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Hawkeye 10 Coaching Report Card: Atlantic, Harlan, and Shenandoah

Hawkeye+10+Coaching+Report+Card%3A+Atlantic%2C+Harlan%2C+and+Shenandoah+

by Karly Monson and Savannah Sorensen

The Hawkeye 10 Conference is made up of 11 competitive schools–all determined to win. But state-qualifications and records vary.  Interviews with athletic directors from Atlantic, Harlan and Shenandoah show how schools evaluate their coaches and athletic programs.

ATLANTIC’S APPROACH – 
According to athletic director Matt Alexander, when hiring coaches, Atlantic looks for teachers in the district first, and if that is not possible, they pursue other options outside the district.  Atlantic also looks for a coach who has a good relationship with students, is willing to compete at high levels, knows how to have fun, and is passionate about the activity they are coaching.  

WINNING REAPS REWARDS – Alexander said he thinks it’s important to have winning programs because they tend to create better school spirit, unity, and pride.  If the program is not winning, then ways to get the program to become winning are looked at, including creating a different philosophy to work with students and finding a better way to motivate students.

“There are a lot of contributing factors,” said Alexander.  Coaches do not have to have a certain amount of wins in order to keep their job, he said, but if it gets to a point of losing records, conversations about it then take place.

Looking at the number of athletes out participating in the sport is also taken into consideration when deciding to keep a coach or not.  Head coaches at AHS are evaluated with a standard form of questions. The evaluation focuses on coaching and relationships with the athletes and includes the coach listing his or her responsibilities.

THE HARLAN WAY – 
Harlan’s athletic director Mitch Osborn said hiring a coach who is already a teacher is Harlan’s top priority, but if there is a top candidate that is not in the the teaching system, they sure won’t shy away from them.  “If there is a teaching opening and a coaching opening, I’m going to make phone calls and be aggressive by going out and searching to find the best candidate possible and invite them to apply,” said Osborn.

Characteristics looked for when hiring a Harlan coach are enthusiasm, energeticness, and positivity.  For head coaches, experience plays into it, said Osborn, and also knowledge so they can bring credibility to the team.  Having a winning team helps the morale in the school, but some years are good and some are bad, said Osborn. As long as the kids are doing their best with their talent level, that is more important over winning.

Osborn said that to build a program up the right way, you have to bring life into the youth programs.  “It’s like planting beans in the spring,” said Osborn. “You have to plant the crops with the younger athletes to get them built up for the higher level high school programs.”

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Harlan coaches do not have to have a certain amount of wins in order to keep their job, said Osborn. Instead coaches are evaluated on how they build the programs.  Osborn looks to see if coaches are good with the players and build good and positive relationships. He wants to see them put in time and work in practice and also in elementary programs.  “We are in an extremely tough conference, so you have to have talent and build the program up in the right way and can’t base everything on winning and losing,” said Osborn.  Looking at the increase or decrease of athletes going out for a sport can also be a part of a coach’s evaluation process.

HARLAN ATHLETES EVALUATE THEIR COACHES – Harlan’s head coaches are given a formal evaluation every three years, and also have sit-down evaluations after every season.  Players are also given a coach’s evaluation that is anonymous, which allows the kids to say what they want to say and also lets the coaches know what the players enjoy and also what may need to be worked on.  As an athletic director, Osborn also walks through sports practices and marks items off a check list and also writes down more information.  “It’s always good because you get a sense of things when you do go to practice.  You see coaches give constructive criticism and see how kids respond, the positiveness, and the drills they’re doing.  It is important to see what is going on so coaches know you do care.”

SHENANDOAH STYLE
Shenandoah’s athletic director (and past AHS athletic director) Bob Sweeney said decisions about hiring a head coach depend on where the program is at.  If it’s running smooth and experiencing success and the head coach is stepping down, an assistant coach would be a strong candidate for the position.  Sweeney will look at candidates within the school system and also throughout the community.  Shenandoah looks for a candidate with a successful coaching experience, and if that is not found, they lean towards a candidate that has had a high level playing experience.  

Sweeney said success and a will to prepare to win is key for Shenandoah. He said the district works for support from all shareholders, athletes, coaches, administration, parents, and fans.  Sweeney said, “All programs need to be based on character, honesty, making people better people, work ethic, being dependable, and displaying respect.”

WHAT ABOUT WINNING? – Shenandoah coaches normally do not have to have a certain number of wins to keep their job, as long as they are leading the program correctly and working well with all shareholders.  In the past, there have been win/loss standards set, explained Sweeney, but this does not happen very often.  At the end of every season, Sweeney said he sits down with each coach of grades 7-12 to review the season and assess their performance.  The state of the program, the coach’s needs, wants, and wishes are also discussed.  “This conversation is critical to the success of a program,” said Sweeney.

Practice observations are done more with new coaches and/or coaches that Sweeney feels need help from him.  Experienced coaches will see Sweeney at their practices, but it may be a walk through, how-are-things-going type visit to see how the athletes are working.  However, Sweeney said that he does not ask for evaluation input from students.  “To me, an athletic director or administrator that opens the door for the student and/or the parent to share the good and bad directly in the evaluation process is setting up the coaches and program to encounter tough times.  If I don’t have the ‘pulse’ correct, then I’m not doing my job correctly and should be held accountable,” said Sweeney.

 No matter how the teams throughout the Hawkeye 10 Conference are evaluated, schools in the competitive conference share one goal wanted by all: a win.

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