In this week’s Next Take Georgia podcast, Glynn County athletic director Steve Waters was very candid and to the point when asked about the biggest challenges facing him and his fellow ADs across the state.
“The cost of athletics has risen significantly in a short amount of time,” Waters said.
He cited the constant need for equipment upgrades, new uniforms, new helmets, and one other very important area: “The safety of our student athletes and personnel is the top priority in everything we do,” he said, emphasizing the fact that no matter how much it costs, “Keeping student-athletes safe will always be our top priority.”
Waters should know. He is in his 11th year as the AD for Glynn County Schools, and unlike most school districts throughout the state, there are no athletic directors at the two high schools and four middle schools under Waters’ watch, which puts him even closer to the coaches and 2,500 or so student-athletes in grades 6-12 at the six schools he is in charge of. (Each school does have an assistant principal who oversees sports at his or her school.)
In addition to controlling the finances and making sure the teams, coaches, and student-athletes have the resources to be competitive and safe, Waters said sportsmanship has become an area that he has been committing time towards.
“A big problem right now is hanging on to referees and game officials due to harassment they are receiving from unruly fans,” Waters said. “It has forced us to move games to Thursday nights, in addition to already playing on Saturdays.”
Most teams still play their normal Friday games, but having more teams move to Thursday and Saturdays revealed a problem that Waters hopes will improve.
“It’s a real concern at this point,” he said.
There’s also plenty of good news to report from Waters’ world. The Glynn County AD fulfilled his dream of hosting a multi-team showcase event with 14 teams participating in the inaugural Georgia vs. Florida Border Classic, held this past season at Glynn County Stadium. Waters said that event has been one of his top goals since he assumed his current role in 2012. However, it would take improvements to local facilities to make it a reality.
“I began making plans then to improving our playing surface with new turf, upgrading our locker rooms, and adding a VIP area in the end zone,” Waters said.
Those improvements, along with a new video scoreboard and improved LED lighting, allowed Waters and Glynn County to host the showcase event.
“We needed something like this in South Georgia,” Waters said.
The second Border Classic is already in the planning stages, according to Waters, with the event looking to add even more teams in future years.
Waters said Glynn County added seven new sports over the last three years, including several “non-traditional” sports that has given even more students a chance to become involved in extracurricular events.
“We want our kids to be involved in something,” he emphasized.
Looking ahead, Waters said reclassification and Names, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals are coming … like it or not.
“The next six to nine months are going to be very interesting as we look at the updated [enrollment figures]”, Waters said. “As far as NIL, we’ll have to make smart decisions here in Georgia. As long as Dr. [Robin)] Hines [GHSA executive director] is leading the conversation, he will make the right decisions.”
Be sure to listen to the entire episode of Next Take Georgia here.
