Weiser takes over newly-created H-D activity coordinator spot, heads council

HAMPTON – Christi Weiser takes over at Hampton-Dumont/CAL as activity coordinator, a newly created position that will include a leadership council of four.

The leadership council, according to Weiser will include Heath Walton, Dan Aalbers, Katherine Harr and Dustin Moorehead.

“Great, fantastic individuals,” Weiser said of the quartet who will assist her in her responsibilities in the coming school year.

Weiser discussed the new position on the same day Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds officially announced the closure of schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.

“I was working on the transition,” Weiser said. “We all expected it would happen, but to hear it is a punch in the gut.”

She described what she would be doing in consult with Walton, Aalbers, Harr and Moorehead.

“One of the fantastic things that we are doing, is not commonplace in athletics,” Weiser said. “We are re-structuring our activities department: a leadership council with four teachers/coaches who will assist with the guidance of our activities department for more of a team approach. My responsibility is to head all of that up, be the organizer for it, process through the details of everything.

“My responsibility being in the organization, being the point person for all of it. It will be my privilege to guide where we go. All of the activities, the officials: the typical athletic director-type things. All of the scheduling, events, that will be my responsibility.”

When asked what her goals and expectations were for the 2020-21 school year if things go back to normal after the coronavirus pandemic, she said she hoped that H-D/CAL would be business as usual.

“I think that with such crazy times, it’s hard to see what next year will look like with everything going on the last few months,” Weiser said. “If we come back in the fall, it will look like it always has. I want to give them (coaches) what they need and stay out of their way. I have been involved in this community and we have such great leaders of our youth. I take a lot of pride in being open, honest and being organized.

“Everyone is doing the best they can. I think I have a unique skill set to take us to better than what we’ve been. I’m excited to work with all of them.”

If things are the same as the end to this school year, Weiser admits that it won’t be an easy task.

“I think that is a struggle,” Weiser said. “It is a great unknown right now. It’s so disappointing to know about our cancellation of our spring season. My nephew is a track runner, he is good at it and it’s disappointing.

“We’re looking at evaluating how we work a summer schedule. What does that look like? That becomes the next priority. Working with the coaches this summer, for growth, not just skill, but relationships. What do camps look like? Open gyms? So many questions I don’t have the answers to, but I’m proactive with finding the answers. I’m working on an email right now asking what they want to achieve with this.”

She added that she hopes that everyone will be celebrating the Homecoming football game in October.

“(The key is) staying safe, healthy with social distancing to hopefully have a normal school year,” Weiser said. “We’ll continue to figure it out as we can.”

Weiser is the former head softball coach at NIACC, and also was an assistant softball coach at Colorado Mesa University. This is her first experience as an administrator.

“I’ve had a lot of experience as an assistant coach in softball and I got to be involved in the administration part of it,” Weiser said. “I’m fortunate to see how that works and I’ve learned from administrators. My experience, I’ve coached at rec league level all the way to different student committees in the collegiate level. I’ve coached eighth grade basketball, a broad range of experience, aside from my own experience as a collegiate athlete. I’m excited for the opportunity.”