One of the best qualities outgoing Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association executive director Ned Sparks said he sees in Andy Warner is excellent judgment.
That judgment will be tested as Warner will soon be the decision maker on issues ranging from where to stage state championships to how teams not following the rules should be penalized.
Warner will take over as the MPSSAA's executive director on Aug. 1, the organization announced Tuesday. He succeeds Sparks, who spent the past 34 years in that position.
Warner had served as assistant director since 2006, working closely with Sparks, who said the biggest difference for Warner will be the buck-stops-here situation he'll find himself in.
"Someone has to make the final call. That will be him now," Sparks said, before relaying some advice for Warner. "Don't second-guess yourself. Just have confidence that you've made the best decision you can with the information you have at the time."
Warner said he is both excited and humbled by the opportunity. He also knows following Sparks will be a challenge.
"He established a level of expectation for what you're going to get from the MPSSAA," Warner said. "It's important to show we're going to continue to operate at that level. ... I look forward to rolling up my sleeves."
Warner said he learned a lot from Sparks, including the importance of "consistency in the application of rules and regulations, being very ethically minded, and looking out for the well-being of the 113,000 student-athletes."
A product of Maryland's public school system, Warner graduated from Hereford and played on a state championship football team. He earned a degree in sports management at Maryland and then worked in athletic communications at Mount St. Mary's and UMBC before being hired by the MPSSAA in October 2006.
The MPSSAA news release announcing Warner's promotion said he has provided administrative guidance for all state championship events, including serving as site coordinator of the football state championships, coordinated the student leadership initiative, managed MPSSAA communications and worked extensively on MPSSAA strategic planning, budget analysis, and health and safety task force initiatives.
The communications aspect has been important, he said. Warner has worked with all the key figures involved in Maryland high school sports "either on the phone or with email or in person almost on a daily basis."
He doesn't want that to change.
"I really want to continue the strong communication between our organization and the school systems," he said. "A collaborative approach between our school systems needs to take place. I'm looking forward to listening to different ideas and working with everybody."
Warner said this state is unlike any other and the MPSSAA has to be sensitive to the needs of all of its constituents.
"You need to look out for schools from Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland just as much as the central part of the state," he said. "You have systems with more than 20 schools and systems with one school. Maryland is unique."
No one knows that better than Sparks, who said he plans to spend at least six months relaxing and doing things in his personal life that he couldn't get to over the past 34 years. After that, he said, he plans to return to working with young people in a part-time or volunteer capacity.
He said he isn't worried about how Warner will do.
"I think he's an excellent choice," Sparks said. "He has consistently worked hard, he's learned a lot and he has earned the respect of everyone. I'm happy for him and I'm proud of him."
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