Big changes were made this school year at South High School. For starters, construction for the new main office had come to a close, and Principal Michael Trimberger has been given opportunity to serve as the Superintendent in the Random Lake School District next year. New technology has hit the tech ed classes, and in the sports department, five varsity coaches have given their resignation letters to Athletic Director Chris Hein.

The coaches who stepped down were Boys’ Basketball coach Michael Rank, Girls’ Basketball coach Justin Bingham, Football coach Scott Rice, Girls Tennis Coach Tammy Damrow, and Boys’ Swimming coach Jim Van Akkeren. Athletic Director Chris Hein has had a lot on his plate searching for five individuals to take over the programs. When asked about what he looks for in a candidate, Hein stated,

“We look for someone who has experience working with high school aged student-athletes and truly values the student, the athlete, and the person. We also look for someone who has a proven track record of success at coaching the sport at the high school level or above.  I will note that success is not merely measured in wins and losses. And finally someone who wants to be at South!” Finding a coach is more than just looking at qualifications and previous coaching history. One factor that is commonly overlooked is the personal side of the situation. Some applicants would have to move to Sheboygan to be able to coach at South High and start a new chapter of their life. When asked about this dilemma Hein stated,

“Often times, schools have candidates that meet many or all of the qualities mentioned previously but they cannot accept the position because they need a full time job with it.  The typical head co ach in the SASD is compensated about $3,900/year for their time and effort.  No one can make a living on $3,n900 a year so candidates also need a full time job in addition to the coaching position in order to support themselves and/or their family.  If full time jobs are not available in the area they can not accept the coaching job.” There is more than money that makes it difficult to find a new Varsity head coach. It is hard to find someone who is willing to put in enough time and effort throughout the whole year to really have an impact on the program. Some people do not know what all goes into running a high school Varsity program. Some of the unknown activities that come along with the head coaching positions include weightlifting, watching film, youth camps, youth programs, summer leagues, and so much more.

When asked if he thought people really understood how much time coaches really put in, Hein said,

“At some level. I think people understand but no one can truly understand the amount of time required unless they have done the job.  Similar to teaching, the expectations placed on coaches has increased immensely over the past decade.  There was a time not that long ago when coaching was mostly in-season.  Now for many sports, coaching has become a year long job.  There are out of season workouts, open gyms, summer, spring, and fall leagues to attend or at the least help organize.  There are pre-season meetings and post-season banquets to organize.  There are out of season fundraising activities to organize….the list goes on and on and I haven’t even discussed the increasing demands and expectations of parents who expect instant communication through email, Facebook, or Twitter.   So clearly, the days of coaches grabbing their whistle and ball the first day of practice and putting them away after the last game are over.” The hiring process takes weeks, even months for the selection committee to narrow down the candidates and begin the interviewing process.

From these, interviews will then, hopefully, lead to a new coach being appointed. This process is not easy and Hein acknowledged the situation and embraced it, saying,

“As the South activities director, I am so thankful that people are willing to invest hundreds and sometimes over a thousand hours a year into being the head coach of a sport. Our first head coaching hire is Sandy Botham, who will replace Justin Bingham as the Girls Varsity Basketball Coach. Botham coached at UW-Milwaukee for over 15 seasons, she collected three Conference Coach of the Year in her time at Milwaukee.” The hiring process is not easy, and is not a fast process either. Each hire is carefully looked at and thoughtfully chosen the selection committee and Mr. Hein. When asked if any other positions other than Girls Basketball has been filled, Hein stated,

“Boys Varsity Basketball will be released Friday June 2nd, and Varsity Football will hopefully be released on June 8th.” This is an exciting time to be a Redwing and for the future of the athletic programs. The endless hours and searching for the candidate to represent South will hopefully pay off in the coming years for South and its students.