Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School has elevated tennis coach Kyle Grossman to the athletic director.
The move was approved by the Lakeland Community Schools board during its May 18 meeting.
"It's something I've worked for a long time," Grossman tells ParkviewSportsMedicine.com. "Being a coach at the high school level taught me a lot of things about athletics and the approach to athletes."
A 2007 graduate of Lakeland, Grossman studied sports management at Ball State University. In recent years, he earned his Transition To Teaching license, a state program that recruits people with bachelor's degrees in any field into education. He had been teaching special education in the Westview School Corporation while coaching the Lakeland boys tennis team since 2014 and the girls tennis team since 2015.
Grossman replaces Roman Smith, who took the job as assistant athletic director at Warsaw High School in April. Smith will stay at Lakeland through June 30 to help in the transition.
"With his knowledge, experience, and approach, I am very confident that Lakeland is in great hands," Smith says. "We are all excited for Kyle and his family."
As he assumes his new role, Grossman says a priority is student engagement in athletics, particularly with the closure of the school for most of the semester. And in addition to the tennis coaching positions, he must look for a new head coaches for boys and girls basketball.
He emphasizes loyalty to the Lakeland name, and views youth sports as important facet in maintaining a winning culture in Laker athletics.
"We need to be about development and improving our kids," he adds. "Being able to build relationships with people you know and you trust is important to a small community."
Lakeland is one of 26 high schools that partner with Parkview Sports Medicine for athletic training, nutrition, sports performance, athletic rehab and other sports medicine services for Laker student-athletes. Learn more at www.parkviewsportsmedicine.com.