Interview with Athletic Director Rafael Manriquez

 

1. What is your favorite part of being an athletic director?

Being able to work with our student athletes and coaches is fun for me. As an Ayersville Alumni I have a lot of great memories from our athletic program history as a student, player, and fan from a very early age. I want to be able to provide those same experiences for our current and future students and future students in our school system.

2. Why do you do your job?

I have always had a love for sports from a very young age and as the athletic director I get to continue to work with sports that I am passionate about. Not only that but being able to work with our student athletes is very important to me, ultimately it is about them and providing them with opportunities to have a great experience participating in our athletic programs.

3. How do you define “success” in athletics?

The number one goal of the athletic department is to help our student athletes grow, develop, and prepare to be a successful individual when they leave our school system and head out to the next chapter of their lives. We want to teach them about hard work, time management, perseverance, and being a part of a team that will help them in everyday life. If we can have some success within our teams during that process then that is a bonus for us.

4. How do you ensure both athletic and academic success?

Academics are the driving force of being a student athlete. We want our athletes to maintain eligibility requirements for quarterly eligibility but on top of that we do have weekly eligibility checks for our student athletes

5. What advice would you give someone who wants to be an athletic director?

People skills are a very important part of being an athletic director. Build relationships, find a way to connect with others (ex:coaching, officiating, ect.), and have a plan. Most job opportunities come from finding a way to help in some area so be willing to volunteer or ask to help out in an area you are passionate about and continue to build those relationships. Do not be afraid to ask others for help.