DUBLIN, CA–With all due respect to Thomas Wolfe, “you can go home again.” In 2015, we completed our “Difference Makers” series with a profile on Tim Sbranti. At the time, he was concluding his career at Dublin High School to become a Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell. It seemed logical the former longtime City of Dublin Mayor would support another Dublin High School graduate as Mr. Swalwell was ascending to Washington D.C.
Dublin High School Athletic Director Tim Sbranti
But an itch needed to be scratched as a rather unique opportunity became available – the position of Athletic Director at DHS. At the time of our initial profile, we learned that Mr. Sbranti had a passion of sports and he led his expertise in tennis, basketball and volleyball. As the academic year is now commencing, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to sit down with him to discuss this new career adventure.
OneDublin.org: In your estimation, what is the state of Dublin High School Athletics?
Tim Sbranti: “I believe the state of Dublin High Athletics is on the rise. As our school continues to grow, we are becoming much more competitive in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL), which is one of the strongest leagues top-to-bottom in Northern California. We have great facilities, a dedicated and knowledgeable coaching staff and several teams and student athletes excelling at the highest levels. Our goal now is to build up a consistent standard of excellence both on and off the field in all our programs. We currently have pockets of phenomenal success, but we want to spread that level of success across all our teams. One key factor that’s going to help us is the increased focus on year-round strength and conditioning of our athletes, as the only way our program will flourish is if student-athletes commit to a schedule of off-season workouts to complement their in-season training.”
OneDublin.org: To help our readers understand, please articulate the role and responsibilities of a high school Athletic Director.
Sbranti: “Simply put, I have oversight responsibilities of 46 teams and over 1,000 student-athletes. This includes the hiring of our coaching staff and doing whatever is needed to support their various needs to be successful. Other items such as management of athletic contests, practice schedules, transportation, facilities, early releases, awards, discipline, eligibility, clearances, supervision, department finances, uniforms, etc. are all daily tasks. One of the biggest challenges is balancing the daily needs of the program with other critical “big picture” items such as ensuring that we are teaching values in the sport of the CIF’s mantra of “Pursuing Victory with Honor.” We are also a school that partners with the Positive Coaching Alliance and it is one of my goals to ensure that a student-athlete participation in our program allows them to grow as young men and women who benefit from the unique experience that can only be gained through high school athletics. Additionally, other critically important items include communication and coordination with administration, staff, parents, and the community, along with the ongoing need to fundraise.”
OneDublin.org: What other sports are gaining popularity?
Sbranti: “Some of the club sports such as hockey and cricket have certainly gained in popularity. Given the success of our cross country and track and field programs, those sports are the most popular in terms of participation of student-athletes. We recently started a badminton team and over 100 students came out for try-outs. Boys basketball and girls volleyball have had some of the most competitive try-outs in terms of the ratio of students coming out compared to available roster spots. Although the number of students playing football has declined across the country, our school has maintained its numbers which is a good sign.”
OneDublin.org: With the elevation into EBAL, what challenges or opportunities does this present to Dublin High?
Sbranti: “I am thrilled to be in the EBAL. The obvious challenge is the strength of our league, making wins hard to come by in many sports. As an example, last season our varsity baseball team faced NCAA Division I level starting pitchers in 12 of their 13 league contests. However, I think competing locally in the Tri-Valley against our neighbors is a tremendous motivating factor to elevate our performance. Our students now have the opportunity to get more exposure due to larger crowds, in addition to the chance to compete at the highest level. Winning a title in any league is exciting, to be able to do it in your own backyard against local rivals is extra special. In addition, I am proud that we are able to showcase our facilities to parents and students from schools throughout the Tri-Valley, and it is always great to hear them walking away talking about how they wish they had the same high-quality facilities as DHS.”
OneDublin.org: In what ways can the parent/guardian population support DHS Athletics?
Sbranti: “Our athletic program cannot be successful without the support of our parents. Our parents provide emotional support to our student-athletes before and after games and practices, which is one of the most important contributing factors to success. By attending games and showing an active interest in the program, they play a vital role. Other more active examples that we could not survive without include the countless volunteer hours in snack bars, fireworks booths and other events helps raise the necessary funds needed to support our program. Finally, we need parents to make their voluntary donation to their respective programs in order to pay officials, provide transportation, pay for uniforms, etc. When compared to outside club sports, the amount requested from voluntary donations is much smaller, yet is critical to maintain the high level of support our student-athletes deserve.”
Following our discussion, it was our feeling that the new Athletic Director plans to show his students and coaches that the sky is truly not the limit. We would like to thank Tim Sbranti for sharing his vision and observations as he takes on this exciting challenge. Go Gaels!