Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

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Apr 16 2020

Episode 142: Karissa Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director

Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The state of high school athletics (recorded prior to Covid-19)
  • Advice for how parents can help their kids best
  • Challenges & opportunities facing high school athletics
  • Qualities of great coaches
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Bob Gardner, Bobby Cox, Coaching, concussions, high school athletics, IHSAA, Karissa Niehoff, Keith Grabowski, Leadership, NCAA, NFHS, parents, student leadership, Student-Athlete Leadership, Student-Athletes, usa football

Feb 13 2018

Episode 069: NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner has been the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations since May of 2010. He will be retiring from this position in August of 2018 after nearly 50 years of serving in secondary education. Gardner was only the fifth full-time executive director for the NFHS since 1940.

During his 18 years on the NFHS staff in Indianapolis, participation in high school sports has increased by almost 400,000, including the expanded opportunity for students with disabilities in high school sports. Gardner has led the organization’s focus on risk minimization in high school sports, with particular emphasis on concussion awareness, and has brought a heightened national presence to the work of the NFHS and its member state associations.

In addition to the continual expansion of the NFHS Learning Center during his tenure, Gardner is credited with starting the NFHS Network, the first-of-its-kind digital coverage of high school sports with more than 25,000 events covered during the 2016-17 school year.

He spent his career in Indiana as a teacher and coach at three schools for eight years and as an athletic director. In 1978, Gardner became principal of Milan Junior-Senior High School, followed by a stint as superintendent of the Milan Community Schools.

After serving on the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors during his time at Milan, Gardner joined the IHSAA staff in 1985 as assistant commissioner. He served 10 years in that role prior to becoming commissioner in 1995.

Gardner joined the NFHS staff in 2000 as chief operating officer and served in that position for 10 years prior to becoming executive director. During this time, he chaired the NFHS Rules Review Committee and was responsible for day-to-day operations of the organization. He has served on the board of directors for USA Football, USA Basketball and the Indiana Sports Corp. He is a member of the Indiana High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • His career serving student-athletes
  • The movie Hoosiers and the real-life story
  • The future of High School sports

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Athletic Director, athletics, Bob Gardner, Bobby Cox, Curtis Hollomon, Darrin Gray, dwane casey, High School, IHSAA, Kevin Harrington, Leadership, National Federation of State High SChool Associations, NCAA, NFHS, Podcast, Todd Gongwer

Feb 09 2018

Episode 068: Mark Fauser, Actor & Screenwriter

Mark Fauser has been a television and movie actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He had parts in such shows as Jag, Evening Shade, Coach, SeaQuest, and Quantum Leap. He moved from Hollywood to Marion, Indiana in the early 2000’s and proceeded to help build up the Community School of the Arts as the Executive Director. He has continued to add value to the Marion community as the Director of Marketing for the City and currently serves as a Creative Development Consultant for Marion Community Schools. He has a love and passion for helping the community and has a desire to give back. His relationships with such stars as Jim Caviezel, Kelly Ripa, Billy Bob Thornton, and his mentor Burt Reynolds were key as he was able to get them to help the Community School of the Arts in various ways.  In 2006 he won the Marion Grant County Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. In 2007 he won the Indiana University Public Service Award and the Grant County Community Achievement Award. He was presented with the 2011 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award for his work as a writer, actor and his leadership for the Community School of the Arts. He lives with his wife and three children in Marion, Indiana and works out of a home office that is decorated from wall-to-wall with action figures.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • What it was like to work in Hollywood
  • Building pride and raising money in a school district
  • Going to school with Brad Pitt and Sheryl Crow at the University of Missouri

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Acting, Actor, Bill Coelius, Bobby Cox, Brad Pitt, Chad Briscoe, dwane casey, entertainment, Giant Challenge, Hollywood, Indiana, Jeff Raver, Kevin Harrington, larry desimpelare, Marion, Marion High School, Mark Fauser, Podcast, ryan mccarty, Sheryl Crow, University of Missouri

Feb 02 2018

Episode 064: NCAA Director of Leadership Development Curtis Hollomon

Curtis J. Hollomon is the director of leadership development at the NCAA. His primary duties include strategic advancement of the department, marketing and branding efforts, and program oversight of Resolution Initiatives, NCAA Champion Forum for Football, and Pathway Program (DI). Before coming to the NCAA in 2005, Hollomon was the assistant athletics director for operations and development at St. Cloud (Minnesota) State University. Prior to his duties at SCSU, Hollomon served as assistant to the directors at the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, a nonprofit organization responsible for maintaining the intercollegiate athletics program at Tech. A 1999 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Hollomon was a three-year letterman in football and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in history, technology and society. He holds a master’s degree in sports administration, which he obtained while at St. Cloud State.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • The great work that the NCAA is doing in the area of leadership
  • Knowing your “why” and what your passions are
  • Developing student-athletes to turn pro in something other than sports
  • Winning an ACC Football Championship while at Georgia Tech

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Alicia Jessop, anton goff, Bobby Cox, Celia Slater, Curtis Hollomon, Football, George O'Leary, Georgia Tech, Jamy Bechler, Leadership, Mike Hamilton, NCAA, Social Media, Tim Selgo

Feb 01 2018

Episode 063: Travis Daugherty, Sports Parenting Author and Basketball Coach

Travis Daugherty is the author of “The Lens: Raising a Champion Athlete and Man in Today’s Myopic World”. He is also the head boys basketball coach at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana.  Entering the 2017-18 season, he has a career record of 172-122 in 13 seasons as a head coach. Daugherty’s head coaching career started at Tipton High School from 2004-2009, where his teams won back-to-back sectional and conference championships. In 2008, he received the Indiana Basketball Coach’s Association Bob King Coach of the Year award.  From 2009-2013, Travis served as the Head Coach at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, and he started at Mt. Vernon in 2013-14.  He won a state championship for Alexandria-Monroe H.S. and then went on to have a stellar collegiate career at Anderson University. In addition to coaching responsibilities, Travis also serves as a high school English teacher at Mt. Vernon.  His most important job in life is his role as a husband and father.  He and his wife, Jessica, were married in 2003 and have three children:  Aden, Owen, and Leah.  

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Why he wrote a book on parenting
  • What good and bad parenting looks like
  • How writing this book has changed him as a coach and parent

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Basketball, basketball coach, Bobby Cox, Coaching, Denny Lehnus, hoosier hysteria, Indiana, Jamy Bechler, Joe Ehrmann, Lavar Ball, Parenting, sports parenting, stan daugherty, the lens, Todd Gongwer, travis daugherty

Sep 13 2017

Bechler Selected as Opening Speaker at TELL Summit for Educators

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace College is excited to host the first annual The Educators Leadership Learning Summit (TELL) on Oct. 30.

The Summit, held at Grace’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, is specifically created for school superintendents, administrators, principals, athletic directors and coaches. The TELL Summit will bring in numerous top state educators and motivational speakers to share their experiences in the world of education.

The Grace College Athletic Department created the summit, providing an educational event that is unique across the state of Indiana. 

Click here  for a complete schedule of speakers and topics. 

The TELL Summit is designed to inspire current and future educators in the high school world. This TED Talk-inspired event was created to spark new learning ideas, stimulate deep discussion and provide networking opportunities among like-minded educators. 

“We are honored to host the TELL Summit at Grace College. We feel that professional development for educators in the athletic world is critical to help student-athletes in their development,” said Grace Director of Athletics Chad Briscoe. “We hope that providing an experience for high school educators to grow and sharpen one another will be a great benefit to sports leaders at the high school level across the state.”

Included among the 14 presenters in the 2017 Summit are Bobby Cox, IHSAA Commissioner; Sandy Searcy, National Federation of State High School Associations Director of Sport; Seth Maust, Five Star Life President; and Jamy Bechler, John Maxwell Coach. Three school superintendents will be speaking, including Warsaw’s David Hoffert, as well as three athletic directors, a principal and three high school coaches.

Click here for a complete information packet on the event.

To register for the summit, contact Grace’s athletic office at 574-372-5100 ext 6266 or email chad.briscoe@grace.edu.

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: News · Tagged: Bobby Cox, Chad Briscoe, Educators, Grace College, IHSAA, Jamy Bechler, Leadership, Motivational Speaker, NAIA, Ted Talk, TedX Talk

Aug 05 2017

Episode 019: IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox

Bobby Cox is the Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association. He became the 8th commissioner in Indiana history when he took the reigns in 2011. Prior to that appointment, he had served as assistant commissioner since 2000 administering the sports of football, boys’ golf, boys’ and girls’ track and field, and wrestling.  Previously, Cox was a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee serving as the Chairman of the Research subcommittee from 2008-2011. Additionally, Cox served as a member of the NFHS Coaches’ Education committee from 2002-2006 and as an advisor to the Commission on Sports Medicine of the Indiana State Medical Association. Prior to joining the IHSAA, Cox had spent the previous 21 years as a teacher, coach, and athletic administrator in the Carmel Clay Schools.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • What parents can do to help develop their kids
  • Common traits that the best coaches share
  • The future of high school sports

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Athletic Directors, athletics, Bobby Cox, Character, Coaches, Coaching, High School, high school athletics, hoosiers, IHSAA, Indiana sports, Joe Ehrmann, NFHS, podcast episode, Simon Sinek, sportsmanship

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