PREPS: GADA presidency changes hands

Bob Stinchcomb knows all about the stress and rigor of being an athletic director. After all, has held the post several times, and now holds the same position at Darlington. Stinchcomb is also an essential member of the Georgia Athletic Director’s Association, where he began his duties as president just over a week ago. The association held its annual conference and awards ceremony in Savannah.

The GADA is dedicated to helping fellow AD’s with their duties, and provides networking opportunities for those holding the position.

“When we moved out of Jekyll Island and came to Savannah, our membership and people coming to the state conference moved up considerably,” Stinchcomb said. “A lot of AD’s bring spouses and the like, it becomes more than just an educational opportunity.”

With Stinchcomb and others leading the way, the GADA is hoping their newfound momentum helps AD’s all across the state in a plethora of areas.

LEADING THE PACK …

Jeff Beggs is a member of the GADA’s Executive Committee. And as the current Director of Athletics for Atlanta Public Schools and previous presisdent of the GADA, he knows a lot on the topics discussed. The Southwest DeKalb alumnus helps to advise AD’s on many aspects of their job, but he sees their leadership qualities as the most important.

“You need to be a leader,” he said. “You are the expert in athletics in your school. You have to do everything you can to lead the program and not just manage it.”

That’s easier said than done, especially at schools with a wide range of students and athletic programs. With that in mind, the GADA held a variety of workshops at their conference, counseling AD’s on leadership and communication, among other things, regarding their jobs.

“It’s easy to react on emotion, instead of basing it off what you know and doing the right thing for the program and the school,” Beggs said. “That sounds easy but it’s really one of the hardest things to deal with. You have to follow the rules and guidelines, but you have to do what you know is the right thing to do.”

Finances

Money is not a premium in school systems today, and Stinchcomb knows that AD’s wrestle with their financial situation every day.

“The one thing that is always right on an athletic director’s mind is budgeting,” Stinchcomb said. “People aren’t spending the dollars to come to the games.”

That’s become a problem at schools, especially those in South Georgia that are traveling huge distances just to play a region game.

“Transportation is a huge issue,” Stinchcomb said. “On some days you have to send your baseball, soccer, golf, tennis and lacrosse teams to their games.”

With that in mind, the GADA held sessions on how to budget, as well as time management and evaluating staff.

THE FUTURE …

With a host of new issues ranging from transportation to leadership, it’s not easy to be an AD. But with the likes of Stinchcomb and Beggs leading the way at the GADA, a new day has been on the horizon. It’s day where AD’s from across the state can connect, mingle, discuss, and improve upon their jobs at any time.

Over the past three years, the two have been instrumental in developing a new website, electronic newsletter, and have secured Region State Bank as a sponsor for the GADA Director’s Cup.

“Now we need to reach out and keep the throttle down,” Stinchcomb said, “Our initiatives over the last three years have moved us light years ahead of where we were.”