Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
Issue link: https://ballantynemagazine.epubxp.com/i/42111
BALLANTYNE | feature Unsung Heroes MEET THE ADs ORCHESTRATING LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS IT'S THE ROAR OF THE CROWD, the smack of pads, the swish of a slam- dunk, the peal of the whistle, the buzz of the time clock. These are the sights and sounds that most people experience during high school sports. But what's taken for granted is everything that goes on behind the scenes. Tickets are sold. Players are prepped. Senior days are planned. Games are scheduled. Fields, courts, tracks and pools are maintained. As the old expression goes, the devil is in the details. No one knows this better than the unsung heroes of high school sports — athletic directors. While well versed in shining the spotlight on their athletes, ADs, as they're known, never have the chance (or, frankly, the time) to bask in the limelight. That's not what their jobs are about, they'll tell you. Ballantyne Magazine decided to turn the tables and highlight these local heroes who make area high school athletics happen. 78 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE The Jack-of-All-Trades Cheryl Feeney Ardrey Kell High She's known as "Feeney" to the other ADs. She's pint-sized but has a power all her own. Her laugh is infectious. One minute, she is visiting the tennis team on senior day, and the next minute, she is selling volleyball game tickets. Soon she is standing on the school's turf field, watching the jayvee football team get ready for a game and eyeing the cross country team taking laps around the field. It's a frenetic environment, and the 55-year-old Feeney thrives in it. "This is an administrative position," she explains while walking briskly through the hallway, her arms full. "I'll go CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 Cheryl Feeney WINTER 2010-2011 By Regan Michelle White Photos by Shane Baskin/Blackbox Studios