Hangin With The AD Podcast
Hangin with the AD is an interview style podcast where Don Baker (CMAA), Cobb County School (GA) District Director of Athletics, partners with Josh Mathews (CMAA), The First Academy (FL) Assistant Athletic Director, to discuss hot topics and lessons learned with leaders in the world of athletics. These leaders include high school athletic directors at the district and local school levels; college athletic administrators; leaders in spaces that connect to athletics such as nutrition, wellness, recruiting, student-athlete recognition; current and former athletes; and others, who can help athletic administrators develop themselves and their programs for a better daily experience for their athletic communities. We hope you enjoy the time we spend with these special guests. Please leave us a review or rating to help us know how you were benefited from this podcast or how we can improve it. Thank you for listening. And until next time, thank you for spending your time, Hangin with the AD.
Hangin With The AD Podcast
Episode 125: Xavier Antheaume - Director of Athletics and Title IX Compliance - Clark County School District - Las Vegas, NV
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Today we head back west to sit down with Xavier Antheaume who serves as the Director of Athletics and Title IX Compliance for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV. We talk about the power of communication, positivity, and the desire to find fulfillment in the job of athletic administration. Let’s settle in and get to know Xavier Antheaume
You're listening to the Ain't with Me podcast, where we break down hot topics in athletic administration and lessons learned through leadership. Now, you're your host, Josh Matthews and Don Baker.
SPEAKER_02Today we head back west and sit down with Xavier Antheum, who serves as the Director of Athletics and Title IX compliance for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. We talk about the power of communication, positivity, and the desire to find fulfillment in the job of athletic administration. Let's settle in and get to know Xavier. Antheum.
SPEAKER_03We've had to punt this one around a few times due to crazy things and my bad planning and uh poor organization, I think. So we appreciate your flexibility and for being with us today. Excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Heard someone say one time we had a couple false starts. So maybe we got uh you know first and twenty here or something. But that's all right.
SPEAKER_01We'll make the yardage.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we'll we'll figure it out. All right, for our listeners, Xavier Antheum serves as a director of athletics in Title IX compliance for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Xavier is also the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Directors Association. You see it right there on his uh shirt today if you're watching on YouTube. Uh he is a CMAA and he received the Nevada State Award of Merit in 2020. Uh and lastly, I'll say I had the privilege of getting to know Xavier as he was finishing his service to the NIAA by serving on the board of directors from 2021 to 2023. We served uh overlapping there in 2023. Uh, but we'll stop right there and let Xavier tell us a little bit more about his journey through the world of athletics. Uh Xavier, we call it the back of the baseball card bio. So take a minute, tell us what the back of Xavier Anthem's baseball card might look like.
SPEAKER_01Well, thanks, Josh. Number one, though, before I get started, I gotta get you saying Nevada. Nevada. It's Nevada, my friend. If you come to Vegas, if you come to Reno, everybody's gonna say, hey, this guy's not from here, so I need you to come in strong, come with Nevada.
SPEAKER_03Nevada. I ain't from around there, so I gotta figure it out.
SPEAKER_01I know, and you got that little southern draw, so we're gonna let it go. But uh, but yeah, no, Nevada.
SPEAKER_03So well, you made me better today. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01I only have to take a note, I got better. How about that? Yes, sir. So Xavier Antheon, uh, born and raised here in Las Vegas, Nevada, uh, attended UNLV. A lot of people sometimes from Vegas will say it's the University of Never Leave Vegas. Uh basically, when you're in Vegas, uh people, a lot of people want to try to leave, but they end up coming back because no state tax. And it's just it's it's a 24-7 town. So things are just uh real positive out here. Uh, but as far as my journey uh through athletics and everything, I really didn't know what I wanted to do when I was uh going to UNLV. And I had a friend of mine that said, Hey, well, you know, you enjoy athletics, you enjoy sports. Why don't you look into uh becoming a PE teacher? I'm like, man, that's a great idea. So uh I taught PE a couple years elementary. Uh if I had to stay any longer to elementary, um I don't know if I'd still be teaching. Yeah, um, I can tell you my first job, I was uh I worked as a lifeguard at one of the local hotels and then I worked valet. And you know, it was pretty sweet gig. You know, you got instant money at the end of the night, um, drove some pretty nice cars. And uh my father said, son, you're not gonna continue working valet. I'm like, Dad, I'm making great money. Well, why not? And he's like, son, you've got you know, college degree, you're gonna use it, and I want you to teach. So I broke down and I started teaching, and I actually uh took a pay cut from from going from valet to teaching.
SPEAKER_03Um any of our coaches to listen to this now. Of course you did. Getting out of coaching, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So I took a pay cut, and it's funny because I got promoted. Uh I was at Treasure Island Hotel and I got promoted to a supervisor position at uh when the Bellagio opened up. And uh the Bellagio opened up and I got promoted, but they stuck me on graveyard. I was one of the last hires as a supervisor. I didn't even want the job. We got a brand new manager that said, Hey, I want you. So I had to work uh 12 p.m. to 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. So my like I'm not an owl, uh my my clock was all messed up. I'm like, Dad, you might have a good point, man. This schedule's not working. So I did end up uh, you know, like I said, teaching elementary for a couple years. I had to be honest, that that just wasn't for me. I'm not into tying shoelaces, I don't know where those shoelaces have been. Um, just 70 elementary kids in one class, it's hurting cats. It's it was just challenging. So I said, you know what, uh, I need to either go to middle school or I'm going back to ballet. And uh lucky enough, uh at that time uh Vakes was just expanding and growing and growing. So brand new middle school opened up, and a buddy of mine from college, we decided that we would try to join forces and open up uh the school together. And uh, we were lucky enough to get hired. Our principal was a former PE teacher, it was kind of nice. So she was honest to make sure that we were on point. And at that time, uh the only thing that the Clark County School District offered was just middle school sport, was just basketball, or you could do cheerleading. So we both coached basketball together, had a great time, did that for three years, and then he decided he wanted to become a famous Hollywood actor, so he left me. And uh I said, you know what? I don't know what I'm gonna do if this is what I'm gonna continue to want to do. And I got a phone call from one of our feeder high schools that he had just left to go and open up another brand new high school called Liberty High School, and said, Hey, we'd love to have you come out and be a P teacher and uh help coach basketball. So I said, Hey, my buddy's leaving. Here's an opportunity for me to go to high school level. So I went to high school. Um, I was a tennis coach, I coached basketball, and uh the second year I became athletic director. Um it was not my intent to be the athletic director, but it was just an opportunity that uh came and they kind of asked me to become athletic director, so I said, hey, why not? Um this sounds like something to be pretty cool. I actually wanted to go then to college, but then I'm like, you know what? I'm trying to start a family, uh, want to stay, you know, stay close to home. UNLV is not really offering anything. And so I just became athletic director at Liberty. I was there for seven years, and then they asked me to go to Chapra High School. And Chapra High School uh was one of the darlings back in the 90s, and it's uh kind of grew on hard times. It had a 34.2% graduation rate, which was one of the worst in the in the state, and uh they called it a turnaround school. So basically, what they did is they cut 50% of the staff and uh they had to rehire 50%, and it didn't matter if you're a custodian, it didn't matter if you're the principal, it was just 50% of the people are gone, we're starting over. And uh my assistant principal at the time at Liberty said, Hey, I'm going to Chaparral, I want you to come with me. I'm like, Why do I want to go there? I'm in a great situation, we're growing, we're getting better. Um, he's like, Well, this will be positive for your career. You can say that you were part of a turnaround school. And at that time, I was like, you know what? I think maybe I want to go into administration. So they sold me on coming to the school for turnaround so that I can get into administration. So I worked there one year. I coached golf because we couldn't find a golf coach. And then my golf game is not very good, but I can coach it up. Uh, and then I was the athletic director for a year, and then they promoted me to dean. So um, I was a dean at uh a school of 2,500 kids, and I was the only dean. Uh, it was a challenging school. Um it it it I never thought I'd be into like private investigation, um, but that's what you are as a dean, and and it was busy. Uh, but I did that for two years. After I did my two years as a dean, I got promoted to assistant principal over athletics at Chaprail. I did that for six years. Um, I was almost at Chaprail almost 10 years until I got promoted. And I was a promoted a week before we got sent home for COVID. Uh, so that transition was interesting to do during COVID. Uh, and my duties, uh, the promotion I received was to be uh district director of athletics, and my um primary responsibilities were Title IX and Middle School Athletics. And just recently, Josh, I know this is gonna be news to you, uh, not a promotion, but a transfer of responsibilities. Uh currently I continue to serve as director of athletics in the Clark County School District, uh, but no longer over middle school athletics, no longer over Title IX. Now I'm just specifically uh high school, high school scheduling, uh government affairs, uh things of that nature. So uh a little change, which is positive, and uh looking forward to uh continue uh my work here at Clark County.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, congratulations. Hey, before Don jumps in, hit real quick how y'all set up, and maybe it's changed with this change that you just mentioned. You have two or three district ADs, right? Y'all doing a little different there in Clark uh Clark County with a bunch of schools, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we've got uh we're the fifth largest school district in the nation. We've got 36 high schools, 57 middle schools, over 300,000 students. And uh the way that we're set up as a district athletic department is that uh my boss, she's over uh athletics and activities. Uh, we have one director of activities, Kristen Grimm, who's phenomenal, and she handles everything from graduation, uh chess tournaments, uh speech and debate, everything that goes with activities. And then there's three directors of athletics. So one who's over title nine in middle school, uh, my position currently with high school, and we have another person that handles eligibility. So uh we use the uh uh activate system, the old RMA. And uh that's all she does all day, every day. And uh obviously we've got tons of kids that are transferring from schools from uh when you have 36 different high schools and they're moving around and whatnot. So she stays busy for sure during the school year.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, good luck. We new challenge. It sounds like it's got you energized.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. No, I'm excited for it. I'm definitely excited for it. I I apologize, my my office isn't the the best decorated. I kind of threw some things up knowing that we're gonna be meeting today uh because this just happened a few weeks ago that the transition occurred. So we gotta move on. It looks good.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it looks good, man.
SPEAKER_01Working on it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, that's good. Before I get into my first question, you said something. With you taking on, I don't know if challenge is the right word, but when you got stepping into a school, you know, with a graduation rate that was that low, and and you kind of jumping off the high dive and getting into a situation like that, do you feel like I know that around my house we call it opportunities, right? We don't call them any a challenge or whatever, we call it an opportunity. Uh, do you have did you find that in doing that and then kind of now looking back, that when you are presented with a new opportunity like you just were, it makes it a little bit more invigorating, a little bit more uh exciting uh because you have kind of lived to tell the tale, so to speak. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_01No, it totally does. I can tell you that uh and I love your opportunities word. Um, and and it's it was a challenge, right? Because there's a 34.2 percent. I'm going into uh, you know, and there's 50% of us that are going into the school that we have no affiliation with one another. And it kind of causes a divide, I'll be honest, because we had the old chaparral and then we had the new chaparral, and the old chaparral wasn't happy with the new chaparral that was coming in, and the new chaparral, we're just trying to make a positive impact on students, help trying to bring this school that was great in the 90s that's just kind of falling on hard times. Uh, so you know, as I said, challenges I think is the appropriate word because we had to find out how to fit together, and we finally find that fit, knowing that hey, we're on the same team, we're all in it together because we want to see the school grow and get better. And uh, you know, in the end it did. And I I can I'll throw this little little plug after uh nine years at that school. We ended up with the 96% graduation rate. Um, and and they kept growing after I left. That's awesome. You know, so the work can be done, it just we got to get everybody on the same page together.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Now, we heard you speak on AD Insider about prepping for a second semester uh as you navigate the school year, right? And I think we all kind of do that. We kick it off in the fall, and then we have to make that switch into that second semester because sometimes it's a little different. I know here uh in in in Georgia, the the spring semester for us, uh the the when we come back after our our winter break is our busiest time. And so it's a little different than the fall. The fall you have bigger events, you have football games that probably require a lot more planning and people, but there's just so many moving parts of the spring. And so I understand a reset with that transition. You talked about finding time to recharge your batteries uh prior to that sprint to the finish uh at the end of the school year. What should the summer look like for an AD as they look to kick off a new school year? We're talking about another period of transition, right? It can be a time of rest, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that there's not work to be done. It doesn't mean that you don't have to prep uh for what's coming in the fall. So our clock really never stops. Uh maybe what should the summer be used for for an A D?
SPEAKER_01I think that's a great question. Well, I tell you what, my favorite month is the month of June. And it just because finally we can kind of breathe a little bit, right? Um, you can tie up some loose ends, maybe something that's been on your desk for a really long time that you've just never been able to get to, or like I'm gonna wait till we get through graduation, I'm gonna wait till the end of the school year so that I can get there. The nice thing for me in the position I'm in, that in June, there's no students on campus, there's no teachers on campus, and all of our assistant principals for the most part are 11 month employees. So there's a little bit of a month of, okay, now I can kind of focus on what we need to do to be successful so that when we hit July, it's time to prep for that coming school year. And uh, you know, right now, just kind of getting things ready for like those meetings that you start off with the district, right? That we kind of give you the breakdown of here's how you handle transportation, here's how you handle scheduling. And so it's it's a time to breathe and then time to prepare and be proactive for what's coming. And I'll tell you typically a summer for Xavier is I enjoy traveling. I'd love to go to France to go see family. Um, and that's uh an opportunity for me to kind of to reset. Um, I love going to Europe and France and just kind of seeing things that are different because it causes my mind to reset a little bit, and then it also causes me to look at things differently. Uh, because maybe they do something that just doesn't make sense because that's not how we do it, but it works for them and it maybe resets the things that I'm thinking about because your mind's always working, even when you're resting, you're thinking about different things and how challenges you can handle. And the nice thing about Vegas, too, even if I can't make it out to Europe, I can go to San Diego. It's a quick three and a half, four-hour drive. So I can go to the beach and and and and look at the waves and enjoy some of that. And then the other side, I can go to Utah, go to Bryanthead, go up in the mountains and uh and cool down a little bit, right? We were talking about the heat earlier today. Um, but you go up there, it's like in the 80s, and you can do some hiking, some some trail biking or whatnot. And it's uh it just it just causes your mind to not have to be constantly thinking about your job and your focus. So I don't know, those are a couple things that I like to do as well.
SPEAKER_03No, that's great reminders, right there. Get away, get uh, but but like you said, you're gonna take the work with you, but it's a different mindset when you're in a different location, especially locations that allow you to relax a little bit. That's really really good reminder for sure. Uh, Xavier, you talked about leading a huge district, 36 high schools. I think I heard 57 middle schools, 300,000 students. That's crazy. Fifth in the in the country. That's that's amazing. Uh, we're we're a large district here, but y'all are almost double of us. So talk about what is required by you as a leader to be effective and successful in leading so many schools, which brings the challenge of leading in a lot of people, right? You got a lot of schools, a lot of students. We didn't include all the coaches in there, uh administrators you talked about, assistant principals who are athletic directors there who get the month of June off. A lot of people you're having to lead. What is required of you to be effective and successful in this leadership role?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so uh you you hit everything right. 36 high schools, 57 middle schools. The way we have it set up out in Vegas, just uh as a point of reference, is that every high school has an assistant principal who's over athletics, and then they have an additional person who's over who's an athletic director, um, and and they have the different responsibilities of you know, game management, dealing with coaches, things of that nature. But the biggest thing that for our office is communication. Uh, communication is key with everything uh with life. Um, what we try to do is give you as much knowledge and information so that you can make better decisions. Obviously, we put all our information in Google Drives so that we try to list our folders in our Google Drive so that they have an area that if they have the time, maybe on a Sunday and they're not sure and they're trying to prep for the week and they're trying to think of some things that are going on. Uh, everything's listed in our Google Drives for them to be able to go and attack and get in there. And I'll also say I'm big on customer service. You make a phone call to this office, we're here to help you. Uh I know that some districts operate a little differently, that uh you have to follow different chains of command. And I know that when I was a former assistant principal, we were always told you're gonna never call that that office uh above you. No, we're quite the opposite. Call us, we will give you words of encouragement, we will uh give you ideas. I'm not gonna maybe give you the answer that you're looking for, but I'm gonna give you things to think about so that you can make the best decision for your school because every school is different, every school has different challenges, and uh I just think that's the best thing that you can do. But I really do think that we make it a point of emphasis that hey, we're all in this together and don't be scared to reach out. And let's communicate, let's talk about the issues and concerns. And even in our uh when we have our meetings, we have meetings about once every two months that we get everybody together in the room and and we talk about hey, what's going on in this current season, hey, what's gonna happen in this upcoming season, and things that you know that are maybe uh, you know, maybe those hot button topics that we kind of need to maybe throw a little, you know, instead of throwing gas on a flame, throw a little water, let's cool things off a little bit, and there's an opportunity to talk about it and get through it. And you know what, we've got some athletic administration athletic directors that have some wonderful ideas. Their coaches are telling them great information. Share with us so that we can all be better in the end. So I really think that that it's just that that whole piece together really fits well.
SPEAKER_02I think that you bring up a really good point, and we see this uh definitely in in my office because not a lot of people are calling a check on how I'm doing, right? Uh, you know, it's it's usually when that phone rings, somebody's hot on the other end.
SPEAKER_03And well, I mean, I think I ask you how you're doing every once in a while.
SPEAKER_02Well, maybe every once in a while, but it's it's a far and few between. But most of the time uh, you know, there's a fire on the other end, and and the expectation is that we either put it out or turn it into a candle. And me and my assistant really take pride in listening to the to whoever that is, but then just kind of talking to them, trying to relate to them in any way that we can as parents of athletes ourselves and that kind of thing, so that it helps to kind of bring that temperature down. And I think you stating that is definitely something that that people need to hear, that it's not necessarily that everybody that calls has bad intentions. They're they're just fired up, right? Because they're they're talking about their kid. And so you've got to kind of find a way to relate to them, to listen to them, uh, to kind of help bring that thing down so that we can get to a resolution, right?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. That's the that's your end goal right there. And like I said, it's so funny. When I call others, they're like, oh no, I'm in trouble because they see you know, this is the athletic director's calling. No, no, no. Maybe it's just hey, hey, maybe we've got some great news, or hey, we got this phone call, hey, you know, and we try to give, like I said, guidance and uplift and mentorship. Uh again, not gonna give you the maybe the answer that you're looking for, right? But giving you ideas so that you can come up with those responses.
SPEAKER_03I love that. I mean, talk about communication. I think that's gonna be a no-brainer, but the customer service part of we always think customer service is you're giving people what they need, and you're saying, hey, I'm giving them ideas. I'm not gonna give them exactly what they need, they're gonna figure that out on their own. That's a different level of customer service that I think um comes from from being rigorous, from being challenging, and not being lazy. It'd be probably a little bit lazy just to give them the answer and move on. You're not making that, you're not letting them think. So that's really good. Really helpful. So good stuff. Hey, um Xavier, next question is kind of a reaction to a quote that we recently heard. This quote came from the head baseball coach at the University of Kentucky. Uh it's our friend Phil Risen's favorite school, right? They were in the World Series and their head coach, Nick Mingioni, he had this quote. It's real quick, real short. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. What are your thoughts on that quote? What is required of a person to benefit from feedback given to them?
SPEAKER_01Well, it's interesting because sometimes feedback can be thought of as criticism. Right. And that's definitely not what the intention is. And you've all I'm I'm sure you've heard of the sandwich model, right? And sometimes the sandwich model is, you know, you give some some positives, right, at the very beginning. So you've got that first layer. Then the next layer is hey, this is the thing that the feedback that might be. Considered or construed as negative, but it's just a way to uplift and give guidance. And you kind of give that positive at the very end, so wraps up so it doesn't seem like a negative. Um, but I think feedback is key. If I want to get better, I need to know that I'm not doing something maybe in the best way. And uh, and I think it's challenging for people sometimes to receive feedback, but feedback is absolutely a necessary piece because if we want to grow and get better, we need to know what we need to fix and correct. So uh great quote. Clearly, Phil Rise would be thrilled to know that that's uh from his alma mater.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's right. All right, so to follow up on that a little bit, being the AD or being a leader of a large district, you have to give a lot of feedback, I imagine. Not just giving that customer support you talked about, but feedback on what people are doing. You just talked about it making that phone call and that local school AD or local school leader thinking, oh no, I'm in trouble. But you've got to give feedback. That's part of your job. Don does it with us, and you have to do it with your people. What is key for a leader in giving effective and helpful feedback?
SPEAKER_01So I think number one's gotta be positive. Even though it might be a negative situation, you have to come with positivity. Uh everyone's intent is to do well. So it's not like everyone's trying, at least in our role, I believe, if you're really truly in this position, is that you're not trying to do anything malicious. You just might not know what you don't know. And it oftentimes you'll see the new athletic director, the new athletic administrator that have been placed in these positions that don't know what you don't know. I'll give you a class as an example. Uh, like I said, we have 57 middle schools. Uh I'll give us a little kudos. Maybe I might be drifting, but I'll come back, I promise. Is that for the last 30 years, the only sport that we've offered, like I said, is boys and girls basketball and cheerleading. That's the only sports. After COVID, we have now added boys and girls flag football in the fall, boys and girls soccer in the spring, and now we're adding uh volleyball. We just actually added volleyball last year, boys and girls volleyball in the spring, and now we're gonna add boys and girls cross-country. So our sports are expanding. But the thing is that we have 57 middle schools that have 57 assistant principals that don't have an athletic director, that are sometimes just handed the keys to the athletics department and have either a no idea about anything athletics, which is okay. Some of our best athletic administrators never coached, never played a sport, but they're organized and they're efficient. But the see thing, the thing that I see often is that those middle school people that are in that position are also a hand of discipline. And throughout their day, when they're handling discipline, they're handling bullying reports, they're handling fights, they're handling a lot of negativity. And then all of a sudden, when it's time for athletics, it's like, oh shoot, I have to get these kids rostered. Uh, coaches asking me about how our fields are gonna be lined, uh, and and they get overwhelmed. And the athletics portion in my mind should be the most positive part because you're dealing with probably the best kids, right? And sometimes I think that gets lost. So the biggest thing that for me, when we deal with those athletic administrators, especially those ones that really are being challenged, is like, how can I best support them? How can I teach them up? And how can I coach them up? Right? Because oftentimes they just need some words of encouragement, they just know that they they can be supportive, they can know that they just need to make a phone call and I'll try to give them the best guidance that uh that I can so that athletics isn't stressful because they're already overwhelmed with all that bullying and all that discipline that they have to deal with. And you know, uh sometimes it gets lost because you know, people think that we don't know what they're going through. As a former assistant principal, as a former athletic director, I know the things that you're going through. You've got 25 teachers, maybe that you have to supervise. Uh you know, you've got hallway duty, you've got cafeteria duty, you've got after school activities. Um, so there's so much going on, you're never behind your desk. And I think sometimes uh people don't understand that there's very important work that's going on that they don't really have the time to just be able to sit down. But when they do have that time to sit down, that's the greatest opportunity that we can just take that moment to breathe and let's talk through some situations that you might be dealing with and how can we make things better?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, you it's funny that you you earlier you mentioned the idea of when you were talking about feedback and and giving it to people. Have you given it to them? I my predecessor in this role, when I was a local school lady, I called him and I was complaining about a coach and he got he kind of stopped me mid-sentence and he was like, Have you told the coach any of this? Right. And I was like, No, I haven't. And he goes, Okay, well, hang the phone up and go tell them. Because if you don't tell them, how are they going to know that they're not doing X, Y, and Z? Yeah, and so it was I know that seems simple, but it was like he hit me right in the head with a sledgehammer. You know, I was like, I'm I'm sitting here complaining about a coach and I'm complaining about not living up to a certain standard when I haven't even articulated he may not even have known that he wasn't doing stuff right, you know, if it wasn't glaring and unethical and all that kind of stuff. So I think that that's I think that's great. Now kind of we're leading up to talking about the job itself and and it being fulfilling, uh it, you know, kind of meeting the expectations of what we lay out for what we want it to be. There's a quote from one of the the many letters uh from late President George H.W. Bush, where he wrote, where he said, the job is totally fulfilling. And he wrote that when he was actually the vice president. Uh what about being an athletic administrator makes the position fulfilling to you? What is it on its best day to you?
SPEAKER_01So uh in my previous position, uh just as a director of athletics, but my different responsibilities, I should say, uh, Title IX, I'll just touch on that. I have a great opportunity in Title IX to go visit all 37 high schools, or excuse me, 36 high schools. And it's a blessing to be able to walk on a campus and be able to see how 36 schools who all have high school athletic departments run things so differently. And I'll tell you the thing that I get the most fulfillment of is sitting down with that brand new athletic director, athletic administrator, and just talking to them uh uh about things as far as hey, how do you have your budget set up? And then maybe they don't know that, hey, you have three different budget line items in your that that you have to pull from, like gate receipts, what's gate receipts? I'm like, okay, well, here's the breakdown. You kind of give them that. So I just love the that component of it of being able to really sit down, especially with the new ones. Uh the old ones, man, sometimes they just have things moving, and you're just like, let me stay out the way because you're just doing a fantastic job. And then I'm trying to figure out what you do you do really well so that I can steal you, maybe have you do a workshop for the Nevada Athletic Directors. You know what I mean? Um, I just I enjoy coming on the campuses, I enjoy seeing how schools do things differently, and then I'm trying to see how we can incorporate the things that you're doing really well and trying to put that into maybe some other schools, maybe have them talk to uh our athletic administrators or athletic directors during our meetings. And then sometimes I'll walk through a school and like, ooh, got a few concerns, not gonna lie. And then that's also kind of helps me create the agenda for what we need to talk about about hey, let's make sure we're doing these things on our campuses. And it's not a negative, and I hate because people think, oh, you need you know, Xavier's talking about me. No, no, I'm not talking about you because I see this about other schools, and I just want to uplift and help and and and promote uh the good things that are going on on our campuses, and uh so yeah, I I think that's probably for me the most fulfilling and and just seeing growth in our people. Yeah, I think that's just it's fantastic to see um just the just the growth of all of our athletic directors and athletic administrators, and I can you know feel that as our district that we can say, hey, we're doing good things here.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Now, on on the flip side of that, right? You mentioned this a little bit, and I can totally relate because all of my athletic directors are also assistant principals. And a lot of the time, you know, we dismissed at 3 30. Well, a lot of times my phone is quiet until 3 30 because they're doing that AP job, they're doing discipline, they're doing parking, they're doing cafeteria duty, they're doing teacher observations, they're doing all of the things that encompasses that AP role, then they go to their second job, you know, once that bell rings, and then they become an A D. And so it's very easy for in this profession for people to feel burned out, uh, to feel they're struggling to find that fulfillment as an A D. What is your message to that person? That person that kind of just feels like they're running on empty, uh, feels like they keep swinging and missing. Uh, what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_01Okay. So um I I think on that one, you know, because again, Don, yeah, I think, like you said, you kind of in the same shoes, become an athletic director, assistant principal, kind of going through that route. I think you kind of have to kind of find a routine and something that works best for you. And whether it's just walking the halls when the halls are empty, just to kind of see what's going on, maybe going in and touching base with maybe a few of your coaches. I truly enjoyed, and I didn't do it enough, is going out and watch practices. And I think you can learn a lot from what's going on with the team by based off of what you see in the practice. And the other thing is that then you're able to connect with the kids because, like I said, you can see the kids in the cafeteria. Now I can kind of maybe josh around or or or kid with a kid. I'm like, hey, you gotta do a better job moving your feet on defense, you know what I mean? And and then, you know, that's that's my old basketball roots, and you know, moving your feet or putting your hands up or closing out, you know, just kind of being able to be a little bit more relatable in in that. And uh and I just think that the other thing is is like if you're really stuck and you're like, I don't want to call Xavier, I've bothered him too much, too many times, call a phone a friend, right? Call call another athletic director and and see what they've got going on and and maybe some challenges that they might be dealing with that you can relate to, that you can kind of help them out to to help make them feel a little bit better. But uh, I always enjoyed going to practices, maybe shooting a couple free throws with the kids just to kind of get my mind off of some nonsense I had to do with the parents or you know, maybe just a teacher that had frustrated me and and and just kind of just that's why we were all about this was about the kids. And I just, you know, staying with them and staying humble.
SPEAKER_02I think that another thing, too, that you bring up by going to a practice is it is not the game. You don't have to worry about a gate worker, you don't have to worry about the police, you don't have to worry about a fight in a stand, you don't have to worry about a parent, you know, who may have had them a couple, you know, before they came to the game. You don't have to worry about a problem in the concession stand. You're really just going out and watching kids play, right? And I think that that speaks to kind of bringing it down to the bare basics, like you said, as to why we are doing what we're doing. Um I I I think that you're you hit that right on the head. That idea of just going to practice, it's a lot less stressful environment for you as the AD. You're just showing up and enjoying watching your kids play and get better. So I and and it gives you a chance to speak to them, right? In a more relaxed setting uh in their space with you know, in their sport. Uh, I think that that's uh I think that's all that that's really great.
SPEAKER_01Well, and I also say too that like even going to the weight room, I think the coaches appreciate just seeing you, seeing you that you're out there. I think they feel more supported knowing that you know what's actually going on in their in their sport, right? Instead of just kind of always hitting them down with uh things during a meeting and you need to do this, you need to do that. Well, let me walk into the weight room and hey coach, what's going on? Tell me something good, you know, give me something positive. Uh maybe it's tell me something good about what's going on with one of your kids, you know, going around talking to each kid and saying, hey, give me give me some good news about, you know, how's how's your family doing? I mean, just a simple thing like that. And and they can share. And I think the kids love to see it too, because now when you walk in a room, it's not like uh this guy, it's like, hey coach, what's going on? And and and it just kind of helps see that you're you're not just an assistant principal, you're you're a person who's grounded who wants to see success.
SPEAKER_02I tell you too, if you you go in that weight room on a max day, that I I 100% endorse that because you get to go in there and become a cheerleader when they're trying to hit maxes or whatever, and you get roped up right in there with them. I'd I would jump in there and spot a kid, and then they're patting me on the back and everything, and they they they see you differently after that, right? They see you as as an ally rather than an adversary. So I think that's great advice too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, couldn't agree more with you. Don't don't ask me to put up any weights, though. I might tear a shoulder.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's right. I'm done, I'm done with that. You forget that.
SPEAKER_01No, no max is here, sir. No max is here. Repetitions. I'm done.
SPEAKER_03I don't even know if I need to be spotting anybody, I might not be able to get it off of them. It'd be good. Let the uh experts do that. Hey, great stuff right there for I'm just thinking, I mean, uh, this is I'm going into year 13 as an AD, and uh, you know, there are days or seasons where you get burnout, you get you're struggling, right? And two two or three great things to apply to your daily routine. Uh walk the empty halls, connect with the kids, go to practice, and then call a friend. I I I I I thought of one guy immediately across town. Hey, I'll call him and say, Hey, do y'all deal with this? Do you ever deal with it? And it's not my buddy down the street who I know deals with it. I want to hear it from somebody else. So, man, those are three great tangible uh ideas that you can use to uh get you through and get you to the next season. All right, it's not you're not gonna stay in that season forever. So uh hopefully those things get get someone to a different season. All right, Xavier, I'm gonna pull back the curtain a little bit. I'm gonna share some uh inside secrets on this question, but I think it's a it's a story that you need to tell to more than the people you told it to when I was in the room, right? So in our last meeting of your service and in our AAA board, uh we went around the table. You shared a very touching, meaningful story about a deck of cards in Vegas. So I've got my deck of cards right here. You gave everybody a deck of cards. I got the Palms Hotel Casino Resort and Spa, probably somewhere I'd like to be right now. I've never been to the Palms, but probably sounds like a good place, even though it's 117 out there. While everybody listening may not get the personal touch that you gave us that day, I do think the story, like I said, on the variety of deck of cards in Vegas is an inspiring story that all leaders would love for you to tell and hear right now. So talk about the variety, because I think all of us leaders are different, right? And they may hear you think talk right now and they think, man, this dude does it a lot better than I do. And they probably write, but you know, they they need to understand everybody does it differently, and we're all unique, and we all have a unique way of leading. And you told it through a deck of cards in uh Las Vegas better than I've ever heard it. So Phil, tell tell that story again.
SPEAKER_01Well, I I'll do my best to recap because uh, you know, basically as Josh is stating, uh it was our final meeting and my last meeting uh to be part of the NIAA board of directors. So I wanted to go out in some way to thank everyone and understand the the great opportunity that uh I just had to be part of the NIAA board of directors. What's so funny is that Becky Moran, who's uh now an assistant executive director for the NIAA, had come out to Vegas a couple of times and I kind of picked her brain a little bit. I said, Hey, Becky, I really want to do something meaningful and you know, find something or a gift, just something small, just so I can you know help my board of director mates uh do. And she's like, Ex you should give everybody poker chips. I'm like, Becky, I'm not giving everybody poker chips. Uh and some of you uh from the NIAA know that we sometimes give a NATA chip. Um, but I just felt like that's kind of hokey. And I wanted something that that came from my heart. As uh Josh, you know, uh my background's from you know, my parents are from France and everything. So it's like maybe I could have something like French inspired. And then I'm like, man, I'd I'd love to give something from Vegas, but I just I needed something with meaning. And the NIAA, uh, it's a big family, and we're all competitive as athletic directors and athletic administrators. So uh in the past, uh in the first couple years, I don't think Josh, we did it, but there was a game called Shut the Box. Uh, that uh we kind of went round and round. Greg Smith and I got stuck being partners, and that was a fiasco. Uh as you're familiar, Josh, we had some ping-pong uh battles, uh Tony Fisher talking a lot of mess and uh and and and whatnot. And uh we had to put him in his place, and but he did beat us in cornhole, and I know we played a little cornhole, and and him and Lauren won a little, so just it's competitive. And hey Josh, I'll tell you what to Uno. Uh I know that you like to enjoy a little Uno. You brought some Uno cards, I think, or at least a core pro got involved.
SPEAKER_03Lisa C brought them. I don't know if I enjoyed it, but I I took a whipping in that. But yeah, you did. She said there's a new game coming, and I said, Okay, I'll enjoy getting losing that one too.
SPEAKER_01So I just again, so just the whole game and and ideas. So uh there's a store called the Bonanza Souvenir Store, it's not far from here, and they sell clipped. Uh just so Josh, you if you looked at yours, you've got clipped on the end right there. Yep.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I pulled them up right here. They get clipped on the end. I don't know if everybody can see that.
SPEAKER_01Or they get a hole through the center, and that just those those cards have been previously played. So all the the cards that I got at the Bonanza Souvenir Store, they've all been previously played at that hotel. So Josh has the palms. So that deck of cards was played maybe uh at a poker table at 21, uh, what have you, and and they got clipped because they were played, and people sometimes they put like a little nail, so they try to count cards, and uh so they try to rotate those cards out and get new cards. So I thought, okay, well, this might be a good idea. So what I did is I grabbed 25 sets of cards, uh, all from different hotels. Um, some of them, you know, I like maybe a little bit more than others. And what's interesting about the cards is that there's 52 cards in a deck, which equals 52 weeks in a year. Then there's 13 cards for each season, right? So each suit represents a different season. Um, red for the day, black for the night. So there's a lot of significance uh in cards, which people might think is a little crazy that I went a little too deep, but I wanted something meaningful. Um, the cards also symbolize certain things like hearts equal love, spades or challenges, diamonds or luxury, uh clubs are prosperity and ambition. So um, again, just meanings. And then, like I said, I got 25 different sets of decks. So I think I got like Golden Nuggets, Circa, which is in downtown. I got like Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island, Tropican, Stratosphere, all kind of like the Las Vegas strip area. And I got a couple of rural ones, right? Red Rock Station and the M. So uh for me, and then what I try to explain to everybody is that uh our hotels in Vegas are a lot like our schools. And I'll give you a couple examples. So, for example, our restaurants are some of the most premier restaurants, especially if you go down in Vegas down on the strip. Entertainment, we're the entertainment in Camp of the World. You go to Cirque du Soleil shows, uh, we've got tons of concerts that come through all the time. Uh the Mandalay Bay, very well known for its pool. Uh, you got luxurious rooms. Well, our schools, much the same, have great CTE programs, mariachi band, uh great athletic teams, cheer squads, dance teams, things like that. And then the locations of the hotels, right? So uh we've got hotels, like I said, downtown and the strip, uh Las Vegas corridor, and everything. And we've got our rules. So we've got our rural hotels, we've got our rural schools, uh, Stratosphere, uh, one of the tallest buildings, uh, but that's also around Naked City, right? So not in the best neighborhood. Uh, we've got a school called Sunrise Mountain that's in the far northeast. And then what you can do is at night, it's beautiful because you can look down onto the the strip and and and especially at nighttime, it's all lit up. Even now we got the sphere. I don't know if you guys heard about the sphere that we have out here now. They always change the graphics and everything. You can see it really, really beautifully uh out there. So, you know, the locations have changed and and just have those ideas. And then you've got older hotels like the Gold Nugget has uh was a big famous hotel that uh has been around for a really long time. Also, kind of makes me think of you know, kind of talked about Chaparral where Chaparral back and then that was part of the glory days. Gold Nugget, that was part of the glory days. But now we've got brand new schools that have been built and chaparral's kind of diminished a little bit. The gold nugget, still a good hotel, diminished a little bit. The change and the culture in that and that's that hotel have changed. And same with Chaparral, the the the the high end is no longer high-end. Um, because as the city has grown, so have the schools and so the hotels, they've expanded to different areas of the town as well. So uh the biggest difference I'll tell you hotels are all about trying to make money, schools are all about trying to graduate kids and uh you know, just trying to get them prepared for life, and and so that that might be a little bit different, but everything else pretty much lines up. And as we come into the NIAA, you know, we all come from various backgrounds. Uh all our schools are different. And you know, Josh, I know you're at a school setting, Don, you're like me as a district athletic director. So we see things in different lenses. And uh, you know, as we come in though, in the end, all of our goals are to do what's best for the profession and for our students. So uh a lot of a lot of symbolism, like I said, with the hotels and and the schools. But the biggest thing for me was, and and this is what really got me is like I said, those cards are clipped and and they're no longer able to be used. And my time on the board of directors, I can never go back. Uh my time is done. Uh essentially I've been clipped, uh, and I can no longer be the NIAA board of directors. Um, but your cards, uh, they can still be played, uh, they can still be enjoyed with family and friends. And I think NIAA is so meaningful when it comes to family. Uh, so uh those cards can be used hopefully in the in a more uh less passionately uh played situation than that we sometimes see in the NIAA board. Uh but even myself, uh even though I'm clipped, so to speak, I just have a lot to give and I can. Still be a very positive member of the NIAA and I can still be a positive impact to the others that are around us. So that's kind of where I went with things. Josh, I hope that met your standards of kind of how I describe things. But uh very, very thankful for my time on the board. I got to make some great friendships, uh, build some strong relationships with some some colleagues that uh I never thought I would know. Now I know I have a great friend in Atlanta. Anytime I need to make a phone call.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, beautifully said. I thought I think it's worth sharing. I I don't think I got into stuff that shouldn't be shared. I think that's what we wanted to hear. And I think for any athletic director, any leader listening, that's what uh they need to hear that uh the symbolism behind a deck of cards that is Las Vegas. That is Xavier, and uh that's really good, really well done. Thanks. Appreciate you Xavier.
SPEAKER_02We've got something new that we're doing this season. We're asking every single guest the same question uh to get their answers. Now, this is uh something we're gonna finish our conversation with today. It is a double fill-in-the-blank question. So I'll read it twice uh so that you can kind of wrap your head around it. So you take it anywhere you want it. You you can answer it any way that you want to answer it. The best way to become better at blank is to become better at blank. So the best way to become better at blank is to become better at blank. How would you answer that?
SPEAKER_01I actually uh listened to a previous podcast and that's what you went with, and it that's a tough one, and it really made me think. Oh, basketball coach got the scout report, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You try to do your homework before you come home. Well played. You know, got to, man. That's good stuff. Not my first rodeo. Um, but that's for me, that's a that's a very challenging quote because you can take it, like you said, so many different ways. And and to be the best at uh being a parent, uh being an administrator, uh, being a husband, uh, I I think anything in anything that you set out, you gotta communicate. And I'm not saying that I'm I'm all world of communication. I know I can do a better job with communication in my job. I know I can do a better job of communication with my my child. I can do a better job of communicating with my parents, with my wife. I just think anything and anything that you set your mind to, I can do better if I communicate well. And I think really truly believe that communication is the key. I know Don, you kind of talked about communicating with that coach. Sometimes it's challenging to communicate, but once you get that communication piece done, I think you kind of uh feel a sense of relief, so to speak, because everybody has kind of said their made their peace, right? So that's why I really believe that communication is the key in every situation. Now, the communication sometimes might be challenging, but in the end you're hoping that the the long term uh that that it makes for a positive situation in the end.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's good stuff. Glad you got the scout report because that was perfect. Thanks, man. Hey, lots of great um nuggets of wisdom there from uh our great friend in Las Vegas, uh Xavier. Appreciate it, man. We're gonna do our two-minute drill now. We'll get to know you a little bit better, uh, maybe get to know the Las Vegas area a little bit better, or at least mindset a little bit better. So we'll let Don kick us off with this.
SPEAKER_02All right, all right, Xavier. We're gonna hit you with some rapid fire questions. You just tell us the first thing that comes to your mind. Now, I know you mentioned being the valet, but I think this was a little bit later in life. So, what was the first job that you ever had ever in your life?
SPEAKER_01I was a lifeguard at Treasure Island.
SPEAKER_02Oh, nice.
SPEAKER_01And I'll tell you this. Sorry, go ahead. No, no, you're good. Go ahead. I was gonna say, I was a lifeguard at Treasure Island, so uh I uh maybe share too much, but the the pool is only four foot deep. So uh if there's ever any issue or situation, I would just please stand up. And uh little worried about the kitty pool, maybe, but uh, but yeah, no, that was uh it was it was good stuff.
SPEAKER_02Now I am a little interested in the valet gig. So best vehicle you ever had the the pleasure of getting behind the wheel.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, uh good question. I I I think maybe the most challenging car was like uh I did get to I couldn't drive a Ferrari, which I was a little nervous about because that was more valuable than the house I lived in. Um was just kind of figuring out how does this thing even move, right? Because it had the paddle shifter and everything, and you know, you're not sure if you hit the button, it's gonna be like a turbo boost or something. So uh yeah, no, that that was definitely a concern when I jumped in on that one.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I'm guessing you and your you and your co-workers never pulled a Ferris Bueller's day off and and just took off out the back door down the strip in somebody's car, correct? Yeah, that may or may not have happened, correct?
SPEAKER_01Well, I can share a story with you real quick. Uh have you seen the Red Bull trucks?
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01And on the back of the Red Bull truck it has a giant uh Red Bull can. And um, so at Treasure Island, the way that you go to the parking garage, you actually have to go underground. And then to get into the garage, uh, you go under a street, actually. Uh well, I can tell you, at least during the time that I was there, I was there probably four or five years. Uh three Red Bull cans came off the top because the person that drove the car forgot that the Red Bull can was on top. Uh, so that was an interesting situation. And the fact that Red Bull kept coming back and allows us to park their car multiple times, knowing that this has occurred, um it was kind of crazy. That's funny.
SPEAKER_03That's good. Alright, outside of the AD job, what is your favorite sport to watch?
SPEAKER_01You know, I well, I I I'll pin real quick, got my France soccer. Uh, there you go. Because he's hung up right here. Um, I love French soccer. I if I can tell anybody, go to the World Cup. I mean, World Cup is a whole different experience. Um, I had the great opportunity in 2018 to go to a World Cup uh in Russia and uh watch France versus Denmark. It's probably the worst game on the planet, and in a 0-0 tie, neither team wanted to win because they already qualified. Um, so we got to see some subs and whatnot, but I had a great opportunity to go with my father, and uh it was just a who knew I'd go to Russia, right? Um, and then uh the next best experience was later that year, France actually won the World Cup, and I happened to be in Paris in the Champs-Élysées, outside of the pub, uh at massive TV and being part of the French uh nation, uh jumping up and down, and the pandemonium that followed, and my and I met my wife and daughter right after the game. They went to the Louvre and I got to meet them up, and and that was just France soccer all day, every day. Euro Cup right now, we're not looking so hot. We're qualified for the tournament, but uh hopefully we can get it figured out.
SPEAKER_02Good deal. Alright, so let's play a little game of this or that. So we'll give you two things. You tell us this or that, okay? Alright, there you are. You're in Vegas. Black or red on a roulette table.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I'm going red. And and you know if you run the rebels, we're red, so I gotta go scarlet and gray, so I'm going red.
SPEAKER_03Going red? Alright, this or that. Musical show or magic show?
SPEAKER_01I'll go with the musical show. Maybe I can you know catch a good concert. All right, doing the cooking or cleaning up afterwards? Alright, our our house, if you cook, the other person cleans, and uh so we kind of rotate that. So I'm not I'm gonna give a 50-50 on that one.
SPEAKER_03That's right. All right, so this or that last one. Uh uh, Don and I practiced this before. We looked at this question before. I I was, I mean, this is an easy one for me. I'm I'm interested to see what you say, though. This or that. Five million dollars now or go back to 16 years old with all the knowledge you have now.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, I guess I'm going back to 16. Oh, so if I can make make that money knowing what I know now, right?
unknownThat's good.
SPEAKER_03I don't think I'm that smart. I was taking the five mil right now, and I'm out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. All right, so what is a go-to spot off the strip? So so someone's new to Vegas. What is a go-to spot that is kind of off the beaten path a little bit?
SPEAKER_01So I guess now I'm gonna ask you a question. What what do you mean by a go-to spot? We're trying to get some sushi, we're trying to go to a good, you know, what do we do?
SPEAKER_02I would say a good spot to eat. Yeah, I'll take that.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, I enjoy sushi. I know there's a place called I Love Sushi that we like to go to. Uh it's uh a little bit off the beaten path. It's uh down in the Anthem Southern uh Southern area. So if you want some sushi, that's where we go. Uh a place right off the uh not far from our office, not far from the strip, it's called the Taco Stand. It's a very small little uh uh Mexican place where to get some great burritos, some great tacos, uh again, right off the strip. And uh yeah, and then if you go down Spring Mount Road, it's uh uh kind of Chinatown. So I mean you can find a whole bunch of great like restaurants and just good hits uh that are not on the strip.
SPEAKER_03Alright, you stayed on the food, uh the food side, but I know my one trip to Vegas, my wife she um she had um gotten word about Red Rock Canyon, and that what it was, Red Rock Canyon. It was a great place to explore, so that was really cool off the strip.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we've got uh it was kind of neat because uh so like you mentioned, we've got Red Rock. Um we go to a location called Mount Charleston, which uh when I was growing up was like a 30, 45-minute drive to get up to Mount Charleston. We go do some skiing, some snowboarding. Our town has grown so much, that's like just now a natural exit uh to get out there. So it's kind of a nice place to pull off. You also have uh Boulder City, which is not far, it's uh Hoover Dam, uh maybe Lake Mead and whatnot. So if you wanted to you know jump on a on a boat, do a little sailing or whatnot. I mean Lake Mead, even though we're we're shrinking with all the water usage, uh a great opportunity to go out to Lake Mead and have fun, check out the Hoover Dam, go to Boulder City, uh that's a nice little uh small town that uh has a limited growth that they allow to occur so it doesn't expand like Vegas has, um, and they just got a lot of little small meat uh hometown type things to do. But like and I said, San Diego's not far, LA is not far, you go the other direction, go to Cedar City, St. George. Uh, you know, it's it and then you know, go south and go to Phoenix, not far, maybe a four-hour drive. So uh Vegas is well positioned uh to go to different places.
SPEAKER_03There you go. Yeah, it was a great trip out there. We went to Grand Canyon, but uh a lot of places to explore. So if you uh looking for food, looking for exploration, great, great place. All right, is dry heat a real thing?
SPEAKER_01Well, listen, like I said, Georgia, you guys are like mid-90s, 90% humidity. Um Vegas were, I think I said today, 107 degrees is what we'll hit today with like 4% humidity. Um still 107. I mean that's still 107, so we we consider you know a dry heat, so yes, it's like an oven, like you're just baking, right? And then if you throw a little, you know, wind, because we are known to get some wind, so we consider like a hairdryer. Um so you kind of feel like you're walking through a hairdryer. Um, so yeah, it will dry heat's uh it's a real thing. It's definitely no 90 degrees, 90% humidity, but hot is hot, and thank God for air conditioning.
SPEAKER_02Hey man. I'll second that. All right, if there was a draft for your favorite candy bar, what would be your number one draft pick?
SPEAKER_01Ooh. Candy bar. Um candy bar. I mean, uh, I I am privy. I love me some MMs, but that's not really a candy bar. Does that does that fit your realm?
SPEAKER_03Uh that probably fits. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That probably it's all it's all in that same category, I think.
SPEAKER_01You know, good Reese's pieces. I I enjoy good Reese's pieces. Anything chocolate. I uh you can't go wrong with chocolate. I'm not into the the sour stuff. I know that a lot of people are into the sour, and especially the kids.
SPEAKER_03So MMs, you going plain or you going with some extravagant, extravagant flavor?
SPEAKER_01You know, I do enjoy good plain. Uh peanut M is probably my number one go-to, and then uh I know they got the peanut butter MM. Sometimes those are pretty good. And there's a peanut uh pretzel MMs. Uh, you know, I get anything M chocolate is good. Uh that's good.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you can't beat a good Eminem. All right, let's finish with this. It's our trademark question today, Xavier Anthem. You've been hanging with the ADs, but let's say you could hang out with anyone. Who would that be at why?
SPEAKER_01So another great question that I did scout uh on that one. I forgot about the the the chocolate one. But uh man, listen, uh I told you before, uh, well, I'll put it this way in the United States, there's only people, the five lap five people is the last name Antheon. That's myself, my daughter, my wife, and my parents that live in Vegas. So all five of us live in Las Vegas.
SPEAKER_03That's a great fact, by the way. We didn't ask that. I'm glad you brought that up. That's a great fact. That is impressive.
SPEAKER_01Well, and it's just because, like I said, my parents immigrated from France back in 1962. I'm looking for opportunity, looking for jobs, and and and just you know, planted the roots here. And like I said, I went to University Never Lee, Vegas. I've never left, and kind of my wife and my daughter are still here, and uh, we're still here. So um Vegas is home, definitely. And my second home is France. I try to get out there every couple years as best as we can. Um, some years, some more often than not. Um, and I have great aunts and uncles and cousins, and uh my you know, when my grandparents were alive, you know, to be able to go out there. So I I just enjoy being with my family. And I'm not even talking about just my family here in Vegas. I love going to France and seeing my my aunts and uncles and and just knowing what they went through and gone through. I mean, I love going and you know, spending time with my grandfather would tell me stories about being a prison of war in World War II and uh you know, just just understanding my heritage and where I grew up and where I came from and all the things that they've had to endure. It's it's been pretty special. And um I do speak French because my you know, obviously my parents come from France. They said when when I was growing up, none of my family spoke English, right? So I had to learn the language, and uh so I only speak to my daughter in French, and so I really want her to be able to carry on that culture. So I try to bring, you know, obviously she comes back with me. I'm like, hey, listen, you're gonna talk to my my cousins who are your cousins, and uh you're gonna have to speak in French. And so she she has that challenge, and just hoping we can keep that culture going.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Xavier, thank you so much for the time today. We love heading out west uh to learn from our counterparts in that part of the country. Uh, you've helped us and our listeners get better today, so thanks again.
SPEAKER_01No, I appreciate the time. You guys are doing a great job, keep doing the great work.
SPEAKER_03Great conversation with Xavier Antheum from Las Vegas, Nevada. Uh I gotta practice on that as he uh corrected me and said we I need to practice my uh pronunciation of his name. Uh but no, Xavier's a great friend, and as you can tell, especially if you watch YouTube, Xavier is a bundle of energy and passion and enthusiasm for life, but also for the for the role of athletic administration. He's all over the place, uh moving around, always uh always bringing the energy and enthusiasm, helping us uh reset, helping us get energized for what we do. And I think to me that was the premise of the whole conversation. We kind of got into it there at the end about uh what brings fulfillment uh and how do you get through the seasons that are not fulfilling. Uh Zeger was right on the right on the spot there. I'll tell you, it was uh this was a conversation I needed. It's summertime when we're doing this conversation. You may be listening to it a little bit later on. You may listen to it anytime, but this would be a great conversation to come back to uh toward the end of the school year and just get this energy that we need to reset during the summer or prepare for the next school year and just get that uh kind of push in the right direction. Xavier was the perfect person to do that for us. Xavier, thanks for joining us. Man, it's awesome to hear from you. Uh love seeing what you're doing out there in Las Vegas. Uh the largest school district in the nation. So if it's going on, Xavier's got it going on, you can probably reach out to Xavier. He can help you with probably just about anything you're dealing with because uh uh he's got a wide uh wide array of schools and he's probably experiencing it, experiencing it or has experienced it, no matter what's going on in your life. And finally, I I just hope you enjoyed uh the uh uh analogous story of the cards. Uh I think it was great for him to share because it does uh connect what where he is there in Vegas where we are, no matter where we are. Every card is different. There's fifty-two cards, uh they're different for a reason. And uh that's the same thing with us as athletic leaders and our school. So don't think you need to be like someone different. Um you need to be you and do your school the best you can uh uh lead in. So uh we we wish you the best. We hope this conversation is brought smile to your face and energy to your uh leadership. So hopefully it has. Hopefully you had a great day, a great listen there. Uh got some good notes from Xavier. Thanks, Savior. All right, if you leave us a rating, a review, a comment, we'd love to hear from you when we get those. It really helps us uh get more energy to do this and to help you uh uh be a better athletic administrator. That's our goal, and uh that's our passion here with Don and I, and we just hope you uh uh can let us know if you don't mind. We'd appreciate that. And as always, thanks for spending your time hanging with the AD.