New Canton A.D. credits teamwork as key to smooth transition

Securing the leadership role of a 2,000-student high school’s athletic department just days before the fall sports season kicks off has been refreshingly uneventful for new Canton High School Athletic Director Tiffany Roberts, she revealed during an Aug. 16 interview.

Roberts, a former athletic director at Flint Carman Ainsworth, said the reason for the smooth transition can be credited to one word: teamwork.

“My first week has gone really, really well,” said Roberts, whose hiring became official during the Aug. 13 Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education meeting. “The No. 1 reason for this is I have a really good admin team that has been very supportive.

“The (Plymouth-Canton Educational) Park’s other two athletic directors — Tim (Baechler) at Salem and Chaka (Johnson) at Plymouth — have been phenomenal to work with and they’ve answered a lot of the questions I’ve had so far.

“Our athletics department assistant Mikki (Lyons) did a top-notch job of having everything organized and ready to go the minute I stepped into the office the first time. I’m extremely grateful for her help and the assistance of our principal (David Reed-Nordwall).”

Canton job appealing for multiple reasons

A life-long athlete who earned multiple varsity letters in soccer and basketball at Heritage High School in Saginaw Township, Roberts said the appeal of the Canton athletic director position was multi-faceted.

“Once I saw the job posted, I drove down and walked around the Park to get an idea of what it was about, and I was very impressed,” said Roberts, who added that one of her career ambitions was to lead a large athletics department like Canton’s.

“I think it’s awesome that a student can be assigned to one school, yet have the opportunity to take classes at the other schools on the campus. I find the uniqueness of the Park very impressive.”

Roberts said her journey to becoming a high school athletic director was inspired by her own high school A.D. at Heritage, Pete Ryan.

“When I was interested in playing soccer in college, Pete was very supportive and he went above and beyond — for me and all the student-athletes at Heritage — when it came to helping me reach my post-high school goals,” Roberts said.

“Pete always worked hard for what was best for the kids — and I try to emulate his example as best as I can.”

Embracing the changes

Roberts is embracing the ongoing changes at Canton High School — the construction of a new athletic stadium just northeast of her office and the transition from the longtime Chiefs mascot/logo to Cobras, which will take effect this fall, to name two; although she has not had time yet to learn the details of the mascot change or the timeline of the stadium construction.

“Change is exciting,” she said. “I’m looking forward to taking all of this under my wings and flying with it,” she said.

Roberts earned a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Physical and Health Education (and a minor in History) in December of 2006 from Saginaw Valley State University; and a Masters in Administration/Principalship from SVSU in May 2013.

She has multiple athletics administration certifications as well.

“I’m a very organized person, which is important, obviously, when you hold a position like this,” she said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this transitional process goes as smoothly as possible.”

Sports play key role in high school experience

Roberts said she’s a firm believer in the importance of high school students being active in extra-curricular activities like athletics.

“Participating in sports is a huge component of high school and a huge extension of the educational experience,” she said. “I’ve read numerous studies that show that students who participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics, tend to find more success in the classroom.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.