K12 Sports Tech Interview with Caitlyn Germain, AD Notre Dame Academy, Worcester MA
What inspired you to become involved in high school athletics, and how did you become an athletic director?
Athletics has been an ever-present part of my life. Growing up, my early days were consumed with being in the ice rink as a competitive figure skater and I would always stick around to watch my dad and uncle coach hockey. Recreationally, I would meet up at the local park to play wiffle ball/kickball/touch football/soccer or really any other game with the neighborhood kids. In high school, across every sport and all three seasons, I thoroughly enjoyed the spectator experience which involved dressing up for themed games, getting goosebumps for league rivalry games/events/championships.
As a student-athlete, I was fortunate to be offered a full scholarship to play soccer at the University of Delaware. It was here where I focused my studies in both the sport management and education programs and developed an appreciation for the title “student-athlete.” Student-athletes navigate the demands and challenges of committing to education and sport, while also being presented with a transformative experience that prepares you for life. Working in education as a teacher, coach and administrator gave me the chance to pursue my passion, navigate ever-changing trends in an exciting environment, while giving back to support students.
Over the past 14 years, I taught in 5 school districts and coached under 11 high school athletic directors. These varied roles not only provided me invaluable experience, but gave me the confidence to know I could hold a leadership role as an Athletic Director and that is where I landed at Notre Dame Academy in Worcester.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role, and how have you overcome them?
I learned very quickly that life as an Athletic Director is always going to be filled with curve balls and last minute problem solving. Every AD currently exists in a world where we are faced with a shortage of officials, athletic trainers, coaches and bus drivers. Despite the follow up checks and phone calls to confirm schedules, buses, and officials, there have been more than a handful of times a season when we have to solve problems so that kids can compete in sport. AD’s are a tight knit group that is always willing to pick up each other’s phone calls and help each other out. Additionally, having a great support system within my school is key when navigating the challenges.
How do you stay current with trends and best practices in high school sports administration?
In my time as an Athletic Director, it became very apparent how evolving technological capabilities have and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the growth of sport. Whether it is for registration, checking student-athlete eligibility, scheduling, score reporting, assigning officials, ticketing, live streaming, fundraising and promoting programs through social media, technology is a big part of the job. In a role that requires so much efficiency with multi-tasking, I predict that AD’s and schools in general will leverage AI to support high school sport operations. Continuing professional growth by attending conferences, like NADC or state level AD’s conferences is another way to keep up with trends, while also being able to newtork and learn from other AD’s.
While still involved in supporting athletics, I have transitioned to a new and exciting role with iSponsor, which is a rewards program that provides financial support to groups. With the current economic climate, it’s now more important than ever to help groups raise money with ease. While I am no longer in a full-time athletic director role at Notre Dame Academy, I can speak to the work that was done to navigate COVID, support student mental health, address DEI, leveraging new tech partners to enhance the student-athlete and spectator experience. Working with kids and sport has been such a gratifying part of my story and I’m excited to turn to my next chapter.
Why were you interested in joining our AD Think Tank?
Being part of the AD Think Tank has given me the opportunity to provide and gather insight into the rapidly evolving space of technology in youth and high school athletics.
Unless you have actually held the role as an Athletic Director, you truly do not know the wide-ranging responsibilities that go into our day to day. By leveraging advancements in technology, we can be more proficient with responsibilities like scheduling, registration, event and facility management, fundraising, coaches’ development, communications, and budget management (to name a few). By having both AD’s and tech experts collaborating and exchanging feedback, improvements and solutions can be established to support our roles.
On a personal note, I am forever grateful for my AD Colleagues who would pick up my phone calls and provide mentorship in my first couple of years in the role. For me, I want to repay those favors and support the new AD’s coming into the field. By using our varied skillsets and acting as a “team,” we ultimately are supporting more kids playing sports and more kids having a great experience by playing sports.