSeat, Inc. provided two custom-built camera mounts for television broadcasts.

Key features:

• Custom-built to fit camera locations • Low profile to reduce the sight line obstruction for spectators seated behind the cameras

Camera SportSeat, Inc.

1-800-649-5261 • Fax: 480-990-2088 www.camerasportseat.com Circle No. 516

Shore Regional High School, NJ Need: Sports lighting Solution: Musco’s Green Generation

Technology brought light levels up to standard while saving energy and maintenance costs for the next 25 years.

Key features:

• Streamlined purchasing process with competitively bid prices via the Keystone Purchasing Network • Provided recommended light levels for increased playability • Reduced spill and glare by 50 percent • Constant 25 warranty that covers parts and labor for 25 years

Keystone Purchasing Network 888-490-3182 • Fax: 888-490-3182 www.theKPN.org Circle No. 543

AthleticManagement.com AthleticManagement.com | | OCT/NOV oct/nov 2013 63

Baseball & Softball Equipment Everything for Your Infield

Everything you need to maintain and improve your infield is supplied by BEAM CLAY®, makers of infield mixes, mound and batter’s box clays, and red warning tracks for every state and climate from regional plants nationwide. BEAM CLAY® also supplies more than 200 other ballfield products from bases to windscreens, and has supplied every MLB team, most minor league and college teams, and thousands of towns and schools from all 50 states and worldwide.

BEAM CLAY • 800-247-2326 www.beamclay.com

Circle No. 518

Programmable Pitching

The HomePlate pitching machine is the first programmable pitching machine designed for both batting cage and on-field use. Users can store up to eight different pitches— including fastballs up to 90 miles per hour, curveballs, change-ups, and more—in eight different programs, with only seven seconds between pitches. The programmed pitches can be thrown sequentially for specific hitting drills, randomly for game conditions, or in a way that simulates an opposing pitcher. The HomePlate features a patented three-wheel pitching mechanism for greater pitch accuracy, along with an 80-ball auto-feed system for $6,995. The HomePlate is also availiable in a softball model. For more information, visit the company’s Web site. Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com

Circle No. 519

Innovative & Unique

Revolutionize your soft toss sessions with innovative and uniquely designed ergonomic soft toss screens. The SCR400 Flip Screen has been a popular addition to the company’s full line of practice equipment. Check it out in the latest catalog on page 10 or find out more online.

C&H Baseball, Inc. and C & H Softball • 800-248-5192 www.chbaseball.com Circle No. 520

The Bunt Zone® ProtectorTrainer protects turf and teaches the proper placement of bunts. Its color-coded target system— yellow for bunt-for-hit, green for safe sacrifice, and red for pitcher’s triangle to avoid—teaches by visualization without supervision. Used by hundreds of high schools and colleges, the Bunt Zone® Protector-Trainer is widely accepted as today’s best bunt training system. It is available in medium and large for baseball, and small for Little League and softball.

64 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

Above-ground Grand Slam Fencing™ offers portable fencing that can be used on synthetic turf, asphalt, concrete, and natural turf without drilling holes for installation. Grand Slam Fencing is an attractive, durable, and cost-effective solution for baseball and softball fields, as well as general perimeter and crowdcontrol needs. It’s lightweight, allowing for quick and easy installation, requires minimal storage space, and is a fraction of the cost of other above-ground barrier options. It comes in a variety of lengths with a variety of components available. Humphrys-CoverSports • 800-445-6680 www.coversports.com

Circle No. 522

Keep Tarps Down

Wind Weighted® Baseball Tarps are the famous edge-chainweighted rain cover now used by all levels of baseball, including MLB. Wind cannot get under the tarp, so it stays down even in high winds. Introduced in 2004, this product now makes the job of tarp installation much easier at thousands of high schools. Awarded six U.S. Patents, these tarps are available in your choice of 14- or 18-ounce vinyl in 10 colors, but only from the best sports dealers. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com

Circle No. 523

Advanced Natural Soil

Stabilizer Solutions, Inc. is advancing the evolution of natural soil for baseball and softball fields. The company offers advanced mound clays, as well as infield and warning track mixes, in both its Stabilizer® organic and Hilltopper® waterless product lines. Used at the Baseball College World Series, Stabilizer® “Pro Red” Infield Mix and Hilltopper® Waterless Mound Clay save time while providing protection from the elements. Stabilizer Solutions, Inc. • 800-336-2468 www.stabilizersolutions.com

Circle No. 537

Bright Ideas

Proper Bunting

Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com

Fencing Without Holes

Circle No. 521

Qualite sports lighting systems incorporate some of the most efficient field lighting designs in the industry. The fixtures are pre-set to provide optimum uniform light with superb spill light control. The patented reflector design is engineered for efficiency, beam spread, and control to fit any application. A patented Maintenance Diagnostic System (MDS) reduces lifetime maintenance costs and allows ground-level testing. Take advantage of low-cost installation and the best 10-25 year warranty in the business. Qualite Sports Lighting, Inc. • 800-933-9741 www.qualite.com

Circle No. 542

Product Launch

Grand Slam Fencing

G-Max Platforms by Infinity

Humphrys-CoverSports www.coversports.com 800-445-6680 Circle No. 524

Unique features:

• Designed for synthetic turf, natural turf, asphalt, and concrete • Installs with no holes • Attractive, durable, and affordable

Benefits for the user:

• Quick and easy to install and remove • Requires minimal storage space • Available in many lengths

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Publication Title: Athletic Management Publication Number: 1554-2033 Filing Date: September 6, 2013 Issue Frequency: Bimonthly No. of Issues Published Annually: 6 Annual Subscription Price: $32.00 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Contact Person: Robin Flower, Telephone: 607-257-6970 x 12 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Mark A. Goldberg 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Editor: Eleanor Frankel 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Managing Editor: Eleanor Frankel 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 10. Owners: Mark A. Goldberg 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 MAG, Inc. 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication: Athletic Management 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: August/September 2013 vol. 25.5 (August 9, 2013)

Infinity Flooring www.infinityflooring.com 888-479-1017 Circle No. 525

Benefits for the user:

Unique features:

• Provides just the right amount of traction and rebound, enabling the athlete to lift with confidence and safety. • Logos will not scratch or wear • Never needs refinishing.

• Made out of “synthetic wood” that has the look of real wood and the performance of rubber • Textured surface for high traction • 1.25” thick, which allows for flush installation into Infinity Max flooring

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: High School & College Athletic Directors & Staff a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run) b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), and (3)) f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) g. Copies not Distributed h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)

Average no. copies No. copies of single issue published each issue during preceding 12 months nearest to filing date 29,690 30,080 24,973

26,367

-0-

24,305

26,443

4,070

2,912

-0-

250

300

4,320 28,715 911 29,626

3,212 29,655 425 30,080

85.0%

89.2%

16. Publication of Statement of Ownership is required and will be printed in the October/November 2013 (vol.25.6) issue of this publication (10/15/13). 17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner:

Mark Goldberg, Publisher

Date: 9/6/2013

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 65

Baseball & Softball Equipment Pushbutton Simplicity

More Products Affordable Coverage

Purchase affordable insurance for your sports teams, leagues, tournaments, events, camps, and clinics from K&K Insurance. Conveniently available online, the company’s Web site is simple to use and provides an option to buy coverage immediately when using a credit card. Sexual abuse and molestation coverage is now available when purchasing liability coverage. Celebrating 60 years of insuring the world’s fun, K&K Insurance is a trusted provider of coverage for the sports and recreation industry.

Batting practice just got easier with the TriplePlay Pro. Simply push a button on the control panel to choose the pitch you want. The TriplePlay Pro baseball model can throw right- and left-handed fastballs, curves, sliders and sinkers—and pitch speed is adjustable up to 90 miles per hour. The TriplePlay Pro also utilizes the Three Wheel Advantage. Three throwing wheels provide greater accuracy, and less movement is required to produce different pitches. And with TriplePlay Pro, the ball is visible from the time it leaves the feeder’s hand until it is pitched, allowing the hitter to time pitches more naturally. TriplePlay Pro is $2,995 and also available in a softball model. For more information, visit the company’s Web site.

Sell more popcorn with this secret ingredient. Now the taste that customers love has 30-percent less sodium than regular Flavacol®. The new Flavacol RS® is a “Heartfelt Popcorn Seasoning” with four percent of the recommended daily value of dietary fiber. It’s the perfect blend of ingredients—without trace minerals—to give popcorn a bright, appealing yellow color for maximum sales with less sodium. Worldwide, more popcorn is popped with Flavacol® Seasoning Salts.

Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com Circle No. 526

Registry for Excellence • 800-395-3551 www.reg4ex.com

Mission to Help

Go4theGoal Foundation’s unwavering mission is to help make the lives of children affected by cancer as normal as possible by providing financial support, developing and implementing unique hospital programs, funding grants for innovative research and granting personal wishes. Monies are raised through both individual donations and our many unique national campaigns, including National Dress 4 Pediatric Cancer Day, Lace-Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, and Richard’s Runs. Go4theGoal was named one of the “Top Rated Nonprofits of 2012 and 2013” by Great Nonprofits. Go4theGoal • 609-313-0912 Go4theGoal.org Circle No. 540 66 OCT/NOV 2013 | AthleticManagement.com

K&K Insurance • 800-426-2889 www.sportsinsurance-kk.com

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Maximum Sales

Gold Medal Products • 866-767-9651 www.gmpopcorn.com

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Custom Awards

Hundreds of schools across the country use Registry for Excellence’s customized pewter plates for awards and other mementos. They are designed specifically for your event, and can be built to include meaningful achievement medallions or custom engraving. All awards are made in the U.S. and are sold directly from the factory. Registry for Excellence plates are great for championship teams, MVP awards, scholar-athletes, donor recognition, and much more. Circle No. 529

Convenient Pump

Heat up your nacho and hot dog sales with one convenient machine. The compact 5301 Dual Chili & Cheese Dispenser runs on a standard 15-amp plug, holds a 140-ounce bag on each side, and only measures 19” wide x 31” high x 22” deep. It’s the perfect profit-packed machine for high-volume locations. The dual peristaltic pumps maintain air-tight control over each bag, virtually eliminating the need for cleaning and extending the life of the products. Gold Medal Products • 866-767-9651 www.gmpopcorn.com

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Safeguarding Student Athletes

Concussion Vital Signs® (CVS), designed for student-athletes’ developing brains, aligns to current sports concussion management guidelines. This scientifically based system, used as part of a medical evaluation, enables confident return-to-play decisions while helping to protect the future of your athletes in sports, academics, and life. Pearson • 800-627-7271 www.concussionvitalsigns.com

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Preferred Underlayment

ArmaSport® is the preferred turf underlayment for greater field performance and consistent playing conditions. ArmaSport Turf Underlayment cushions the playing surface, providing consistent shock attenuation across the entire field surface. It features closed-cell elastomeric foam technology, a state-of-the-art drainage system, antimicrobial protection, and long, wide rolls for easy installation. ArmaSport Turf Underlayment is manufactured by Armacell, an innovator in foam technologies and a leading-edge, global manufacturer for more than 50 years. Armacell • 800-992-9116 www.armacell.us

Circle No. 535

Case Study

Winter Weather? Get Your Field Ready

By Mary Helen Sprecher

ith school back in session and fall sports winding down, it’s time to focus on the upcoming season. In much of the U.S., athletes will be returning indoors and fields will be largely unused. That means this is the best time to tackle pre-winter maintenance. The good news? You don’t need a lot of high-tech equipment to start your maintenance practices. Here are some tips. Getting Started: Draw a diagram of your field in preparation for a walk-over of your field. Bring something to take notes with as well as your camera or phone for visual and written records. From a Distance: Before you start walking, try to view your field from an elevated perspective such as the bleachers. Scrutinize the field. Do you see dips? Bumps? Standing water? If so, mark those areas on your diagram, take any photos you need, and make notes about your concerns. Moving On: For your first walk, you’ll be going back and forth across the field, looking down. Check the surface using all your senses. How does it look—is anything loose or out of place? How does the field feel under your feet? If something trips you or causes you to stumble, go back and look at it. Listen as you’re walking—do you hear anything different in any areas that would indicate water buildup or hardness in the surface? Areas around the goal or crease can see more foot traffic; check those carefully. Around the Edges: Once you’ve finished inspecting the surface of the field, check the perimeter. If your facility includes fencing, go over it carefully. You’re looking for rust spots, snags, broken or sagging rails, and other signs of wear and tear. Check to make sure all gates swing cleanly. Fences that look old and worn can pose a risk to athletes and spectators. Proactively fixing a problem is easier than dealing with problems resulting from an injury. Goals, Netting, and More: Check the condition of sports netting, goal netting, and other amenities. If it’s worn, torn or has holes, now is the time to order new equipment. Water Check: Your irrigation system should be tested before shutdown. If your field is in an area that will receive

American Sports Builders Association

rain, snow, ice or other precipitation, it will most likely need to shed water. Make sure it can do that—even if you’re not keeping an eye on it regularly. Get to Work: Once you’ve finished inspecting, transcribe your notes. If any problems are within your scope of expertise to fix, spend some time on those repairs. Then take an afternoon to call the specialty contractors you’ll need. Keep Records: Good documentation is the sports field manager’s best friend. Season-to-season records will help keep open the lines of communication with your administration as well as with contractors. In addition, it can provide useful information if any questions come up concerning product performance. Following these tips can help keep your field in tiptop shape throughout the year. For more information on contractors or field maintenance, contact the American Sports Builders Association. Mary Helen Sprecher has been a technical writer for 20 years with the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national association of designers, builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities

| 866-501-2722 | www.sportsbuilders.org AthleticManagement.com | OCT/NOV 2013 67