As Ted Welch of York retires as athletic director, we look at the changing roles ADs are now playing.
There was a time when the high school athletic director was a coach (probably football or basketball), definitely a teacher. His or her duties, in addition to the classroom, might include setting up schedules, purchasing uniforms and equipment, and maybe lining the fields.
These days, only at smaller schools do you find athletic directors who also coach or teach. Technological improvements have made some things easier - scheduling, for example - but with more students playing more sports than ever, the days are longer and the demands endless.
And the job pressure, compounded by involved parents who are more vocal, is building.
"It's as stressful an administrative position as I've been in,'' said Andrew Dolloff, the superintendent of schools in Yarmouth and a former athletic director at Scarborough High. "And I think it's stressful because of the emotions that surround all the (sporting) events.''
"The athletic director is the administrative face for many school districts,'' said Mel Craig, the athletic director at Deering High in Portland. "For good or bad, a lot of schools hang their hats on their athletic programs. And you have the chance to be that face, that ambassador, for that program.''
"I look at us as a service job,'' said Mark White, in his fourth year as the athletic director at Presque Isle High. "More than any other department, we are here for the public. On any given home game we will have 600 to 700 people in our facilities. And we provide everything to help everyone.''
It's becoming harder to find someone willing to do that over a long period of time. According to Marty Ryan, a former athletic administrator (as they now like to be called) at Wells and Kennebunk, and now the executive director of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, there were 30 changes among the association's 148 high school and middle school members for the 2013-14 school year. Normally, Ryan said, there are about 20 changes per year.
"It's becoming a burnout position right now,'' said Thor Nilsen, who retired in 2013 after a 43-year career in education that included 26 as an athletic administrator. "Aside from the superintendent of schools in a community, the athletic administrator is the lightning rod for anything controversial.
"People want the athletic administrator to solve all the problems - get rid of this coach, suspend that athlete. You solve the problems and 50 percent of the people are happy.''
The MIAAA has been aware of the burnout issue for several years. In 2006, the association commissioned three members to put together a report on burnout in Maine. The conclusion was these administrators needed help, stating "it is essential that school systems re-examine the role of the athletic administrator in their communities.''
It suggested that school systems needed to provide the athletic directors with better support personnel as well as build contracts that more accurately reflect the actual time and responsibilities they have. The report also suggested the formation of a mentoring program to provide advice for younger athletic directors going through difficult times, and an examination of wellness programs for athletic directors; many of them spend most of the day at the school and may not exercise or eat properly.
Officials at the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association are concerned not only with the burnout, but also finding the right people for the position.
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