By Dr. Calli Theisen Sanders

Calli Theisen Sanders, EdD, is Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Iowa State University, where she oversees 15 teams. She has also been an Associate Athletics Director at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Montana State University, and Associate Dean of Students at the University of Maine. She has served on many national committees, including the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee. She can be reached at: csanders@iastate.edu.

This fall, our volleyball team reached unprecedented heights. For only the third time in program history, it received a bid to the NCAA Division I tournament. Despite entering the postseason unranked, the team reached the regional semifinals and finished the year ranked 17th in the nation.

It was fabulous to watch the program undergo such a dramatic turnaround from the previous coach to the current third year coach. And it was extremely satisfying to accompany the team to its NCAA tournament games and see them enjoy the limelight, a spot often reserved for revenue sports.

Overseeing teams in Olympic sports is an extremely rewarding part of serving as a college athletics administrator. But it is also a huge balancing act. You need to see to the needs of a large number of sports, provide a channel of communication for them, and always be aware of their ups and downs. In this article, I'll offer some ideas on administering Olympic sport teams in today's athletics environment.

MOST IMPORTANT
One of the great things about intercollegiate athletics is the passion and excitement surrounding a sporting event. Many people love college sports because they bring people from all walks of life, different cultures, and varying backgrounds together for a common cause. They set aside their differences and hope for the same thing: a winning team.

Coaches of revenue-generating sports get attention from a variety of people who have a stake in the success or failure of their programs. Olympic sport coaches do not typically receive attention of the same magnitude, but their passion for their programs is no different. As their athletics administrator, my number-one job is to provide them that attention and emotional investment.

More important than the paperwork, hiring, evaluations, and so forth, is that the coaches know I care deeply about their teams. Once an Olympic sport coach understands that I truly share and support their desire to be successful, the rest comes relatively easily.

Coaches occasionally tell me that they would not want my job. That always makes me smile because conversely, I do not envy their jobs. The responsibility is enormous for producing successful teams, but we also expect that coaches meet the developmental needs of these young adults as they grow physically, emotionally, morally, and cognitively. My obligation is to help remove as many barriers as possible so the coach can fulfill these expectations.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
The first step to assisting coaches on this journey is to provide a structure for communication. During the academic year, I meet every two weeks with each head coach. The coach prepares an agenda and submits it to me the day before our meeting.

The agenda development is important to making our time together as efficient and productive as possible. I might give a new coach ideas about how to best utilize this time with me, but for the most part I leave it up to the coaches to choose what they want to discuss. Coaches who prepare a detailed agenda spend more time with me, get more questions answered, and move their program forward at a more rapid pace. If I feel that our meetings together could be more productive, I discuss that with the coach during his or her annual performance review.

Some of the agenda items coaches might bring to the discussion are:
• unbudgeted equipment or facility needs
• issues affecting players that might impact the team or department
• staff development opportunities
• scheduling issues
• concerns related to other department units
• fundraising and marketing ideas.

Prior to meeting with the coach, I review the agenda, speak with others in the department who might have information that will be helpful for the discussion, and give some thought to how I might respond to the coach's concerns. This preparation on my part allows for a more informed, thoughtful discussion, allowing the coach to leave with more issues resolved.

These meetings also help me get a strong sense for the pulse of the team and what concerns face each program. In order to be a great administrative partner, I need to be on the "inside" with them. When I sit around the table with my senior staff counterparts in our weekly meetings, I want to represent the coaches to the best of my ability. My goal is to anticipate how a head coach would respond to a question if he or she were sitting in that room with us.

INTERACTION & OBSERVATION
Another way to become familiar with coaches' philosophies is to be around them at important times. Ideally, I'd attend every team's games and a few practices a week, but that can be tough from a time management standpoint. What I've found works best is to specifically schedule when I will spend time with each sport--and stick to that schedule.

One of my priorities is to try to get to all or part of every home contest in the sports that I supervise. First and foremost, this shows administrative support to the coaches and student-athletes. It also allows me to interact with fans and parents, observe coaches and athletes in game situations, and be available as a resource in case a situation arises. Finally, attending games is a great reminder of why we do what we do in our offices every day.

Traveling with teams is extremely beneficial for getting to know the athletes on a more personal level and observing how sports programs act when they are away from campus. Finding time to travel with each team is one of my most difficult tasks. My priority is to attend any postseason events with them so conference tournaments and NCAA schedules are put in my calendar at the beginning of the academic year. I also try to attend at least one regular season event away from home.

Going to an away contest not only shows the extent of administrative support, but provides the opportunity to make an off-field connection with the student-athletes. And getting to know them better helps me understand the individual and collective issues facing the sports I supervise.

Getting out to practices regularly is another important part of my routine. My goal is to attend practices two or three times per week, and I put this into my calendar with every other appointment. Like attending athletic contests, being at practices allows me to show administrative support, observe, and be easily accessible to a coach or athlete in case they have something to discuss.

FILE UNDER ORGANIZED
When supervising multiple sports programs, keeping organized is always a challenge. I have tried many different strategies over the years but finally feel comfortable with a system that I developed through trial and error. The key to it is in the files.

Each sport has its own color-coded hanging file with every document I need for that program. For example, my red hanging file for women's basketball includes folders such as Big 12 Conference, Budget, Head Coach Contract, Event Management, Facility, Marketing and Media, Meetings with Head Coach, NCAA, Officials, Performance Evaluations (Coaching Staff), Player Evaluations of Head Coach, Results, Student-Athletes, and Travel. Other folders that may be added include Postseason Bids, Postseason Travel, or categories that fit the needs of that sport.

The "Meetings" file includes the agenda and notes from every meeting with the head coach during the academic year. This file is a great resource at the end of the season for conducting the coach's performance evaluation as it includes a relatively complete history of the issues, challenges, and accomplishments over the course of the year.

My "Meetings" file for each coach also includes a blank note card on the outside I use to keep track of the items that I need to remember to discuss with the coach. Some of my reminders might be to inquire about the status of an injured player, request the coach's assistance in a fundraising effort, pass along information from another departmental unit, or alert them to things they might be reading or hearing about in the media. After the meeting, I place the note card inside the file for future reference.

An electronic calendar is absolutely essential for me to plan my days, evenings, and weekends. Keeping track of events, travel opportunities with teams, and other appointments in this manner is a key to keeping sane during particularly busy times of year. My PDA calendar is set to automatically synchronize with my desktop computer calendar so I have reliable information about my schedule whether I am sitting at my desk or not.

Technology is also wonderful for keeping track of "things to do" that result from impromptu hallway meetings or things I notice at practice or competitions. Although I often make a note in my PDA, I also keep a small notebook handy for jotting reminders the old-fashioned way when that is easier.

When supervising multiple sports, keeping commonly-used reference material handy is essential to staying organized. For example, I keep a binder on my desk with dividers for each sport I supervise, which include the current game schedule, the most recent travel itinerary, and a current team roster with contact information for players and parents. I also have a section with facility calendars, conference and NCAA postseason schedules, all-time results for each team, and a telephone directory.

Another key to being organized is prioritizing. For example, I recently needed to hire a new coach for one of our sports, and that had to take top priority in my duties.

Because I take the time to develop great relationships with coaches during normal times, they are understanding when I give them less attention during busy time periods. I let them know what is going on and that I am always available if they have an urgent issue, but will otherwise be focusing on the pressing need.

BIG PICTURE
Every month, the athletics director and other senior staff members meet with a group of head coaches or all members of the coaching staff to present relevant information about compliance, academics, finance, or other campus-wide issues. This is the only formal interaction between the athletics director and Olympic sport coaches.

Therefore, my communication between senior athletics administrators and coaches must be flawless. I need to give coaches the information they require to be in-tune and do the best jobs they can. And I need to provide my athletics director with news from the trenches that will allow him to make the best decisions for the entire program.

During my meetings with each head coach, I pass along information on department-wide issues. This might include updates from the athletics director on his meetings with the university administration, conference items, long-range facility planning updates, or timetables for budget development and special events.

How do I decide what administrative information to share with coaches? My judgment is made after considering whether the information will be useful to the coaches as they do their jobs every day. If I determine that it might be more of a distraction at that particular time, then I may not share it or will wait for a better time.

I also need to pass their messages upwards. In my interactions with Olympic sport coaches and teams, I note issues that I need to bring to either the entire senior staff or to the athletics director. I have file folders for each individual or group that I meet with regularly with a note card fastened to the front for my reminder list.

Just as I request that the coaches do, I provide my athletics director with an agenda ahead of time so that he is prepared for the items I would like to discuss. My agenda might include items such as:
• soliciting input on head coach performance evaluations
• discussing issues from conference or NCAA meetings
• requesting final approval on an unbudgeted expense
• providing updates on student-athlete or personnel issues
• giving briefings on anything that might come to his attention from another source such as parents, coaches, student-athletes, or campus leaders.

AN AVID ADVOCATE
As I mentioned earlier, my most important duty is providing coaches with attention and emotional investment. This includes being an advocate for them. All the above-mentioned administrative strategies assist me in doing just that.

Much of my interaction with the coaching staff and their athletes is to demonstrate that I am on their team. If they feel confident that I look out for their best interests when I am representing them to senior management, then they are more understanding of situations where their requests cannot be granted.

At the same time, the senior management team needs to know that while I am representing the Olympic sports, my goal is to help the overall athletics department be the best it can be. I am always open and honest with my senior staff counterparts in my communication about the programs that I oversee and I make sure to defend and support my stance with experience or facts. Having empathy for the issues that my colleagues face and then being willing to compromise when we seem to be reaching an impasse is extremely important in establishing that much-needed trust.

There is sometimes a delicate balance between being an advocate and still representing the interests of the overall athletics program. Earning the trust of both the coaching staff and the athletics director is essential in fulfilling this "middle management" role. But if I can achieve that balance, we create a great community among the coaching staff, which leads to better outcomes through the entire athletic department.

Sidebar: BAKER'S DOZEN
The following are 13 tips for working well with Olympic sport coaches.

• Communicate frequently. Let them know you're available when they need you. Contact them to wish them good luck or congratulate them.

• Become part of the "team." If coaches know you're on their side, they'll be more understanding when things don't go their way.

• Follow-through. If you tell them you need to give more thought to an issue or need to visit with other folks before making a decision, then do so and report back to them.

• Be visible. Show up at events, practices, and their office.

• Have empathy. Think about the issues from the coaches' perspective. This helps you anticipate their reaction and better prepares you to respond.

• Be trustworthy. Make good, thoughtful decisions and admit when you have made a mistake. We all do.

• Be supportive. Even when things don't go the coach's way, reassure them that you are behind them.

• Demonstrate leadership. Set a good example in the way you conduct your everyday business. Be professional, don't gossip, and tell the truth.

• Say no. Sometimes an individual sport has to make a sacrifice for the good of the overall department. Communicate the big picture and the coach will respect you for making the tough decision.

• Listen. When coaches talk to you, focus on them and their issue. If you are distracted, tell them you cannot give them your full attention at that moment, but you will find time to sit down with them (and then follow up).

• Remain calm. Sometimes we hear bad or shocking news. Do not overreact. Coaches can be emotional. You need to be a calming, rational influence.

• Use good judgment. Being in the role of middle management can have its challenges. Know that your good judgment got you where you are and continue to trust in it.

• Have fun. The job is too demanding and the hours are too long for you not to enjoy what you do. Coaches will perceive whether you like your job or not so show them that you do.