Athletic Director Tom Roys recently made the decision to retire after 37 years here at AHS. With his retirement comes a demand for someone to take his place. As of this time, his replacement has yet to be announced to the public, but many students around here have their opinions on how they think the new A.D. can find success.
“They need to manage the sports well and make sure they get the proper funding,” multi-sport athlete Lincoln Kazen (‘29) said.
Though it may be obvious, that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. The bottom line to an Athletic Director is making sure our athletics run as smoothly as possible. Funding is a whole other topic. If funding isn’t balanced, you get a surplus in certain areas and a drought in others.
Cheerleader Blake Burr (‘28) said “The new AD just needs to treat all sports the same and just bring the same effort forth to every team.”
There’s no doubt that some sports are more popular than others. It’s obvious that football and basketball are going to pack stadiums and gymnasiums. This doesn’t mean that the other sports are inferior or less. Football and basketball may generate more revenue, but other sports still deserve equal budgets and opportunity.
“A successful AD has a good relationship with their student-athletes” said baseball infielder Easton Aalbu (‘27).
A.D.’s need to not only care about the sport, but care about the players. Without players, a sport is pointless. If players feel unheard and unappreciated, it lowers morale and turns people away.
In terms of the importance of Athletic Directors, Kazen and Burr seem to be in agreement regarding responsibilities around organization. Coaches have enough to worry about as it is. If they also are trying to manage chaos within the logistics, it leads to discourse. Without an A.D., there’s nobody to schedule games. There’s nobody to manage funding. There’s nobody to hire coaches.
Aalbu said “They have good relations between school and sports, and making sure everyone stays in line.” Though we like to think high schoolers are mature, most of the time, certain individuals still need structure and guidance.
Throughout his years at the high school, Mr. Roys has reflected lots of these values that interviewees mentioned, such as involvement and compassion towards not only his craft but his players.
“He seemed like he was pretty good at getting games rescheduled when they were canceled,” said Kazen.
Burr said “He was always there, not just there, staying there, but I feel like he always had pride in the audience.”
“Roys did a good job of making sure everyone knew he cared about each sport, and getting to know each individual athlete pretty well.” said Aalbu.
I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Roys left a lasting impact on the athletes of AHS. Whoever fills the position has to be more than someone who makes phone calls and schedules games. They need to take pride in their job and their product. It won’t be easy, but I have no doubt that the new guy will have no problem living up to Roys’ legacy.
