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Sports

Athletic Director Earns High Marks for Hard Work

Barrington High School's athletic director, Mike Obsuszt, achieves difficult accomplishment in career that will help Barrington's sports programs become better.

Attend just about any Fillies or Broncos athletic event and on the sidelines you will see many fans. But the one clapping and cheering the hardest is not only one of Barrington’s biggest supporters, it’s Barrington’s Athletic Director, Mize Obsuszt.

Recently Obsuszt, who has been a valuable member of District 220 since 1995, achieved a personal milestone by becoming a Certified Master Athletic Advisor with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). 

“Obtaining certification like this doesn’t mean I will have all the answers to everything now,” said Obsuszt.  “But hopefully, I will be able to use the information that I have obtained through this process to better serve my coaching staff and the athletes at Barrington High School.”

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Becoming certified is a difficult process, considering all that an athletic director is already required to do on a daily basis just to keep sports running smoothly.  When not juggling the daily grind of assisting the more than 25 successful athletic programs, a candidate looking to become master certified not only must host IHSA state tournament events, but attend leadership training courses, stay an active member of the state association, find time for speaking engagements for state and national conferences as well as other necessary obligations.  

“Like any profession, you want to strive to become better at whatever you do and this certification enabled me the opportunity for professional growth in the area of athletic administration,” Obsuszt said.

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Obsuszt began his career at the high school as a social studies teacher and the boys’ basketball coach back in 1995.  As coach he helped lead the Broncos to an IHSA sectional championship, their first since 1979 (losing their super-sectional game on a waived off three pointer after the buzzer, a memory Obsuszt remembers vividly), and regional championships in 1999 and 2002.

Obsuszt took that same winning intensity and passion from basketball and now applies it to all the sports.  Some of Obsuszt’s career accomplishments seen in his reign as athletic director: state championships won by the girls’ track and field, boys’ soccer, girls’ cross country.  Barrington has also seen the resurgence of Bronco wrestling that had the team finish fourth in last year’s state dual meet and has Barrington wrestling looking poised to do better this year.  Also on his sports resume is the turnaround of Bronco Basketball that saw this year’s squad nearly capture their first MSL title in more than three decades.

Barrington has a long and rich history of successful sports and it is clear that Obsuszt has a drive to continue producing some of the regions best athletes and sports programs, all while maintaining Barrington as a top tier athletic school.

“Barrington is an excellent district to work for,” Obsuszt said.  “I have the opportunity to work with dedicated educators, many of whom serve as coaches on our athletic staff, a community where parents are active in their children’s education, and families that are very supportive of the extra-curricular programs in the district.”

Aware of the much needed support that is required of an athletic director and the different sports programs, Obsuszt helps by bringing his own little cheering section that helps rally him and the athletes.

“My family is very supportive of my position,” said Obsuszt.  “My sons enjoy coming to a variety of athletic events both at Barrington, and when our teams are on the road.”

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