By Dan Cardone
Frequent contributor Dan Cardone attended the 38th Annual National Conference of High School Athletic Directors, held last week in Nashville, Tenn. Here, he takes a look back at four successful days of learning, networking, and professional growth.
The 38th Annual National Conference of High School Athletic Directors was held in Nashville, Tenn., from December 14 to December 18. There cannot be a better host site than the Gaylord Opryland Hotel—especially during the holiday season.
Advertisement
As usual, this year’s event provided endless opportunities for professional growth. I find the constant interacting with fellow administrators allows us to share common problems, concerns, and new ideas that are on the horizon in high school athletics. This year a roundtable discussion was added for administrators to discuss the current issues affecting high school athletics.
During the event, many participants took advantage of the Leadership Training Courses and there were athletic directors working toward their Certified Athletic Administrator (CMA) certification or their Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA) certification. These offerings add to the goal of creating a knowledgeable and professional organization as high school administrators.
The workshops had relevant topics such as evaluation of coaches, stretching limited finances, budgeting strategies, and time management. One of the sessions I attended was on sports rule changes. The chair of each sport explained the upcoming rule changes, and there was a healthy discussion on uniform standards for each sport. These changes are available at www.nfhs.org.
This year, I also had the fortune of being a workshop presenter. My topic was “Motivating the Student Athlete Through Structure and Goal Setting.” I was able to share my take on the importance of creating an environment for athletes to succeed. The major influences in this area are the coach, athletic director, and parent. All of the presentations that were on powerpoint will be made available through the NFHS and the NIAAA. This is a real bonus for those in attendance, and those that were not able to be present.
Attending the National Conference and being around my fellow administrators reaffirms for me that we who are in this profession are differencemakers in the lives of those student athletes entrusted to our care. And we continue to address problems that come up each year, such as striving to create a level playing field in high school sports. As I left this year’s event, I cannot help but to be optimistic about the state of high school athletics. For the first time in the history of this country, there are over seven million participants in interscholastic athletics. And the entire experience is only getting better.
Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.
All comments will be reviewed before they are posted.