When an athletic director makes a call today to delay or cancel a game, it’s never just about the weather.
It’s about the students who drove two hours to play. The parents who took off work to watch. The team that practiced all week for this moment.
And it’s about making sure everyone gets home safely.
For Phil Rison, Executive Director of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), this weight is something he understands to a tee. After 30 years as an athletic director in Kentucky and now a decade supporting thousands of ADs nationwide, he’s seen firsthand what happens when athletic administrators don’t have the right tools to make those critical decisions.
“As an athletic administrator, you assume the risk of making sure you’re going to take care and provide the safety of that event during the course of that event, from the time it starts until the time it’s concluded,” Rison says.
That’s why the NIAAA, the premier professional development organization for high school athletic directors across the United States, has named Perry Weather its official corporate partner, formalizing a partnership built on a shared mission, which is getting the right resources into the hands of the people making the crucial decisions around severe weather.
The Role That Never Stops Evolving
The job of an athletic director today looks almost nothing like it did even a decade ago.
Today’s athletic administrators are young, tech-savvy professionals with sports management degrees who are expected to be experts in everything from Title IX compliance to emergency weather protocols.
“Nowadays what we see is young, vibrant athletic administrators coming into the profession who have had training backgrounds such as sports administration or sports management degrees,” Rison explains. “They come in with ideas fresh, exciting. And they want to engage in running their programs in the best manner they can.”
A Mission Built on Professional Development
At its core, the NIAAA exists for one reason: to preserve, enhance, and promote the value of education-based athletics through professional development.
The organization provides athletic administrators with leadership training courses that can lead to national certification, giving ADs the confidence and competence to handle the responsibilities they face on a daily basis.
But professional development only works when it addresses the actual challenges athletic directors face every single day.
And few things have become more critical, or more complex, than weather safety.
For years, athletic directors have strung together their own solutions of free weather apps and handheld WBGT monitors while juggling state policies and recommendations. This creates a dangerous gap between policy and action.
“The job they have within their community is so enormous. When you think about the safety of trying to provide for your coaches, your student athletes, and then to provide quality programs that are ran efficiently, effectively and in a safe manner, you need professional development,” Rison explains.
And it can’t hurt to have the best-in-class tools at your disposal as well.
Why the NIAAA Chose to Partner with Perry Weather
The NIAAA prides itself on doing an extreme amount of due diligence and vetting when it comes to who they partner with. No stone is left unturned, and every angle is scrutinized to make sure that the partner shares the association’s values and understands the realities of ADs across the country.
For Phil Rison and Becky Moran, Associate Executive Director of Marketing & Development, three things set Perry Weather apart from the rest.
They’re Constantly in the Field: Technology is only as good as the people behind it, and whether those people actually understand the problems of the athletic director.
“Technology is ever evolving,” Moran notes. “And when we look at that life span of technology, it’s important for us that those we are aligning with are also engaged in the professional development of how they can continue to serve better, do better and be a better product.”
Safety First, Every Single Time: For the NIAAA, aligning with any partner comes down to one simple question: does this help protect student athletes?
“The most important thing is that we align ourselves with products that are the best in the market…. And fortunately for that, Perry Weather is one of those that promotes the fact of the safety first for our student athletes, for our coaches, and for our attendees.”
A Shared Commitment to Education: The foundation for a successful partnership is to build meaningful solutions that enhance, promote, and develop the careers of athletic directors around the country. That means being out in the field, talking to ADs, understanding their frustrations, and assisting them in navigating the ever changing landscape.
“With Perry Weather, their team is constantly in the field, meeting with athletic administrators, getting engaged in the fact of how our tools are working and what can we do to serve you better.” Rosin says.
A New Era of Student-Athlete Protection
The goal is simple: raise the standard of weather safety across all of high school athletics, and help athletic administrators recognize that they don’t have to make critical safety decisions alone. They deserve better. Their athletes deserve better. The communities deserve better.
“I get the opportunity to work with some of the most awesome individuals in the United States… Athletic administrators who give their time, their talents, their energy, and all of their wisdom in order to advance the mission of education-based athletics.”
Now, those administrators have a partner who’s committed to ensuring the safety of their athletes. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about: making sure the students who pour their hearts into their sport get the opportunity to compete safely, and that the people responsible for their safety have the tools and support they need to get it right.
“Just having access to something that is so integral to what we do, and making decisions again about that number one priority of safety is right there at our fingertips that we don’t have to worry about. We know we’re going to be able to make a good decision because of the resources available.”
