Administrators wear many hats and deal with what can be categorized as minutiae throughout the day. It’s a part of the job. Athletic Directors also have to handle minutiae throughout the day and have the privilege to interact with student-athletes and coaches in very meaningful ways. I’ve asked the Gahanna Lincoln High School Athletic Director, Justin Sanford (@jsan0900) to provide us a glimpse of his day:
So let’s begin in the morning!
I have certainly grown to appreciate the blessing of time; Time that you have to spend with those that you love and unfortunately, the time that you don’t. The job of an Athletic Director doesn’t begin an end as a traditional school day would, this appreciation of time spent with your family is precious.
Each morning, I’m grateful for the joy of preparing a quick breakfast for my boys – they love bagels or waffles; what can I say? Then, I take one or both of them to either preschool (Kirill), or to catch the bus heading to High Point Elem. (Caleb). Even if for just a brief 10 – 20 minutes with them each morning, I’ve come to cherish this time for, there are several evenings throughout the week that a sporting event will keep me at school after the boys have already turned in for the night.
Here at Gahanna Lincoln, I have the privilege to manage the custodial staff, oversee the operating expenses for the high school and serve as Athletic Director too.
This morning arrival (7:20), I went straight to the gymnasium – I had received a call from one of our night custodians that there was an issue with the bleacher system retracting back into place following our Girls Basketball game last night (FYI, left the school for home at 9:30pm last night). Knowing our Phys. Ed. Classes would need those retracted for class, that was the first order of business… Unlocked the bleacher lever that somehow locks on its own, and Boom! Bleachers Retracted!
Then it’s off to answer emails and radio calls-the front door closing mechanism isn’t working properly (I’ve got no answer for that one), maintenance work order entered into the system – done!
Logged into the AESOP system to see what custodians might be calling off today…all present and accounted for!
More email answering for contest requests of game scheduling, purchase order request to be completed and appropriated, met with one of our student-athletes to go over her NCAA clearinghouse worksheet, completed the officials payment statements from last night’s game, tally the deposit from the game as well…
Where were all the spectators by the way, that was not a very good gate…
Take a stroll through the hallways to get some face time with students (did you say facecake?)…
And before you know it, it’s off to an 11:00am meeting with Scott Schmidt at Central Office to discuss facility rental agreements and schedules.
How about some lunch? Is there tuna salad at the salad bar…my favorite and would choose to eat that every day if available…..oh the suspense….Ahhh….Chicken Salad….skipping lunch and heading to the bank to make a deposit.
This afternoon will bring more paperwork…this time its documents for our athletic conference (the Ohio Capital Conference – OCC) for which we are a member. I have the great pleasure to serve as the Audit Committee Chair and currently working the conference through compliance for our 501.c3 non-profit status. Did I say great pleasure??? There are filings that need to be met for our Articles of Incorporation and the IRS SS-4 filing…I must have missed a meeting and was assigned this position, I highly doubt anyone would volunteer to head up an Audit Committee…So this afternoon will mean meeting with our conference commissioner and getting his signature of sets of documents that need filed.
The next hour or so, I received several “pop ins” from teachers that have maintenance issues in their rooms, an impromptu phone call from a parent that’s upset with something going on in their child’s athletic program and a visit from Dale Foor, soliciting items for the Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation Auction.
Have to make copies….jam….clear copier jam and resume copying….jam….call Ms. Effie, she has the magic touch and doesn’t like when I touch the copier anyway!
As we approach the 3:00 hour, I will meet with our head night Custodian, Ken Wolford and discuss any scheduled events for this evening, issues that need attended… then, he and his crew start their duties as the building begins to clear out.
Make my rounds throughout the building to visit with coaches and teams, to see how the programs are doing…stop by for a quick critique of the Cheer Comp Squad routine…they’re gonna rock this route this year…and if I’m lucky, interact with several of our student-athletes along the way.
This by far, is the greatest blessing of this job…to be a part of these student-athletes lives, even if from somewhat afar. The lessons and attributes in which they learn and are exposed to, can be life-changing if they allow it. Working with coaches that can influence the lives of these young people every day is not only a blessing, but a responsibility; and it’s one that the coaches at Gahanna Lincoln High School take great P.R.I.D.E. in.
It was said, “That a coach will influence more people in a given year, than most people will do in a lifetime.” Billy Graham
And our coaches – myself included, choose to accept this as a Blessing and not a Responsibility! I’m grateful for our coaches, and my opportunity to be the Athletic Director at Gahanna Lincoln.
Hey look, its 4:00 and we do not have an athletic event tonight, so I’m shutting down and heading home to spend a few, precious, appreciated moments with my family.
Until we do it all again tomorrow! Go Lions!