By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It's been an interesting year for Mike Bender. It has also been quite a ride at times.
It was one year ago today when Bender was formally introduced as the new athletic director for the Forrest City School District.
Bender was hired to take over the position when Bill Baxter, who had been serving as part-time athletic director since 1996, decided to resign the position.
Bender is a former Arkansas Razorback football player and was a member of the 1964 Razorback team that won the national championship under Frank Broyles.
After college, Bender went on to play and coach at several levels including the NFL.
During his opening remarks, Bender said he "knew he had his work cut out for him in Forrest City" and said his first goal was to "get Forrest City athletics back on the winning track."
One year later, that still remains as Bender's top-priority goal.
"When you start a new job you always think you are going to fix everything that's wrong very quickly," Bender said recently as he reflected on the past year. "We have fixed some things, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. The bottom line is we want to and need to build a winning athletic program in Forrest City and we want to help put our student athletes on the path to becoming better young men and women."
At times it's been a difficult process for Bender.
"It's been a long time since I have been around a place that just has not been winning," Bender said. It's tough to win at anything when there hasn't really been a tradition of winning for a long time."
Bender has fixed some things during his first year.
One of those areas that has undergone changes is the communication between coaches and between the athletic programs.
"That was a major area of concern when I took over but I think by moving some personnel around and learning which coaches are best at what areas, we have made some improvements in the communication across the district's campuses," Bender added. "Sometimes, however, there are those instances when you have to face the music and you have to realize that we are not getting it done."
When asked if this was Mike Bender, the coach talking or Mike Bender the athletic director, he replied "a little of both. It's hard to separate the two."
Those two sides of Bender are often reflected when meeting with his coaching staff -- the most recent face-to-face encounter coming two weeks ago on the state of Forrest City athletics to date.
"I simply told them that I wasn't fully satisfied yet and that we are going to continue our efforts to get this program headed in the right direction," Bender said. "And I keep nudging as strongly as I need to. I was hired to turn things around and that's what we want to do. I have a lot of patience."
Bender said much of his first year has been spent "trying to get a feel for things."
He has tried to do that by being almost everywhere all of the time.
"We have good athletes, in fact we have better athletes than some other schools in our conference," Bender said. "So I don't think that is the root of the problem. We have to improve the overall discipline on the field and we have to get all of our coaches on the same working page. I said that when I took the job and I will say it again."
But Bender is quick to note that whatever goals are set and whatever goals are obtained, "the program is bigger than me and it is bigger than any of the coaches. We have to see the overall program including stressing academics. I've been disappointed in some of the reports I've had and we have to get better in the classroom."
Bender said he has accomplished a couple of his goals -- getting most of the coaches in the right places and on the right campuses and in the right coaching capacities. He says most are where they need to be -- at least for now.
"We are at least four coaches short right now," Bender said. "That's because when I took over we didn't go out and hire new coaches just to hire coaches. We want to begin to address that now. We have some teaching slots available and now we have to find coaches to fill those slots. We have to hire teachers first, then coaches."
Bender added there are enough coaches to do the jobs and if the district remains short-handed, Bender has some contingency plans in the works.
"I don't want to say much about that right now, other than to say expect some changes," Bender said.
In what may have been his most notable move during his inaugural year, Bender took the junior high athletic programs back to just one boys and girls team in each sport after three seasons of the district fielding two teams each.
Bender said it was a necessary move because the two-team concept just wasn't working.
When asked what his next major project would be, Bender said he will focus on the seventh-grade football and basketball programs.
"It all starts with the younger kids," Bender said. "We made some improvements in the seventh-grade football program this past season, and we did this even though we were short coaches. We have a good seventh-grade girls basketball program in place, but we need more coaches to help in that area. Coach Sue Jayroe has her hands full in that area. We haven't had a seventh-grade boys basketball program but we will have. That is an area of great importance."
Asked to evaluate himself, much as he does his coaches, Bender said he needs improvement as an athletic director just like the program needs improvement.
"We all need to look at ourselves and our jobs each day and see the areas where we can work a little harder," Bender said. "I believe I will be a better athletic director in the coming year than I was this past year simply because now I know what to expect and I know what is going on."
From a personal and family vantage point, relocating to Forrest City after living in much larger cities and college towns for many years, has been better than Bender expected for his family.
"My wife loves it here. She volunteers in the schools, in the community and in the local church and she is always trying to find other things to do. This whole thing has really become a family affair. When my son comes to visit, he always wants to go to whatever game is being played or whatever event is being held. And that's what we do."
The Cabot Youth Baseball Association will host a youth tournament April 8-13, at Cabot for ages six through 15.
The games will be played using Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth rules and each team is guaranteed three games using Olympic Pool Play. The tournament is for drafted youth teams only.
Entry fee for teams is $150 and three baseballs.
The divivisons are 6-under coach-pitch; 8-under pitching machine; 10-under minors; 12-under majors; 13-under prep Babe Ruth and 15-under Babe Ruth.
For more information, call Robert Byrd at (501) 843-4007 or John Simmons at (501) 843-5022.
The annual Razorback Rally will be held Wednesday, April 16, at the Forrest City Civic Center.
University of Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt will be the featured speaker at this year's Rally, being sponsored by the East Central Arkansas Razorback Club.
Tickets are on sale now from several local merchants and are $15 for adults and $7.50 for kids ages 12 and under.
The rally begins at 6 p.m. and a catered dinner will be served at 7 p.m.