Taking the Lead series continues

STEUBENVILLE -- The YWCA of Steubenville's Taking the Lead series continues Wednesday with a presentation by Nu Skin representative Jamie Svokas, who will share her story as part of the informal breakfast gathering that begins at 8 a.m. at 320 N. Fourth St.

"The Taking the Lead series is an opportunity for women who own businesses, women in senior management, women who want to start a business to network with each other and to learn about each other's businesses and professions," explained Sophie Spencer, YWCA executive director. The cost is $15. For information or to register, contact Spencer at (740) 282-1261. The e-mail is Steubenvilleywca@comcast.net.

October's presenter was Steubenville High School educator and Athletic Director Lynn Meyer, who was accompanied by her mother, Bette Ann Parker. Meyer credited her mother as her inspiration and one of the reasons why she went into education, given her mother had a 41-year teaching career in the Edison school district.

A graduate of Stanton High School, Meyer initially pursued music studies at West Liberty, majoring in saxophone, minoring in piano, but soon soured to that.

"I told my parents I'm not doing this, I want to go into equine studies and be a horse trainer," said Meyer, who raised and showed horses in her youth. Though she pursued the possibility, such a switch fizzled, as her parents agreed to pay for her education, only not to be a horse trainer.

Meyer returned to West Liberty, ultimately earning a degree in physical education. Her first teaching job was at Cadiz High School and also serving as basketball coach, filling in for a teacher on maternity leave. Then came what would be a longtime teaching and coaching career in the Edison school district. But despite enjoying teaching and coaching gymnastics and volleyball through the years and serving as a junior class adviser, Meyer said she felt she "needed something more. I wanted something more."

The opportunity to be assistant athletic director and transition into the AD post when the current AD retired appealed to the wife and mother of four. During her time as Edison athletic director, Meyer cited accomplishments that included rebuilding bleachers, helping do the baseball softball fields at Jefferson State Lake and building the annex with the Boosters Club -- "we had a great Boosters Club. We did the annex there with restrooms and wrestling room weight room because our weight room was in the old bus garage so we got that done."

Meyer's 29-year career in Edison included two years as the Wildcats' athletic director before coming to Steubenville, hired in 2010 as assistant athletic director, a volleyball coach and educator. Her first athletic focus was building up the girls volleyball program.

With Athletic Director Fred Herrington's retirement, Meyer applied for the job also sought by four men. In 2013, she assumed those duties, a job she describes as "very time consuming" in addition to teaching and serving as volleyball coach.

Meyer explained that every student athlete now has to have a physical, "and we have to have a mandatory meeting with parents, every sport does, and those parents sign four different papers." One, for example, is a concussion form outlining the protocol if an athlete suffers a concussion.

Lindsay's Law, passed in Ohio, also requires all youth athletes, parents/guardians and coaches to annually complete a set of requirements prior to participating in any organized sports activity.

There's also a code of conduct parents must sign before student-athletes can participate.

Meyer said people probably don't realize what coaches have to do in order to be a coach but that includes a variety of training.

Weekly eligibility for student athletes is still enforced, she said.

Scheduling games is another part of the job. "We manage 22 teams so all of those get scheduled. Most coaches schedule their own teams, but if they get into a problem, we network," she said.

Game officials, meanwhile, are "getting few and far in between. We only have nine soccer officials for this whole valley here so that's why you'll see some games don't start until 8 p.m. because those officials are doing this game at 5:30 and coming to the next spot."

Every facility has management plans and emergency evacuation plans in place. "Unfortunately if you have an active shooter, where are we going to send everybody, where does this band go, that team, so we have places for every field that we own, and I send all that to the opposing team so the opposing team knows, especially at the stadium," Meyer said in citing another aspect of the job.

"It's a lot. I love it," Meyer said of the job. "I love seeing the kids, especially when you do clinics in third and fourth grade and see them as seniors and All-Staters," she said of the satisfaction in seeing student-athletes excel in their sport and in life.