By Dr. David Hoch
David Hoch, EdD, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Md. He is past President of the Maryland State Athletic Directors’ Association and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dhoch@bcps.org.
Last spring, a high school coach in the Baltimore metropolitan area was released from his position due to a hazing incident. Both the incident and subsequent coaching change made local headlines, and months later there was even a follow-up article on the situation. Unfortunately, in follow-up interviews, the coach still didn’t understand the significance of his actions, made excuses, and placed blame on the lack of administrative support.
In addition, the article featured quotes from a few misguided parents who rose to the coach’s defense. Both the coach and parents insisted that what took place was merely a bonding activity and that the coach was loved and respected by the athletes. The comments left me wondering how these people could be so blind and uninformed?
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Taking this four-hour session is certainly a good first step. In addition, there are also informative workshops offered at the NIAAA national conference that provide great practical suggestions and guidelines for dealing with hazing. It also helps to monitor how our peers are handling crisis management by reading the latest articles that appear in Athletic Management and other professional publications.
Once you as an athletic director have a better handle on defining this problem and knowing how to address it, your next step is to pass this knowledge on to coaches, athletes, and parents. To effectively communicate the gravity of this issue with your coaches, talk about it at preseason staff meetings. Using an e-mail distribution list to send out memos and reminders is a quick and efficient way to keep hazing policies in your coaches’ collective consciousness.
For example, if you see an article in your local newspaper, circulate it to coaches using the distribution list. When doing so, it’s helpful to personalize the message by prefacing it with, “As you probably saw in last night’s paper, there was a hazing problem at such and such high school. Let’s not be so naive to think this couldn’t happen at our school. After all, many of our athletes have friends there. Please be alert and use this situation as a Teachable Moment with your teams.”
Parents, who are likely the least educated on the issue, pose a tougher challenge and their lack of knowledge may complicate your efforts. However, getting them on the same page as you and your coaches can and needs to happen. To accomplish this, try dedicating a segment at your preseason parents’ meetings that addresses the topic—explain what hazing is and what to look for. You should stress that if a hazing incident occurs, it becomes everyone’s problem. Posting reminders on an athletic department Web site and in newsletters are great ways to reinforce this message.
What if, despite the most vigilant of education efforts, a hazing incident does occur at your school? My advice is to approach the situation with strength, integrity, and resolve and in a straightforward manner. Start by gathering the facts, then confer with administrators and coaches at your school, and take firm, appropriate action. When these situations do arise, you’ll find it helps to have already thought through potential hazing scenarios ahead of time and to have a policy in place.
The issue of hazing is extremely dangerous and could be overwhelming for some athletic directors. But isn’t this part and parcel of almost everything that we deal with in our positions? It is important to remember, that every action we take has to be based upon doing what is best for our student-athletes. Dealing with hazing is a very difficult part of an athletic director’s duties. However, taking a proactive education-based approach will ultimately keep your athletes safer and make your job a little easier.
Why I Blog
If you had suggested, even a month ago, that I would be writing a Blog, I might suggest that you were totally out of your mind. After all, I had never even read an entry in this mode of communication before starting this piece. Why, therefore, would I even write one? Ah, but that’s the basic point—we, as athletic directors, have to continually expand our limits, learn and improve.
Often I quote Lee Iacocca, the CEO who rescued Chrysler Motor Company a number of years ago from possible bankruptcy: “Either you are moving forward or falling behind. There is no such thing as standing still.” Obviously, Iacocca was referring to the auto industry, but I’ve adapted this declaration for the athletic world in which I’ve been involved my entire adult life. How can we possibly stand still with our athletic programs?
We can’t stand still, because change is inevitable and this is neither good nor bad – just a fact of life. While not everyone’s career is at my stage, I can vividly remember creating my first Word and Excel documents. I didn’t grow up with computers and with all technology there is a long, long learning curve for me.
Another perfect example is e-mail. I couldn’t exist without this application of technology and it is definitely my preferred method of communication. The phone doesn’t even run a close second and it represents a major intrusion into my daily schedule. I detest phone tag and interruptions that phone calls cause. But I, perhaps like many of us, had to learn how to use this e-mail technology to my advantage.
In our position and in the world around us, there are always new developments and this doesn’t just mean technology. Do we operate under increased scrutiny, expectations and responsibilities? Absolutely! I do! Also, are you increasingly challenged by demanding, unreasonable, or difficult individuals associated with your athletic program and school? We all know that the answer is “Yes.”
Well, this blog may not be your total answer and let’s hope not, but it may just be one more resource that can help. Read, take courses, network, surf the Internet, do whatever you can in order to enhance your background and knowledge. This effort of continually learning and enhancing your background enables you to survive and thrive in athletic administration.
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