By: Liv Ronca
It is the first day of practice, and you are the new coach of a Staples High School varsity team. You know you worked hard to earn this job, so you want to start off right. But how did you get this job to begin with?
“The hiring process begins when we have a vacancy, which we advertise first inside the district then outside the district,” Athletic Director Marty Lisevick said. “We then interview the candidates.”
Staples High School has 120 coaches, 38 varsity sports, and over 70 teams according to Lisevick. Due to the large number of teams, the hiring process is always constant. “We are always in search of some type of new coach,” Lisevick said.
However, the Staples athletic department does not just hire anyone to coach its sports teams. Each coach must have experience in the sport they are being hired to coach, both playing and coaching, and they must have demonstrated past success with this sport. It is also important for them to have high energy and the ability to vision what they want that program to become.
Lisevick also mentioned that he is always making sure that the students enjoy working with their coach.
“The coaching staff here at Staples is very well rounded,” three varsity sport athlete Amanda Troelstra ’18 said. “I play volleyball, basketball, and run track, and all of my coaches are always prepared for our practices and games and meets.”
Troelstra’s coaches are for volleyball it is Jon Shepro, for basketball it is Paco Fabian, and for girls’ track it is Jesse McCray. All of these coaches have led their teams to both the State and FCIAC playoffs in recent years. Fabian is also the girls’ varsity tennis coach, while Shepro is a teacher at Staples as well.
Staples coaches are important in helping the school gain championships and trophies, which makes it a stressful job hiring coaches according to Lisevick.
“I believe the hiring piece of being the athletic director is the most crucial to having success,” Lisevick said. “If you can get the great head coach, then the issues with the sports are minimal.”