The question, “Who will be the new Clear Lake Athletic and Wellness Center Director,” has been answered and it was by someone right next door. Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory proudly announced at the Oct. 30 City Council meeting that Clear Lake Community School District’s Activities Director (AD) Troy Tysdahl was the man for the job. The position has been vacant since the August resignation of Adam Long.
Tysdahl said he had no thoughts about applying for the job when he and Clear Lake School Superintendent Doug Gee attended a meeting with the City to discuss filling the suddenly vacated Wellness Director spot. “[We] went to the first meeting …to just give the school’s side like, ‘Hey, we need to find somebody good.’ It’s very important for the AD job that someone there understands the relationship between the facility and the school, because it’s very unique, where the school basically built it and turned it over for the city to run,” Tysdahl said.
“I didn’t think about it at all for myself, really, until [Flory and Mayor Nelson Crabb] came to me a few weeks into it and said, ‘Would you consider this?’ I kind of laughed and said, ‘No, but let’s find somebody good,’” said Tysdahl.
After a while though, Tysdahl did start thinking about it. Then he talked to his wife Carrie and started praying about the matter. “I saw that door was open, so I would go through the process …to see what was there. And if the door stays open, and I have a decision to make, I’ll do that.’”
Tysdahl said he knew what he was getting into when he accepted the AD position at the school two years ago, being AD was his dream job. He knew there would be long hours and plenty of evenings away from his family. “So if we have a home event, someone’s gotta be there to set it up and then be there as the go-to person, and to greet the officials and greet the other team. If there’s an issue with fans or the scoreboard goes out, there’s got to be a point person, so that’s me,” Tysdahl explained. “I love doing that stuff. I love setting up events. I love doing things to provide a positive experience for kids.”
So when Tysdahl finally interviewed for the Wellness Center Director position, he wasn’t looking for a job until he realized what this new position was offering – fewer hours and more time at home. “It was going to allow me to do what I need to do to be a better husband and father,” Tysdahl said.
“I know what the position entails. I don’t know all the details, as far as the ins and outs of payroll and all the things that will be required, but that administrative part I have experience here with – the budget, with hiring people, with managing events, putting on events, evaluating staff, all that I do on a large scale here,” Tysdahl said. “So that gave me the confidence that, yeah, I can do that job, even though it’s not for the school it’s very similar in nature. I’ll have to learn some new things and work with a different clientele.”
Tysdahl said there was one stipulation, on his part, to accepting the job – he didn’t want to leave his AD job until his contract was up on June 30, [2024]. “I told them right away, ‘If you’re looking to hire someone before Christmas, I understand if that’s a deal breaker. No hard feelings.’” Flory said they were willing to wait and a lot of that has to do with the wonderful Wellness Center staff that are covering the director duties in addition to their own.
Tysdahl said he included Gee in all his conversations, “I wanted to get his thoughts and he’s been very supportive. He said, ‘Troy, you’ve got to do what’s best for your family.’”
Tysdahl said he has told everyone that he wouldn’t have considered the position if the school hadn’t been connected to the Wellness Center so he can still do the things he loves to do – work with the kids and represent the city that he loves living in at the same time.
