Greetings!
 Welcome to this month's issue of the GADA newsletter. Each month more and more of our members open and read this newsletter. Please be sure to go to the website where you will find a few new items. We've added a calender to mark important dates for upcoming board meetings and other events of interest. The United Healthcare Student Scholarship nomination form has been added along with the 2010 Conference registration forms are now available to download. We look forward to seeing more of our members at the conference at the Hilton Desoto in Savannah next March. Sincerely, Carter Wilson, CAA GADA President |
The Benefits in belonging to the GADA and NIAAA
It's time to join
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As an organization its strength and value is derived directly from its members. Being a member opens many doors of opportunity. They include but are not limited to training programs, attending the annual conference, communicating, mentoring and learning along side your peers within Georgia and beyond. The GADA is making great strides to improve our organization. This email is the first step in that process. Your membership in both the GADA and the NIAAA will help insure that you receive the valued benefits and have the ability to make a greater impact with your coaches, administration and most of all your student-athletes.
GADA Board of Directors 2009-2010
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Program Assessment
Honest assessment of
program is key to moving forward to meet goals and desires
Bruce Brown
Proactive Coaching
The following article is was taken from the Proactive Coaching booklet entitled, Turning Around Athletic Programs.
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 I have had the opportunity to travel North America to speak to hundreds of high school and college athletic programs and meet with great coaches who have turned programs around. It is amazing how different athletic programs can be. I have come to believe that almost every athletic program (or team) falls into one of three levels of competence. There are identifiable behaviors that can be seen through the eyes of Administrators, Athletic Directors, Coaches, Athletes and Community. These five groups of people must each fulfill their roles for programs to reach their potential. The first responsibility we have is to honestly assess where our programs are. After the assessment, the remainder of the booklet talks about the steps that can be taken to change the culture.
The following is a checklist of what you see in strong programs. The assessments for Average Programs and Weak Programs are also in the booklet.
Level 1 - Strong Programs - Goal: Fine tune and keep it going
We seem to get invited to speak at these schools most often. They are proud of what they have established and not afraid to do a self-assessment or provide training for their coaches. We find the coaches in these programs appreciate the training and are always trying to improve.
Administrators will notice:
- Strong programs (music, drama, athletics, etc.) throughout the school
- Other programs are supported by athletes and coaches
- Athletes speak in positive terms about their school
- Athletes feel an ownership to their teams their facilities and their school
- Facilities are clean and well kept up
- Things that don't work get fixed
- There is respect for custodians
- Students feel a desire to serve rather than a sense of entitlement
- Student leadership seems to duplicate itself
- Fewer "sub groups" or grade level problems
- Students feel a sense of community and take pride in their school
Athletic Director will notice:
- All or almost all of their teams are consistently competitive
- Players enjoy the experience and respect the coaches regardless of the win/loss record
- Teams support each other
- Getting volunteers is easy and appreciation is shown
- Fewer than normal number of violations of athletic code
- There is a sense of community among programs and coaches
- Athletes turn out for more than one sport and are involved in other school projects and activities
- Cooperative culture among coaches - coaches support each others programs and cooperate in the sharing of athletes
- New athletes are safely welcomed into teams
- Attendance is high and includes faculty and community members who do not have children at the school
- Student leadership is positive
- Behavioral problems are addressed quickly
- There are problem solving methods in place
Coaches will notice
- Traditions are positive and passed on to the next generation of athletes
- Coaches and athletes feel valued in the community
- Coaches of different sports are unified and supportive
- Athletes are shared
- Athletes who are "stars" in one sport are willing to be a role player in another
- Coaches often stay for 20 or 30 years
- Coaches who remain in the athletes lives
Athletes will experience
- Positive and respectful relationships with coaches
- Speaking positively about their sport, their coach and the school
- Feeling encouraged to participate in more than one sport
- Being connected to the younger athletes
Community will notice
- Athletes are respected community members
- School programs are a source of pride
- Younger players cannot wait until they get to play in high school
- Feeling of "if the schools need something, we will get it done"
- Interest and participation in youth sports is high
There are reasons why these athletic programs are at this stage of success and it is not an accident.
Level 2 - Average Programs - Goal, Turn it Up
Level 3 - Poor Programs - Goal, Turn it Around
Example from the perspective of the Administrator
Administration will notice
- Parent complaints about coaches or not winning
- Parents feel free to question coaches
- Coaches mistrust parents
- Athletes transferring to other schools
- School is associated with being "losers"
- Faculty and coaches are divided
- Overall school climate is not enhanced by athletics
- School wide discipline concerns
- Constant turnover in coaches
Turning Around Athletic Programs is available at www.proactivecoaching.info or email bbrown8164@aol.com
Reprinted with permission from the author |
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Sports Rituals - Bringing High School Teams Together
By Rich Sanders
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When Phil Tiller's Oakton High cross country teams break out the brilliant gold warm-up jackets, it's more than just a little bit special.
The nifty, pre-race gold tops - actually, a brilliant yellow - carry the school name, Oakton, etched on the back in large burgundy letters. They are worn annually, along with black warm-up pants, only at the start of the postseason, starting at districts and on through states. More... |
Athletic administration
By Dr. David Hoch, CMAA, Baltimore Co., MD
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An athletic administrator's position is constantly growing, changing and evolving. There are more responsibilities, expectations and pressure than ever before and the following changes have had a major impact upon the administration of athletic programs. More...
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Abington Heights to sell old uniforms, sports equipment to public Abington wants to sell athletic gear
By Erin L. Nissley
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If you are in the market for a used tennis net or a genuine Abington Heights High School soccer uniform, Scott Kaiser has a deal for you.
Next month, the school district will hold its first ever "yard sale" to get rid of extra uniforms, warm-up gear and sporting equipment.
Mr. Kaiser, who has been the high school's athletic director for a little more than a year, came up with the idea after becoming frustrated at the lack of storage space for all the equipment. More... |
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NIAAA "Ideas that work" Spotlight
"Academic Athlete Awards"
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 (Joe Haines, Athletic Director, Konowa Hills High School, Grand Rapids, MI) - Starting in the fall of 1995 our athletic boosters and the athletic department combined to create a new award - Academic Athlete - that honors our student-athletes. This award is given to student-athletes on all levels who meet the following criteria: successfully completed the season; were not suspended during the season; received a grade point of at least 3.3 during the term. Student-athletes who meet the criteria receive an Academic Athlete T-shirt and certificate for their portfolios. All student-athletes who receive this award are listed in our district newsletter. Student-athletes may receive a T-shirt only once per school year, but may have their names listed as often as they qualify. The awards are presented at our end-of-season athletic banquets.
Each month we'll bring you an "ideas that work" postings from the NIAAA website.
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Sincerely,
Jeff Beggs - 1st Vice President
Georgia Athletic Directors Association
www.gadaonline.net
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Sporting a good attitude; Program for school athletes stresses sportsmanship By Jacquelin Reis
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WORCESTER - High school athletes preparing for the winter season checked one item off their to-do list this week: a mandatory half-hour wellness program. More... |
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Protective Gym Floor Covers
A great offer!
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| Dunlap Industries has protective gym
floor covers available free to schools and parks and recreation for the
cost of the hem on the outer edge. Protective covers are used to
prevent scuffing and damage to gym floors. All shipping costs are free.
For more information call Mr. Gene Stephan at (530) 274-0685. All
requests are on a first come first serve basis.
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