February 2022 Newsletter
Into the New Year - Working Toward Many Goals!
Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA - NSIAAA Executive Director
January has flown by to start 2022, which means the NSIAAA Board of Directors has been busy! Your board meet on January 17, 2022 to discuss several important topics:
We discussed and reviewed 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 aat last count was at 223 members. Our highest ever was 228 back in 2015, so we are hopeful we can ADD at least 6 more members to break that record and receive a commendation from the NIAAA. Won’t you help us recruit those small numbers to reach that goal?
We made final preparations for the upcoming 2022 Spring Awards Banquet, to be held at Wilderness Ridge GC on Sunday, March 6, 2022 starting at noon. Please note the change of date due to the NSAA Girls & Boys Basketball Tournament being held together March 7-12, 2022. That was necessary due to the BIG Ten using Pinnacle Bank Arena for the Big 10 Wrestling Tournament March 5 & 6. It’s going to make for a long week, but an exciting one for basketball fans and AD’s alike!
Speaking of NSAA Basketball, the NCA & NSAA will be evaluating sportsmanship at the tournaments once again. If you would like to help with this (and we always need help!), please contact Jack Tarr at jtarr55@gmail.com or Bill Fitzgerald at billfitz54@gmail.com by February 15 to get a slot on the evaluators schedule. Asking for a Monday / Wednesday OR Tuesday / Thursday commitment to a class to be consistent with evaluations. Thanks in advance if you can help out!
The NSIAAA Board selected our major award winners for the Spring Awards Banquet, which includes 13 Outstanding Service Awards to community members, media, and others who have had an impact on student activities in our state. We thank them for all they do out of the limelight.
District & State AD’s of the Year were chosen, as well as some special awards - Asst. AD of the Year, Emerging AD of the Year, NSIAAA Award of High Distinction. 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. Just go to the Manage Membership Link on the NSIAAA website, log-in to your account, find MANAGE pulldown at the top of the page, and pull down to ALL EVENTS, and click the attend the Spring Awards Banquet to show you will attend.
ADD TO YOUR CALENDARS: NSIAAA Fundraiser Golf Tournament, to be held June 7th, 2022 at Iron Horse GC in Ashland - this is a four man best ball tournament, so get your foursome together and make plans to play! Cost is $400 per team, which includes the golf, prizes, and a meal after the event. Proceeds go directly to our NSIAAA Scholarship Fund, so it’s a great cause!
Speaking of scholarships - Deadline for the 2022 NIAAA and 2022 NSIAAA Scholarship Applications is February 28, 2022. 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 2/28/2022 deadline.
Hope to see you all at the upcoming Spring Awards Banquet. Until then, take care of yourselves and keep promoting educational activities at your schools!
2021 NSIAAA FALL CONVENTION RECAP/ NSIAAA GOLF TOURNAMENT
Ryan Hogue, CAA - EdS
To my fellow NSIAAA members and athletic director colleagues:
I feel confident that I can speak for all of us in saying it was GREAT to return to our traditional Fall Convention format this past November. Even though it was a quick turnaround from our Spring Convention/Awards banquet, the attendance, session, and vendor showings resulted in a top tier event.
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 are looking at more productive practices to encourage one-to-one interaction between our membership and our vendors at future conventions. However, these practices are still in the developing stages thus more details are forthcoming as we work through the 2022 Fall Convention schedule.
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 continues to grow, 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 2022 NSIAAA golf tournament will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at Iron Horse Golf Course. 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 10), which is early in the registration process, we have approximately 16 teams signed up. The NSIAAA board decided in November 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. Despite the dissolution, the NSIAAA maintains a positive relationship with the Hall of Fame, which will not change; however, both parties felt it was better to host their own tournaments on consecutive weeks. As such, the NEHOFF will host their tournament the following week 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 7th at Iron Horse Golf Course for a GREAT event.
District IV Spotlight
Jeff Ellis - Broken Bow
My name is Jeff Ellis, I am in my fourth year here at Broken Bow Public Schools serving the district as the 6-12 Assistant Principal and 7-12 Activities Director. Previously, I served in the same role for two years at Southern Valley Public Schools. I am currently in my 18th year of education where I have spent time as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Most importantly, I have a wonderful family that has been very supportive of me and my career. I have been married to my wife Heather for 17 years and we have 3 amazing children. 14 year old freshman daughter Addison, 13 year old 7th grade son Andrew, and 5 year old Preschool daughter Ava.
The purpose of education based athletics is student growth and development. Important skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication along with character traits such as perseverance, respect and sportsmanship are taught on a daily basis through the opportunity provided by sports and activity participation.
Students who participate in extracurricular activities learn a sense of preparedness for the future. Being a high school athlete teaches kids that other people depend on them. Student-athletes develop the self-discipline, motivation and leadership skills that they will need to succeed in life.
Here at Broken Bow we have sustained some nice momentum in the majority of our activity programs, in particular our sports programs over the last four years. Some of us, myself in particular, have latched on to the hashtag #BowMentum or #GoBow due to this success. I would encourage you to jump on social media and check us out!
Facebook: Broken Bow Public School- Activities Department
Twitter: @BBHSINDIANSS
@jellis312000
Message from the NSIAAA President
Jeremy M. VanAckeren
I hope the fall and winter went well for everybody. We are officially in the stretch run for the 2021-2022 school year. The spring is fast and furious with many different activities going on. Please make sure you take time for your family and keep your life balanced as much as possible.
This is my last year as the President of the NSIAAA. I want to thank the NSIAAA board for all their hard work and dedication in making this the best organization. Being part of this board has created lifelong friendships and has made my life as an AD more balanced.
As I move to the past president position in the 2022-2023 school year; I wish Jordan Cudney the best as he will do a fantastic job as the new president.
Again, thank you for all that you do and keep fighting the good fight. Remember, relationships are important, and the students, coaches and teachers need your support. Stay healthy and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Jeremy VanAckeren
AD/AP
Papillion LaVista South
NIAAA & NSIAAA Scholarship Deadline Approaching
The NIAAA and NSIAAA Scholarship application deadlines are quickly approaching! The due date for both applications is February 28, 2022, 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:
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 28, 2022)
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. Either type your responses on this form or print legibly with black ink.
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 28, 2022 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.
District III Spotlight
Nick Hostert - O-Neill
I grew up in Butte, Nebraska and graduated from Butte High School. I attended Wayne State College where I had the good fortune to meet my wife Kathy. In 1990 we both accepted teaching and coaching jobs at O'Neill Public Schools. I have had the opportunity to work with many outstanding teachers and coaches over the past 32 years at O'Neill. Terry Lantz was the head boys basketball coach at O'Neill and I was hired as an assistant. Terry was an outstanding coach and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to have worked with him. When Terry left for Ralston a few years later I accepted the head boys job and during my time at O'Neill I have coached some level of basketball for the past 32 years.
In 2000 I accepted the 7-12 Activities Director position for O'Neill Public Schools where I am close to completing 32 years in education and 22 years in the AD role. I have served on the NCA Board and have really enjoyed my time at O'Neill as a teacher, coach, and administrator as I have had the privilege to work with a number of outstanding educators from O'Neill and surrounding schools.
We have three children. Heidi 28, Derrick 26, and Tyson 24 who all graduated from O'Neill High School and were active participants in the many activities we offer at OHS. They have college degree(s) and all three continue to stay active in high school activities, while working in careers outside of education.
At O'Neill Public Schools we offer many extra curricular activities. In order to have strong programs, you need strong leadership, and we are blessed with sponsors, coaches, and teachers who understand the importance of education based athletics. We believe that athletics are the "other half of education" and there are many lessons that can be taught on the field of competition. It is our goal to build teams who compete with desire, class and sportsmanship every day.
Our Board of Education has been very supportive of adding programs that will benefit our students. We were one of the first schools in the state to put laptops in all 7-12 grade students' hands. We continue to add programs and during my tenure as AD we have added Robotics, Softball, brought back FFA, and recently added Girls Wrestling. We now have a facility to handle more programs as we were able to renovate our High School Building while adding 15 new classrooms, including a 1400 seat performance gym complete with 4 new locker rooms, coaches offices, training room and 3 announcer booths. One of the announcer booths is home to another newer program to OHS, our Eagle Eye Broadcast team. This student led team streams daily announcements and most home events at OHS. Our EEB team is second to none for the live streaming of home events.
President Elect: Jordan Cudney- North Platte High School
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there.” James Clear, “Atomic Habits”
The preceding quote by James Clear speaks to the importance of making sure that we as activities directors have good systems in place as we begin 2022! Having good systems in place for our personal and professional lives can free us up to accomplish the “big ticket” items that sometimes we never feel we have the time to pursue or accomplish because of the demands of the job. Below, I will list out some of the systems I try to have in place so that I can be freed up to move some of the bigger stones in my personal and professional life. Please note this is not an “all inclusive” list of systems to have in place! However, these are four very simple things which have worked for me and they may work for you, or you may have other ones that allow you to be successful!
Establish a Morning Routine: No matter what time we get to bed at night or what time we have to get up in the morning, establishing a consistent morning routine can provide the structure your day needs to get off on the right foot. A consistent, daily routine helps to minimize distractions that can take us off course and lead to unproductive time. For me this looks like getting up at approximately the same time each morning, getting my water bottles filled for the day, doing my morning devotional time, working out, making breakfast for the family, changing and showering and then getting to school.
Establish an Email Routine: In our position as administrators it is very easy to be controlled by our email inbox. There is alway an email to open or an email that needs to be written. However, if we are strategic in when we check and respond to emails as well as when we write and send emails, we can find ourselves opening up time for more meaningful work. For me this means I check and respond to emails when I arrive at work, around the lunch hour, and at the end of the day. This allows me to focus my time and energies on tasks that I need to complete or get to for that day. I am at my best and most effective as a leader when I am not chasing emails around, but when I am out communicating with coaches & sponsors or working on items that need to be addressed.
3. Establish and Schedule Your Weekly To-Do’s: As activity directors and administrators there are repetitive tasks that we have to complete every week. These can include finances, sending out event information, writing discipline/code of conduct letters, setting up/checking on transportation, scheduling social media, etc…These are tasks that are always present in our day to day and tasks that we need to be proficient at if we want to do our job well! One of the most effective ways I have found to manage these tasks is to have a weekly day and time where I focus on each item. For example, during my time at Cozad and now at North Platte, I reserve Wednesday’s as my take to make sure all our bills are paid, checks are deposited, and credit card items are approved. If anything of a financial nature comes across my desk at any other point during the week, I place it in a folder and then I wait until Wednesday to take care of it. This has allowed me to focus on other items instead of always working on or focusing on activities finances.
4. Establish a Presence When at Home: Being “home” when we go home at night is one of the hardest things for us to do as activities directors. With the nature of our job, there are a number of people who depend on us being available to answer questions or troubleshoot problems. However, with me having four little ones and a wife at home, I have to work as hard as I can to protect the time I have when I get home. Some simple steps I am working on to ensure this is to let my staff know to not contact me after hours and when I am at home, unless it is an emergency and cannot wait until later. Additionally, I try to use the short drive I have home to clear my mind and get it off work and focus on the time I get to have with my family at home. Finally, I am working hard to put my phone in a drawer or take it upstairs when I get home and not check it until the kids are asleep for the night. This helps to remove the distraction of email or social media and allows me to be more present with my family when I come home.
NIAAA National Conference is a Big Hit in Denver!
The NIAAA National Athletic Directors Conference was held in Denver, CO December 10 - 15, 2021 at the Colorado Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency. Many exciting things occurred, but one of the most enjoyable was being able to see everyone from across the nation in person again after having a virtual conference in 2020. The smiles, hugs, and handshakes were well received by many friends who actually got to visit with each other!
Some other highlights from the conference, including those of Nebraska significance:
The 2020 NIAAA Award Winners were recognized in person at a reception and awards night on Friday, December 10. This included:
Steve Throne, CMAA - NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award
Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA - NFHS Citation Award
Mark Armstrong, CMAA - NIAAA Award of Merit (the highest individual honor given to an NIAAA member who has served exceptionally in his local, state, and national AD organizations.)
A past Nebraskan, Kevin Simmerman, CMAA of Blue Valley West HS in Overland Park, KS was a 2021 NFHS Citation Award recipient.
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. 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 delegation attended numerous professional development sessions offered throughout the five days.
We also enjoyed the many hospitality events provided by several of our state sponsors: HUDL, Daktronics, and our Section V States, as well as others we attended, were a welcome new addition to the evening schedules! Thanks to our sponsors for their generosity, and thanks to Jack Tarr for playing “modern day bootlegger” and driving the Section V beverages to Denver for all to enjoy!
Steve Throne, CMAA spent his conference getting acclimated to being a new member of the NIAAA National Board. Mr. Throne has started his three year term in January and is looking forward to the experience.
The 2022 NADC will be held in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Conference Center December 9-13, 2022. Make plans to attend and grow professionally. It is without doubt the best professional development an athletic administrator can take part in. Nashville is a great site for the conference and so many things to enjoy!
NIAAA Awards to be Presented at the NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet
The NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet is less than a month away! Make plans to attend this event on Sunday, March 6, 2022 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. Just go to the Manage Membership Link on the NSIAAA website, log-in to your account, find MANAGE MEMBERSHIP pulldown at the top of the page, and pull down to ALL EVENTS, and click the attend the Spring Awards Banquet to show you will attend, then hit SUBMIT at the bottom of that form.
2022 NSIAAA Spring Awards Banquet - Award Recipients
NSIAAA Outstanding Service Awards:
Dist. 1 - Ann Kramer - Malcolm (Administrative Assistant)
Dist. II - Shannon Harney - Oakland Craig (Community Member)
Dist. II - Jim Gilin - Millard South (Community Member)
Dist. III - Bob and JoAnne Wiebelhaus - Hartington Cedar Catholic (Community Members)
Dist. III - Randy Kliment - Creighton (Retired AD /Community Member)
Dist. IV - Mark Hehnke - Paxton (Community Member)
Dist. IV - Chuck Kasson - Amherst (Community Member)
Dist. V - Gary Wiemers - McCook (Community Member)
Dist. II - Randy Gottula - (Media / Sunny 101.3 KLZA & KTNC, Fall City, NE)
Dist. II - John Nixon - (Media / Sunny 101.3 KLZA & KTNC, Fall City, NE)
Dist. II - Tom Eckley - Lou’s Sporting Goods (Vendor)
Dist. VI - Chris Cottrell - KNEB Rural Radio (Media)
NSIAAA District Athletic Directors of the Year:
District I AD of Year: Dr. J.J. Toczek, CAA - Lincoln Southeast
District II AD of Year: Steve Throne, CMAA - Millard South
District III AD of Year: Cody Wintz - Battle Creek
District IV AD of Year: Rick Petri - Kearney Catholic
District V AD of Year: Isaac Frecks - Alma
District VI AD of Year: Rick Barry - Crawford
NSIAAA Award of High Distinction: Kathi Wieskamp - District AD, Lincoln Public Schools
NSIAAA Meritorious Service: Lance Smith, CAA Millard West, Past President
NSIAAA Assistant Athletic Director of Year: Bubba Penas - Papillon LaVista South
Past President’s Award: Jeremy VanAckeren - Papillon LaVista South
Mike Purdy / Mike McMahon NSIAAA Emerging AD Award: (Given to an AD of 1 to 5 years’ experience): Jenny Wagner, CAA - Centennial
NSIAAA State Athletic Director of the Year: Steve Throne, CMAA - Millard South
We are excited to present these outstanding athletic administrators these awards, and hope you can join us to help celebrate their success!
LTI & Summer Clinic Offerings
Thanks to an outreach grant from the NIAAA, we will once again be offering LTC 501: Guiding Foundations and Philosophies, & LTC 502: Strategies for Organizational Management free to all first-time athletic administrators during the NCA clinic in July. All first-time athletic administrators who participate will also be able to take LTC 503: Enhancing Organizational Management for free online within 60 days of having taken 501 & 502. As a part of the outreach grant, we will also be able to offer 1 scholarship to attend the NADC for every 10 individuals who participate in the courses as part of the grant. In addition to the courses offered as a part of the grant, we will be offering LTC 706: Coaching Coaches to be Leaders and Educators for a fee for athletic administrators of all levels of experience during the NCA clinic.
Another date of significance will be the CAA exam being offered on Sunday, March 6th following our spring awards banquet for those who have completed the application process. Looking forward to our fall conference in Kearney, we will be offering LTC 506: Legal Issues II (Title IX & Sexual Harassment), & LTC 608: Management Strategies and Organization Techniques for a fee for athletic administrators of all levels of experience.
Something else to keep an eye on for the summer of 2023, is the possibility of an LTC summer institute. This is something that Section I has done successfully at Cape Cod for a week every summer. Some other state coordinators in Section V and I have been working on getting something similar started using the Lake of the Ozarks as our destination. The thought is that you would be able to take a class in the morning and spend the afternoon & evenings enjoying the location with your family or colleagues. We could participate in professional development as well as relax & enjoy everything the lake has to offer.
Keep an eye out for updates from your NSIAAA district representative as we get closer to the dates for all these opportunities. Have a great spring!
Nate Larsen
Activities Director
Logan View
