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April 2022 | VOL. 8THE AD DIGESTOFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CIAAAIN THIS ISSUE• AD Article of the Month•AGM Package• 2022 NADC Information• CIAAA Apparel• Sportfactor Resource of the Month• Your Reason Why•MORE!ciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530AD Article of the MonthEquity, Diversity, and Inclusion in AthleticsMichael KnoxUniversity of Toronto Schools, Ontario I grew up in Toronto, and attended public schools there until I was 18. Upon completion of high school, I earned a soccer scholarship to Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. Four years and one degree later, I enrolled at West Virginia University for graduate studies for an additional two years. In all those years of being in the education system, I did not have a single Black teacher. I started playing soccer when I was three, and still play to this day. In that time, I have had one Black coach. As a Black man, with Trinidadian parents, I have always been proud of who I am and where I come from. I can tell you from experience how important it is for young people to see themselves in the people they look up to, interact with on a daily basis, and aspire to be. Representation matters, and as athletic administrators, we have the ability to play a role in this, and to shape change. If you are an athletic director and identify as white, you need to recognize the privilege in your position, and how pivotal of a role you can play in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion within your school and athletic department. If that statement makes you uncomfortable, we’re on the right track. These kinds of changes will require a certain level of discomfort,

AD DIGEST | Vol. 8particularly if you are not a member of a minority or racialized group. This feeling needs to be embraced as part of the process. Realizing that there is a need for change is part of the important initial steps in this process. How many BIPOC (Black Indigenous or person of colour) coaches do you have on staff? How many of these are head coaches? How many of your student-athletes identify as BIPOC? If you bring in guest speakers or instructors throughout the year, how many are BIPOC? What actionable steps is your athletic department taking towards reconciliation? There was a report released in September of 2021 outlining systemic racism within the schools that are members of Ontario University Athletics. Student-athletes, coaches and administrators were surveyed about their experiences at their respective schools and at others. The report is telling, as it outlines the barriers and racism (both subtle and overt) faced by all radicalized members of the OUA. I often wonder if a similar survey was done at the high school level, would the results be the same? Sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were! I am fortunate to have parents who were both teachers to look up to and see that was something I could do. I listened to rap music, watched TV shows with black families, the NBA, and Theirry Henry and Edgar Davids were some of my favourite soccer players. Outside of these, there was no representation or people/places where I could say, “I can do that when I grow up”. While there has certainly been progress made since then, there is still a lot of work to be done. I don’t want the youth of today to be limited in their ability to dream because there is not enough diversity in our schools. I’m lucky to be working at a school that has equity, diversity and inclusion at the forefront and as one of its strategic initiatives. I am currently the AD at the University of Toronto Schools, a private school in Toronto, ON for grade 7-12 students. I started in this role in September 2021, but prior to this, I worked as an HPE teacher and AD for 10 years in Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba. My personal and professional experiences have undoubtedly shaped the person I am today, and the viewpoint that I have as it relates to equity, diversity and inclusion. Here are some of the initiatives that have been implemented within the Athletic Department at UTS: • We have a working relationship with the BIPOC Varsity Association, which is made up of current and former student-athletes from the University of Toronto. When there is a coaching vacancy or need of support for one of our teams, we will reach out to the BVA to see if one of their members can ll that need. • We have professionals from a variety of elds that speak to our student-athletes on a monthly basis. They present on everything from nutrition to mental performance to injury prevention. These speakers will only be BIPOC individuals. • Having conversations with assignors for ofcials and requesting BIPOC referees for home contests. • A Land Acknowledgment is read aloud before every home athletic contest, regardless if it is a league, playoff or exhibition game. • At select home games when we play the national anthem, it is sung in an Indigenous language. • In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action #87, we will be establishing an Indigenous Athlete Hall of Fame, to recognize those athletes who have excelled throughout history. Many of these actionable steps can be implemented right away, with no additional funding or resources. I hope to create a culture of inclusivity and belonging within the athletic department at my school. A place where our student-athletes can see themselves in the coaches, ofcials and professionals who are involved in the programs that we offer. I hope that I can inspire others to do the same, and that those reading this can nd something they can utilize in their own school. If you are unsure of where to begin, reach out respectfully to members of marginalized communities within your school community. Be genuine. Listen more. Educate yourself about systemic racism within institutions of sport. At the next CIAAA National Conference that’s held in person, look around the room and see how many BIPOC AD’s there are. Representation matters, and we all have a role to play in shaping the next generation to be inclusive, diverse and welcoming of people from all walks of life. ciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530

AD DIGEST | Vol. 8ciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530Join your fellow Athletic Directors to learn, share, and connect at the 2022 CIAAA Virtual National Athletic Directors Conference. For 3 days on April 20 - 23, the CIAAA will offer LTP Courses, Workshops, Keynote Speakers, Forums, and more to help you in your role as an Athletic Director.Check out our conference website for schedules, session descriptions, and registration details.REGISTER NOW!TWO WEEKS LEFT TO REGISTER!Today’s world offers our youth endless outlets to give their attention to. But how many of those outlets are truly helping shape our youth into mature adults? It is our responsibility to arm our youth with the necessary skills and condence required to not just navigate but ideally excel in the world today. High School Sports still offers one of the greatest environments to accomplish this essential task.Angus Reid is a product of such an environment. A high school drifter that lacked direction and any belief in himself was completely transformed as a person after being invited by a high school coach to come out for the football team. This is a story of how high school sports molded so much more than a capable athlete. It gave Angus the skills and modeling of those skills to take the sports coaching and transfer it to everything else in his life. High School sports is so much more than winning game and building memories. It can and needs to still be a viable outlet for our youth to learn about themselves, and how best to become a person that is ready to compete and win the most important game of all – Life.Keynote Feature, Angus ReidThe Power of High School Sports and its Ability to Positively Shape a Young Persons Life

AD DIGEST | Vol. 8Check out our new CIAAA Apparel!This year we have Men’s and Women’s Champion 1/4 Zip Shirts for sale. • $60.00 (includes shipping)All shirts will be shipped following our April Conference. Order Apparel Here!Your Reason Whyciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530We are working on creating some content for our conference and are hoping you can help!We are looking for some Athletic Directors across Canada to lm a 30-60 second video of themselves talking about their love for school sport and being and Athletic Director. We would love it if you could answer the following question(s) in the clip: • Why you love your role as an Athletic Director? • Your favorite part about being an Athletic Director?Video Format:It can be lmed on any device (phone, zoom, camera, etc.), Please send your completed videos to info@ciaaa.ca by April 11th.CIAAA APPAREL

AD DIGEST | Vol. 8ciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530SPORTFACTOR RESOURCE OF THE MONTH Our April Resource of the Month is the online Coach & AD Magazine! This online magazine has great articles and resources on Athletic Administration, Coaching, Athletic Leaders and more! Check it out!• Coach & AD MagazineDo you have any resources that you think might be useful to your fellow Athletic Directors? Send them our way!Reminder to activate your membership to gain access to out full Resource Bank! ASAA, BCSS & SHSAA Athletic Directors receive free a membership, email info@ciaaa.ca for information.CIAAA CERTIFICATIONSJoin us in Congratulating our new CIAAA Certication recipients! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to school sport. Want to get certied? Check out our certication page on the website for more details! All 3 courses in our CRAA certication are being offered at the upcoming conference!

AD DIGEST | Vol. 8ciaaa.cainfo@ciaaa.ca1.888.618.4530CIAAA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGThe CIAAA Annual General Meeting is taking place virtually on Thusday, April 21, 2022 at 9:00am (PST).Click here to view the full Meeting Package.

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