By Dan Cardone

Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He can be reached at: cardoned@nhsd.k12.pa.us.

Sometimes it occurs because of coaching turnovers. Other times budget constraints may be the culprit. Or perhaps there has been a lack of talent in successive classes leading to a decline in school morale and school spirit. Most of the time, it is a lot of negative factors working against each other.

I am talking about when an athletic program falls on hard times--when teams are not winning, fewer spectators are showing up for games, and there is little enthusiasm among staff and students for the athletic teams. Most school districts experience this type of down cycle at one time or another. The question I would like to explore in this article is: How do you reverse this trend into one that produces competitive interscholastic athletic teams? How do you restore luster to a once proud program?

OUR STORY
When I began my tenure in 1992 as Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., I was excited to be leading an athletic program with a long history of success. The football team had achieved at the regional, state, and national levels. Other teams had won their share of league and state titles. But the perception I had as an outsider was one far different than what I found on the inside, where many problems were brewing.

A major problem was that we had antiquated facilities. Our stadium was in disrepair. Out of 140 schools in our league, we were the only one that had a fifth of a mile track. The visiting side stands had been condemned and removed, forcing us to rent portable bleachers. There were portable concessions stands. Handicapped accessibility was practically nonexistent. Our other facilities, both indoor and outdoor, had similar problems. And Band-Aid solutions were only compounding the issue.

Another disadvantage was a significant decline in our school's enrollment. In the early 1980s we had graduating classes of over 700. By the 1990s our senior class consisted of around 300 students. Yet we still competed at the highest sport classification level in our area. At the same time, the student enrollment in suburban school districts to our north was growing at a rapid pace.

Other issues were just as critical. We did not have enough coaches on staff, some of our equipment was badly in need of replacement, and our student-athletes were wearing outdated uniforms. In some instances, our coaches lacked the necessary drive and determination, feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of another losing season. We were starting to witness high turnover of staff due to resignations that in some cases were forced.

There is a saying that "success breeds success." The same can be said of losing. Winning teams go onto the field expecting the contest to go their way and play with an air of confidence. The mentality of a program that continually comes up short becomes, "We are not winning and we will never turn it around." Therefore, I knew the first thing we needed to do was figure out how to turn the corner and field competitive teams. We needed to start by showing the coaches, players, and the school community that success was possible.

COLLABORATING ON SOLUTIONS
I decided that the best way to put us on the right path was to involve the stakeholders in our extracurricular activities. I wanted to hear from the coaches in the trenches as well as the school board members holding the purse strings about what they felt the problems were. I wanted to openly discuss those issues and look for solutions.

Not only would this give me insight, but it was also the first step in moving away from the blame syndrome. It is easy to make generalizations and place the onus on obvious factors. I wanted everyone involved to understand that their perceptions might not be reality. The lack of success should be shared by many and not just one person.

For example, if an upper-level administrator said, "We are not winning because we do not have good coaching," my reply was, "Let us give our coaches all the resources they need to succeed. Then if we are still not winning, I will agree with you."

I also knew I needed to involve the school board if any significant changes were going to be made. I started to meet and discuss issues with the members of the school board's athletic committee as soon as an opening arose.

However, I also knew I needed to proceed slowly. I was very much the new kid on the block. I knew there would be those who might be skeptical and resist change. I had to do my homework and proceed in a calculated manner.

MOTIVATING COACHES
My next step was to initiate dialogue with coaches. They were familiar with North Hills and could provide solid advice on taking the right steps toward initiating a change. I wanted to know what the underlying problems were, and I wanted them to feel as if they could be a part of the solution.

To achieve this, I spent a lot of time meeting with coaches one-on-one and asking them how their needs could be met. I found there was an overriding perception that the football program was the recipient of most of the resources. The coaches in other sports felt that their programs were treated as second-class citizens. In reality, this was not true. The football team continued to succeed largely on tradition, talent, and program continuity. To negate the false perception I asked our coaches to decide where on the spectrum they felt their sport was, and to tell me where they wanted it to be. This eventually led to an action plan. In the meantime, I put together a sport by sport budget for each season so that each program's coach would focus on his or her needs. I did not promise I could get them everything they needed, but I asked them what it would take to help their team turn around. I asked each coach to come up with a list and develop a plan.

Another major source of frustration coaches revealed was that they did not feel appreciated. To address this issue, I started a tradition of giving a gift to every coach at the preseason coaches' meeting. One year we gave them a coaching shirt, another year a bag, and another a jacket with our school logo on it. These gestures raised their spirits and made a statement that their efforts were appreciated.

I also talked to the head coaches about taking ownership of their programs. I explained that they were responsible for the program, not just at the varsity level, but grades 7-12. They would be evaluating the coaches at the lower level to ensure we had quality coaching throughout the program. When we opened a head coaching position, we posted all positions below it. When it came time to interview coaches in their sport, they were part of the interview team.

I asked the coaches pertinent questions that placed some responsibility for elevating the program on them. "What do you need to be successful? More staff, more equipment, better facilities? How long will it take you to have a winning season? How long before you can compete for a section title or a playoff spot?"

This let them know that I would be working toward fulfilling their needs, and it forced them to think of building success for the long-term. For example, the head boys' soccer coach said, "We have a group of ninth graders in my sport that show promise. If I can add a junior varsity coach next year and some instructional equipment, I believe we can get in the playoffs in three years."

One of the keys to these discussions was talking about problems and solutions in the context of the school's history and philosophy. For example, when one coach said that a rival school was running year-round programs in baseball and we should too, we talked about how that was not consistent with our philosophy. As a "small big school," we wanted to continue to encourage our athletes to play multiple sports. We needed to look for different types of solutions.

Although we did not want to measure success only by win totals, we did tell our coaches that they needed to have a roadmap for improvement. "Compare yourself to yourself" was the cry of the day. If the team was struggling with low participation, increased numbers was a sign of success. Improved team performance in the second half of the season was another acceptable indicator of success.

However, if after a couple years, a coach was not making progress toward defined team goals, we did not renew his or her contract. When we hired new coaches, we looked for highly motivated individuals who were excited about helping us turn the corner.

Another key was proving to the coaches that change was possible. This was done in two ways. One was by following through on everything I said I would do. I was careful to put my words into action so the coaches could see concrete changes, even if they were small.

The second was by encouraging them and keeping them in the fold. I praised them for their ideas and made them partners in the overall plan. By being a part of the department-wide process, they felt more confident that they could be initiators of change with their own teams.

SCHOOL BOARD ON BOARD
Once I felt I understood the frustrations of the coaches, it was time to turn to the school board for help. To start this process, we held a public forum on the future of the school's athletic program with interested school board members present. The frustration of the parents was at an all-time high, and they were starting to take their complaints to the school board. They were demanding the firing of coaches and requesting improvements to our athletic facilities. Therefore, it was not too hard to convince the school board that we needed the forum.

We billed the public meeting as an information session where parents could ask questions and raise concerns. They asked, "Why are we not competitive in most sports? Why has it been so long since we beat our rival school in any sport? Why does the media ignore our sport teams?" They also told stories about situations they believed were unsafe and needed immediate fixing.

Although the meeting was not the most pleasant experience to sit through, it convinced school board members that the problems ran deeper than they had thought. Applying quick solutions or firing a coach was not going to turn the program around. The meeting also convinced the school board that they could not ignore the fact that a commitment of financial resources would be needed to run not only a competitive high school athletic program, but a safe one.

Next, I asked the school board to allow me to give them a tour of our facilities. On this tour, they were able to see up close the outdated condition of many of our gyms and fields. They saw broken soccer goals, inadequate dressing facilities, an undersized wrestling room, and old-fashioned, half-moon-shaped backboards in our gymnasium. I pointed out safety concerns: cement corner curbs on the soccer field that had caused some officials to threaten to cancel our games, poor ventilation in the swimming pool that raised air temperatures to 100 degrees, and a rusty fence around the tennis courts that had become a haven for bees and hornets.

The tour also gave me a chance to informally present some of my ideas. I talked about how the school district might partner with community-based programs involved in athletics to upgrade our facilities. I also explained that I felt new facilities were a key factor in fostering a positive attitude among coaches. Finally, I mentioned that we were probably violating Title IX with our lack of locker rooms for female athletes (many were changing in restrooms). The school architect also came on the tour to look, listen, and provide ideas.

Not long afterwards, we held a meeting for school board members, administrators, coaches, and maintenance workers. This was a forum for each head coach to describe what resources they needed in their program. Our secretary took extensive notes and typed up a summary of each team's needs. Each team's list included short- and long-term requests--everything from working phones to new uniforms and better equipment to dressing facilities for our female athletes.

From there we began to prioritize needs. For example, our volleyball net system had been a source of frustration for a long time. Getting new volleyball standards in place in all of our gyms was a short-term goal. Building a new stadium and athletic complex was obviously a long-term goal.

Although the school board understood the big picture of our facility needs, we did not immediately ask for facility upgrades. Instead, we started with smaller requests. In fact, we identified upgrading uniforms as our first request. I gave the board a plan for an equitable three-year uniform-replacement cycle for all three sport seasons. They accepted this request.

An important strategy was keeping an honest, open dialogue with the school board. I was careful to never overstep my bounds in making decisions and to follow their direction. When we talked policy, I was sure to bring both sides of the issue to their ears so they could make informed decisions. I was patient when the decision-making process took a long time, and I was respectful of their ideas, questions, and decisions. Most important, I was honest with them and always well-prepared when I spoke with them. That helped us work together as a team and make progress.

COMMUNITY WORK
Getting the greater community to buy into what we were doing was also important. When the community started showing enthusiasm for North Hills athletics, the school board felt more comfortable spending money on athletics.

Instilling community pride was an important early step. The key here was tapping into the longstanding athletic tradition of our school. One small thing we did was produce a bumper sticker that said "We are North Hills." A larger initiative was to begin a Sports Hall of Fame. This endeavor tied the past with the present and singled out the accomplishments of alumni in all sports.

We also wanted to bring that tradition of success to our current students. We took the time to track the history of our various sports teams. Players could refer to records set by alumni and aim to someday set a new record. We had banners and record boards designed for each sport that identified a tradition of excellence in athletics. While we still lacked a place for our Hall of Fame, trophy cases, and a new gymnasium, it helped us determine our needs in advance of acquiring a home for these undertakings.

Also important was getting our booster organizations to work with us. Some of the booster organizations were not focusing in the right direction. They needed guidance, structure, and oversight.

I developed specific guidelines for the boosters and met with each club to describe what their purpose should be. The booster club for boys' soccer had been doing a great job, so I held it up as a model for others to emulate. I worked with each booster group closely in the early years and gave them positive feedback. Eventually, each one became an important contributor to our athletic program and helped provide amenities for our upgraded facilities.

LUSTER RESTORED
As coaches, parents, community members, and the school board started to feel that athletic success was possible, some luck came our way. The financial picture in our district brightened. There were strategic plans developed aimed at the improvement of our district facilities. The groundwork we had done earlier made it easier to incorporate the educational components such as physical education with the need for improved athletic facilities.

We had also started discussions with local organizations in an attempt to partner on some facility projects. Community members frequently use our facilities, and these discussions resulted in some important partnerships and access to grants.

Although it took four years of planning, we were able to gain a gymnasium that seats 1,400, new tennis courts, a bigger weightroom, a wrestling room, and adequate storage. We expanded our soccer complex from two to four fields and added a softball field, along with a girls' locker room in the fieldhouse. We also updated our baseball field, adding proper drainage, a grass infield, and dugouts. A major renovation of the football stadium included a new fieldhouse, press box, visiting stands, concessions stands, an artificial surface, and a quarter-mile track.

As each initiative was implemented, we started to have some small successes. And as these positives were bolstered by further plans, we saw renewed confidence and enthusiasm. As we had hoped, success was breeding success.

With some talented classes coming through, an energized coaching staff, and new facilities, we then began to turn the corner. We started to see success in many of our major sports. We also started seeing teams with much higher participation numbers.

A big transition occurred when we were able to host tournaments for basketball and wrestling. We now had facilities to host district and state playoff games for the first time in tennis, football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. When booster club members worked the concessions stands and heard from visiting schools how nice our facilities were at North Hills, the pride resurfaced in a big way.

The school year of 2001-02 was probably our biggest turning point, when the boys' basketball team reached the playoffs for the first time since 1987 and the boys' cross country team went undefeated and finished sixth in the state. The boys' golf team won the sectional title and advanced to the final four in our region. One of our girls' swimming relay teams advanced to the state championships, and the wrestling team tied the record for most wins in school history. One of our female athletes won a local award as the most outstanding three-sport athlete in our area. North Hills also won a statewide sportsmanship award.

We also hosted the University of Pittsburgh Spring Football Game, which generated a great deal of media coverage for our school district and our new facilities. We increased participation numbers on our athletic teams. Our varsity track team went from 80 participants to close to 200. Yes, it took a decade, but now our proud tradition has returned, and with it more opportunities for success.