Athletics

1994 as head coach of North Stokes Lady Vikings

Coaching Resume

1992  SW Randolph HS JV football assistant coach

1992  SW Randolph cross country head coach

1993 SW Randolph men's tennis head coach

1993-1994 North Stokes HS varsity women's basketball head coach

1994-1996 South Iredell High School JV men's basketball coach

1998-2001 South Iredell High School varsity men's basketball assistant coach

2002-2005 South Iredell High School varsity women's basketball head coach

2005 South Iredell Lady Vikings.  Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions. First title in over 20 years!

If there's one aspect of high school that brings communities together for a common purpose, it's athletics. One of the vital signs of a high school's existence is it's athletic programs and the successes that they have. The spirit of competition builds character, determination, trust, empathy, endurance, persistence, responsibility, and teamwork. This unity of family brings together students from every corner of life: race, religion, socioeconomic background, sex, and various other differences, and creates a bond that compels teams to strive for excellence, success, and respect.

I love high school athletics. From crisp autumn football Friday nights to the resonance of balls bouncing on the hardwood to the slap of the bat on a ball in the spring, nothing shouts "High School!" like athletic competition. Here, no multi-million dollar contracts taint the team atmosphere. No battle between advertisers or sponsors to gain control of an athlete's life, or multi-year TV contracts, trade deadlines, or draft days. It's simply strong-willed young student-athletes competing to be the best they can be. It's communities sitting across the playing fields or gymnasiums cheering on with endless exuberance the student-athletes who represent their history, their present, and their dreams. It's school fight songs, cheerleaders, bands, mascots, and who has the best hotdogs or hot chocolate. It's smiles and it's tears. Most of all, it is youth on display as we remember our youth as athletes, and cheer for our kids who carry on our dreams. It's high school sports.

Yes, sports are fun, but at the high school level there is a greater degree of expectation from the athlete and the coach. At this level, the football program typically funds all other sports, and the revenue it generates drives far more than what we see on a Friday night. Coaches must be selected who will offer teams the best opportunities to win, not simply compete. Many athletes work hard for the opportunity to earn recognition from college scouts, so coaches must be proactive in marketing programs and athletes. It's not just simply coaching; it's also critical that students who seek to move to the collegiate level have in charge those coaches who understand how to promote those talented athletes and help them further their education and athletic dreams. I have supported high school athletics ever since I entered the ninth grade as a high school student, and that love of them has never diminished. 

When we look at the impact high school sports has on our lives, we need look  no further than the recent pandemic. Without sports, much of this country felt lost. When given the opportunity to reboot our programs, student athletes and the fans emerged with an eagerness heretofore unseen. We had missed out on so much in two years, and we had taken for granted that great spirit of competition. Today, our schools are back to full competition, and the smiles, frowns, laughs, cheers, and yells fill the air at athletic competitions.