Many of you likely watched the Super Bowl last weekend. A highlight of the postgame show is seeing who will be named Most Valuable Player of the big game. Sometimes it’s obvious and other times can engender some debate.
However, when it comes to the MVP of our local sports teams at NRHEG, there can be no debate. It’s Dan Stork, activities director of our school district.
In the best of times, being the AD is a tough job. It’s not just managing sports, but all extracurricular activities including One Act Play (who placed second in section competition this year - congrats!), speech, and musical concerts. There is work to allocate gym space to different groups, which can be a real juggling act on its own.
Sporting events are usually scheduled about a year in advance. Officials have to be secured and workers assembled to do a variety of jobs associated with running any event. Then figure in weather and rescheduling and how to move all those pieces that were in place to different nights. This will happen occasionally during the winter and even more often in the spring.
Mr. Stork has to keep track, with the help of the office, who has paid athletic fees, who has physicals, and who might be ineligible for academic or other infractions. He has to make sure there are coaches for all levels of the sports, which is becoming increasingly tough to do.
I’m sure I’ve missed some of the things Dan is responsible for, but again, that’s all in a typical year. Now throw in a pandemic and an ever-changing landscape of what high school sports look like.
Let’s look at this year. In August, the MSHSL decided they would push fall sports to the spring, moving spring sports to the summer. So work began on what that might look like.
Then the MSHSL reversed course and started fall sports at the end of September. Schools scrambled to set schedules, get officials (many of whom had already taken jobs in Iowa, which started on time), and get communication out to athletes. Restrictions were placed on spectators; indoor sports couldn’t even have any. Then, on the day of the first volleyball game, the MSHSL changed things again, now allowing two fans per player. That pivot was a lot of fun for ADs and parents alike. (Can somebody please invent a sarcastic font for lines like that?)
Winter sports started late as a result. Plus, mask-wearing was added into the competitive mix, at least for basketball. (Side note: As an official, what a nightmare to decide when to stop play to warn about masks. I believe in wearing them, but ugh.) Even the beginning of that season was unknown for some time, making it tough to set schedules and get officials again, some of whom aren’t working this season because of health concerns.
Plus, mix in quarantining players and even whole teams, tracking close contacts to positive cases, and worrying every time any kid has a sniffle. Did we just play a team that now has a positive case? Did we have a positive case and have to notify the team we just played? Will the officials call the day of a game to tell you they are positive or have to quarantine? Are fans distancing and wearing their masks indoors? (Side note again: Whether you believe in masks or not, just do what you’re asked. Nobody likes it, but it’s a small price to pay for kids to keep competing.)
Mr. Stork has had all this on his plate this year. The man is stressed out on a good day. Add in the streaming I wrote about last week, which we’ve had too many issues with, and if he’s not completely gray by the end of this year, I’ll be surprised. Stopping by his office to confirm my schedule and any changes will usually involve him having to take a call or answer an email about some new problem.
In a normal year, the AD is an easy target for people who have a gripe. How dare you suspend my kid for a rules violation, why isn’t my kid playing, that coach should be fired. This year you can add why can’t I get more tickets and why do we have to follow the new rules. Dan desperately needs a secretary just to field all the calls so he can focus on the work at hand.
Dan has been so gracious and stepped in to help with coaching and officiating when people have to cancel or quarantine. And trust me, with the knee and foot problems he has, officiating is the last thing he should have to do. We need more people to officiate lower levels and to coach those levels too. Every year is a struggle.
When I started teaching, we were told to be available for as many extracurricular roles as possible; it made us more marketable. But with a teacher shortage, young people don’t feel that urgency anymore. To be honest, our district hasn’t made it a priority to hire people who express an interest in helping out in these areas. I know we want good teachers first and foremost, but the reality is you don’t know if someone will be a good teacher until they get in the classroom. You can know if they want to coach or officiate, and that question needs to get asked.
So the next time you see Dan Stork, smile and thank him for all his work. This has been a difficult year, but our kids get to compete because of all the work he has done. MVP! MVP!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is approbation, which means approval or praise, as in, “The AD didn’t seek approbation but was appreciative when he received it.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!