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The Foothills Focus
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July 18, 2012
New athletic director looks for continued success at Cactus Shadows MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
Mike Siwek was about to retire. After 23 years at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, where he served as a teacher and coach of various sports and then 10 years at Independence High School in Glendale, where he served as the athletic director, Siwek announced he was ready to call it quits. During his final months on the job, as the school’s administration searched and found a replacement for him, Siwek came to an unexpected conclusion. “I decided I wasn’t ready to step away from this,” he said. “I really like working with coaches and student-athletes.” While Independence had moved on, having made a hire to be his replacement, Siwek found a solution that he believes is a perfect fit when he applied for and was hired
to be the new athletic director at Cactus Shadows, replacing Rich Swearengin, who retired at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. The veteran athletic director, who started in his new role July 9, said he expects to have a good working rapport with principal Steve Beebee “I’ve known Steve for quite a few years,” he said. “We talked during a girls basketball game up here a couple years ago and from then on it was always a program I watched from a distance.” As a former coach, who had 66 seasons of experience between cross country, track, wrestling and softball experience, Siwek said he has a good feel for what coaches need from their athletic director. “I think to be effective you have to be as attuned to all of your programs as possible,” he said. “I want to find as many ways as I can to support my
coaches. I’ve already gotten the chance to meet some of them and I’ve been impressed.” Siwek also says he knows what he wants to see from his coaches. “Well, you’d love to see wins, but more than that you want to see coaches that help kids to do well in life,” he said. “You want to see them improve both individually and as a team throughout the course of their season. You can learn a lot of life lessons through competitive sports.” Siwek said he believes strongly in the idea of being a student-athlete. “Real simply I think there’s a relationship between a healthy mind and a healthy body,” he said. “You have some kids where sports is the motivating factor that keeps them focused in class.” With a new 39,000 squarefoot building serving as a main entryway to the school
Siwek wants to grow a feeling of community that he already feels is in existence in the community. “My parents grew up in Glen Falls, New York. On Saturday’s everybody at the barbershop would be talking about the high school football game from the night before. I’ve met with the men’s club up here and even though this is a massive district size wise, being a one high school district there is that small-town feel where everybody not only supports the school, but looks as the school’s teams as a form of entertainment to come out and enjoy.” He hopes students at the lower levels in the district grow up thinking about one day being a Falcon. “I think that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “There’s a great camaraderie to growing up in a community and then going and playing together with your
Marc Buckhout/The Foothills Focus
Mike Siwek is the new athletic director at Cactus Shadows High School.
buddies, representing your school.” The 2012-2013 school year opens on Aug. 9 with the fall sports season getting under way later in the month, highlighted by the football team’s home opener, at 7 p.m., Aug. 24 when they host Boulder Creek in the season opener for both teams.