craigdailypress.com

Craig — Whether it’s Las Vegas or Craig, one thing remains the same for Richard Wildenhaus.

An unrelenting love for sports.

Wildenhaus, who became Moffat County High School’s athletic director in July, said his first season on the job netted nothing but positive impressions.

“I deal with sports and kids all day — how can you go wrong with that?” he said. “The vast majority of the kids who come into my office are excited about what they are doing, and I just rally around their excitement.”

Wildenhaus, a University of Nevada in Las Vegas graduate, said he researched Craig before becoming the athletic director.

One of the things he took away from Moffat County was that the teams always would be backed by a large fan base.

“I could tell that people in the community really supported what we were doing in athletics,” he said. “I think that was pretty evident by the types of crowds we had for every contest. Not just in football, but all the sports.”

Perhaps the most pleasant aspect of his job has been the student-athletes, he said.

“There are expectations we place on them, and they have far exceeded those,” Wildenhaus said. “Rarely do we have any problems with grades, behavior or sportsmanship.”

Wildenhaus said he has tried to complement on-field accomplishments with hard work in the classroom.

“I think understanding that while success on the field is reflected with win-loss records, just as important are the types of student-athletes we are creating,” he said. “I think we are on the right track with teaching the values that sports can teach.”

Wildenhaus said Moffat County’s students have continued to impress him in the classroom and on the field.

“A lot of people get caught up in wins and losses, but something I like to ask is, ‘Are our kids doing what they need to in class?’” he said. “Are they in the principal’s office? Are we constantly having to talk to them about eligibility? That has not been the case, and that’s reflective of our coaching staff and how they stress what’s going on in the classroom between 8 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. If that’s not getting done, then they are not hitting the field for practice at 4 p.m.”

With the completion of the fall sports season, Wildenhaus said there are a couple of things he would like to improve.

“I’m trying to increase the communication between this athletic office, our coaches and back to our parents,” he said. “Keeping lines of communication open is vitally important.”

Wildenhaus also oversaw the launching of a new athletic Web site, www.moffat.ufans.com.

Through the Web site, Wildenhaus has been able to post scores, schedules and notable athletes.

“We are going to get better at updating our Web site,” he said. “That’s still a new thing for us, and I think the coaches are going to take a more proactive role.”

Having a passionate student body and fan base makes it easy to be enthusiastic, Wildenhaus said.

“We start talking about what’s going on with the team and their eyes light up, or we talk about the possibility of maybe playing after high school and the kids are involved and excited,” he said. “Everybody’s love of sports makes my job pretty easy.”

The job is not without difficulties, Wildenhaus said.

“It’s hard keeping up with aging facilities, and there’s a big time commitment,” he said. “Sometimes, I’m getting in here at 7 a.m., and on Friday nights I don’t leave until 11 p.m. But that’s part of the job, and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it.”