By: Loan Anh Pham, Charlene Yang
Activities Director Joanna Butcher was selected to be Assistant Athletics Director due to her coaching background and experience as an activities director, Principal Francis Rojas said. The position, offered in April of the last school year, will serve as a way to smoothly transition from Athletics Director Jeff Lamb’s upcoming retirement, Rojas added.
Having an assistant athletics director ensures that Lamb’s knowledge and contributions will not go to waste, Rojas continued. The title is accompanied by a stipend, Rojas confirmed.
“When you apply for an assistant position, that’s typically where you prove yourself,” Rojas noted. “For Ms. Butcher, it’s also where she will learn, ‘Okay, am I up for this?’”
Her background in athletics is extensive, ranging from being a softball player to coaching in multiple sports, including basketball, tennis, softball, and golf, Butcher said. Preparations for Homecoming Week slowed down training for the position somewhat, she explained.
“I started looking at and learning the CIF, CCS website for how the online paperwork is submitted and going through how we are marking, filing physicals… just the basics of paperwork,” Butcher added. “I think the goal is that I learn a little bit for winter, and so as we get closer to spring sports, then I’m the one that is actually doing more and saying, ‘Okay, this is…’ and trying to actually lead some different things.”
Despite her plans to engross herself more in the athletics process, Butcher is unsure about her status in regards to being at Milpitas High next year, she noted. However, she is still planning to glean as much knowledge as she can, perhaps creating documents for the new athletics director if she leaves, Butcher added.
The extensive responsibilities of an athletics director is what originally encouraged the idea of two assistant athletics directors, yet Butcher was the only applicant that accepted the offer for the position, Lamb stated. He aims to train Butcher as much as possible despite the chance that she might leave MHS, Lamb added.
“In fact, there’s no way I can train somebody in that certain period of time,” Lamb said. “I’m probably going to have to be here to help (I don’t want to say a significant amount of time). Otherwise, it’ll be really hard to do the job.”
The duties of an assistant athletics director are still vague, with the position entailing numerous responsibilities, among them transportations, awards, and the Murphy program, Lamb commented. Butcher’s training has included attendance at two conferences, both of which have encouraged transformational coaching in lieu of transitional coaching, Lamb commented.
“Winning becomes the most important thing, and the reality of it is in high school athletics, that’s not what it should be about,” Lamb said. “‘Transitional’ just means you’re working to win. Are you a transformational coach? Are you working on the whole person?”
Butcher is still hoping to become the Athletics Director next year, she said.
“That’s been a passion of mine,” Butcher commented. “I have a passion for activities, but in reality, I’ve always had a stronger passion for athletics.”
