Alumni often anchor an athletic department's long-term fan base and financial support structure. But what if there are fewer alumni in your entire state than there are seats in your football stadium? Such is the case at Georgia Tech, and it has led the athletic department to invent unique ways to market its teams to non-alums in the area.
Interested in making the most efficient use of your facilities and equipment, as well as having more coaches for your middle school teams? Then listen to the idea a conference in Michigan has come up with.
Talk about good neighbors. When Freeport (Maine) High School received a gift of $300,000 two years ago to build a track and field facility, the school gave the money to nearby Bowdoin College instead.
If a student-athlete at your university becomes pregnant, what is the policy regarding continued participation in her sport? What is the policy regarding her scholarship?
At Howard High School in Ellicott City, Md., the advanced weight training class isn't just for students—it's for senior citizens, too. In a partnership that began six years ago, Howard County General Hospital refers seniors to the school's Advanced Weights class, where their progress is monitored by students, including student-athletes on the football, baseball, and track teams.
It's not often that a state high school athletic association receives a report of an incident it has never dealt with before, but that was exactly the case in November for the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Players in a boys' basketball game had left the court and engaged in a physical fight with fans in the bleachers.
The old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me," holds no water for former Brigham Young University pitcher Scott Koffman. Claiming a weight-training injury ended his hopes of pitching professionally, Koffman filed a $9.2 million suit in U.S. District Court against BYU and one of the school's strength and conditioning coaches.
When high schools conduct drug testing of their athletes, most look for recreational drugs only. But Polk County (Fla.) high schools began bucking that trend in January, when they became the first in the state to test student-athletes for steroids, too.
As Activities Director at Lakeville High School, Byron Olson guides one of the biggest and most successful programs in Minnesota. And thanks to the new Challenge Cup program implemented by the Minnesota State High School League, he now has the hardware to prove it.
As academic performance becomes more important than ever for collegiate student-athletes, athletic directors and coaches need to promote a different culture in their programs.
Dr. Kevin Hatcher
Kevin Hatcher, EdD, is the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External and Internal Relations at Colgate University and a former Associate Athletic Director at the University of Texas-El Paso. He can be reached at: khatcher@mail.colgate.edu.
How do you make sure your coaches follow an ethical path? Ask them to each write their own coaching philosophy statement.
By Dr. Dennis Docheff
Dennis Docheff, EdD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Central Missouri State University and a former football, basketball, and track and field coach.
What can a strong booster club do for an athletic program? At Lebanon High School in Ohio, boosters typically raise about $30,000 a year and recently funded a $300,000 fieldhouse at the school. At Hoover High School in Alabama, the 500-member football booster club raises between $300,000 and $400,000 in a good year.
New federal regulations are changing the status of many assistant coaches regarding overtime pay. Five schools explain how they are complying.
By Greg Scholand
Greg Scholand is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. He can be reached at: gs@momentummedia.com.
If their child has any athletic talent, most parents are ready to sign them up for a college scholarship. Hosting an information meeting on the topic can help families understand the realities of the process.
By Dr. David Hoch
David Hoch, EdD, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School, in Baltimore County, Md., and a former Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. He is the current President of the Maryland State Athletic Directors' Association and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dhoch@bcps.org.
Focus, concentration, control... The latest trend in winning programs is mental skills training. Here's how to implement it at any level of play.
By Laura Smith
Laura Smith is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. She can be reached at lsmith@MomentumMedia.com
Every high school may dream of having the next NBA star among its students, but one athletic director finds out the privilege comes with some tough choices.
By Grant Nesbit
Grant Nesbit is the Athletic Director at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. A licensed principal, he has been a guest lecturer at the Indiana Principal Leadership Academy and Indiana Association of School Principals' conference. Previously, he served as Assistant Athletic Director and Head Wrestling Coach at Greenfield-Central High School, in Greenfield, Ind.
A strategic plan is only effective if its ideas are put into motion. The keys are to get all staff members involved and have a structure for reviewing progress.
By: Dr. Elizabeth Alden and Jennifer Hughes
Elizabeth "Betsy" Alden, PhD, is President of Alden & Associates, Inc., a consulting and executive search firm for intercollegiate athletics located in Amherst, Mass. Jennifer Hughes is an Associate with the firm. They can be reached at: a href="mailto:jen@aldenandassoc.com">jen@aldenandassoc.com.