VYPE Editor Brad Heath caught up with Dr. Dustin Smith the new Executive Director of Athletics at Broken Arrow High School to discuss taking over the largest high school athletic program in the state and the Pawhuska natives return to Oklahoma.
–
VYPE: What did your time at Greenwood HS in Arkansas do for your career?
Dr. Smith: Greenwood was my transition spot from collegiate athletics into high school, education-based athletics. It was a phenomenal opportunity to experience education-based athletics at a very high level. The student-athletes and coaches at Greenwood had an incredible amount of success. It is a very tradition rich school district that excelled in the classroom and in competition. Greenwood provided me the opportunity to get highly involved at both the state and national levels. They encouraged me to grow as a leader…. Allowed me to serve the kids, coaches and community…. And provided resources for our programs to experience lots of success. Greenwood obviously was the place that got me into the secondary school space and allowed me the chance to thrive, grow and lead. It certainly was a very special place that impacted my career in ways I can’t truly express.
–
VYPE: This upcoming season is your first as the Executive Director of Athletics at Broken Arrow. What are you looking forward to the most?
Dr. Smith: This is a tough question to narrow down to just one thing. I am excited about learning and working with the great people at Broken Arrow Schools. The people here are incredible! I am excited to work alongside each person in an effort to continue to showcase the student-athletes and coaches that BA has in place. I am a competitor and love to watch kids and coaches compete. I look forward to games, but I also enjoy watching the growth… the grind.. the practices as kids develop throughout the seasons and year. I look forward to watching our kids and coaches compete at the highest levels. My job is simply to serve our coaches and kids.
–
VYPE: You’re a native Oklahoman, how excited are you to be back in Oklahoma leading the largest school in the state?
Dr. Smith: As you mentioned, I am a native Oklahoman. I grew up in Pawhuska and am very proud of being from this state. Broken Arrow is the largest school in the state, but the board of education and administration provide the resources to be successful. I couldn’t be more excited to be back in Oklahoma and am both humbled and honored to be serving at Broken Arrow. I am just a guy from Pawhuska who loves athletics and gets the chance every day to serve at BA!
–
VYPE: You’re involved in several councils and boards concerning student-athletes. What’s one of the biggest challenges facing athletic directors today?
Dr. Smith: There are so many challenges facing athletic directors today. One of the biggest challenges, in my opinion, is the mental health side of being a student-athlete today. Mental health is a very real component of today’s student-athletes and education-based athletics. Social Media can be a good thing, but there are real pressures associated with those platforms today as well. Mental health is not something we have addressed well in the past, but we continue to find ways to both identify and address issues associated with the mental health side of today’s education based athletics.
–
VYPE: Have you found a favorite spot to eat in BA yet?
Dr. Smith: This seems like it could be a different answer if you ask my daughters…ha. They have been introduced to Sugar Llamas and they love that place. My wife loves Mexican food so El Tequila has become a quick favorite for her. We really haven’t found anything that isn’t great. There are so many options here that we didn’t have in Greenwood. Really looking forward to trying out as many places as possible. The Big Biscuit has also been a hit for the Smith family.
–
VYPE: How is the family adjusting and do you have any kids in school?
Dr. Smith: The family is adjusting well. We have a daughter, Riglee, who is a freshman and is ready for to get started at Broken Arrow Freshman Academy. She is part of the softball program and will serve as a manager this fall due to shoulder surgery. So, she has built in some great connections before school has started which will help her transition. Raelynn, our youngest daughter, will be a 4th grader at Creekwood. She is full of energy.. she is a party looking for a place to happen. She is a gymnast and has made some friends through that. Overall, the family is excited to be here and ready to be fully immersed in Broken Arrow!
–
VYPE: What can the student-athletes expect from a Dr. Smith ran athletic program at BA?
Dr. Smith: I am a servant at heart. My goal is to work diligently on behalf of our kids and coaches to provide them with every resource they need to be successful. I am a huge relationship person… and our student-athletes will see me often… I am going to be invested in them.. in their experience as a student-athlete at BA.. and I will be a huge supporter of them. My goal as the AD is to serve so they can shine.
