Dear Mountain Vista High School Parents and Students,

My name is Jim Flanigan and I am the new Athletic Director at Mountain Vista High School.  While I am new to this position I am not new to this community.  I have been a teacher and coach at Mountain Vista for thirteen years.  I am very excited to embark on my new role at the school and I am very excited about the current state and the future of athletics at Mountain Vista High School.

As we look into the future of Mountain Vista athletics it is important to also understand that this is, in my opinion, the top athletic high school in the state of Colorado. This is really amazing due to the fact that Mountain Vista is one of the best academic schools in the state as well.  I truly believe that there is no better place for a young man or woman to go to school.  I honestly, cannot wait for my own kids to attend Vista.

One of the reasons that I am so excited to take over this position is because of the outstanding staff that exists at the school.  From teachers to coaches, the individuals that work here and invest in your kids are not only some of the best in the state, they are some of the best in the nation.  The coaches here are second to none and I am proud to work with them in the capacity of Athletic Director.

When I applied for this job I told the parents, coaches, teachers, administrators, and students who interviewed me that I viewed this position as a position of service.  My job as Athletic Director must be first and foremost to serve our students and athletes.  I want to make sure that the Athletic Department is always doing things that are in best interest of student-athletes, from making sure they are safe on and off the field to assuring that they are learning life lessons through sports that will serve them well even when their time in competitive athletics are over.  As a high school and collegiate athlete, I learned so much about life through involvement and competition.  The lessons I took with me taught me to be a better person.  With that said, some of those lessons also came from mistakes and losses. I believe some of our greatest lessons come through adversity. Samuel Smiles says, “We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery”.  Athletics to me is a place where we get to make mistakes, learn from them and move forward to the next play or game with a new opportunity to change the outcome.  This mirrors life in so many ways.

When I look at the future of athletics at Mountain Vista I understand that the success of our programs lies with the coaches, players and support of our families.  At this competitive level and with the number of participants we have there can certainly be misunderstandings when it comes to interactions that take place between coaches and players. The most important thing in working effectively through these situations is communication.  First between the player and the coach, then, if need be between the parents and the coach.  I have found that when this first-hand communication occurs, most issues are solved quickly.  However, if a player or parent ever feels that the issue is not resolved after these initial steps, my door is always open to support the communication process.  We will truly have the best interest of our programs and our athletes in mind when working through difficult or frustrating events. Based on my extensive coaching experience and the combined 60+ years of head coaching experience of the MVHS Administrative Team, we know that it is nearly impossible to effectively address concerns if they are never brought to a coach’s attention or if they are presented in the form of anonymous complaints.  Please be willing to talk to coaches, teachers, and administrators about what is going on so that everyone involved can fairly and accurately understand the specific concern and purposefully work together toward an outcome.  Generally, anonymous complaints will not be fully addressed.  Open and honest communication between all parties is the best way to work through and solve problems. Supporting this communication process is what I strive to do as Athletic Director at Mountain Vista.

As we embark on the 2018-19 athletic year as the Athletic Director and I am excited to serve the Mountain Vista Community.  Please feel free to come by and say hello at any of the games in the future!  This is going to be another great year!!

Proud to be a Golden Eagle!!  Proud to serve the Golden Eagles!!

Sincerely,

Jim Flanigan

MVHS Athletic Director