Ask the AD - Stephen Nibbs, Thomas Johnson High School

This summer, CSZ will be doing a segment on the WICKipedia entitled "Ask the AD". In this feature, we'll be conducting Q&A's with various athletic directors around Maryland to learn more about how different high schools run their athletic programs, and what to expect from them in the future.

Our final post of this week features Stephen Nibbs from Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick County! During our conversation Stephen gave us the rundown of what happened this past year in TJ athletics, what's changed about being an AD since he got started in 2002 and the many benefits TJ is enjoying by being a member of the newly formed Central Maryland Conference (CMC)!

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County Sports Zone:How did you become the athletic director at TJ?

Stephen Nibbs:Since 1971, I have been involved in coaching and teaching in the TJ district and in 2002, I decided to serve the community in a larger capacity and accepted the new challenge.

CSZ:How has the job change since you started?

SN:The use of technology and the internet. After redistricting in 2010, we became a 3A school and this past year, we developed our own conference.

CSZ:How would you rate this past year for TJ athletics? Were there a couple highlights that stand out?

SN:We were competitive in soccer, girls basketball, boys and girls track and baseball. We had a girls pole vault state champion, a girls lacrosse player going to a Division I school and 20 student athletes going on to play college.

CSZ:What're a couple things you've accomplished as athletic director that you are particularly proud of?

SN:Maintaining community relations, promoting the student athlete, and continuing to build good sportsmanship.

CSZ:What do you enjoy most about your job?

SN:Being around the athletes and building relationships with them, their families and my coaching staff.

CSZ:TJ was a long time member of the Monocacy Valley Athletic League, which disbanded last summer. How did that make things different for TJ Athletics this past year?

SN:Last summer, Frederick County's AD's, along with our supervisor of athletics, created our own league (CMC). Our schedules are basically developed within our county. We have team championships, a county sportsmanship award and the Principals Cup.

CSZ:What is the sports culture like at TJ?

SN:Sports play a crucial role at TJ incorporating academics, sportsmanship, team and leadership building and community support.

CSZ:Anything exciting on the horizon for TJ Athletics?

SN:We are very close to having a turf field in our stadium.
July 15th, 2016By: Wick Eisenberg

County Sports Zone provides the schedules, scores and standings for 208 public high schools across Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
We post the score of every game - varsity, junior varsity, freshman - by 11 o’clock every night.