Mitchell gets 4A Conference award
GRAVETTE — It is always a honor when all the hard work and effort that an individual puts into a job is rewarded by one’s peers, especially when that job requires multi-tasking and overseeing numerous others.
For one Gravette High School administrator, the recognition came as a big surprise.
Norman Mitchell, the athletic director for the Gravette Lions, was contacted by a member of the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association on May 9 and informed that he was selected to receive the 4A Conference Athletic Director of the Year Award for the State of Arkansas. Mitchell will receive his award during a luncheon on June 24 at the Riverfront Wyndham Hotel in North Little Rock.
“It’s nice to be recognized by your peers and I am really excited by this award,” Mitchell said. “I’ve done most of my work in the 4A- 1 Conference where we all get along, and I am guessing that several of those people voted for me and that makes me feel good.”
Mitchell is the mainstay for the Gravette Lions’ athletic programs. He is often in the thick of things, making sure the players stay hydrated, helping the coaches, and supervising the games to make sure everything runs smoothly. He attends almost all home and away games, where he is often seen walking the sidelines at football and track events or behind the dugouts at the baseball and softball games, or sitting in a chair in the corner of the new Lion Arena for basketball.
More than just managing sporting events at the Lion Sports complex, Mitchell is responsible for overseeing coaches and much, much more.
“I wear many hats,” Mitchell explains. “A lot of times you will see me carrying tables or cleaning up messes. But my job is to oversee the Gravette athletic program, manage coaches and hire coaches. If you hire the right coaches, the job is a lot easier. I look at my job this way; there are two main things I want to do. I want to hire good coaches and I want to help those coaches be successful.”
Mitchell has been in education for 31 years, 16 of which have been in athletic programs. He was head girls’ basketball coach, as well as an assistant coach for the Pioneer baseball and football programs in Gentry. Prior to coaching at Gentry, he was with the Pea Ridge Blackhawks, where he taught and eventually got involved in the sports program.
Mitchell admits that he has been blessed in his 10 years with the Gravette Lion sports program as both coach and athletic director.
“I’ve been put in a very fortunate situation here in Gravette,” Mitchell explains. “I have a lot of good people to work with here and that makes my job a whole lot easier.”