New year, new seasons, new goals, and a new athletic director. Mr. Nolan Dowling is ready to bring fresh energy to Saint Viator sports. Mr. Dowling was a long snapper for Western Kentucky University. He has six years of Athletic Director experience at the middle school and high school levels and also has experience in emergency management of interscholastic athletic events. He is married to his high school sweetheart and they have two children who are excited to be future lions. He is a Bears, Cubs, and college football fan, believes Lebron James is the king over Michael Jordan, and that he prefers tennis over pickleball.
“I hope to prepare every athlete to attack life by the time they leave high school,” said Dowling. Mr. Dowling is passionate about the student athletes and has set high goals for himself and Saint Viator sports.
“My biggest strength is my commitment to the kids. Every decision I make is for the kids,” said Dowling. This is also what motivates him to be an athletic director and what brings him his greatest joy. He defines success in athletics as preparing the student athletes for life after high school.
“I want to help the students gain leadership traits, time management skills, and the mentality to persevere through tough times,” said Dowling. As a collegiate athlete, Mr. Dowling understands the ups and downs of being a student athlete.
“I want to celebrate the athlete’s success and pick up the athletes when they are down,” said Dowling.
He also understands the importance of student athlete mental health. Mr. Dowling had a mental health coach throughout his playing days and iterated that he hopes to support Saint Viator athletes by always having an open door policy.
“Student athletes will always be the hardest on themselves. When it starts to get hard and all the pressures are piling up on you from homework, to life, to friends, having a safe place to come talk is what Coach Sobie and I are here for,” said Dowling.
He has a lot of short- and long-term goals for Saint Viator athletics. In the short term, Mr. Dowling hopes to increase the culture for all sports. He plans to implement fun activities at each game in order to increase participation and attendance. Dowling believes that adapting to change is an area of growth for the Saint Viator community. He wants athletes and coaches to come together to embrace change. Looking further ahead, he hopes for many more state champions and ultimately national recognition. He hopes to be in the same category as IMG and Mater Dei, top-tier athletic programs.
Some more immediate additional plans include the continuation of the Athletic Leadership Board, something interim athletic director Mike Obsuszt started during his time at Saint Viator. This leadership board brings athletes from all of the sports teams together to discuss how to improve camaraderie in the sport and how to be better leaders on and off the field.
“I want to bring everybody together to see what we want to do and how to build the building blocks together,” said Dowling. He also plans to support and develop coaches through professional development, attending conferences, learning from others, and always being willing to grow.
“Nobody will ever know everything. There is always a chance to learn and improve,” said Dowling.
When reflecting on his high school experience, he shared that the most memorable part of his high school sports journey was the friendships. He says that the locker room, the time hanging out with your teammates, and the “ride or die” mentality were the best parts of high school sports. Mr. Dowling wants the students to get ready to have some fun. Speaking of fun, Mr. Dowling revealed that he believes that he would be a better kicker than Coach Gould would be a long snapper. Saint Viator student athletes should come together to get this challenge underway.
Mr. Dowling is energetic, positive, and enthusiastic. He is student athlete focused and has lofty goals for all of Saint Viator athletics. With his leadership and skillset, there is no doubt that he is the right leader for the Saint Viator athletic community. Good things are just beyond the horizon.
