Kutztown High School’s new athletic director Christopher Nelson has big plans to help bring Kutztown back to athletic excellence and enhance Kutztown students’ high school experience.
“When ever you go somewhere, whatever it is that you do, you hope to leave it better than when you came. You always hope to improve. That’s hard to do when something’s at the top. Undefeated teams and just schools that have never lost, so it’s hard to come into somewhere and say what can you do better, when they are already the best,” said Nelson.
Nelson’s official start date was Oct. 2. He said one of the things that intrigued me about Kutztown was that he saw in the past athletically they were extremely successful.
“They were the top, they were the Berks Catholic and the Wyomissing teams of the league, and what I saw was room for improvement to get back there. I also saw the ability to give back what I had success as. I was very fortunate to have great mentors, coaches, and people in my life to get me where I am now. So what I saw was the ability to give back and leave it better than what it is. Overall what I want is a better experience for our students, that’s always the number one goal, the students’ experience. Its not about ourselves, our coaches, or our fans, its always about the students. I just really hope to share my knowledge, experience, and passion to help enhance the students’ time here,” said Nelson.
Nelson has been at Kutztown for three months and already impressed with the Kutztown community and looks forward to continuing to work with the athletes.
“Everyone has been extremely nice and welcoming. Berwyn, where I’m from, is very close to Philadelphia, and many times people will just walk past you without even making eye contact. I noticed here, it’s a very tight knit community, and people want to know who you are and they say hi. They meet with you and they speak their mind, which is good. They’re very supportive, I’ve seen huge numbers at basketball games, and we didn’t have the best season last year. I wasn’t here for that, but to have the support we have even at our football games this season is tremendous. I just hope with my improvements, and with the improvement of the athletic program, and with what our community brings to the stadium, packed houses and sold out events, is what I’m looking forward to,” said Nelson.
He is also impressed with the students and staff at Kutztown.
“The students are wonderful; we don’t have a lot of problems. I found in general they are trustworthy, which is always a nice thing when you don’t have to worry about your students being sneaky. Our students are very smart, and academics is always our number one priority and athletics is just a compliment to the academic experience to develop our students as a whole. The staff has been excellent; they have been welcoming and supportive. We are working on getting them out to the games, but I think that also starts with our students bugging them more, I think they need to ask them to get to the games, I think that would me nice,” said Nelson.
Overall Nelson looks to bring a lot to Kutztown and has enjoyed his time here thus far.
“It’s been great, I’ve just been happy and very fortunate to be here.”
Nelson graduated from Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s in exercise science with a minor in coaching. While at Shippensburg he worked in the housing department, pretty much doing every as far as student relations. He was on several committees, so this is where his athletic administration career started off. He was on the student athlete advisory committee (SAAC).
“I fell in love with the administration, planning, and event with athletics,” he said.
He said every sport had two representatives, and he was the male representative for track and field. One thing led to the next and he was the chair for the Make A Wish Foundation for SAAC. From there he was selected by the athletic director to be on the student advisory committee, which oversees the entire athletic department’s budget and everything that happens.
“I was the male representative for the entire school,” said Nelson. “To be on that, it absolutely made me want to be an athletic director. I was then chosen academically to be on the students appeals committee, where we oversaw any academic appeals if you thought your grade was unjust from a professor. I liked the meetings, scheduling, rules and regulations, and the documentation of it. “I liked it and decided that’s what I’m going to make a career out of.”
After graduation, he jumped on the opening at Kutztown.
“I’m very fortunate for my experience, my background, and my education so I can be here now,” said Nelson.
Patrick Moyer is a senior at Kutztown High School. He is a student intern for Kutztown Area Patriot.