21 THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR ATHLETICS AT PARK Under the direction of new Athletic Director Turner Battle, Park’s student-athletes and athletic program have immediately benefited from his on- and off-court experience. Talking with Turner Battle, it’s clear that he is thrilled to be in his new role at Park. Though his path to Park is probably unique compared to many other school ADs, the opportunity to move back to Buffalo and work at Park came at a perfect time for the Battle family. “I have been in college athletics almost my whole career. I coached Division I basketball for 15 years. I have always been in situations where I get to make a positive impact in kids’ lives. Coaching college athletics is demanding; it’s a 365 day per year job. I have a family and while coaching you have to sacrifice a lot. Your family time is a big component of that. I wanted to spend more time with my family and really enjoy watching my kids grow up. I felt like I needed to be more present in my kids’ lives,” Battle said. Battle played college basketball at UB with Park’s Board President, Jason Bird, and the Battle and Bird families have remained close since then. When Park began looking for a new Athletic Director, Bird knew this was not only a great opportunity for Battle to return to Buffalo and focus on his family, but a tremendous opportunity for Park to take its athletic program to new heights. “My wife is my rock; she put her career on hold to help chase my dreams. She stayed at home and raised our kids for eight years almost by herself. I knew if I ever got out of college basketball it would allow her to chase her dreams and achieve her goals as well. When thinking about other professions, I knew I still wanted to help people. This opportunity at Park allows me to do that in a different way,” he continued. Bird introduced Battle to Park’s Head of School, Lisa Conrad, who told him all about the school, its athletic history, and the culture she and the leadership team were working to build. After these conversations, he was sold. “Lisa and I spoke a few times, and she explained everything about Park, and after those conversations I wanted to be a part of the Park family,” said Battle. In his new role as Director of Athletics at Park, Battle has been charged with growing the school’s athletic program, increasing the number of athletic offerings and programs for Park’s students in all grades, overseeing the school’s physical education program, and increasing non-tuition revenue through athletic partnerships and events. Officially starting his role at Park in June 2022, he jumped right in. His busy first summer included hiring coaches and two new physical education teachers, assembling teams, scheduling a year’s worth of games for students spanning ages 5 through 18, and running a late-summer basketball camp on campus. His first summer at Park was full, productive, and set the stage for a resurgence of Park athletics after two pandemic years that had greatly limited interscholastic sports around the country. “I want to help build a good culture in athletics here at Park. I want the kids to take the sports seriously. I want the kids to compete and have fun. I want them to try new things, and I don’t want them to quit. I am a firm believer that if you start something you must finish and give it your all because you never know what the end result could be,” he said. And Battle feels Park has done the work over the years to build a strong academic
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTcyNDA=