The Many Faces of CHSAA Leadership – Shelby Thompson
This week, we continue our series of articles highlighting the many faces of leadership throughout the CHSAA membership. Our hope is that by taking a small glimpse into the window of their leadership background, you will gain a greater understand of why they are such strong advocates for the vision and core values of the Colorado High School Activities Association.
Our series takes us to Stratton High School for a conversation with Shelby Thompson, the school district’s Athletic Director. Shelby has been in education for eight years and has been in her current position for five years. Shelby attended Chadron State College, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Sports & Rec Management & Exercise Science.
Did you participate in sports during your college years?
While in college, at Chadron State, I was on the track & field team all four years, 2011-2015! During my time on the team, I competed in anything from the 55-meter dash up to the 800, as well as a season of cross country. I was also fortunate to compete on a handful of relays with some great athletes, holding a few school records and coming close to qualifying for Nationals! Although being a college athlete was not always easy, it was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I met my very best friends on the team and the life lessons that were instilled are immeasurable. Chadron State will always hold a special place in my heart!
Did you come into education specifically for this role?
I originally did not go to college for anything related to education, but when I moved back to a smaller town, I found myself interested in getting into the education field and decided to get my alternative licensure through BOCES. My first job was at Strasburg Middle School where I taught PE and Health and coached middle school volleyball and high school track. After being at Strasburg for a few years, my husband and I moved back to his hometown, Stratton, where I took on another teaching position. This position included many different subjects along with helping coach volleyball, basketball and track. The Athletic Director position at Stratton became available, and I was excited to apply. It was always a goal of mine to one day be an Athletic Director, especially since I spent so much of my time around athletics anyway. When I first got the job as AD, I also taught PE at the elementary level for a few years. Although I loved PE with the littles, I had a little blessing of my own in 2021 and decided to stay home with him part time. With much appreciation to my superintendent, I was able continue with my career as Athletic Director, part time! I am currently the AD at Stratton Schools and coach girls basketball with my husband!
What do you love most about your current position?
What I love most about being an AD is being able to help student athletes at all levels, in all sports, and helping build a successful athletic program. I also enjoy getting to collaborate with coaches at my school as well as coaches and ADs from other schools.
What are some of the challenges you face in your current position?
Like every job there are always challenges, but the thing that is probably the most challenging for me is how public my position is. In a small town, sports are huge, and everyone has different opinions on them. Although I respect people’s opinions and want to do what’s best for our kids, school, and community, it is sometimes very hard to try and please everyone. I’m a people pleaser, so this can be difficult for me at times.
Who are some of your mentors?
One of my mentors is Tom Meyer. He was my track coach in high school at Akron. He demanded a lot out of us. At the time we may not have always enjoyed it, but looking back he was one of the coaches that made the most impact on my life. He taught a lot of life lessons through track that I now understand as an adult. Tom was also the AD at Akron when I was in high school. Now being an AD myself, I appreciate him and what he did for our school even more. I’ve reached out to Tom a few times since I’ve been AD and he’s always been a big help in pointing me in the right direction or helping me navigate through some tough situations.
Another one of my mentors is Penny Isenbart. Penny is known as a very successful and decorated volleyball coach around the area. That’s all I knew Penny for at first, but after getting to know her on a personal level she has been much more than just a great coach, which I believe goes hand in hand with her success. Penny is a servant to all and she’s always there for me when I need a voice of reason or advice. I appreciate Penny’s go getter attitude and adaptability to whatever is thrown her way. I look up to Penny in a lot of ways and I’m glad she is a Stratton Eagle!
Another one of my mentors is my dad. My dad was very hard on myself and my siblings growing up. If we ever had any troubles at school or things weren’t going very well for us, he would always ask us what we could be doing better. He always shifted the blame back in our direction and always made us accountable for our own problems. At the time it was a hard lesson to learn, but sometimes even now when I know I need to hear the truth, I still call my dad. The truth sometimes hurts but hearing it from my dad has gotten me through a lot! My dad is also one of the hardest working people I know. He’s always taught me the value of hard work and to make sure you’re giving your best effort in everything you do, even the smallest of tasks. Most importantly, my dad has always pushed me and believed in me, when maybe I didn’t even believe in myself. This has shown me how important it is to push kids out of their comfort zones and let them know you believe in them. This can change someone’s life and is perhaps one of my greatest lessons and blessings I’ve ever received.
What is one bit of advice you would share with young women entering a male-dominated profession like yours?
When I first started as AD, I was a little intimidated to be mainly working with males, a lot of them being twice my age. However, I quickly learned they are all great to work with! Men are straight forward and to the point, which I appreciate. All the males I’ve worked with in this profession have been very kind to me and always willing to help me out. My tidbit of advice for women entering a male-dominated profession is to not be so intimidated. You are there for a reason and can bring a lot to the table. From my experience, the men I work with are very open to my ideas and are very welcoming. Give it a chance, I think you might just find out you work better in that environment than what you thought.
