One of the realities of high school sports is that coaches and administrators move on. More often than not, it’s for greener pastures and slightly enriched bank accounts. (But let’s face it, nobody’s getting rich coaching public high school athletics) Sometimes, like in the case of former Wawasee Athletic Director Steve Wiktorowski, health and retirement come in to play. Wawasee has an opportunity to hire someone who knows the community landscape and the Northern Lakes Conference well, comes with plenty of experience, and will glean lessons learned from many people who have come before him to help build the Warrior athletic program to be, minimally, consistently competitive. That’s why I’m endorsing Scott Lancaster for the position. In Lancaster’s 16 years as a teacher and coach in the Wawasee School Corporation, he’s seen a lot of highs and lows in the athletic program. As the current head track coach for both the girls and boys teams, he coached state champion Clayton Cook. He was there when the Warriors played for a state football championship; and he’s witnessed a lot of success in the girls basketball program. He’s seen the boys basketball team play at regional and semistate levels, and, well, when the Warriors weren’t so hot. He knows what it takes to compete on a year-in, year-out basis in the NLC, and understands that may be a little more difficult in a small-community setting in place at Wawasee. He also has a vision of what the Wawasee athletic program should be. “First of all, we need to be more consistently competitive in the NLC. We’ve had some bright moments, but they’ve been difficult to sustain, even in my own program,” Lancaster said Monday. “We don’t see the type of athletes they have in other places, but that’s not an excuse. We need to take the down years and find a way to remain competitive. “Second, we need to make better use of the talent we have in our coaching staffs. We have people who are experts in conditioning, others who are experts in weightlifting, and more who are experts in other specific fields. We need to use the coaches we have, including myself, better to put kids in the best possible position to be successful.” Lancaster said his career began at Mishawaka Marian, where “the program once had only two or three winning teams. Reggie Glon was the head football coach and athletic director, and he’s led them to a lot of success,” Lancaster said. “Having worked with Reggie, Mary (Hurley) and Wik, I’ve learned a lot and can take the best of what I’ve learned over the years to help kids work and succeed.” So many times the answer we’re looking for is right in front of us, and for Wawasee, that’s the case in Scott Lancaster. I’m sure other well-qualified candidates have applied and will be interviewed, but none can bring the home-grown experience of Lancaster. I’m certain Lancaster would never use this column to gain an edge in the process, I’d encourage readers, especially voters in the Wawasee district, to demonstrate their support for Lancaster to the school board members this week. I’m Mark Howe, and I approve this message.
