With there being a slight break between the end of summer and the upcoming sports season, this feature will take a turn this week to honor an administrator who worked tirelessly, and did an admirable job in the face of so many trials and tribulations over the past couple years. Because of his leadership, former Hartford Athletic Director Nick Blackmer will receive Tri-City Record Press Box ‘Player of the Week’ honors.
Prior to his promotion this fall, where he will serve as the new principal of Hartford High School, Nick had been in the athletic director’s chair since 2016. He took the athletic department in a positive direction, while bringing a stable presence to a position that had seen three previous ADs go in different directions since the turn of the 2010 decade.
During Blackmer’s tenure as athletic director, he was a positive figure that encouraged students to expand their horizons and participate in educational athletics. In addition, he led the department through the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, a change in conferences from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the Southwest 10 Conference, hosted numerous postseason district and regional tournament games and had the task of hiring a slew of individuals to join the coaching staff, among other things.
In addition to his administrative duties, Nick will be entering his 15th season as the head coach of the Hartford boys soccer program when the season begins this week, a position he has carried since its inception. The success of the program over the years is mind-boggling. In just the last dozen years alone, Hartford teams have won or shared ten conference championships and brought home seven district championship trophies. In addition, Blackmer has previously received District Coach of the Year honors while numerous players have gone on to receive all-conference, all-district, all-regional, all-state and academic all-state honors.
Nick lives in Hartford with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children. Hopefully, in his new administrative position he will finally get some much-earned precious time to spend with them, instead of being at the school on those late nights; trust me, this writer has been there for plenty of them!
Thank you, Nick, for all you did for the coaches and student-athletes in Hartford. You have shown through your character and class what it means to be a leader!
Comments