Jim Campbell thought he would be a good fit for an opening in the administration at Conneaut High School. He ended up with a position that fits him perfectly.
Former athletic administrator Joel Taylor was named assistant principal at the school, paving the way for Campbell to be named the new athletic administrator.
“I like sports and athletics so this was right up my alley,” Campbell said. “It was something I wanted to be a part of. I’m a fan of all sports and getting to do this is a great opportunity. Being a head coach took quite a few hours. The hours will probably be about the same.”
A bunch of dominoes had to fall before Campbell was offered the position.
“In February, (superintendent) Kent (Houston) had made a move and moved Linda Bernay from the middle school to administration,” Campbell said. “He moved Rita (Maslovsky) from the assistant principal (at the high school) to the middle school to be the principal and asked if I would be interesting in (being the assistant principal) until the end of the school year.
“I accepted. At the end of the year they posted up the bid (to be assistant principal) and Joel applied, too. He had more seniority and got it. Then I was offered the athletic administrator’s position.”
Taylor has since taken Campbell under his wing and is helping him transition into his new role.
“Joel’s done a great job (as AD),” Campbell said. “He’s been helping me through the process. He’s hands on with me. I really appreciate that a lot. I know Bill Fails did a nice job (as AD). Rita did a nice job and so did Dawn (Zappitelli) and Joel the last few years.”
Though new to the post, Campbell has a pretty good idea of how he will run his department.
“I like to help the kids and the teams,” he said. “I like to see the kids be successful. I’m a hands-on guy. I like to make sure everything is running the way it’s supposed to. I always try and stay on top of things. Being an administrator, I have to make sure things run the way they should.
“I want to see the Conneaut programs have success. I will keep up what Joel had done the last few years and make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Working with veteran coaches like Tim Tallbacka, Tony Pasanen and the many men and women who serve as mentors to the Spartan athletes will help Campbell immensely.
“Their a great group of guys and women,” Campbell said. “They’re organized. They’re right on top of things.That makes my job so much easier. I have to make sure everything’s organized.
“They’re veterans. They’ve been there. They know their responsibilities. They know everything that needs done. They try and do as much of the scheduling as they can. Through the year, try and get games lined up. All I have to do is talk to the other AD and get the dates set. That makes my job a lot easier.”
Campbell’s teams operate without the benefit of a league, making scheduling a difficult process. The district has tried to find a conference to participate in, but have been unsuccessful in the venture.
Campbell hopes he can help provide a solution to the problem.
“Once I get into the job, it’s something I want to pursue,” Campbell said. “(Edgewood AD) Steve (Kray) and I were just talking about that it and how important it is. We need to sit down and talk. Not having a conference makes my job twice as hard
“We’re always going to be searching for games. When you have eight teams you play twice, you only need to find a couple games to fill a scedule. Right now the only thing the kids have to play for is the state playoffs.”
Ettinger is a freelance writer from Ashtabula.
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