By WILLIAM WILCZEWSKI
TODAY’S NEWS-HERALD
When you walk through the front doors of Lake Havasu High School, everything looks as you would expect.
Then, a cheery-smiled receptionist greets you, and you take
a seat in order to wait a moment until Roger Burger, the school’s athletic
director, is ready to see you.
That’s when the sensory-overload of the situation hits you.
His secretary, Danika Kitchel, is convinced it’s just a
mess, but others—including Burger—would agree his office is more of a shrine to
the near decade and a half he’s spent as the athletic department’s top dog.
Banners here.
Posters there.
Old newspaper clippings.
Football helmets that seem to date back to the
post-leatherhead era.
You name it, it’s likely there in Burger’s office.
So much so, in fact, that the purple and white painted walls
of the cube go mostly unnoticed for all the decorations that adorn it.
And Burger wouldn’t have it any other way, because his life—much
like his office—has been fully committed to the purple and gold life of a
Knight since he was given the AD role in 2003 by then-principal Kathy Cox.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Prior to that, “My coaching experience included (junior
varsity) wrestling during my first year of teaching, freshman volleyball coach
for two years and I took over the varsity volleyball program in 1991,” Burger
explained. “I continued coaching varsity volleyball until the year 2002.”
That program was always his baby, but by the next season
when he took the reins of the entire sports department, his family grew
10-fold.
But that was far from a problem for Burger, who has always
had a passion for sports—no matter what shape or form it took.
“My life has always involved athletics,” he said, “whether
it’s been as an athlete, an assistant coach, head coach, athletic director, a
high school official or as a parent of an athlete. I have developed a pretty
good understanding of every aspect involving athletics. I can personally relate
to the feelings associated with being cut from a team and having your child cut
from a team.
“As well as being able to officiate games, this gives me the
ability to see the game and the reaction of the coaches, athletes and fans,” he
went on. “This is why my most memorable moments have to do with the character
of individuals, the integrity of the sport and not the wins, losses or titles
that were accomplished during my tenure.”
MEMORABLE
MOMENTS
Here are
three such incidents that Burger hangs his hat on most.
First, there
was the time in 1993 when Havasu
was hosting a game, but “not a normal game,” mind you, Burger explained, “as
there were many unsportsmanlike conduct fouls on both teams; players shoving
after the play and it became very chippy.”
Havasu lost
the game, and a former Knights head coach directed his players to go straight
to locker room and not shake hands with the opposing team.
“As the team
went up to the locker room, the other team lined up to shake our hands,” he
said. “One player, senior running back Brandon Rooney, felt this was wrong and
stayed back and shook the hand of each athlete of the opposing team. A few
other athletes then joined Brandon in shaking hands. Later, the head coach at
that time apologized to the opposing team and our players and praised Brandon
for doing the right thing.”
Rooney went
on to play college football for the United States Military Academy at West
Point, and still has a career with the Army.
Then, there
was the time in 2008 when he received a letter from a Phoenix-area
official after his football team lost to Peoria High in a state football game.
“The official
said in 30-plus years of officiating, this was a first,” Burger explained. “The
team and coaching staff, led by coach Kris Garry and our current coach, Karl
Thompson, from Lake Havasu High School did not cuss or swear one time with
regards to any plays or the game. He was amazed.”
Finally, in
2012, there was the time when one of Burger’s freshman football players showed
some serious on-the-field sportsmanship.
“Under the
direction of our former teacher and coach Alex Ruiz, while at Youngker High
School, one of their athletes was severely injured,” Burger explained. “Alex
instructed his kids to take a knee and, as the kid was carted off the field,
his team lined up and gave the kid some encouragement. A few days later, I
received a letter from a parent who wrote this: ‘In these days of win at all
costs and general lack of concern for you fellow man, it is good to see values
being taught to our young people by what I see as and outstanding coaching
staff. You should be very proud of your coaching staff and young men and how
they conducted themselves on the field last night.’”
It’s been situations
like these that keep Burger motivated despite spending countless hours at work from
early morning to well into the evenings many times. Heck, it wouldn’t be a
stretch to think he spends more time with his student-athletes than their own
parents do.
PLENTY ON HIS
PLATE
It’s not all
about exploits on the field, though, for Burger, a 53-year-old, Norman, Oklahoma-native, who went to Glendale
Community College before attending Northern Arizona University. He faces bigger
challenges and adjustments than just trying to stop the power sweep or how to
coral a hot three-point shooter.
With the
recent Arizona Interscholastic Association realignment, Havasu bumped up in
conference to 5A, which has resulted in the Knights now competing more and more
with bigger schools from the metropolitan area of Phoenix.
What’s a
program to do to compete in an environment like that?
Well, club sports is a start.
“We started a small club for volleyball that helps keep us
competitive, but we still aren’t playing at the level that the clubs are
playing in the valley,” Burger said. “Parker High School started an elite club
volleyball team and you can see the difference in play.”
Despite its growing popularity, though, Burger, is not a fan
of specializing in any one sport “because I think it promotes burnout of
athletes,” he said, “but with the right coach in place and commitment by the
athletes, repetition helps. The coaches at LHHS understand this, and with the
little clubs we have out of season, the coaches are allowing kids to play their
sport and also play club.”
Still, having a larger pool of athletes to choose from is
always beneficial in the big picture for Phoenix-based schools. That doesn’t
mean, however, that Havasu hasn’t produced its share of stars.
“In spite of the challenges that we have with our location,
Havasu produces many good athletes such as Bob Milacki, who pitched for the
Orioles, and April Kubishta, who was NCAA Division I National Champion in the
pole vault at ASU,” Burger proudly said.
LIMELIGHT NOT EVERYTHING
Athletics, however, is more than just the limelight for
Burger.
“Sports are a reflection and a preparation for what happens
in life, with its ups and downs and the emotional ties,” he said. “You learn to
work as a team, rely on each other, make a commitment and play your role. This’s
why it’s critical that we continue to have a competitive extra-curricular
sports program here at Lake Havasu High School.
“It is my hope that the state of Arizona recognizes the
benefits and includes funding for athletic programs to allow us to focus on the
athletes and away from major fundraising tasks,” he added.
At the end of the day, it’s the lessons learned by his
student-athletes that Burger is most concerned about—and if he could pick one
lesson it would be this:
“I would like to tell each student or student-athlete to
respond to incidents that happen in life versus reacting to them,” he said. “Reacting
enhances the problem and responding helps solve the problem. I use this analogy
all the time with students: I say the following when kids are all upset and
shook up. What would happen if I told you to take a bottle of Dr. Pepper and
shake it up a lot, and then have you open it up? The kid would say, “It would
explode.” I then tell them, this is what happens when you react. You explode
and pretty soon we have to clean up a mess not only for you but anyone around
you. Then I ask them, take this bottle of water and shake it up just as much as
you did the Dr. Pepper. What’s going to happen?
They say “nothing.” Exactly, I
say. This is what happens when you respond; you don’t have a mess to clean up
even though you were just as shook up.
“When things don’t go your way, be the bottle of water;
respond versus react.”
Sounds like good prose for his next poster, right?
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