by Alex Schley
Jeffery Wood
If you became athletic director what would be your first order of business?
“I have a few Ideas that I would love to implement. One of whom is an athlete leadership program team, a leadership team made up of all juniors that are picked by their coaches. Also part of that program is the mentor program where the junior student athletes would mentor some younger student athletes. So I think it’s a great program not only because you’re learning leadership skills, but also it gets the entire school involved.”
What are your thoughts on the no-cut policy?
“I’m in favor of a cut policy for the necessary teams. A lot of teams don’t have the numbers to have a cut policy. Teams like football and track can afford to have a lot of numbers and don’t need a cut policy, but I think when it comes down to sports like basketball and volleyball with only a limited number of kids on the court at a time, I think you number one have to look at it as a safety issue. One coach cannot keep an eye on 25-30 kids at one time. I think that’s the biggest reason for it. Number two, I know as a parent I would want my kid to get the most out of their athletic experience, and if your one out of 25-30 kids at practice, are you getting the full attention you need to improve? So how good of an experience are you getting with that many people? Do I think a cut policy teaches life lessons that you’re going to continue with for the rest of your life? Absolutely. But I think the number one reason is the safety issue. And for that reason I would be for a cut policy for the necessary reasons.”
What are your feelings towards Morgan Bowl as far as other teams besides football being able to utilize it?
“Number one it’s a town field, but I mean it is my job to work with the town to provide equal opportunity for everybody. But I don’t really know who uses it and when, and that’s something I would absolutely look into. I mean it’s a school field that should be available to all varsity athletes, so if that is an issue and a concern that’s something I would absolutely look into and would help rectify.”
Jessica Gould
What can you offer to Hudson that would put you at an advantage over others?
“What I bring to the table is I have never backed away from a challenge, and challenge doesn’t mean something tangible. It’s more like being able to roll my sleeves up and be a part of the process. I’m not going to come in here and try and change a bunch of things, but I want to come in here and make sure that athletes feel comfortable talking to me, that the regular student feels comfortable coming and talking to me, teachers, parents, community members. So for me what sets me apart is my ability to create those connections and to build those relationships, so there’s a common respect and trust amongst all constituents, and that I have a proven track record. In terms of being able to face a challenge or having large obstacles in front of me, I always find a way. I always think outside the box, and I bring the people in I need to get the job done, whatever that job is.”
What are your thoughts on our no-cut policy?
“My own personal philosophy is earning what you get in life. So I do think there’s an aspect of athletics being a privilege. Youth sports aside I think when you get to 8th,9th,10th,11th you should be able to earn that spot on that team. So I’m not necessarily against having cuts. But open communication with parents and athletes, case by case, and then obviously in terms of resources, can we keep all of the athletes on a team happy? If you have 20 kids on a basketball team, how do you keep the other 10 on the team happy who don’t get playing time? And is it the best use of their time?”
How would you measure success in an athletic program?
“I think participation. The easy answer is are we winning, obviously you want to be competitive. But that’s not the only measure. So in terms of success for me, are you a good community member? Are you working hard? Is there improvement? Is there progress? Are people having a good student athlete experience? If there’s a structure and there’s a culture of everyone’s working hard, everyone’s getting a good student athlete experience.”
Ted Zawada
Why do you want to be the athletic director at Hudson High School?
“Hudson provides the opportunity for me to be a full-time athletic director at a big school with lots of programs.”
How do you feel about the current policy we have in place for cutting athletes?
“A. That isn’t up to me. B. According to the people I’ve talked to, it works. I would love to see how it works because in my mind if we have viable teams that are involving kids and connecting kids, then those teams should stay. Varsity teams don’t lose because of a no-cut policy.”
About the cut policy, would you prefer to have a complete cut or no-cut policy or a modified one like we have?
“Whenever you modify something, you get into the dangerous area of lack of consistency. So we get you have a no cut volleyball and no cut in basketball, but we can’t cut football? Do you think that works? I don’t think so. I think that it has to be a school policy and cultural belief of the school because it’s really not your culture if you decide to do it with one group and not the other. That’s really not your belief. You have to stand by your beliefs. If you start changing the rules for this, that, and the other thing, then you really aren’t considered tackling your actual belief system.”