By Nelson Coffin
nelson@iaamsports.com
As anyone who has volunteered to coach a sport at the youth league level will tell you, the behind-the-scenes work is every bit as critical to the success of the team as the time on the field having fun with the youngsters.
Communicating with parents via email and text, setting up practice times, confirming the availability of a practice field and rounding up enough kids to play and practice are all part of the job.
Then imagine not just running a team, but being the commissioner of a league with as many as 24 teams.
That’s one of the reasons why Ken Krabitz was such an easy choice among more than a 100 candidates to take over as Chapelgate Christian Academy’s athletic director, replacing Jason Bennett, who moved to fill a similar position at the Covenant School in Charlottesville, Va. a couple of months ago.
Even though Krabitz, 43, had never worked in school administration, his background running the Catonsville Recreation Council girls basketball program, which he helped build from 83 to 215 players during his tenure, gave him the inside track toward securing the job.
He also had a background in operating a family-owned painting and remodeling business, which was another plus on his résumé.
“I’m taking a little bit of an unusual path (to the new position),” Krabitz said.
“Ken has a unique combination of perspectives that make him a great fit for Chapelgate,” said Melissa Barrett, Chapelgate head of school, alluding to Krabitz’s experience as a varsity basketball player at Mt. St. Joeseph and as a parent of two daughters — Madeline, a rising junior, and Ella, who will enter the eighth grade next semester. “He brings great enthusiasm and heart to the position, and we are thrilled to have him as our new athletic director.”
Krabitz, who is an assistant to boys varsity basketball coach Frick Frierson, also played the sport for three years at Randolph-Macon College.
His first bit of business, Krabitz said, has been to catch up on work that needs to be addressed after the AD position was vacated for a couple of months.
Another issue is a familial one, in that Krabitz said that he was worried how his daughters might react to his presence at school on a daily basis.
“But I could see that they were happy,” he said. “It gives me a chance to make up for all the years I worked 12-hour days (for the family business, Color By Design Remodeling) and ran the rec program.”
Krabitz said that scheduling games for the upcoming school years will have its challenges, especially during Tech Week when athletes are needed to perform in school plays.
That said, Krabitz is thrilled with his new gig.
“It’s a dream job for me,” he said.
Sounds like he’s not the only one who feels that way.
“Ken is committed to helping our student athletes thrive, and is a wonderful asset to our senior staff,” Barrett said. “Both Frick Frierson (assistant Head of School) and I are thrilled to have him on staff.”