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Letter from Mark Rauterkus
Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
March 2, 1992
Plum High School
Athletic Director
Dear Bob,
The Plum High School Swimmers finished a most successful 1991-92 season with first-year head coach, Mark Rauterkus, by setting two new WPIAL records and gaining the highest ever team finish in school history.
Jim Rumbaugh, ('92), set new WPIAL records as he won the 200 IM and 100 backstroke in time of 1:55.61 and 52.34.
The Girls team finished the WPIAL Championship meet in second place with 144 points, only 2 points ahead of Mt. Lebanon, and behind defending state champions, North Allegheny.
The Girls 400 free relay of Karen Van Tassel ('93), Erica Van Tassel ('94), Karin Painter ('94), and Katie O'Neil ('92), won their event with a champion's time of 3:35.66.
At the one-day, WPIAL meet, the Plum swimmers set nine school records. Nearly 20 new school records were set throughout the dual meet season, as the girls team defended its Section title going undefeated, while the boys posted a 7-7 record.
Sincerely Yours,
SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.
Mark Rauterkus, President
Mark Rauterkus
Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
January 28, 1992
Plum High School
Athletic Director
Dear Mr. Robert Terlinski,
I'm having a great time, in this my first year, as the coach of the Plum High School Swim Team. I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with the students and get back into the day-to-day activities of sports.
Now I'm doing some thinking about next year and the long-term future. I'd like to explore the possibilities of some day moving into a full-time position with the school district. Would you be willing to entertain some ideas and proposals from myself regarding the creation of a new position within the district?
I see a number of different ways in which I could be of value to Plum besides being a swim coach. I'd like to work with you as Athletic Director and Mr. Klaus. Together we could dream up a couple of ideas, come to some agreements among ourselves and then pitch a proposal or two to the administrators and eventually the board.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks for the consideration.
Sincerely Yours,
Mark Rauterkus
Possible Positions:
Natatorium CEO
Athletic Development Director
Executive Director of the Plum Press
Chairperson of the District Wide Pull Your Own Weight Activities
Regional Swimming Coordinator
Sponsor of Publications (Yearbook/Newspaper/Wellness Newsletter)
Teacher of:
Swimming Classes
Journalism
Applied Reading and Writing
Collegiate Recruiting
Resource and Coach for Other Sporting Activities
Conditioning Coach
February 5, 1992
Plum High School
Athletic Director
Dear Mr. Robert Terlinski,
Here is the first draft of some ideas that I had in mind for us to share and discuss. You said it is always wise to listen, and I agree. So I'd like to start with these six ideas and get a picture from you as to what you think might work, and what might not work. These ideas are a first step, and I'm quite open to making changes based on your feelings and advice.
At first, I'm going to offer a wide range of ideas. There are too many here for one person to accomplish, but we might be able to build a position with points from a few of the different plans. They are in no order with regard to importance.
Iíve named each idea with a title for easier discussion. They include:
ï Natatorium CEO
ï Founder and Executive Director of the Plum Press
ï Chairperson of the Pull Your Own Weight Activities
ï Founder and Director of the Regional Swimming Team
ï Resource Coach for Plum's Sports Teams
ï Teacher
Furthermore, I realize at some point I'll need to further sell my ideas to others and even outline my philosophy of teaching. I'm prepared to do what ever is necessary in our discussion so that I may present a viable proposal to the district.
Natatorium CEO
Job Description:
Program and administer all after school activities at the swimming pool.
Design and manage the budget for programs.
Hire all staff.
Coordinate payroll, time sheets, and getting all pay materials from the employees to the school district accounting office.
Hold a forum for community input and evaluation regarding the programs.
Coordinate usage of the pool with outside groups.
In the summer months, either manage or hire a manager to operate the poolís programs.
Goals
Increase utilization of the natatorium by the community with the involvement in meaningful programs such as:
Learn to swim, family swim, water safety, masters swimming, fitness swimming, rehab exercise, and alternative activities such as water polo, diving, scuba, underwater hockey, birthday parties.
Mission
To upgrade the aquatic educational opportunities in periods beyond the school day by sponsoring creative programs and enrolling active, dues paying participants supporting such programs.
Needs
Classroom availability.
Weight room availability
Qualified instructor payroll
Marketing and promotions budget
Class supplies and storage for pool area usage
Founder and Executive Director of the ìPlum Pressî
Job Description
Design and seek approval of a business plan for the formation, funding and operation of the Plum Press.
As the formation of the Plum Press becomes a reality, the founder would become Executive Director.
Plum Press Definition
The Plum Press would be a new department or a non-profit subsidiary within the school district.
The Plum Press would have its own operational budget that would allow for revenues, expenses, some speculative investments, capital investments, inventory, part-time salary, etc., etc.
The Plum Press would be a commercial, enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director that creates an educational setting for the students and allows for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products.
Mission
The Plum Press would be a cutting-edge, private/public cooperative venture that would operate 12 months of the year that would have the following benefits:
Teach students how to work-place setting
Provide hands on experiences of the marketplace in
Projects in mind for the Plum Press include:
Periodicals:
The Sports Reader
A quarterly, book review magazine with a fun, sports, recreation and fitness focus.
The Sports Chronicle
A quarterly magazine of newspaper article reprints from around the nation related to sports-specific topics.
The Golden Cog Award Program
An awards program for authors, editors, publishers, illustrators for accomplishment in publishing sports and fitness materials.
Book Series:
A is for Athlete
This series of multi-lingual, sports-specific, alphabet books would teach languages and sports and culture. The series would feature one book for each Olympic Sport and each book would feature six or more different languages.
First Things First
This series of sport-specific books would teach a 9th grader how to consider trying out, joining, playing and conditioning him or herself for a scholastic sports team. The series would have a book on each sport offered in the high school setting.
Sports Math
This series of workbooks would feature questions and answers about math as it relates to sports and recreation. The series would get more difficult with regard to the sports in discussion as well as the math skills needed to solve the problems.
Patrick Rabbit - Literacy Comic Books
This series of comic books feature Patrick Rabbit of the literacy advocate group, Cartoonist Across the World. We will write the stories, sell the ads, build a program of distribution and contract with the creative talent.
Notes on ________
This series of more technical, how-to books are written, by and large, by proficient student-athletes in conjunction with expert, internationally famous coaches. Each book will be on one sporting activity. For example, we can get Olympic Swim Coach, Don Gambril, to coordinate the text for the book, Notes on Swimming.
Lifting in the 5th Dimension
This is one book that looks at peak performance and it utilizes weight lifting as the medium of expression. However, we can re-write this book over and over again making it apply to all sorts of activities, from marching in the band to playing on the volleyball team.
Talking with the Golf God
This book, like Lifting in the 5th Dimension, is written for a specific gameóthe game of golf. However, the sports psychology, visualization, and other self-help messages of this book can be taken out of the context of golf, and re-written for other activities. This would be a fantastic project for high school students to complete.
Special Events
Pull Your Own Weight
Speaker's Tour
Student Readings
Radio Public Service Announcements
Halloween - Now that is Scary.
Goals
Needs
ï Chairperson of the ìPull Your Own Weightî Activities
ï Founder and Director of the Regional Swimming Team
ï Resource Coach for Plumís Sports Teams
ï Teacher
Keep It Simple Plan of Action for Mark Rauterkus Joining the Plum School District
Mark would like to explore the possibilities of becoming a full-time employee of Plum School District.
Mark suggests the creation of new, 12-month position within the school district.
The new position with have two major responsibilities with titles to be called:
Natatorium CEO and
Executive Director of the Plum Press
As Natatorium CEO, Mark will take responsibility of the development and administration of all aspects of the Natatorium programing beyond the normal school day, including summers.
As Executive Director of the Plum Press, Mark would lead a new department within the district as a non-profit subsidiary. The Plum Press would have its own operational budget allowing for revenues, expenses, speculative investments, capital investments, inventory, part-time salaries, office space, etc., etc.
Just as some universities sponsor their own University Presses, such as the University of Pittsburgh Press, so will Plum High School have its own commercial, incubator, laboratory, enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director.
The Plum Press will create a new educational setting for the students and allows for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products and services.
The Plum Press could be a cutting-edge, private/public partnership, that would inject a tremendous amount of energy, and zeal for reading, writing, fitness and sport into the student body and community at large.
The Plum Press would do wonders for literacy, personal fitness, creative thinking, self-esteem, and the Plum Press would offer real-world application of class-room knowledge for the students.
I feel that the Plum Press could have a positive impact on every student that goes through this high school and for every citizen in the district. Within ten years, I feel that the Plum Press could have touched every adult in the county in a positive manner. Furthermore, I feel certain that the Plum Press can be operated in fiscally responsible nature that would make it a source of new revenues within five years.
The Plum Press would not be created for the sole purpose of turning a profit, but within a few years, the revenue from the activities of the Plum Press could fund many exciting experiences, from computer labs to guest speakers. In due time, the operations of the Plum Press could certainly pay for all the costs of the overhead, including the executive directorís salary.
School and Employment Operational Considerations:
The Executive Director of the Plum Press would teach two classes per semester, 6th period and 7th period, to be called Applied Reading and Writing.
This elective, one-semester course would be open for 10 to 15 upperclass students who have earned high-honors English grades.
Applied Reading and Writing would be held in a classroom next to the office and store-room of the Plum Press. Hopefully, this room could be made available near the print-shop, perhaps room B6? This classroom and storeroom would also need to be the Executive Director's office throughout the day. It will need to be equipped with 4 to 10 computers, a couple of phone lines and other, special equipment.
As teacher, the Executive Director would report to the school principal.
The Natatorium CEO will hold many pre-school activities for students and staff. Among those activities will be the creation of new club, the Plum Guards. The Natatorium CEO should be assigned Home Room responsibilities and have the Plum Guards as students in that Home Room throughout the entire school year.
The Natatorium CEO should also teach one course in the first period in the first semester to be called, Advanced Aquatics Exercise and Instruction. This class should serve as a PE requirement for the students who enroll. The class should be restricted to swimmers who have already passed the PE swimming class. A classroom and part of the swimming pool should be available for the class meeting. It might be possible that the regular swimming class and the Advanced Aquatics could be held in the pool in first period if both classes are kept to a small number of enrollment.
As far as the coaching is concerned, Mark would intend to continue to serve as the head swimming coach for the boys and girls teams. No significant changes other than hosting a couple of large meets each season, are in-store for the swim teams and the coach should report to the athletic director.
With the Plum Press and the activities revolving around fun activities, like athletics and sports and such, the Executive Director would like to be considered a "Resource Coach" for all athletic teams in the school.
Mark Rauterkus
Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Head Swim Coach for Plum High School Boys & Girls Teams
December 9, 1991
Sports Department
Dear Friends in the Media,
Here are the results of a swim meet held at Plum High School pool on this date. This might make for good copy in an article as the team, before the meet, at the urging of their new, first year coach, voted to discipline themselves by swimming all the races in the meet as exhibition. The athletes competed in the water but did not score points, which is feasible in the swimming meet.
The team took this punishment upon themselves by a team vote moments before the meet began as they all did not show up for a weekend practice. The only points scored in the meet for the Plum H.S. team are a result of the diving.
This was not a sectional meet. Both teams have a record of 0-2, as both the boys and girls teams lost on Friday at Penn Hills in the season opener.
Mark Rauterkus, the team's new head coach said, "I'm proud of the swimmers for taking responsibility for their actions and putting a loss in the record books in a meet we easily should have won. However, I am a bit disappointed that the team is lacking in the determination and commitment to show up for scheduled practices, even if the practices are held on the weekend. However, I am sure that we will have a great season working together.î
Thanks.
Sincerely Yours,
Mark Rauterkus, President
SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.
Head Coach ,Plum High School SwimmingThe results are to follow:
Girls Meet
Plum High School = 13
Oakland Catholic High School = 137
Medley Relay
Plum 2:07.85 (E. VanTassel, Durray, E. VanTassel, B. Potchatko)
Oakland 2:08.54 (Duncan, Murello, Shepherd, Mansen)
200 Free
Plum 2:02.75 K. Painter *
Plum 2:04.88 OíNeil *
Oakland 2:13.11 Tassone
200 IM
Plum 2:15.8 K. VanTassel *
Plum 2:21.4 Beatty *
Oakland 2:25.81 Duncan
50 Free
Plum 28.59 Walsh
Oakland 29.35 Seethaler
Oakland 30.20 Poland
Diving
Plum 131.4 S. McMullen
Plum 124.35 Farrel
Plum 116.44 Williams
100 Fly
Plum 1:03.89 OíNeil *
Plum 1:04.21 Painter *
Oakland 1:10.48 Pillan
100 Free
Plum 56.60 E. VanTassel *
Plum 58.30 Beatty
Oakland 1:10.05 Kuhn
500 Free
Oakland 6:00.33 Hollan
Oakland 6:23.84 More
Oakland 6:44.28 Tassone
200 Free Relay
Plum 1:50.73 (Painter, Beatty, Potchatko, Hook)
Plum 1:52.06 (K. VanTassel, Duray, Miller, E. VanTassel)
Oakland 1:59.08 (Seethaeer, Pillar, Fragvogel, Ascamo)
Plum 2:17.27 (Burkhart, Walsh, Woods, Weaver)
100 Back
Plum 1:03.47 K. VanTassel
Plum 1:14.46 N. Hook
Oakland 1:15.91 Poland
100 Breast
Oakland 1:15.81 Duncan
Plum 1:17.59 Cerchiaro
Oakland 1:21.23 Hanson
400 Free Relay
Plum 4:07.33 (OíNeil, Beatty, Painter, Potchatko)
Oakland 4:18.42 (Tassone, Freytag, Kunn, Mconolly)
Oakland 4:42.58 (Hollan, Pillar, More, Shepherd)
Boys Meet
Plum High School = 6
Central Catholic = 131
Medley Relay
Plum 1:53.6 (Wozniak, Wallace, OíNeil, Rumbaugh)
Central 1:56.00 (Heantger, Mihole, Balsley, Fryrag)
Plum 2:06.68 (Hedeen, Miller, Halloren, Heintzinge)
200 Free
Plum 1:52.01 Rumbaugh*
Central 2:20.18 Kasper
Plum 2:23.38 Messina
200 IM
Plum 2:06.65 OíNeil*
Plum 2:26.25 Hedeen
Central 2:28.36 Henninge
50 Free
Central 24.12 Scamardi
Plum 26.41 Wozniak
Plum 26.95 Heintzinger
Diving
Plum A. Izzo
100 Fly
Plum 53.30 Rumbaugh*
Central 1:00.10 Balsley
Central 1:12.32 Grogan
100 Free
Plum 53.71 OíNeil
Plum 1:02.00 Heintzinger
Plum 1:06.26 Miller
500 Free
Plum 6:06.16 Wallace
Plum 6:35.01 Halloran
Central 6;48.86 Kasper
200 Free Relay
Plum 1:49.35 (Heintzinger, Messina, Halloran, Hedeen)
Central 1:52.00 (Tishworth, Biricocchi, Cassey, Erytas)
Central 1:58.26 (Brinzar, Grime, Viccaro, Resan)
100 Back
Plum 1:03.46 Wozniak
Plum 1:08.61 Hedeen
Central 1:15.65 Scollion
100 Breast
Plum 1:14.40 Wallace
Central 1:18.39 Mihok
Plum 1:18.70 Miller
400 Free Relay
Plum 3:48.44 (OíNeil, Wallace, Wozniak, Rumbaugh)
Central 4:18.19 (Henniger, Kasper, Frytag, Scamardi)
Central 4:29.63 (Marks, Carson, Viccaro, Reagan)
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