Together Everyone Achieves More
NOV-DEC, 2024
ADvisor
I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and high spirits as we approach the holiday season. This time of year offers a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and the shared dedication that keeps our programs thriving.
First, congratulations to all on an outstanding fall sports season! A special recognition goes out to the state champions crowned in various sports, along with the athletes, coaches, and support staff who made their achievements possible. Your hard work and commitment are truly inspiring.
I’d like to extend a thank-you to the members who participated in the Evaluator Approval Training this week. Your efforts are essential in ensuring the growth and consistency of your programs. Additionally, a huge shoutout to the mentors who continue to make this inaugural year of our mentorship program a success. Your guidance is invaluable to our community.
Looking ahead, the IHSADA Executive Board is excited to attend the National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) in Austin, Texas. This opportunity will allow us to learn from peers across the nation
Hello ADs’ I hope you had a great and meaningful Thanksgiving with family and friends.
By the numbers update:
IHSADA/NIAAA Membership
365 regular active members
109 Retired ADs’ (Editor’s list)
66 Lifetime members
34 Yearly membership
39 of 50 are Dual Member states
Tim Moses, DEIB Coordinator- Waterloo East has been working diligently on creating a DEIB Committee to help guide and provide updates to our Executive Board.
IMPORTANT!! Student Scholarship Nominations should be submitted by January 10th, 2025. Use the IHSADA Student Scholarship Form found on our website. The District Scholarship is awarded to one female /one male from each of the 5 Districts. Each District College Scholarship winner will receive a $500.00 scholarship. District winners compete for a $1,000.00 State Scholarship. The State Scholarship winner competes for a Section 4 Scholarship worth $1,500.00. The Section 4 Scholarship
and bring back fresh ideas to enhance our state convention in March. We look forward to sharing these insights with you.
As we transition into the winter season, let us take a moment to express gratitude to everyone who supports our students and activities. From janitors to scorekeepers to announcers and so many others these individuals ensure our programs run smoothly and our students can shine. I also want to personally thank all of you, the Athletic Directors of Iowa, for your tireless work and dedication to the students and communities you serve.
Let’s continue to build on our successes as we move into the new year. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for all you do to make Iowa’s high school athletics a source of pride and excellence.
Keep Hammering, Matt
winner competes for a National Student Scholarship worth $2,500.00. There are 8 Sections nationally. FYI... Iowa led in student applications for Section 4 (5 states) last year. Keep it rolling!!
Evaluator Approval Training I Course:
The IHSADA held the Evaluator Approval Training on Thursday/Friday, November 21st/22nd. This course o ered ADs’ a recertification credit for the equivalent of 15 contact hours. Day 1 was held at the IGHSAU O ce then moved to Valley High School for the evening. Thanks to the IGHSAU for allowing the use of their facility.
Eight Athletic Directors completed the course which featured the development of each individual's evaluation instrument by using the Shape Evaluation Model. This Model focuses on the Seven Core Values and 42 Standards for successful coaching duties.
This is a one hour Certificate Renewal course especially designed for Activity/Athletic Administrators. This is a great opportunity for those seeking renewal credit and looking to grow professionally!! Thank you to our course Instructors.
LTI Professional Development Opportunities: Leadership Training Coordinators Chris Deam of Cedar Rapids Je erson and Mike Egbert of Valley, West Des Moines will be announcing the LTI Schedule for the 2025 State Convention in the coming weeks. There are 3 di erent time periods over 3 di erent days for you to take a LTC Course of interest. I will be sending out a finalized schedule in the next couple of weeks via AMP. These LTI classes are opportunities for professional growth and professional development which were created by Athletic Directors from across this country. ADs’ are always looking for ways to grow as a professional!!
Retired Athletic Directors: Please register for membership and state convention attendance using the IHSADA Retired AD Registration Form found on the IHSADA website. We use a separate registration form to gather relevant information for current contact and awards program. Our goal: increase membership and involvement of Retireds. Please reach out to newly retired and those athletic directors who have not joined the IHSADA to embrace this great organization.
The IHSADA takes great pride in o ering an extensive Awards Program for its membership. It is a great way to recognize those persons who impact your programs!! Congratulations to the following 2025 IHSADA Award Winners!!
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR
Dave Wiebers, Denison-Schleswig
Terry Hemann, Spencer
Shannon Webb, Sigourney
Chris Deason, Ballard
SPORTS MEDIA
Jerry Giese, LeMars
LuAnn Waldo, Panorama
SPORTS MEDICINE
Scott Thoma, West Branch
John Colligan, North Mahaska
Logan Wood, Clarinda
OUTSTANDING SERVICE
Bonnie Clark, Central Decatur
Martha Seye, BGM
Jean Koss, North Polk
Lyle Waterhouse, Missouri Valley
Jerry Revalee, Chariton
Roger Wilson, Woodbury Central
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR
Amber Jipsen, Atlantic
Pam Barta, Xavier Catholic
Phil Rison, NIAAA Executive Director, congratulates the IHSADA on receiving the 100% Membership Recognition Award Banner. Approximately 355 schools are in the state and with the IHSADA encompassing over 386 members, Iowa has over 109% membership. Great work by our Leadership Team (Executive Board members, District Directors, Conference Representatives). We will receive the membership banner on December 17th at a 2:30 PM Awards Ceremony in Austin, TX.
No, I have not signed up yet for the 57th Annual IHSADA State Conven on March 28-31, 2025. It’s where? Hya Regency Hotel in Coralville?
Northwest-Mary Schultz
Woodbury Central
Southwest-Zach Clark Central Decatur
Northwest Shane Kalous Estherville Lincoln Central
Northeast-Adam Riley Decorah
Central-Rick Roberts Van Meter...STATE
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Central-Levi Hunerdosse
Saydel
Southwest-Jake Lord
Clarinda
Southeast-Jake Stenberg West Branch
Northeast Brian Johnson Rockford...STATE
Southeast-Colin Wikan
Pleasant Valley
Gannett to pause AI experiment after botched high school sports articles
Newspaper chain Ganne has paused the use of an ar ficial intelligence tool to write high school sports dispatches a er the technology made several major flubs in ar cles in at least one of its papers.
Several high school sports reports wri en by an AI service called LedeAI and published earlier this month went viral on social media and not in a good way.
In one notable example, the story began: “The Worthington Chris an defeated the Westerville North 2-1 in an Ohio boys soccer game on Saturday.” The page has since been updated. The reports were mocked on social media for being repe ve, lacking key details, using odd language and generally sounding like they’d been wri en by a computer with no actual knowledge of sports.
Many of the reports feature iden cal language, describing “high school football ac on,” no ng when one team “took victory away from” another and describing “cruise-control” wins. In many cases, the stories also repeated the date of the games being covered mul ple mes in just a few paragraphs. Ganne has paused its experiment with LedeAI in all of its local markets that had been using the service, according to the company.
“In addi on to adding hundreds of repor ng jobs across the country, we are experimen ng with automa on and AI to build tools for our journalists and add content for our readers,” a Ganne spokesperson said in a statement. “We are con nually evalua ng vendors as we refine processes to ensure all the news and informa on we provide meets the highest journalis c standards.”
LedeAI CEO Jay Allred expressed regret that ar cles produced for Ganne newspapers “included some errors, unwanted repe on and/or awkward phrasing,” adding that the company “immediately launched an aroundthe-clock effort to correct the problems and made the appropriate changes.” “There were legi mate problems with the reports we produced and the feedback we received was valid,” Allred said in a statement to CNN. But, he added: “We believe content automa on is part of the future of local newsrooms. Our service provides readers and communi es with informa on they would not otherwise have, and frees reporters and editors to do real journalism that drives impact in the communi es they serve.”
Several sports stories wri en by the service had been updated and appended with the note: “This AIgenerated story has been updated to correct errors in coding, programming or style.” It also comes as many news outlets grapple with how to handle the rapid advancement of AI technology.
Saggau on sports—and life: Part 3
On attitude: “The two greatest things we can do in education is to teach youngsters to solve problems, and to develop a quality and consistent attitude for every youngster. Just having a good attitude isn’t enough. Because when kids have to say no, it takes a consistent attitude. Peer pressure is one of the most vicious things when it goes in the wrong direction.
from recrea onal youth leagues, to school teams, to the most elite club, select, and professional programs. We deliver them apparel and equipment from world’s top brands. And we give them more me to focus on their athletes, while spending less me worrying about their gear.
PERKS
ThisnewfeaturewillhighlightideastosharewithfellowAthleticDirectors. AS AN ADDED PERK AND A CHANCE TO GIVE A SMALL REWARD FOR ANYONE FROM MY SCHOOL THAT WAS PLAYER/ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FOR ANY PARTICULAR SPORT FROM OUR CONFERENCE AND SOMETHING THAT I DID FOR AWHILE UNTIL THE COST GOT TO BE TOO MUCH FOR AN ENTIRE CONFERENCE OF HONOREES.....A SMALL PLAQUE ENGRAVED WITH THE ATHLETE’S NAME, SPORT INVOLVED AND YEAR THAT THE AWARD WAS GIVEN, REALLY WENT OVER BIG WITH STUDENT ATHLETES AND IN PARTICULAR PARENTS OR THOSE CLOSE TO THE ATHLETE AND I FOUND THIS TO BE A NICE FEATURE. Randy Krejci, former HS AD & M.V.C. Commissioner
LEADERSHIP SECRETS of Colin
Powell
Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it. Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won’t challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. But real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our
activities before someone else does. Effective leaders create a climate where people's worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, “How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?” but, “How much did you change it?”
The National Athletic Directors Conference will be held in Austin, TX on December 13th to December 17th at the JW Marriot Conference Center. Approximately 30 athletic Directors from across the state will be attending. Iowans will be taking part in the conference as LTI Instructors, Committee Members, Award Winners, Presiders and Recorders of selected breakout sessions. If you ever have an opportunity to attend, it is a great opportunity to interact with ADs from across this country. If you plan to attend, please let me know. We create a list of all Iowans attending. We develop a contact list which allows Iowans to stay in touch while attending the conference
...From the ArChIVeS
First State Booster Club Convention, April 8, 1990 [held in conjunction with the IHSADA State Convention]
IHSADA Calendar for Fall, 2025 9:00 start
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1st, NW @ Northwestern College, Orange City
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6th, SE @ Stone Creek Country Club, Williamsburg
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8th, SW Iowa @ Cass County Building, Atlantic
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9th, Central @ JETHROS, Ames
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th, NE Iowa @ Waterloo Marriott, Waterloo
How many years was the convention held at the Coralville Marriott Convention Center? (NOT Hyatt)
[Note: No convention held in 2020 due to Covid] Answer: page 6
