Summit teacher named athletic director

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Summit High principal Lynn Baker didn’t have to look far to find his school’s next athletic director.

Mark Tichenor, a teacher at the west-side school in Bend since its doors opened in August 2001 and a longtime coach in the Bend-La Pine School District, has been selected as Summit’s new athletic director, Baker said on Monday.

Tichenor, 50, replaces Hud Edwards, who announced in the spring his intention to retire as a longtime high school athletic director, which included the past two years at Summit and the previous four years at Mountain View.

”His big-picture view of athletics and how they support academics … that is what was really impressive about Mark in the interview process,” said Baker. ”How he equates success on the athletic field to the academic classroom and how it all goes together is something he strongly believes in.”

The position at Summit High is structured so that Tichenor will spend half of his time in his administrative role in athletics and the other half as a social studies instructor at the school.

”We’re thrilled to have him as our new athletic director,” added Baker. ”After the successful year we had this past year, we’re sure he can slide right in and help us continue on our path to more success.”

Tichenor’s first taste of the athletic director’s role came this past winter when he helped fill in for Edwards on an as-needed basis.

”That started the ball rolling as far as my interest,” said Tichenor. ”It’s kind of a natural progression for me. The position came open and I thought it would be good experience to interview for it. After I went through the interview, it became evident that it is one thing to be the head coach of a team, but it is a greater opportunity to oversee 15 to 16 teams at one school and bring them all together.

”I’m excited. I think it will be fun and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Tichenor’s new responsibilities will force him to give up in large part something he loves: coaching. He said he has resigned his position as the head girls golf coach at Bend High, a post he has held for 11 seasons. He also is relinquishing his spot as a longtime assistant coach under Craig Walker with the Bend High football program.

”There were some very difficult decisions to make, but I thought it was time for some new experiences and I am ready for a new chapter in my life,” said Tichenor.

”Saying goodbye and cutting my ties with Bend High girls golf and the Bend High football family was very difficult. The Bend High football family is a very special group and I will always have a place in my heart for all of them. And I will miss my involvement with the girls golf team and all of the special relationships I have made with those players and families. But ethically I wouldn’t feel right about coaching at one school and being the athletic director at another.”

Tichenor will, however, remain involved in coaching as he, for the second year in a row, expects to assist Curt Shelley with the Storm boys basketball program. He also will serve as an assistant this fall to Summit’s new head football coach, Lowell Norby.

One of Tichenor’s first tasks is finding a new head wrestling coach. Among his goals are to establish a strong working relationship with all of the school’s coaches and bring them together as a team, help plan and oversee physical improvements to athletic facilities, help create a climate of strong student leaders, and develop Summit as a place where multi-sport athletes are the focus.

”I think that can make Summit a very successful and special place,” said Tichenor. ”It’s a starting-over period for Summit with the graduation of such a large and talented class. It’s an exciting time at Summit and the timing was right for me. I’m looking forward to building a new team and taking on this new challenge.”