GADA March 2011 Newsletter

Georgia Athletic Directors Association Newsletter

www.GADAonline.net

Vol. 2 No. 11

March2011

Greetings!

Welcome to our E-newsletter. My name is Jeff Beggs and I am the new President of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association for 2010-2011.

I hope you will take a minute to read through this newsletter and visit our website, www.gadaonline.net . There is a tremendous amount of information that will be useful to you as you do your job as a professional athletic administrator. In our profession, you wear many hats. Our responsibility to you is to help you and your school be successful as you perform your all of your daily duties.

Best of luck to you. If our Board of Directors or I can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact any of us.

Sincerely,

Jeff Beggs, CMAA
Director of Athletics
Atlanta Public Schools

2011 Conference!

Conference Dates: March 19-22, 2011

Conference Schedule

Updated 3/1/11

Click HERE

Hilton Desoto, Savannah, GA

Click HERE to download the PDF member registration form.

Please visit the website for the latest news and updates regarding the conference.

Asking the Better Question

Shedding Light on the Reference Checking Process

by Ruth K. Donahoo and Quinton P. Walker

In the October 2010 Georgia Athletic Directors Association Newsletter, Dan Cardone outlines the top ten problems he faces as an athletic director. Cardone writes that one of the most significant challenges lies in finding coaches of quality. "Great coaches are great teachers....Not having someone on board who can be the leader of the program as a head coach...can be very difficult." We all have the horror stories to support this claim - student athletes rapidly leaving a sport, financial mismanagement of the sport's dollars, and recurring in-game moments that are inconsistent with the athletic philosophy of the school.

This article, the first in a series on the human resource issues to consider when hiring a head coach, pinpoints questions to ask when checking references for a potential candidate.   These questions are designed to help to minimize an institution's risk when bringing on a head coach. Certainly these questions can be tailored to a particular search; however, these are the questions that we have found give useful information when making a personnel decision.

Discuss an instance in which you witnessed this coach work with parent(s) around an issue.

How did the coach behave in the situation? This type of question allows for a scenario to be presented; it has been our experience that these anecdotes and examples are less subject to the "nice guy effect" of recommendations. Furthermore, anecdotes are based in observation rather than opinion. And this situation - parent/family relations - can make or break a student athlete's experience with a sport. Viewing parents as partners, rather than adversaries, helps when issues arise (and we know that they inevitably will). The head coach has the ability to set this tone; look to this person to be the model for the remainder of the coaches in the program. This question can suggest whether the head coach candidate is indeed the model the school seeks.

How does this person handle conflict, pressure, and stress?   This type of open-ended question allows for the reference to speak openly, either to a candidate's technical coaching ability or as a member of the athletic department. Some might say that how a person responds during times of heightened stress or anxiety reveals a considerable amount about their approach to coaching or being a colleague. To be sure, we all want coaches on staff who exhibit intensity and passion - so long as that energy is channeled effectively toward our student athletes and our institutions.

How would you describe the candidate's technical knowledge of the sport? A word of caution. Do not assume a person is qualified. Just because a candidate is seeking a head coaching position does not make them a technically-proficient coach. Spend time talking with the reference about the candidate's commitment to professional development, membership in various coaching organizations, and reputation among other coaches.

Can you discuss a time in which this person managed his staff effectively? How might his staff describe his abilities? This question concentrates on a candidate's management style of a full complement of coaches in a program. Though out-of-school training and development of our student athletes continues to increase, a head coach must be concerned with player development at all levels. This emphasis starts with the coaches at all levels. Look for examples of how much vision and guidance the head coach provided to his assistant coaches. Similarly, how autonomous was each coach in the program? In short, did coaches feel supported and properly lead by the head coach candidate?

How would you describe the candidate's communication style, ability to take initiative, and organization? Simply put, head coaches are managers as much as they are coaches. And while we all want dynamic head coaches to lead the program's development on the field, a coach that lacks in these management skills will seldom have the ability to do just that - develop a program.   Certainly they will be able to win games or matches, but at what cost to the institution's long-term health of a sport?

If the opportunity arose, would you rehire this person for the coming year? In an era of collegiality, we have found that most people say "yes" (unless their is a considerable offense that warrants mentioning). While no institution is eager to lose a quality head coach, it should be noted that the head coach is a reflection of their former institution.   Look for hesitation or a non-committal response; references that are anything less than enthusiastic about a candidate can signal potential issues.

Regardless of the questions you ask during your search process, take some time to consider the athletic department's coaching philosophy. Furthermore, think through the values you hold and behaviors you expect in your best coaches.   These few moments spent in reflection should help shape the nature of questions you ask during your reference checks. Is communicating with parents critical to the success of your head coaches, given your school's environment?   Make certain to ask a question of the reference that taps into coach-parent relations. Have the best coaches at your school had a track record of cooperation between sports? Ask a reference for a specific example of collegiality between a potential coach and his colleagues.

Opinions have a place in reference checking. Do not neglect behavior-based questions, however. Julie Brehm, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Georgia-Pacific, says reference checking should tap into observable behaviors as complements to opinions. "Just like when you are interviewing candidates, it is important to ask questions to the people giving references that will give you answers that are based on behaviors of the candidate..." Brehm goes onto say "It's a good bet that if you ask questions that start with "can you provide an example" or "discuss an instance" or "describe a time", you will get better insight into the candidate's behavior. And past behavior is a great predictor of future behavior."

Making an informed decision on a new head coach is a process that requires considerable care and diligence; our student athletes and institutions deserve nothing less than that level of care and diligence.   Asking solid questions that yield insightful, behavior-based data about a candidate can only make the decision more straightforward.

Ruth K. Donahoo is Athletic Director at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School. Prior to working at Holy Innocents', Donahoo spent 11 years in Information Technology at Bell South. She can be reached at ruth.donahoo@hies.org

Quinton P. Walker is the Varsity Volleyball Coach at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School. Prior to work at Holy Innocents', Walker worked with the Hay Group, a global human resources consultancy. He can be reached at quinton.walker@hies.org

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Now you can join the GADA and NIAAA via Paypal!

Important membership dues information!
Beginning July 1, 2011, NIAAA membership dues will increase from $60 to $80. Join both the GADA and NIAAA before January 1st for $100 ($104 using paypal) and save! We encourage members to belong to both the GADA and the NIAAA. To see all the benefits associated with your membership due please click HERE.

Previously we reported the NIAAA dues increase date as January 1, 2011. The correct date is July 1, 2011. We apologize for the inconvenience.

GHSA considers all options for reclassification

By Michael Carvell - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Geographical and population concerns could prompt the Georgia High School Association to make the most radical change in more than a decade over how it divides its schools for athletic competition.

The vote is a month away, and nothing has been decided.

The GHSA's reclassification committee could submit a proposal that has minimal impact - tweaking the existing five-classification structure - or the state governing body for high school sports could initiate significant change, including expansion to six classifications.

Another idea is to reduce to four classifications, with each divided in half for the postseason and offering eight state championships. That concept would allow members to play schools of closer proximity during the regular season, and schools of closer student enrollment during the playoffs.

As to which proposal will be submitted, it's a big guessing game at this point.

"Right now, this far out, I wouldn't wager which way we're going to go," said Dr. Ralph Swearngin, GHSA executive director. "I really don't know. We could say we're going to stay with the current system of five classifications and make some improvements. Or we could go with something radical. It's too early to tell."

Stress Fractures Hitting High School Athletes

Study finds overuse injuries are common in running-related sports

By Alan Mozes - US News & World Report

TUESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Stress fractures linked to overuse may be more common than thought among high school athletes, especially among those who participate in running-related sports, a new study finds.
Click here to find out more!

"The risk is that we're often dealing with very dedicated athletes who are constantly trying to perfect their performance, and sometimes they overdo it," said Dr. Letha Y. Griffin, an Atlanta-based team orthopedist at Georgia State University and a staff physician with Peachtree Orthopeadic Clinic. Griffin was not involved with the study.

Stress fractures occur when bones face repetitive strain over a long period of time, especially when bones are not given time to heal.

The new study found that risk factors for stress fractures injuries vary by gender, with young female athletes having a heightened risk for fracture at a younger age and lower body mass than male students.

Still, "our study is suggestive that this is a big problem for all student athletes," said study author Dr. Andrew D. Goodwillie, chief orthopedic resident with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in New Brunswick, N.J. Read more...

We value your comments and feedback. We encourage you to submit articles and items of interest for the newsletter and the new website.

Sincerely,

Jeff Beggs, CMAA
Atlanta Public Schools

Georgia Athletic Directors Association
www.gadaonline.net