Filling a Vital Role
By Dan Cardone

Tickets are being sold for the upcoming Friday night football game at the counter by the athletic administrative assistant while student-athletes are dropping off their physical forms to her. This person has also begun contacting opposing schools to confirm the weeks' events via email.

The athletic trainer is also in the office asking for parent contact information, and a parent is calling regarding their daughter's desire to play a winter sport. At the same time, a coach has stopped by to order busses for next week's events. The phone continues to ring. Who, other than office superhero, is able to satisfy each who comes to their direction, and do it in the friendliest way possible?

I often refer to the person that holds this position as the face of your district or campus. No single other person has to deal with the public as often. They need a memory bank that includes the answer to questions such as "how old does my son have to be to take swimming lessons?" The answer? 2 ½ years of age--and they have to be potty trained!

The athletic department administrative assistant is a special person. They work at a high level, have the ability to smile and be engaging the entire day. If tracked, they would have a customer satisfaction rating that is off the charts.

An Administrative Assistant's Perspective
By Nataly Price

As I lay on a raft while on summer vacation, I mentally tick off items on my return-to-work to-do list. An athletic secretary's job never stops, and neither can his or her mind, even while lying under the sun in the middle of a lake. The to-do list is constantly growing. In the fall alone, there are more than 500 athletes, 20 coaches, and one athletic director who need tending to (not to mention over 500 parents of athletes).

So what are the traits one that will enable someone to be successful in this role? Patience is a key component in this job. One example is that each coach believes their sport is the most important one. There are constant fluctuations in tempo because of last-minute needs for their sport. A mom might drop off their child's uniform because they left it home. A player can be a late-arriver because a teacher would not allow them to leave class early due to a test. The coach can call from his or her cell phone informing you that the bus is 15 minutes late. The ebb and tide of emotions in the athletic department have to be handled with precision.

The ability to multi task in a stressful environment is a desirable quality. My mother always tells me to "just keep swimming." But every day in our office, the water gets a little higher.

Speaking of water, spring in Western Pennsylvania has one constant: rain. It usually comes in the afternoon just before dismissal. One has to be in touch with the maintenance crew for their opinion on the current field conditions. Once a decision has been made, busses must be cancelled, and the contest needs to be rescheduled. With the fields unplayable, gyms have to be checked for availability for practice. Everyone involved has to be informed of the postponement. Finally, there are no guarantee the fields will be dried out in time to play the next day, or that the rains will stay away.

There is a bond that is formed with other athletic secretaries. Satisfaction is garnered from knowing you put your best foot forward every single day. There is no such thing as boredom on this job. I feel I am in full control of most situations, but it is great knowing that I have an Athletic Director who is fully supportive. I also need to remind myself that while I have a great deal of autonomy, there is a need to hand off to the AD those difficult decisions.

In addition to patience and the ability to multi-task, this individual must possess strong organizational skills. The athletic secretary has to have a knack for solving problems on the spot. They should also possess a true passion for athletics. The one secret I have found is that if you are pleasant, if you always have a smile on your face, then your job will run more smoothly. With all of the challenges of the position, there is nowhere I would rather be than in the world of athletics.

Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: cardoned@nhsd.net Nataly Price is Cardone's administrative assistant.