February 2023 Newsletter
Pushing Forward and Improving for 2023!
Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA - NSIAAA Executive Director
As we have reached mid January of the new year, it reminds me that all things new have a past as well. The NSIAAA Board of Directors works diligently each year to provide for the membership.
The NSIAAA Board meets in person five times a year, but the work they accomplish during those meetings and in their own time is of immense importance to our membership. Things do not happen on their own, and the planning and organization they help with in providing quality professional growth opportunities for all of our members should not be forgotten.
Our board has reviewed and approved our newest NSIAAA Strategic Plan. It has some excellent goals to strive for and we will be working toward the implementation of them through 2025.
One of those is our NSIAAA Membership, which at last count was currently at 267 members as of 1/24//2023! Our highest ever was 228 back in 2015 & 2022, so we are WELL beyond our goal for this year! Ultimately, our board would like to have 100% of our NSAA member schools AD’s as part of our membership to help provide the best professional growth we can. The NSIAAA was awarded an NIAAA Commendation tin 2021-22 for our Record Membership, and we look forward to receiving this recognition again at the 2023 National Conference
We made final preparations for the upcoming 2023 Spring Awards Luncheon, to be held at Wilderness Ridge GC on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 starting at Noon. This is the Tuesday prior to the NSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament, and with their change in format this year, thus the date change for our awards luncheon. Multiple award recipients were chosen from nominations made to the board at our last meeting. We hope you can join us to help honor those who are very deserving of the various recognitions. Please confirm your attendance via the email sent to all members on January 20th!
Speaking of NSAA Basketball, the NCA & NSIAAA will be evaluating sportsmanship at the State Basketball Tournaments once again. If you would like to help with this (and we always need help!), please contact Darin Boysen, NCA Executive Director at darin.ncacoach.org They will need help with both the girls and boys tournaments again this year, so volunteer if you can give up some time to do so!
The NSIAAA is also a sponsor of the State Cheer & Dance Competition in Grand Island - February 16-18, 2023. This is coming up quickly, and if you can help volunteer even a little bit, it is a huge help in running the event. Please checkout the signup at Workers Per Day Sign Up 2023 for this event to see where you can be of great service!
The NSIAAA Board began the review of possible sessions and speakers for the 2023 NSIAAA Fall Conference. We had some great suggestions for some very pertinent topics, and I am working to get those folks contacted and lined up to share with our members in Kearney next November.
The Scholarship Deadline for the 2023 NIAAA and 2023 NSIAAA Scholarship Applications is February 25, 2023, which is coming up QUICKLY!!! Qualifying seniors can download the application form (NIAAA for all seniors, NSIAAA for the son or daughter of a current NSIAAA member) from the NSIAAA website. Completed forms should be emailed to billfitz54@gmail prior to the 2/25/2023 deadline.
Several of the Leadership Training Coordinations in NIAAA Section V have come together to organize the 2023 LTI Institute to be held in Omaha June 12 - 14, 2023 in conjunction with the NIAAA Section V Meetings. There will never be a better time to work toward certification than during this time! The opportunity to take up to three LTI courses all from national faculty as well as prep and take the CAA Exam (if qualified to do so) will exist right in our backyard! See the schedule here and look for Nate Larsen, NIAAA LTI Coordinator to get information out to all about signups in the near future! 2023 Section V Summer Institute
As we move toward the end of the 2022-23 school year, I would like to thank a couple of board members for their service and introduce another:
Jeremy Van Ackeren - PLV South has served FIVE years on our executive council, as he did a two year stint as NSIAAA President to fill a hole in our progression. Even in his “extra” time, Jeremy was a great leader of this organization, and we appreciate his extra efforts!
Jordan Cudney - Hershey has served as President this past year, and through the pandemic has helped us keep in touch and move forward in our organization, either in person or virtually. His leadership on our NSIAAA Board is greatly appreciated!
Starting in June, Dr. Mitchell Stine, CMAA - Norris will step on to our executive board as Vice President. We look forward to Mitch sharing his experience with our membership for a four year term.
We hope to see you all at the upcoming Spring Awards Banquet. Until then, take care of yourselves and keep promoting the benefits of educational activities at your schools!
District III Spotlight - Greg Conn, Wausa
This is my 38th year at Wausa Public Schools. I began my Education Career at Wausa High School as a 7-12 ITE instructor than received my Masters Degree in School Counseling and have been the School Counselor for the past 24 years. So adding to the hat collection, I am completing my 16th year as the Athletic/Activities Director at Wausa High School. My wife Kerri and I will be celebrating 37 years and have two sons, Andrew and his wife Sadie (Struebing) Conn who teach in the Palmyra School District and their two sons Calvin and Cooper, and my youngest son Austin who is employed by Athletico Physical Therapy in Omaha.
First off, education based athletics in high school allows each student the opportunity to compete on a team without paying to play. The goal of education based athletics is to help students thrive where the benefits can be seen considerably in the way students are molded for life after sports. In many cases, when the diploma is handed to a student, organized athletics have come to an end but to keep sports in their lives, several student athletes have found coaching as a way to stay involved in sports. Many successful coaches today were average players but because of there passion or the influence of a coach they played for, as in my case, are giving back and as a result develop life lasting positive relationships.
Wausa High School is in the beginning stages of implementing a series of meetings that is a continuation from the Sportsmanship Summit held in Norfolk and across the state. We have always sent kids to the summit but did not continue meeting with our students on how to involve the rest of the student body. Our first meeting was a review of the important messages we heard at the summit and our next 3 meetings will include topics on leadership and we also have two guest speakers also who will speaking to our kids in February.
LTI and Certification Coordinator
There are 4 main levels of certification that you may wish to pursue or possibly already qualify for. The various certifications & requirements are as follows:
RAA (Registered Athletic Administrator): LTI 501, 502 & 503, & a bachelor’s degree. The cost for a member to apply is $75.
RMSAA (Registered Middle School Athletic Administrator): LTI 501, 502, 503, 504, 700 & 701, a bachelor’s degree, & be employed as an AD. The cost for a member to apply is $100.
CAA (Certified Athletic Administrator): LTI 501, 502, 503, 504 & 506, a bachelor’s degree, be employed as an AD with 2 or more years of experience, & pass the CAA exam. The cost for a member to apply is $175.
CMAA (Certified Master Athletic Administrator): LTI 501, 502, 503, 504, 506, 508, 510, any 600-level course, any 700-level course & 3 additional elective courses, a bachelor’s degree, previously earning your CAA certification, & the completion of a project. The cost for a member to apply is $200.
If you are unsure whether you have met the requirements to sit for the CAA exam you can look on the NIAAA portal (personal data form) or contact me for assistance. If you plan to take the exam, you will need to register in advance through the NIAAA portal & let me know. Let’s keep those certification numbers growing!
The Section V Summer LTI Institute is scheduled in conjunction with our section V meetings in Omaha. The Institute will take place Monday through Wednesday, June 12-14. We will be offering 4 classes Monday morning with section meetings Monday afternoon. Tuesday will have section meetings in the morning followed by 4 more classes in the afternoon & then a study session for the CAA exam. Wednesday will have 4 more classes in the morning followed by the CAA exam. This will be a great opportunity to take some classes from the people who wrote them &/or national faculty members. It will be the best opportunity for professional learning outside of the national conference! As soon as registration information is available, I will make sure to share it with everyone.
We are always searching for creative ways to offer LTI courses for our membership. LTI 705 Athletic Administration: Coach Centered Educational Athletics a Character Based Coach to Coach Mentoring Program will be offered from 8:00AM-Noon at a leadership/coaching clinic hosted by Scott Anderson & I at Fremont High School on Saturday, April 15th. Beyond that, if you have a particular course that is of interest to you, find a few colleagues that share your interest, I’m happy to travel to teach a course if we have at least 4 people taking it.
If you are looking for some other options to take classes, the spring webinars are a great option. The graphic below shows what is available in late February & most of March.
NIAAA National Conference in Nashville was AMAZING!
Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA
The NIAAA National Athletic Directors Conference was held in Nashville, TN December 9 - 14, 2022 at the Gaylord Opryland Marriott. This was without doubt the highest attended NADC to date, and with 30 Nebraska AD’s and some of their family members, it was well attended by the NSIAAA.
Some other highlights from the conference, including those of Nebraska significance:
The 2022 NIAAA Award Winners were recognized in person at a reception and awards night on Tuesday, December 13. This included:
Jack Tarr, CMAA - NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations Jack!
Our NIAAA Section V was well recognized as well, with others attaining DSA recognition (Josh Scott, CMAA - MO and Jason Wiberg, CMAA - ND) and Hall of Fame status (Jim Dorman, CMAA - SD)
Numerous committee meetings occurred, with Jack Tarr, CMAA serving on the NIAN Committee and Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA serving as chairman of the NIAAA Publications Committee. Mr. Fitzgerald also received recognition as the outgoing chairman of this committee. Others are hoping to be selected for these prestigious positions - if interested, apply on-line via the NIAAA Website.
Several Nebraska attendees took advantage of all the LTI classes that were offered, and they are now that much closer to CAA or CMAA certification!
The Nebraska delegation was pleased to take part in the Opening General Session and the Closing Business meeting, as well as five members representing Nebraska at the NIAAA Delegate Assembly.
The Nebraska activities directors attended numerous professional development sessions offered throughout the five days of the conference.
We also enjoyed the hospitality provided by several of our state sponsors at the Section V Hospitality Room, as well as others we attended off site - they were a welcome addition to the evening schedules! Thanks to our sponsors who helped fund some of this hospitality!
Steve Throne, CMAA spent his conference working as a member of the NIAAA National Board. Mr. Throne is heavily involved in representing Section V on this board, and continues to be a bright spot with his imagination and wit!
In 2023, the 54th Annual NADC will be held in Orlando, FL at the Orlando World Center Marriott from December 15-19, 2023. Make plans to attend and grow professionally. It is without doubt the best professional development an athletic administrator can take part in. The Orlando site is very close to Disney World, so it could be a great family trip as well!
2022 NSIAAA FALL CONVENTION RECAP/ NSIAAA GOLF TOURNAMENT
Ryan Hogue, CAA
To my fellow NSIAAA members and athletic director colleagues:
As we hammer down into the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year, I find myself looking back reflecting on how the fall went in our school district and with the associations I have the privilege to be a part of. One of them is the NSIAAA and the NSIAAA Fall Convention. The NSIAAA Fall Convention was once again a great success as we had very good attendance, sessions and vendor participation. This was also a record breaking year in membership for the NSIAAA as we signed up 266 Athletic Administrators from the state of Nebraska to the NSIAAA. GREAT Job Nebraska! This not only shows how important professional growth in activities is to you personally but it also shows other states how important professional growth in activities is to our state. Great Job!
As an NSIAAA board, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our conventions to better serve our membership needs, and, as is our primary goal, further support you in your own professional growth as an athletic administrator. We have always valued the results of the fall survey as a means to make adjustments to our year-to-year schedule. The results of said survey will guide us in the recruitment of the best presenters not only in our great state of Nebraska, but also across the country. It is most definitely a balance between necessity and fiscal responsibility with our convention budget but an area we take seriously year in and year out. We value our membership’s feedback while simultaneously considering the voice of our vendors, all in an effort to find a harmonious balance between the two.
As you know, we encourage everyone to visit our vendor booths throughout the convention as they are a crucial part of conducting a successful event. Furthermore, we will continue to look for more productive practices to encourage one-to-one interaction between our membership and our vendors at future conventions. We would also encourage you to let any of our board members know if you have any ideas that would help us improve this area of our fall convention or new vendors that we may not know of. If you know of any vendors that might be interested in attending the Fall Convention, please have them reach out to Dallas Sweet, NSIAAA Fall Convention Vendor Coordinator at Dallas.sweet@mps148.org or let Dallas know of their contact information and he can reach out.
Much has been said regarding how to address attendance at the Fall Convention, please see the following as our proposed approach. One of the primary goals within our strategic plan is to attract new members to join the NIAAA/NSIAAA, specifically encouraging them to attend the annual Fall Convention. Even though membership was a record high this year, our target is to have 100% of our athletic administrators across the state as members. Membership comes with a plethora of benefits in addition to the invaluable networking opportunities for our members, thus we feel the cost/benefit ratio is in our favor. We encourage all of you to help where you can in recruiting assistant and/or head athletic directors to join. The NSIAAA board intends to provide you with focused support throughout this process.
Finally, I would like to notify all parties concerning the annual golf tournament. The 2023 NSIAAA golf tournament will once again be held at Iron Horse Golf Course on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The board will always consider moving this tournament around the state from year to year but with last year's 33 team turnout, the board felt a return trip to this amazing course was warranted. The tournament is open to anyone who would like to play and is not relegated to only athletic directors, coaches, etc. Registration begins at 9:00am with a shotgun start at 10:00am. At the time of this newsletter (February 9), which is early in the registration process, we have approximately 16 teams signed up. The NSIAAA board decided in November of 2021 to dissolve our golf tournament partnership with the Nebraska Hall of Fame Foundation and return to hosting our portion of the golf tournament on our own to better support our scholarship fund. It was a huge success last year at Iron Horse Golf Club. The NEHOFF will once again host their tournament at Fremont Country Club, and the NSIAAA board plans to send several teams in a sign of support.
For more information regarding the NSIAAA golf tournament, please email me at ryahogue@kearneycats.com or feel free to contact me via my cell phone at (402) 469-3919. We look forward to seeing you on June 6th at Iron Horse Golf Course for a GREAT event.
NSIAAA President’s Message
Jordan Cudney
Hello members of the NSIAAA!!
We are getting to one of my favorite times of the calendar year, “Championship Season”! This is the time of the sports season where many of the conference, district, and state competitions are being held with the outcomes of these contests weighing large into whether a team continues to play or ends their season!! It is the opportunity for the student-athletes and coaches to put on display all the practice and preparation they have done throughout the season which have led them to this point which then culminates in our students getting the opportunity to participate in the banner events of the NSAA or NCA associations!
However, for us as activities directors, it is a time of year where we simultaneously celebrate the accomplishments of our students and our schools, as well as reflect as to how we navigated the winter activities season. This then can lead us to think about what changes we would like to implement in the upcoming spring activities season. Here are a couple of general areas to reflect on heading into the spring months:
Event Planning and Communication
How was your communication with schools you were hosting prior to and during the event? Are there any processes you would like to change up to be more effective and efficient in this area?
Social Media Promotion
Did you feel you were able to promote your programs well through social media? Unfortunately in the day and age we live in, the stakeholders we serve get their information from social media, so the more we can promote and communicate on those platforms, the more informed our stakeholders will be. There are a number of great platforms that help in this, including a NSIAAA sponsor, Go Gipper.
Weekly Communication with Stakeholders
Were you getting our pertinent information to your stakeholders in a timely manner this winter? Is there a way to become more efficient getting information out so that all parties are informed and any potential changes are communicated out?
Weekly Communication with Coaches and Sponsors
What were the processes you had in place to touch base with your coaches and sponsors this winter? Did you feel that you were able to communicate with them enough and have a good understanding of what was taking place in each program?
Practice Walk-Thru and Feedback
Were you able to get out and observe your coaches and sponsors in action whether it was at a practice or competition? If so, was there a process in place to provide them feedback in order to help them grow and improve in their profession?
Challenging Situations and Documentation
Did you encounter any challenging situations this winter with students, parents, or community members? How did you feel you handled these and were there things you would have done differently? Do you have a consistent way to document these situations for reference at a later date?
These are just some reflective questions we can ALL ask ourselves as we close out the winter activities season and move toward the spring activities season! I wish you and your schools all the best and I look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming state events, including the NSIAAA State Awards Banquet on March 7th, 2023 at Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln, NE!
District IV Spotlight - Jeremy Yilk, Cozad
My wife Elizabeth and I have been married 16 years and have four children–one daughter and three sons–with one in each school building this year. Our daughter Camryn is in 9th grade, Nolan is in 6th grade, Kasen is in 3rd grade, and Jensen is in Preschool.
I grew up in Gothenburg. After graduating from Gothenburg High School, I attended UNK where I got my Bachelors Degree in ELED & PE K-6 and Masters Degree in Administration.
I taught and coached in McCook for 14 years. This is my 4th year in Cozad as the Activities Director and Assistant Principal. As a family, we’ve enjoyed our time back in Dawson County and being closer to family.
There is no doubt in my mind that education-based athletics and activities in high school play important roles in all of our students. In addition to witnessing the improvement of academics, I’ve always enjoyed building relationships and seeing the teams and groups I’ve been involved with grow and develop together. They learn to lean on each other in the face of adversity and acquire those necessary leadership skills. Our students' days of competition will be some of the most important times of their lives in preparing for the future and will certainly impact the rest of their lives.
Cozad Community Schools have recently begun construction on a $26 million dollar project to address academics, facilities and other district needs. We will be adding additional classrooms at the high school and elementary to address our growing needs along with renovations in various areas of both buildings. An updated commons area in the high school will compliment our brand new competition gym. The bond issue passed with overwhelming fashion proving that our community is all in. We feel like this project will give us some of the best facilities in central Nebraska for both academics and activities.
President-Elect Message
Nate Larsen, CMAA
After he spoke at the NCA Clinic a couple years ago, I started following Brian Kight. I’d like to share a couple of his recent topics I have enjoyed that I hope you will find some value in too.
Everything is an exchange. You give attention, time, & energy to things with the expectation of a return on that investment.
Into work in exchange for money/impact/security.
Into reading in exchange for knowledge/insight/entertainment/escape.
Into competition in exchange for excitement/challenges/fulfillment.
Into exercise in exchange for health/confidence/better performance.
Now think about these three questions:
What am I giving my attention, time & energy to?
What do I expect to receive from that exchange?
What am I actually receiving from that exchange?
Your attention, time, & energy are your personal resources. You get to invest them based on your opinions & priorities. It isn’t uncommon for people to invest in things that don’t deliver a valuable return (how other people on the road drive for example), or make things worse (blaming, complaining & defensiveness). These are limited resources & when given to one thing they are taken away from something else. If you are spending your attention, time & energy on low-value things, what high-value priorities aren’t getting enough?
There’s a special relationship between the quality of your circumstances & the quality of your response. No matter your circumstance, the more significant variable is how you respond to it. People lose great opportunities when they react poorly to advantageous situations. People create incredible value when they respond well to unfavorable conditions.
ALWAYS MAKE YOUR RESPONSE BETTER THAN YOUR SITUATION! When your response is better than your circumstance, you improve your situation. When your response is worse than your circumstance, you make the situation even worse.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our spring awards banquet on Tuesday, March 7th at Wilderness Ridge. Best of luck to all of you as you continue to support your winter sports & activities!
NIAAA Awards to be Presented at the 2023 NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet
The NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet is less than a month away! Make plans to attend this event on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at Wilderness Ridge GC in Lincoln. Check-in starts at 11 am, with the banquet beginning at Noon.
We are honoring many deserving NSIAAA Athletic Administrators, who were nominated by their peers and selected by the NSIAAA Board for these honors. Many of you work with these folks on a weekly basis in your conferences. We hope you can all join us at the Spring Banquet to help us honor these outstanding people in our profession!
As a member, this banquet cost is part of your membership. Please be sure to respond to the email sent to you on January 20th and take a moment to fill out the Spring Banquet Attendance Confirmation Form - this will help us with planning for our numbers in attendance. This is due by February 15, 2023
2023 NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet - Award Recipients
NSIAAA Outstanding Service Awards:
Tim & Sue Higgins - Kearney
Mike Peck - Kearney
Don Ellicott - Southwest
Gary Beard - Logan View
Mary Gangwish - Waverly
Joe Shandera - Lincoln High
Mary Ann & Bob Williams - PLV & PLV South
Paul Edens - Official - Scottsbluff
Jayson Brueggeman - Athletic Trainer, Centennial
NSIAAA Award of High Distinction: Jay Bellar - NSAA Executive Director
NSIAAA Meritorious Service: Jeremy VanAckeren - Papillon LaVista South - Past President
NSIAAA District Athletic Directors of the Year
District I AD of Year: Brad McMillan - Waverly HS
District II AD of Year: Jeremy Van Ackeren - Papillion LaVista South HS
District III AD of Year: Jared Hansmeyer - Ainsworth HS
District IV AD of Year: Tracy Douglas - Hastings HS
District V AD of Year: Les Roggenkamp - Southwest HS
District VI AD of Year: Barry Swisher - Sioux County HS
NSIAAA Assistant Athletic Director of Year: Chris Ladwig - Grand Island HS
NSIAAA Middle School Athletic Director of Year: Jason Blanco - Scottsbluff MS
Mike Purdy / Mike McMahon NSIAAA Emerging AD Award(Given to an AD of 1 to 5 years experience): Michelle Heath, CAA - Weeping Water HS
NSIAAA President’s Award: Jordan Cudney - Hershey HS
Retiring NSIAAA AD’s Members:
Jerry Rempe - Southern
Mike Smith - Ralston
Nick Hostert - O’Neill
Mike Dempsey - Omaha Gross
Dick Ross - Grand Island CC
Greg Appleby - Summerland
NSIAAA State Athletic Director of the Year: Jeremy VanAckeren - PLV South
NIAAA & NSIAAA Scholarship Deadline Approaching
The NIAAA and NSIAAA Scholarship application deadlines are quickly approaching! The due date for both applications is February 25, 2023, and both applications can be found at this link: https://www.nsiaaa.org/nsiaaa-scholarship.
Both application forms are to be sent to:
Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA - NSIAAA Executive Director at billfitz54@gmail.com
The scholarships are open to seniors who’s Athletic Director is a member of the NSIAAA/NIAAA. If an AD needs to renew their membership, they can do so on the NSIAAA website (nsiaaa.org) by clicking the “Manage Membership” button on the top right of the page.
The NIAAA Scholarship (open to seniors who qualify) is a national competition that begins in each state:
There will be ONE MALE & ONE FEMALE Recipient per NSAA District ($250)
ONE Male & ONE Female will be selected from the District Winners as the OVERALL Nebraska Winner (Additional $500) and each OVERALL Winner will move on to the NIAAA Section V Scholarship competition in June.
Criteria:
1. Applicant must be a Senior
2. Applicant must have achieved at least one (1) of the following:
(A) minimum of B+ average;
(B) Ranked in the top 25% of class;
(C) ACT score of 24 or an SAT score of 1100 (Math and Reading)
3. Applicant must have participated in two sports for at least two years in each sport
4. Applicant must have earned at least one varsity letter in each of two sports
5. Applicant must complete attached scholar/essay application
6. Applicant must have a letter of recommendation from the high school athletic administrator/director
7. School athletic director must be an NIAAA member and a member of their respective state athletic administrators association.
8. The principal or athletic director must sign the application to insure that the academic information submitted is accurate.
9. All hard copy materials must be postmarked or electronic materials sent to the NIAAA State Liaison in your respective state (Bill Fitzgerald, NSIAAA Executive Director at billfitz54@gmail.com) by your state's deadline. (Nebraska - February 25, 2023)
The NSIAAA Scholarship (open to seniors who are the SON OR DAUGHTER of a current NSIAAA member) is a local Nebraska scholarship sponsored by the Gerry Gdowski Family.
NSIAAA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION (Sponsored by Gerry Gdowski Family)
Please follow these instructions carefully to be considered for the scholarship:
1. Type your responses on this form.
2. Be sure you and your parents sign and date this application and your selection
sheet.
3. Attach a resume of your activities, honors, awards, and community involvement.
4. Request one letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, or organizational
sponsor.
5. Submit the application and resume to the NSIAAA no later than February 25, 2023 to Bill Fitzgerald, NSIAAA Executive Director at billfitz54@gmail.com.
6. Applicants must be a son or daughter of a current member of the NSIAAA.
The NSIAAA / NIAAA Nebraska Scholarship Committee will select recipients based on the guidelines and those selected will be notified.
