For Tony Beardsley, the athletics director for Sweetwater County School District No.2, communication and teamwork are major components to a successful athletics program.
Beardsley, who was hired in May to replace longtime director Tom Wilson, said the entire community should be involved in the school’s athletics programs.
“We’re all a team here,” he said.
Beardsley said the community can help provide a great foundation for the school’s athletics, believing programs like the city’s flag football program and little league football can provide great players at the high school level. The city’s flag football program, initiated this month, gives younger children a chance to be exposed to the sport while learning the fundamentals, which Beardsley believes will help create better football players when they move up into high school.
Beardsley has worked at being visible for the students and available to coaches. He attended early football practices, working with both the players and coaches. He also sent text messages to all the fall sports coaches after their first practice in an effort to keep in touch as well as be a resource for them.
Beardsley also said the parents are involved as well and he is willing to listen to either a student or parent if they have an idea to improve a program, a skill he said he has developed over the course of 24 years as a coach. He believes it’s important to maintain those lines of communication and use what works for a program.
Beardsley said the foundation Wilson and the school district’s administration have provided is a great asset to him.
“Everything’s solid; based on what’s best for the kids,” he said.
While the foundation itself is great, he also believes there’s always room for improvement. One of the early goals he set for himself is to improve cooperation and relationships between all the coaches in both the middle school and high school levels.
He also believes in allowing students the opportunity to play in multiple sports throughout a school year, saying a student population the size of what’s at Green River High School isn’t feasible for students being asked to specialize in a single sport.
“We need to share our athletes,” he said.
Beardsley also wants to create a strategic plan for the district’s athletics, looking at the programs five to seven years in the future. Before he would put the plan in place, he said he plans to seek the school board’s approval once it’s complete.
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