Carlos Gonzalez finds his stride at Othello High School Athletics
Aug. 7OTHELLO Clear skies and the morning sun had set over the Basin on May 23 as the first pitch was thrown for the Othello Huskies state baseball game. For the first time in program history, the Huskies were hosting a state tournament game on their home field.For Carlos Gonzalez Jr, the athletic director at Othello High School hosting a state baseball regional wasn't just a logistical triumphit was proof that his hometown community would rally around its kids when given the chance."There was an immense amount of work that week leading up to hosting," Gonzalez said. "It was such a great experience in terms of the amount of detail and the logistics of preparation and how when the WIAA shares all the requirements and the expectations for a successful tournament and hosting, it was incredible how all the different departments banded together to make it successful."That day was one of many highlights in Gonzalez' first full year in his role as athletic director.Between state tournament games, familiarizing himself with regulations in the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association and learning procedures within the Central Washington Athletic Conference, he has spent the past year 'catching up' while reshaping how Othello supports its student-athletes, he said.With every highlight of a school year like the historical implications of state baseball, being an athletic director comes with its unique challenges, as well. One of which arose from time to time was crowd control, Gonzalez said. While any fan who attends an Othello sporting event, they bring a lot of passion for the players, but sometimes a few can get carried away.In addition to addressing these incidents head on, Gonzalez and OHS Athletics make it a priority to be consistent about their expectations for spectator participation, which includes making a reference to the CWAC sportsmanship creed, Gonzalez said."I think we've developed a reputation of how important consistency is, especially when we have to remind them that this is a school atmosphere, this is a family atmosphere and sportsmanship matters," he said. "I think it just proves how passionate people are about supporting their kids, especially in athletic events. I totally understand and respect that, I'm a parent too. I also take very seriously the expectation to protect the school. If there are people out there who see things that shouldn't be happening and are looking at me to make sure I'm doing my job, trust me, I'm not going to ignore that."Gonzalez was first appointed for his role as athletic director toward the end of the 2024-25 school year, he said. He described the transition as 'jumping into the deep end' with the goal of becoming highly proficient."Like I said, this first year was really just learning to be an athletic director in all the systems that are required for things to run successfully," Gonzalez said. "I put a lot of effort and take a lot of pride in a strong work ethic to make sure that everything is done correctly. Are we perfect? No, but we learn valuable lessons along the way, do our best and try not to repeat them."Just a few weeks away from beginning his second full year as athletic director, Gonzalez feels much more comfortable and confident in his role, he said. In addition to some newfound continuity, he is up next in the rotation for CWAC league president.In this role, he will spend a lot of time reviewing league or district reports from sporting events across the CWAC."For example, if there's an ejection at any time, you're going to start receiving those reports as President of the CWAC," he said.As he's grown comfortable in his role and established relationships with fellow CWAC athletic directors, he feels supported to take on this role, he said."I love the relationships that we've built together with this group and every single one of them is incredibly supportive and they are absolutely fun to work with," he said. "They all bring a varied amount of experience, but everyone is solid. They're great to work with and so depending on what the question is, or what the topic is, or what the sport is, I know who I can go to and they help me as soon as they can."Gonzalez also volunteers his time to the District Five Eligibility Committee and serves as a CWAC representative. He emphasized his belief in being a lifelong learner, which is why he's pushed himself to take on these new roles, he said.Gonzalez described several goals for this upcoming school year and the years to come. The first involves exploring how artificial intelligence can automate player eligibility checks. While he feels they are already consistent about ensuring student athletes are meeting eligibility requirements, incorporating AI could help them become more proactive rather than reactive, he said."Our eligibility checks were extremely consistent. They were conducted every single week, I did not miss one week," he said. "It can take a lot of time if you don't have the right system set up. In my first year, it's just learning to be an AD and how to build systems. What I'm looking forward to is exploring and investigating how to automate (those systems) with the appropriate permissions because we're talking about student information."For example, if a students' academics are triggered through this system, they would be able to help the student-athlete avoid academic probation rather than waiting until the end of the week if done manually.The second goal Gonzalez has is building a stronger connection to youth sports around Othello. It's common to find that many student athletes were once part of these youth leagues, so he is seeking a way to help support them."Connecting our coaches with their coaches if that's something we can do," he said. "And just talk about how we can best support our kids and get as many as we can involved in the right things through team sports, and so that's something that I'm thinking about and trying to expand on. Whether it's through the city of Othello or the local soccer league, or baseball, or softball. There are opportunities to build a stronger relationship and to bridge any gap that might exist there."Gonzalez is a native of Othello. He has grown up there, served as a principal for nearly two decades before taking on his current role at OHS. His journey has taught him a lot, he said. However, one of the greater aspects is getting to do it in the place he calls home."I had been a principal for 18 years," he said. "What I can say is being a principal is harder, but being an athletic director is busier, even though principals are very busy (too). I've got a great job. I love what I get to do in my hometown, in my own community, and I have an amazing team of people who've been very supportive in my role here to help me out as much as they possibly can."Amidst all that goes into fulfilling the responsibilities of his role, none of it could be done without the support of his wife Marci Gonzalez, he said."I also have to give a ton of credit ultimately to my wife and our kids because of just the time demand of this job," he said. "It's just interesting how this job does come at a sacrifice of time with my own wife and my own kids to support everyone else's, and I want to do that. I chose to do that, but I have to give my wife a ton of credit for her support in helping me to do that."
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