1. Sport Specialization. Student athletes track into one sport early on. Putting all your eggs in one basket can be a detriment to later participation if that first sport does not work out. Trying different sports can lead to multiple sports participation, or choosing another sport you realize you like or are good at.

2. Demand on Facilities. There are a myriad of sports offerings, both at the interscholastic level and the club sport level. At our school, we have 42 sports grade 7-12 alone. There are also demands placed on school fields and gymnasiums by the community.

3. Parental Interference. Parents are part of the equation of sports along with the student-athlete and the coach. An overly involved parent can be a challenge not only for the coach, but for the child. Rather than supporting the decision of the coach over who makes the team, who plays, and how much they play, too much parental interference can lead to the firing of a coach, or a transfer of the athlete to another school.

4. Budget Constraints. Athletics takes up a small portion of the overall budget of a school district, yet each year the athletic budget comes under scrutiny due to the fact it is an extracurricular offering. At worst, districts implement pay to play. Others freeze the budget, which makes it difficult as costs for services such as transportation rise.

5. Quality of Coaching. As teachers salaries have improved, the need to take on extra duty, extra pay positions has decreased. Great coaches are great teachers, so having someone as a coach with teaching experience is often a winning formula. Not having someone on board who can be the leader of the program as a head coach, or a support system for the head coach can be very difficult.

6. Quantity of Coaches. With less of the faculty choosing a coaching path, the need for coaches has increased. It is difficult to find a coach outside the teaching ranks who has good availability. Practices are held after school, and dismissal time is around 2:30.

7. Demands of the Job. It is tough to be "appropriately selfish" with your time as an athletic director. Most work a full day, and then have to rebound to cover athletic events after school and during evening hours. This can take a toll on the individual and on their family. It is not uncommon to have politics infuse their way into school athletics, which can lead to diminished job security.

8. Lack of Advancement. A teacher can become a principal and a principal can move into central administration. In the corporate world advancing within the organization or taking a new job with a new title is not uncommon. There is no higher position to seek as an athletic administrator at the high school level. One can become involved in their conferences or leagues as a means to professional growth.

9. Keeping Sport Fun. Kids play because it is fun. With year round training, a myriad of camp offerings, AAU, and yes, personal trainers, where is the joy in sport? Reminding all the stakeholders in high school sports that we have to have the right perspective is important. The consequences are huge for taking the fun out of sport. We need to involve students in extracurricular activities, and to do that we have to make it an enjoyable undertaking.

10. Respecting the Game. Teaching the higher ideals of sport is more important than ever. It has become commonplace to see those at the collegiate and professional levels engaging in misconduct on and off the field. These behaviors have found their way to the high school level. We need to impart to the student athlete that it is imperative they represent themselves, their family, and their school community to the best of their ability.

Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.

What do you think? What else would you add to this list? We welcome your submissions and feedback.

FEEDBACK:

I think the top 10 listed are a challenge to Athletic Directors. Another challenge for ADs is having faculty and staff support. If the faculty and staff does not believe in athletics, they can help bring down a program. They need to help support the athletes by attending the games or even asking how the game went if they did not attend the game. It is important to kids to know someone cares about them.


- Bill Kerr
Athletic Director/Men's Basketball Coach
Garrett Academy of Technology
North Charleston, SC