After
three decades, Jamie Lowry has come full circle. In high school, he was
a member of the Scottsburg High School pep club and named Mr. SHS by
his classmates. A decade after graduating from SHS, he became the
play-by-play radio announcer of Scottsburg basketball. Starting in July,
Lowry will become the SHS athletic director, a job he is passionate
about and his enthusiasm is contagious.
“I love Scottsburg
athletics. I love the kids. I love the school,” Lowry said. “I’m very
fortunate to get this job at this point in my life. It’s a dream job.
I’m just thrilled.”
As athletic director, Lowry wants to promote
the student-athletes and the sports programs, showing the outside world
what Lowry has known all along — Scott 2 is a place of possibility.
“It’s
a different time from when I was in high school with the technology.
The exposure is all online,” Lowry said. “College recruiters now can
follow you. What they put on there is critical.”
To help keep up
in this technological age, Lowry plans to promote the students and
athletic department through social media, through the athletic
department’s website, and through an app that would give fans, parents,
athletes, colleges, and spectators the chance to see what Scottsburg
athletics are all about.
“I love [social media]. I love what it
does,” Lowry said. “Every sport needs to have a Twitter account. My dad —
he’s 74. He has a smartphone. He would get on this app. It’s free
advertisement. It’s a way to build a bond between the fans in the
community.”
Not all of Lowry’s ideas to promote the athletic department are through online access.
“You can look at these scores on a computer, but it’s not the same as watching the game,” Lowry said.
To
draw people into that game experience, he wants to use his background
in grounds and turf maintenance to help improve and upkeep the
facilities the high school uses for athletics.
“We will be hosting
a girls softball sectional in 2017,” Lowry said. “We need to make that
field spectacular. People from out of town are going to come here and
that will be their first impression. I want them to say, ‘Scottsburg has
it going on.’”
Lowry has experience with grounds and turf
maintenance as the general manager of Westwood Golf Course in
Scottsburg. He’s certified in the field and has taken several courses on
turf maintenance and management in order to upkeep the greens at
Westwood.
“You have to set yourself apart. The school board has
taken many steps to update the facilities,” Lowry said. “They take pride
in it. I think Meyer Gym is one of the best gymnasiums in the state.”
He
also wants to engage the students, alumni, and community through
opportunities for involvement. Lowry wants to establish a student
athletics board, where students — who love sports but are not
necessarily student-athletes — become involved in supporting athletics
and making home games a must-see atmosphere. He also would like to have
an ambassador program, where former athletes, alumni, and the community
work together and give some feedback about the athletic department.
“I
want to get more kids involved,” Lowry said. “I want to get the
community involved. As athletic director, it’s not a dictatorship. You
have to be open. It’s critical.”
For now, Lowry will continue to
prepare to for his new role as athletic director, which begins in July
for the 2016-2017 school year.
“It’s kind of strange now coming
full circle. I see it,” Lowry said. “I take pride in my school. I want
people to see that pride.”