Dealing with Entrenched Coaches 2007 Oregon Athletic Directors Association Sunriver, OR. April 2007 Presenter, Kevin Bryant, CMAA, Associate Principal for Athletics/Activities, Tigard HS, Tigard, OR.

Before we start talking about coaches, What do you see as your job as the AD?  A wise man once said, our job as AD’s is to Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the comfortable  Are you a leader or manager?  Are you a builder or maintainer?  Understanding and accepting expectations is critical to our success as AD’s Kevin/Sara example of expectations Result of expectations = anger and/or depression  Confrontation and Conflict are unavoidable in our jobs  Putting if off is not really dealing with it. Famous AD Mr. Goodwrench….pay me now or pay me later

What does entrenched mean anyway?  To place in a strong defensive position.  To enter upon or take over something unfairly, improperly or unlawfully.  Established, fixed, rooted, stuck, ingrained, implanted, embedded, settled, ensconced, deep seated, deep rooted.  Do you take entrenched to be a good or bad thing?? What questions do you have regarding dealing with entrenched coaches?

What is good about entrenched coaches?  Experienced  Legend, veteran, history maker, one who has endured.  Cannot the entrenched coach help us make our overall athletic program better?  Are there not some ways to have the entrenched coach assist us? What might they be? Vision, Mentoring, Advice, Voice of reason, respected, can help calm people down. Leadership. Set the pace and tone for the department.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!  Easy for us to be intimidated/and or fearful of the “kingdom” of a coach! Barb F. and you are not my boss! Welcome to Aloha HS! What might I have to “teach” this veteran?  Why would we treat other coaches different than the “entrenched” coach?  My coaches are my “team” I expect everyone to be on the same page. Job descriptions/expectations for each coach  Invest the entrenched coach in the process, get them to buy in and own it like we do.

When do you teach a old dog new tricks and when do you get a new dog?  How do you like your new job? FAQ in my life Tigard HS—38 new coaches in first 9 months of life. Look up entrenched in the dictionary and you will see a picture of Tigard HS prior to this year  Everyone needs to abide by the same rules. Don’t let coaches get away with “but I’ve always done it that way before”  Make sure the job description is clear. Don’t let yourself get “patted on the head”  Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate Prior to starting the season, midseason, postseason

Decide which hill you want to die on!  Cheater  Treats kids poorly  Abuses officials  Poor administrator  Does not respect authority  Bad with parents  Wins, so is “off limits”  Divisive in the dept.  Bad with money  Does not take care of equipment well  Poorly organized  Putting in his/her years  “I’ve seen it all”  Power hungry  Ego battle

Keep short accounts, life is to short!  Document issues as they arise and deal with them at the same time, don’t wait for the shootout at the OK Corral.  Keep your administration in the loop.  Oregon-yearly contracts, at will hiring/firing  Need to connect with coaches often (MBWA) Your lack of attention can be taken to mean you don’t care vs. I didn’t think they needed my help  Are you trying to develop friendships or working relationships?

At some point it may come down to “get going or get gone”!  My way or the highway? Need everyone rowing in the same direction  Get your ducks in a row to make the change  Then what happens? Anger from parents of kids who played for the coach themselves, past parents or current student athletes School upheaval School board contact (full court pressure) Potential media involvement  Have a plan in place Who do you get to replace the “legend”? How will you do this? Have short list ready in all cases

Coaches evaluation appendix Coach Evaluation Documents NIKE developed Maine Center for Sports Education Job Descriptions Head Coach Assistant Coach

For more information/Questions Kevin Bryant, CMAA Associate Principal for Athletics/Activities Tigard High School 9000 SW Durham Road Tigard, OR Office Phone