T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY JERRY SNODGRASS took over as the Executive Director of the Ohio High School Athletic Association earlier this summer. He’s worked at the OHSAA, as an assistant commissioner, for more than a decade. He took over for Dr. Daniel Ross.

COLUMBUS — The scope of the Ohio High School Athletic Association is lost on some people. When you consider the state’s governing body oversees more than 800 high schools, a similar number of junior highs and thousands of coaches and officials, there’s not a lot of time to relax.

The amount of energy that overseeing the OHSAA as its executive director requires certainly isn’t lost on Jerry Snodgrass, who became the 10th person to serve in that capacity earlier this summer. Not only is it not lost on him, he clearly embraces it.

The 1973 Upper Sandusky High School graduate, who has served in multiple capacities in prep sports throughout his career, took a couple of hours out of his schedule last week to sit down with The Times Leader for a Q and A, covering a myriad of topics.

Here’s the interview:

SS: You’ve been on the job for just over a month, have you fully settled into the position?

JS: Only a month? It feels like it’s been eight years. You know what … no. I feel settled in in some respects, but I also know that with any change in a person that some changes are inevitable and some changes are subtle that you can’t do too fast. Everyday is a surprise, so it’s a matter of getting my feet wet, but it’s more about looking at things that need finalized or more closure brought to them.

SS: When Dr. Ross had officially announced he was stepping away from the executive director position, did you immediately think that you wanted to explore the position?

JS: It took no prodding. I’ve always been the type of person when I was a teacher, I wanted to be the department chair, when I was an assistant athletic director, I wanted to be the athletic director and when I was an assistant coach, I wanted to be a head coach. We’re 111 years old and there’s only been 10 of us who have served in this capacity. When it was announced that (the position) was available, it was just natural for me to apply. I love being in a leadership and decision-making position.

SS: You recently went through your first Board of Directors meeting in the head chair, if you will. What was that viewpoint like and how much changed for you?

JS: There’s no question that I went into it … 1. wanting it to perfect and 2. a little bit of anxiousness because I wanted it to go so well. And I think it went great. I am not saying this to pad anyone’s feelings or anything, but we have a good board. The fact that we can have open dialogue, disagree on some things and still come out of it with conversation and making decisions, truly knowing who those decisions benefit, affect or involve. And it’s not the board members. It affects the hundreds of thousands of athletes and coaches we deal with. I think that was the best thing to come out of the first meeting.

SS: How long do you honestly see yourself in this position?

JS: I don’t personally think that this job has the longevity that it used to have. Someone told me once after they interviewed for a high-level coaching position at one of the most high-profile schools in the state. The comment was, ‘I see this as the ultimate job and could envision myself staying here for rest of my career, etc.’ That was the wrong answer and the school board told him, “no. We expect you to expel so much energy and so much of your time in making a difference that you won’t want to be here that long.’ To some degree, I understand that because I am very energetic and passionate about what I do. How long? Who knows? But I know during this time that I will make a difference.”

SS: You’ve been a part of HS sports in basically every way possible as an adult. Coach, A.D., school administrator, OHSAA commissioner. How has wearing all of those hats prepared you for what lies ahead in this position?

JS: I actually get pat paid to do these things. I’ve spent a career and a lifetime, for that matter, doing this. Where can you trade this in for anything? If you had told me when I was in high school you could have a career not only teaching, coaching or working with kids, but being involved with student activities like we are. I would have said, ‘where do I sign up for that?’ I’ve been the recipient of that blessing. I’ve always been a believer that it would be difficult to lead people if you’ve never been in the shoes of those you lead. People can overcome those odds sometimes, but while it’s not necessarily a requirement to have played to be a coach, but it goes a long way toward it. I like to believe I was a good classroom teacher (in science), but then in every coaching position I had, I was lucky the school in which I worked didn’t want to hear how good of a coach I was. They wanted to know what kind of teacher I was, so I think I have that perspective of how prioritizing. I’ve been at all levels of sports in terms of big schools, small schools, was the president of the state board, served on the district board. I just feel the perspective of having done all of those things is a huge benefit to being in a leadership role.

SS: What goals or plans have you formulated — even if just in your mind — that you’d like to see get done and does one take priority over another?

JS: One of the first things I did was I was asked all 22 employees to submit their goals. I was amazed at how good some of them were. I want to help them accomplish those because, if we do, it ultimately helps our schools and the people we serve. For me, personally, two target areas I want to make a difference with is dealing with the transfers. Secondly, and I think our staff is well aware of it after just a month that I want to re-focus on our mission statement, which is to help our coaches and administrators to put on tournaments and events. Turnover in coaches in athletic directors is probably the second biggest issue we’re facing. We owe it to our kids to help with that turnover and we can do that by helping them a little bit more. To be able to help with that is a big vision of mine.

SS: You’ve developed a pretty large presence and/or following on Twitter, how much does that continue in your new role or will you have to step away somewhat?

JS: When someone told me that I tweeted more than Donald Trump, I took that to heart a little bit. I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but (social media) has served me well in my from an information standpoint. Now that I have other people doing things for me, I have to back off of it a little bit. I don’t want to step on the toes of our director of information whose job is to do that, but on the other hand, I sure hate not communicating with those people. I get so much information on there, sometimes even on violations.

SS: I’ve seen via Twitter that you’ve been out speaking at events and such around the state. How visible do you plan to be in terms of visiting the schools, district boards, etc?

JS: I’ve always considered myself as a communicator. In the classroom, I always said I couldn’t expect a student to understand every concept just because it’s in the book. I was hired to be a teacher and to teach what’s in that book. I feel strongly about that in terms of our handbook and rules. There’s one thing to come up with the intelligence of putting (a rule) in a book, but we have to teach it as well. Anytime we can convey our message or just opening the door to us (at OHSAA) a little bit more. In order to keep high school sports where they are, it takes all of us. I am in a role where I have to be out there and fortunately, I want to be out there.

SS: In recent years, we’ve seen the addition of lacrosse, seated events at track and field, team wrestling tournament, etc. What other sports or additions to existing sports could be on the horizon?

JS: I could open the door to a lot. I actually was the one who pushed for lacrosse. I believed in it because it’s such a growing sport. I thought it was a safe risk, in terms of our finances. Some people may not realize, we’re like a lot of businesses, we can’t take on some responsibility that’s a huge financial liability. I look at many things and we still have an emerging sport committee, which I am totally respectful of. I think it’s part of my job to know what’s going on. If the committee told me they were looking into bass fishing, I’d be right there with them. I think I need to understand it, too. I say that, from the standpoint, I’ve strongly looked at boys volleyball. It’s growing, the organization that currently oversees boys volleyball wants to give it up. I surveyed schools in Central Ohio because a lot of them have boys’ volleyball, and in unison, hands went up of people wanting (the OHSAA) to take it over. I think people want the things we have to offer, but we can’t take on any financial liability. Something I am not saying we’re going to do, but people have to take a look at E sports. It’s gaining steam and three or four universities in Ohio are offering full rides. It’s a subject all in its own and I believe Nationwide Arena hosted the Call of Duty national championships with a sold-out building. I am not saying we’re going to do it, but we’re looking at it.”

SS: A lot of small schools are struggling with numbers in different sports, especially football. There are fewer JV teams and freshmen teams, especially in my area, are basically non-existent. What are your thoughts or feelings on 8-man football and it’s feasibility in Ohio high school sports?

JS: I look at 8-man football, similarly to boys volleyball. It’s another sport. Most states won’t allow a school to have both 11-man and 8-man. I think that just distorts the rationale for 8-man. A little bit of the challenge is we have areas (in the state) where some schools have it, but the bad part is in this state you could be light years away from two schools that have it. In the long run, I don’t know if that can sustain itself.

SS: Among the teams I cover, there are no Division I, II or III football teams. I’ve heard — many times — from different people that the “OHSAA only cares about the metropolitan-area schools and everything is done for them.” I don’t agree, but what do you say to the people who think the small — or even medium-sized — schools “don’t matter.”

JS: I do care about all of the schools and I know Dr. Ross and those before us did, too. We have to make sure we are continuing to listen to all opinions, especially when someone proposes a rule. I’ve always been a believe, and maybe it’s the coaching background, that when you make a regulation, look at what might go wrong or the unintended consequences. Just because a large school wants something doesn’t mean it’s good for all seven divisions. Likewise, I am a believe that one size fits all rules isn’t always the way to go. I am not afraid to go out on a limb when it comes to things like that, but it’s my intention to make sure I am not listening to just one school or one division.

SS: Attendance is an issue everywhere. Whether it’s regular season or the state tournament(s), what can be done to spark more of an interest and to get more people to the games?

JS: Attendance problems are everywhere. There’s only one university in Ohio that ticket sales met the expenses of an athletic department and that’s Ohio State. Attendance is down everywhere, including the NFL. It’s a sign of the times. It’s easier to sit on the couch or follow scores on social media, which I’ve been guilty of at times. I can follow scores and games in real time. I think we need to try to enhance our events with more entertainment, and I don’t mean the actual games. Whether it be halftime shows, National Anthem singers or whatever, we need to try to attract more people and we’re going to try to continue to do that more and more. People can’t take time off work like they used to, which makes getting to some our events tough and we’re taking a look at a different format to make the boys (state) tournament more like the girls. We’re crazy if we don’t look at everything.”

SS: Last basketball season, you and I talked for a story about ejections in basketball occurring at an alarming rate, especially in my area. How do you/the OHSAA continue to work to decline those numbers?

JS: I think a lot of work can be done and I think we have an obligation to do it. I think that’s with adults, too. More things are coming to light with the shortage of officials. We have to keep in mind that today with all of the focus on injuries, rules today are much more tilted toward the safety than they may have been 20 years ago. Some of the ejections are from a safety aspect and not just a sporting behavior aspect. Like baseball ejections were up, but several were for what the umpire deemed malicious contact at the plate. You can’t run over the catcher, and that leads to an ejection, so the numbers are higher. The numbers in some sports are a little bit deceiving.

SS: At the last board meeting, I saw in the notes released by Tim Stried, that a handful of small, Christian schools, including East Richland Christian in St. Clairsville, withdrew from the OHSAA. Obviously, to many that doesn’t seem like a big issue, but what does the OHSAA think when schools withdraw?

JS: We’re going through a tough time with that. But, we had a meeting (last Wednesday) with a few schools inquiring about becoming members. On the other hand, though, we had a few schools leave. One of the biggest issues is there has to be some standards. It’s not good for anyone if a school is a member and then it doesn’t have enough kids to compete in tournaments. We have minimum standards for the first time we suspended, I think, eight schools memberships. It’s a stiff penalty and we’re looking at that to make sure the intent of that rule is being meant. It is what it is for this year. Some of our other requirements for being a member kind of put a hurdle in front of some schools that want to be nothing but a basketball school from coming in as a member. We need to protect our current members from that.

SS: Sportsmanship has, unfortunately, become an issue all over Ohio. Mercy rules have helped curb some of the truly lop-sided scores, but I am not sure those help with actual sportsmanship. Obviously, that has to start at the school level, first and foremost. But, what can the OHSAA, or even National Federation, do to help with that?

JS: I think we can help with that. Video courses are there and I realize they’re not the complete solution, but they’re part of it. I serve on the national coach-ed committee, which puts out the sportsmanship components for coaches, kids and parents. I think, more and more, we’re called in to assist schools from leadership conference help, for students, and hope that carries over to adults. We require pre-season meeting every single season, which we think will assist the schools that people have to come and trying to help them. We’re trying to do things.

SS: I can’t let you go without asking about competitive balance. We are entering the second full year of the initiative. How is it being received by the membership?

JS: That’s a tough question. We have look at what the intent of the rule was. I think there’s a perception that the intent was to take more parochial, or non-public schools, away from state championships. Is that the intent? If so, you might look at football and say, ‘well, it worked.’ But, in other sports that wasn’t the case. I am not sure that’s the intent. When you go back and say the original intent is that more than just your student count should make up what division you play in. The factor became what the ultimate student count should be and where your students come from. That’s what it’s done. That part is working. Does that determine who wins champions? The jury is still out on that, I guess. But, I do not look at the rule that this was designed to help public schools win state championships. Maybe that’s a side light of it, I don’t know. Even though it wasn’t by a great margin, our member schools spoke and said they wanted it. I had someone ask me a while back, ‘are you going to keep (competitive balance) going?’ I have to listen to the schools and they wanted it. We have a process by which anyone can propose to do away with anything or make adjustments. It’s afforded to all of our member schools and we serve them.

SS: It was pointed out at the spring regional meetings, which I attended in Cambridge, that the competitive balance committee would continue to meet. Are those just formalities, or are there actual tweaks/changes being considered?

JS: I support the continued meetings of that committee. One of the discussions has been to allow people who aren’t on that committee to come in and address the committee, so we’re very open with it. We want people to be heard. One thing I am trying to do with a lot of our committees is try to slow them down. I want to understand and identify what their purpose is. I don’t want them to have a meeting just to have lunch. I want them to have a purpose. The makeup of those committees is something we’re looking at. If someone would call me tomorrow and say they’d love to help and serve on a committee. Well, what answer do I have for them? Do we have a process for people (joining) and I think we need to look at things like that before we randomly start adding more committees.

SS: We are embarking on the first season for the new rule that requires transfer students, who do not meet one of the exceptions, must sit out the second half of the season and postseason. Obviously, the vote passed, but once a school actually has to implement it, how do you think it will be received?

JS: By in large, people do not want transfer students to be eligible or occur if they do not meet an exception. Most people support it for the other guy, but when it comes to their own team or school, they want them to be immediately eligible. I respect that, but I also think (the rule) was done to slow down transfers, just jumping ship and to also get a handle on recruiting, which is one of the hardest things ever to enforce. Will it do that? I believe it will. In the bigger picture, I believe this is a good thing. I’d be less inclined to ‘recruit’ someone if I know he or she is going to sit out in the tournament. It’s also delaying appeal hearings. Our membership spoke loudly, very loudly, on this, too

SS: Lastly, I think there is a faction of people around not only my area, but probably the state, who think you sit in Columbus, prop your feet on the desk and just have one of the easiest jobs on the planet. What is an average day for you?

JS: I will agree that this is a cool job. The challenges are so difficult to explain. It’s a little bit more defined here in terms of rule regulating, rule writing and rule enforcement. I probably serve more of a public relations role now. It’s important to know that in the presence of chaos, where no rules are present, organizations like this are built. For all of the naysayers, who want us to go away, there’d be a new organization built immediately to make rules. It’s necessary in sport. In that perspective, you take the good with the bad. We’re about the 26th or 28th smallest staff in the United States to serve our 819 member schools, which is third or fourth largest behind California, Texas and Illinois. People are going to dislike us because we’re the dad who has to say no, but when we tell our story that we’re just enforcing the rules that our members create. I think a lot of it is we haven’t told our story. I can say without hesitation in the 10 years I’ve worked here, I’ve not had my feet up on a desk on any day. I’ve lived it. I can say that we work. The good part is we have 22 full-time employees who are committed to work for our schools.”