Articles
Dealing with the Stress of Being an Athletic Director
You face it from all sides. Coaches want new uniforms that aren’t in the budget, parents are angry their child wasn’t played much in the game, students think something was unfair or don’t like their coach. Not to mention the pressure of keeping the athletic program running while dealing with these obstacles.
Here are some ways to settle the crowd and make the most of your athletic department:
Communicate effectively with students and parents as to what they would like to see more (or less) of at games and practices. Ask your Boosters (or create a Booster Club) to help bring in extra funds for fun activities and new equipment. Maybe they’d like to have more themed games to dress up for, or an alumni night. Find something everyone can enjoy.
Pictured above is Girard High School (OH)
Use VNN Alerts to let your community know what’s going on. Canceled game? Shoot out an alert. New facility just finished? Spread the word! The Alerts will display on your website for everyone to see, and can also be sent out as notifications for those who choose to sign up. By sending out Alerts, you are saving parents and students the hassle of finding out information on their own, and you can do it with a click of a button.
Annoyed with having to reach out to the media after every game to report scores? Look no further than Pressbox, VNN’s score reporting application. ADs and coaches can update the score of a game in real-time, and also send it out to the various media outlets in one simple step. Pressbox also sends the score to the website for everyone to see. It is a great time-saving app that every athletic department should use. Here’s how it looks on the website:
Sick of having parents and students drop off checks and forms to your office, only for you to have to keep track of every one? Luckily VNN websites include online forms, so students can fill everything out online, pay the fee, and even have a choice to donate to the athletics program. It is very easily accessible, and this can help de-clutter your desk.
Can’t remember everything you need to do in preparation for the upcoming seasons? Download our Essential Athletic Director’s Checklist on our website for a monthly checklist of things to do to get ready. Find it here: Essential AD Checklist.
With all these time-saving and stress-free techniques, you can focus on that big thing hanging over your head- the budget. Don’t forget to call in resources like parents to help start funds, and sell advertising on your site to receive a payback check! With all this information, you’re sure to have the athletic department under your belt.
Payback Time
VNN’s Media Specialist Darrell Stevens said that in Avon Lake, advertising was sold out before their website was finished being built. Stevens attributes this success to “the local community being very active and involved in Shoreman Athletics.”
For most schools, receiving a big payback check is only a bi-product of a different end goal. For Coach Skidmore, the Athletic Director at Belton High School, the payback check was not the reason they chose to work with VNN. “We didn’t do this with the hope of getting a paycheck, it was for the community to have a way to access what they need – like scores, schedules, and information about our athletes,” Skidmore said.
At James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, Athletic Director Jared Fribush has worked hard to make the most of their VNN platform , and as a result, saw a $500 payback this half of the year.
“The goal is maximum utilization of the platform, and the way to do that is for the Athletic Director and coaches to always be actively updating. The more content you have, the more up to date it is, the more often your fans will visit. Additionally, I have made a habit of posting links to the site on other social media outlets either through social media syncing or my personal channels, so those links drive followers directly to where we want them to be,” Fribush said.
When schools use their VNN athletic website to its full potential, they may find themselves holding up a check at the end of the year. Last September, VNN schools earned just under $218,000 in payback for participating in the VNN local advertising program, a total of over $330,000 this school year alone. Belton High School in Texas, Avon Lake in Ohio, and Temple in Texas were the three top earners for this period, with each school earning just over $2,500 a piece.
Fribush also touched on the importance of having good photos to draw people in. The hard work he put in with his coaches, combined with active community site visits and excitement around Bengal Athletics, paid off in the end.
“I knew that a paycheck was on its way, but the amount was a surprise. Our budget, like many other schools, is very tight. Every little bit helps, and this will certainly help us make ends meet,” Fribush said.
Not a VNN school and want to take advantage of the payback program? Join the network by scheduling a demo at: varsitynewsnetwork.com/schedule-demo/
How I Work: Jeff Pietz, Lakeside High School, WA
Athletic Director Jeff Pietz of Lakeside High School recently spoke with us about why he loves VNN, and how it has been benefitting his school and athletic program. As a passionate AD, Jeff gave us insight about his life and priciples, and how he runs his department.
As told to Erika Arora
Lakeside has always been my home. I grew up around the area, but I started off as a teacher and coach at Seattle Prep School from 1997-2006. In 2002, I became the AD there until I realized I missed where I grew up. I made the decision to move back, and have been a teacher and coach for 10 years, and athletic director for 5.
There are many principles that I honor and standards that I hold my students accountable for. I admire transparency, clear communication, honesty, and respect. Our students pride themselves with great sportsmanship and athleticism of all levels, and we try to involve our community as best as we can.
When it comes to my job, I’m the one in charge of everything on the website. For pictures and photo galleries, I ask parents to volunteer and capture the game. I’m training my coaches to write articles for their own teams, but I write all the major articles for the entire athletics program.
Varsity News Network has been a game changer for Lakeside because we love the layout of the website. We are mostly impressed with the headers you are able to create because they can be personalized with our own athletes. It’s extremely user friendly for parents and those of all skill levels. Appearance of our site meant a great deal because we wanted an exciting way to promote our athletes. VNN has done the job.
I love the customer service. You guys listen and there’s progress. I always get an answer. It has simplified my daily tasks immensely because it makes it a lot easier to get information out to more people. It’s a one-stop shop, and I’ve only just skimmed the surface of what VNN has to offer. I’m excited to take some time and dig deep and explore more.
I have a lot of favorite Lakeside moments, too many to narrow down. We are consistently and proudly sending our teams to State. We love the way our students represent our school.
My favorite athlete would have to be Deion Sanders. He’s pretty brash and confident, but I grew up watching him play and I was impressed that he could play both baseball and football. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and he inspired me greatly.
My advice to other VNN ADs: Don’t be intimidated by all the features. Dive into it, play and practice until you find something that works, then ease into it. I started very basic with VNN but am finding more ways to make it fun. A lot of people are hesitant about change and learning something new, but my thing is that it can seem daunting, but the change is a positive one. VNN takes a lot of pressure off.
The Qualities of a True Champion
What is the measure of a true champion? Some people say that it is all about winning, others say it’s about competing to the best of your abilities. While both of those points are accurate, one aspect of being a champion, arguably the most important, gets overlooked. A true champion, and for that matter a championship culture, gives back to their community. Sports are a wonderful and powerful way to bring communities together. Every student athlete is supported by friends, family, and their community week in and week out. Come rain or shine, those community members come to show their support.
Community giving usually gets overlooked. So today, we will be celebrating schools who shared awesome photos and articles about the different ways they gave back to their communities in the past year. Here are a few schools we found who displayed this quality:
In March, the Eagles boy’s Varsity basketball team went to Grand Rapids Christian Elementary to read to students. As a young kid, nothing is more exciting than getting to hang out with “larger than life” high school athletes. Those boys on the basketball team are huge role models for these young kids. Not only are they promoting sports to the kids, but also the importance of reading and getting an education. Great job, Eagles!
This past December, the Erie Tigers girl’s Varsity basketball team collected slightly worn coats and sweaters. They donated the collection to two charities that help the less fortunate start becoming more self-sufficient and keep warm during the cold Colorado winter. They then used the coats as tickets, so every person that donated received a free admittance to the game. Great idea and great job ladies, keep it up!
Here is a link to their awesome flyer they created for the donation. Erie High School Girls Basketball (1)
Recently, the Ann Arbor Huron River Rats athletics held the Unified Games. Their high school athletes and other community volunteers met at the high school, middle school, and elementary school to host these games. The Unified Games are designed to help mentally handicapped and disabled members of the community compete in various sports and have a blast while doing it. This is a special event that is filled with joy, and a lot of hugs. These student athletes brought so much joy into their community for people who don’t always get to partake in sporting events. Thank you for sharing River Rats, and great work!
A few months ago, the Meridian Warrior track team wanted to give back to their community. They decided to start a fundraiser to support reading efforts at Meridian elementary school. Their plan was to sell “Kids Helping Kids” cards to the members of their community. The money they raised would be used to give kids free reading material for an entire year. Each card was to be sold at $20 which is the cost of covering one child for an entire year. In total, the Warrior track team sold 42 cards! Now, thanks to them, 42 kids of the Meridian elementary school will have access to free reading material for the next year! Way to go Warriors!
Here is another great story about high school athletes giving back to kid’s education within their community. Recently, members from the Hornets girl’s softball, boy’s basketball, and girl’s tennis team all participated in a program they call “Week of Young Child”. The program was for these athletes to read and have fun with kindergarten and first grade students. It is always great for the young kids to interact with the high school athletes, but giving back can be just as rewarding for the athletes. Kenny Washington, a boy’s basketball player at Beech Grove said, “My experience was a very enjoyable one. It surprised me how excited the kids were to have us there. It made me feel good that they actually look up to us and enjoy having us there!” Very cool article Hornets, good work!
A few months ago, the Bartlett Panthers started marketing for their annual “Running of the Rams” event. The Running of the Rams is a 5k race in order to raise funding for the Fine Arts and Physical Education programs at Oak Elementary school. After paying a fee, participants will enjoy a spot in the race, live music, food, and different awards. This is a fun way to bring the community closer and raise money for a great cause. Great idea Panthers and we hope the turnout was exceptional!
Here is a link to the article which contains their great flyer as well as the race loop map. http://wearebartlett.com/2016/04/28/3rd-annual-running-of-the-rams/
At the beginning of this year the members of Flatbrush Falcons boy’s basketball team went to OHEL Bais Ezra to visit adults with disabilities. This home is designed to cater to the needs and desires for adults with disabilities in their community. The boys went there with welcoming arms to bring enjoyment and entertainment to these adults. Not only did they bring delightful conversation and great attitudes, which is all you can ask for, they also brought gifts. Many members of the OHEL Bais Ezra home are interested in music, so the boys brought with them various musical instruments including some bongos and a guitar. The music brought them all together as members of the basketball team and OHEL Bais Ezra sat down and played music together. Looks like everyone had a great time and benefited from the event. Way to go boys!
We love to hear about these wonderful stories that bring communities closer. Congrats to these seven schools and keep up the good work! If you have any other great stories like these feel free to send them our way, we would love to hear them.
How I Work: Sam Skidmore, Belton High School (TX)
Belton High School from Belton, Texas has impressed us all by consistently holding one of VNN’s top spots for most athletic website traffic each month. Coach Sam Skidmore might have some tricks up his sleeve to be able to produce such outstanding results. The Belton Tigers have overtaken high school athletics all over the country. This Tigers’ Coach has his hands full, but balances his priorities well to achieve a very successful VNN school website.
As told to Erika Arora
I played sports all my life, starting in high school where I played football and baseball, all the way through college when I was on the football team at Tarleton State University, playing for the Texans. From there I realized I couldn’t see myself doing anything else but sports, so I became a coach. I’ve been at Belton High School for two years now, and the kids and faculty here are great.
As a coach, I’m highly motivated by the students. I try to provide a connection with the kids, as my coaches did with me. I aim to be a role model for them because there are a lot of kids with single-parent households and other situations, and just being there for the kids is really something valuable.
When we partnered with VNN, I delegated who was in charge of what teams, but I finalize all posts because I’m in charge of our athletic website.
Each head coach is responsible for publishing articles about their sports. They are required to provide an itinerary for any out-of-town trips, and articles are mandatory for any contests we run.
All of our teams have individual Twitter accounts, so VNN linked them so that whatever content we post, it automatically goes out to all the Twitter pages, which also have the link to our website.
The majority of our website views come from parents, students, and community members. Parents love to go to our website and look through the photo galleries and save pictures of their kids. A lot of people will send someone a link to our website to show them game results or pictures, and that is one way we generate pageviews. Our goal is to kill it with content.
My team of coaches who crank out content aren’t just doing it for the fun. We make it a requirement for them to update their team online timely and accurately. It’s simply part of their job description. It’s easiest to make each coach of every sport responsible for their page, then oversee them. After, have someone ensure that it’s the way you want it.
There is one quote that I believe shares my views as a coach:
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
– Teddy Roosevelt.
The one thing I believe all athletes should remember is to just compete. Whether you win or lose, it’s all about the competition. Varsity News Network has created a place for Belton to bring the community together, and spread the excitement through sports.
Check out Belton’s website and see their teamwork for yourself!
Growing Your Community Reach by Sponsoring a VNN School
Josh Van Manem from Acme Pure Blu, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, gave us some insight on why he chose to sponsor 10 schools around Michigan. Acme Pure Blu simplifies the fun and relaxation of pools, spas, and outdoor living. Through pool and spa services and retail products like openings and closings, weekly cleanings, BioGuard three-step chemical plans, and Arctic Spas, the company’s goal is to enhance the enjoyment of your outdoor time.
As told to Erika Arora
Through its predecessors, the company has been around for over 30 years. In May 2015, Jamie Rynbrandt and I acquired the service and retail parts of Acme Pool Construction, the main brand it was under at the time. Acme Pure Blu is now a separate entity from the construction side, and provides all the services retail offerings
As CEO and majority owner, part of my role here is to focus on marketing, the customer experience, coaching employees, and developing strategic plans for the future. As a company, our slogan is, “Fun and Relaxation Simplified”, and our hope is to give individuals and families opportunities and time for more active and fun lifestyles, specifically incorporating water in their backyards.
The reason we chose to advertise on these school’s sites is because we saw an opportunity to communicate directly with communities that we already have a lot of customers within. We’re in the recreation industry and this obviously fits in well with athletes and their lifestyle. I like the idea that we’re encouraging and supporting high school athletics and an active lifestyle. We saw an opportunity for our business, and we took it. Through VNN Advertising, our company is out there and we have gotten our brand name around. Any time we’re more visible and have a presence, I definitely think that’s going to add benefits.
I like the idea that we’re supporting athletics and an active lifestyle. We’re doing this for families and students that have a passion, and we’re doing a small role supporting their athletics. Some high schools we sponsor are East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Christian, and Catholic Central. We chose these because they are in the community of where most of our customers are, and it’s our way to give back to the school. We want to give the students all the recognition they deserve.
Depending on their objectives, I believe a company should invest in VNN Advertising because not only does it provide exposure to your business, but it also helps the athletes and the school by giving back a little. If they’re looking for a way to communicate with families and schools and support them, I think it’s a very effective way to advertise.