ON HIS MIND
Alec Anderson talks about his role as AD for Bolingbrook
High school athletics are important to any high school. They are the school's best way to compete and show off their school to the rest of the country. Specific sports are played in three separate seasons throughout one school year. With one season down and the second season just beginning, I sat down with the Bolingbrook Athletic Director, Alec Anderson, to both discuss and evaluate the state of Bolingbrook athletics.
Sun: Even though it is early in the season, what do you see in the Bolingbrook winter sports teams?
A.D.: Girls basketball: We have been good for a long time and there's a certain expectation going into the season. I think our girls basketball program is at a point where statewide we are at a high level, but now coach wants to take it to a national level and we are reaching for that.
Boys basketball: They have gained some recognition because of Diamond Taylor, who transferred here and is a kid who is going to Wisconsin. Diamond has been a great addition to the program but, despite that, we were going to be good. With him coming to the program it makes us that much better.
Wrestling: We have always had a good program, but this year we will probably take our lumps because we have seven or eight sophomores wrestling varsity. So it is understanding if this year might be a little rough compared to years past. But next year and the year after that I think we will be very, very good.
Bowling: Our teams are very competitive and our boys' team took second at the Plainfield South Tournament. We had a kid bowl 300 in one of the games.
Sun: Besides the success of the football team, what else impressed you in the fall sports season?
A.D.: I think we have made strides in every sport I can think of in terms of our numbers being up.
The boys' and girls' cross country team is up to now 50 or 55, and we are very young. The problem with us is our conference. We are in one of the toughest (conferences) in the state. Mr Mitchem, our building principal, always tells the teachers that there has to be a best school in the state of Illinois and the country so why can't it be Bolingbrook? I've taken that philosophy with athletics, and why can't we be the best in every sport we compete in?
The boys' and girls' golf programs are relatively new programs and are getting better. The girls won three or four matches this year which is a huge improvement. Our numbers have grown, and we are up to 16 girls this past year. I remember my first year, which is our first year of girls golf, and we were lucky to have four or five girls come out.
Like the other sports the numbers (in girls tennis) have increased as we have over 30 girls go out for tennis this year. Again, we are closing the gap. We are still getting beat, but we are making strides. Now we are making it to the next round and making it to the next day on Saturday. We now are competing in the semifinals and finals.
The key now for us now as an athletic department and coaches is to continue that swing. We want to continue to step up to a higher level.
Sun: How does Bolingbrook High School make sure that the kids in their sports programs are students first then athletes?
A.D.: Some of our programs have set higher standards than the district standard. The district standard is 1.5 GPA for eligibility.
Some programs have raised it to a 2.0 GPA standard and some have a 3.0 GPA standard. That has really helped. Girls basketball for example, they need to have a 3.0 GPA to stay in the program. We tell the parents and kids that academics come first. If you need to go take a math test or go get help in math, that is fine as long as you bring a pass from that teacher to your coach.
Sun: How has the Bolingbrook community supported the Raiders?
A.D. : We have a lot of parents involved with our booster club, and that's been a club that has supported all of our athletic programs.
Parents work in that and generate dollars that go back to kids in the programs. Our mayor, Roger Claire has been a great supporter of not just athletics but the high school in general. He's been very conscious of things that we have needed and he has paid for team dinners for teams. He has several connections throughout the community that helps us in not just financial support but other types of support - and just being there for our programs. That means a lot, because a lot of our kids come from backgrounds and environments that are not so positive.
Sun: What is it like to be the athletic director at Bolingbrook High School?
A.D.: I have to take responsibility for whatever happens in our programs whether it be the good or the bad. Obviously, it is nice when you win, when you are on the podium for the state championship, but also there might be that time where something bad happens and you have to deal with those things too. Thinking back to where I was in my first year to where I am now, I think I'm a lot better now. I'm much better with time management about things you need to take care of right away versus things that you can just put on the backburner for a little bit. I think though that the biggest thing is when you make decisions, you keep in mind what is the best for the kids.
WEB EXTRAS
Sun: How do you schedule so many out of state athletic events, and why do you do them?
A.D.: Scheduling all of the trips is a good problem to have. You want to be in that position where you deal with things like that. We have a travel budget for tournaments both at state and overnight tournaments. Last year we went down to Miami to play in a tournament for girls basketball, but before any of that happened, I talked with the superintendent and principal and said, "We have this opportunity, and if we start to pursue this, is it something that will be doable on your end?" and they have never said no. They said if it is an opportunity for our kids, they will do it. We want them to get the most experiences possible in high school so they have always found a way to first of all say "yes" and then finance things that need to be financed to have a successful tournament.
Sun: What role does the Bolingbrook School District play?
A.D.: The district has always been very supportive of not only girls' basketball but all of our programs in terms of giving kids opportunities to do and playing in different tournaments and experiencing different things. For example this year our boys basketball team is going to play at the United Center. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is, because you have to guarantee so many tickets and that can be hard to do. But they always find a way to get it done.
Sun: What is some of the feedback you have heard from other Athletic Directors, coaches, parents etc.
A.D.: We have gotten a lot of compliments from schools in our conference as well as schools statewide. A couple examples is that last year our girls basketball team was given the state award for sportsmanship at the state finals, and our girls softball team won a sportsmanship award last year. We have received many compliments via e-mails from sometimes different parents from football that had played our teams and were impressed with the way our kids and coaches handled themselves. In fact, I got an e-mail after we got beat by Hinsdale Central. One of our parents worked with one of their parents, I think in the hospital, and the Hinsdale Central parent remarked that her son said how hard Bolingbrook played and how they played clean and did not do any trash talking. They just played hard between the whistles, and Bolingbrook was the cleanest team they played. Stuff like that we like to hear because that reflects well on your kids. It makes you feel good, and anytime that happens we tell the staff and tell the teams.
