Portledge, a school that takes pride in its education and its ability to prepare students for college, takes equal, if not greater, pride in its athletics. Athletics and sports are a great way to build leadership and work ethic that can translate to college success and beyond, so it's no wonder most students at Portledge represent their school in athletics. From soccer to hockey, Portledge is known for its competence in sports that rival schools across Long Island and even New York State. But like any athletic program across the country, Portledge has experienced challenges. The sudden departure of Portledge's last Athletic Director left the athletic department with a gaping hole that needed to be filled before the start of the school year - that's when Portledge appointed their very own Tara Askeland to be the acting Athletic Director.

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Mrs. Askeland has been a member of the Portledge community since 2006 and has devoted her career, since then, to making Portledge the best school it can be. Before being appointed as the new Athletic Director, she was, and still is, the Director of Development. As Director of Development, Mrs. Askeland is responsible for making up the difference between the money the school brings in from tuition and the full cost of running Portledge.  Alongside Mr. Owen Williams, she helps fundraise for capital campaigns and projects like the school's Commons, Penny Lane, and Chen Center, which have become intrinsic additions that students and teachers use every single day. Despite all the work she already does for Portledge, Mrs. Askeland happily accepted the position of Athletic Director when Portledge’s "higher-ups" asked her. According to Mr. Owen Williams, “She is an amazing administrator and was the obvious choice.” 

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Despite Mrs. Askeland’s limited time as active Athletic Director, she understands how to drive competitiveness in Portledge's programs while sustaining Portledge values. Portledge is filled with many talented athletes and coaches in a vast array of sports. From homegrown talents who have been at Portledge for years to recruit players who are making a fresh impact, Portledge athletics continues to sustain its reputation as one of the strongest programs on Long Island. Besides her ambitions to continue Portledge's athletic program, she also wants to continue making Portledge a place where all students can play a sport. Mrs. Askeland views athletics as an integral part of the student experience and prioritizes the importance of inclusivity in all sports. Mrs. Askeland says, “I don't believe success is just about winning games. I think it's about growth. It's about athletes, student-athletes, teammates working together. It's about how the community continues to enhance.”

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When Mrs. Askeland first came into the job, she was already making an impact and forming a vision of what should remain and what she wanted to change. One of the major problems Portledge athletics faced in the past years was a lack of communication. Communication between players, coaches, and the heads of athletics is very important to maintain stability and peace. Mrs. Askeland and the athletic department already resolved this by making a very particular calendar over the summer for the school year. “We spent the summer, the athletic department and I, working with the communications department to create a diligent calendar to make sure that we were extremely well prepared for every season.”

 

Another issue she faces is how to support all of Portledge's teams. When asked about how she would handle supporting all of Portledge's teams, she states that “Equity over Uniformity” is the best way to handle this issue. This means very stable teams will only get support when necessary, but teams that are struggling will get the help they need. She is also a key believer that not only the students, but also the coaches, should continuously follow the Pillars during sports.  “We're super intentional about the coaches that we hire and making sure that their mission is aligned and that they want what's best for not just the athletics program, but for the school and for the student athletes overall.” Mrs. Asklend explains during Portledge’s decision process when hiring its coaching staff. 

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As an athlete myself, I understand the importance of not only continuing the quality of Portledge sports but also the changes that Mrs. Askeland has made in her short time as Athletic Director. From her views on the importance of the Portledge coaching staff to her work on improving the schedule are all very vital in making Portledge athletics the best it can be. And for the next Athletic Director of Portledge, if he or she is as eager as Mrs. Askeland is right now for improving the Portledge athletics department, our school will undoubtedly be in good hands.