Whitney (Snyder) Martino- Leadership

Whitney (Snyder) Martino has been an assistant principal at Aurora West High School since 2011. It is not a surprise for Whitney to be in a leadership position. As a student and athlete at GHS, she was willing to step up and take charge of situations.

Whitney had an outstanding career at GHS. As a sophomore, she was first post off the bench for a team that made it to the Elite 8. As a junior and senior, she started and scored 8.5ppg per game and got 6.5 rebounds per game. Her junior year, the Streaks took second in State, and her senior year, fourth. Not bad.

After graduating, Whitney went to the University of Iowa. (Everyone is entitled to one mistake!) At Iowa, Whitney got involved as manager for the women’s basketball team.

Whitney has always brought an energy and enthusiasm to what she does. It is not surprising to see her rise to a position of leadership in education.

Massey- You went off to Iowa to school, and spent 4 years wishing you would have been a Badger. But you made the best of it. You became a manager for the women's basketball team. Why did you decide to do this? Was it competitive getting to be a manager, or were they looking for people? 

Whitney- Within the first weeks at Iowa it was clear that I missed playing basketball and being a part of a competitive team.  I was a little lost without the structure of practice, games, weight training and travel. I knew I didn’t have the skill or size to play for a program as large as Iowa, however I thought maybe I could walk-on or work my way up as a practice player.  I reached out to Coach Lisa Bluder who was in her first year as the head women’s basketball coach.  It ended up being the perfect storm of opportunity.  She was just beginning to build her staff and encouraged me to think about a role as the basketball manager.  I immediately accepted and as a result, I spent 5 years with a full athletic scholarship as the Iowa Women’s basketball manager.

Massey- What kind of things did you do as a manager? Did you have some neat road trips? 

Whitney- My role as a manager was to execute practice and travel so that the coaches could focus on the game plan.  I had the practice schedule prior to practice and prepared the necessary equipment and clocks. As managers, we stepped in during several drills to pass and defend as needed.  Additionally, we organized and recorded game film throughout the season.  During the summer we played a key  role in camps and team tournaments.  To be honest, we did whatever the coaches asked. Our job was to make their job easier.

I think high school athletes and families don’t always realize the sacrifice and commitment that must be made to play at the college level.  Regardless of the size of the program, a college athlete gets very little time to themselves.  When they aren’t competing, they are at study table, class, training table or in the community. I was always very impressed by the time and energy the women made to be a part of the team.

            The travel was a huge benefit to working for the team.  I was able to travel to every Big Ten School and arena.  I have to admit, Wisconsin was my favorite school to visit with University of Michigan as a close second. Throughout the years we also traveled to Alaska, D.C., Salt Lake City, Nassau, Rome, Florence, Venice, Denver, LA, Miami to name a few.

Massey- Today everyone talks about the value of internships, as far as using them to get a job after college. Do you think your work as a manager helped you when you were looking for a job after college? Have you stayed connected with the coaches?

Whitney- Absolutely! Working for the team required me to become good with time management, quick problem solving, organization and working closely with people from other schools and programs.  As a college athlete you have the advantage of meeting many people and after graduating you have a built in network.  I graduated from The University of Iowa with a degree in Political Science and History with a secondary teaching certificate.  My experience with the women’s team helped me build a resume and land my first teaching and coaching job at West Chicago High School in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Yes, I am still in touch with the coaches. The core coaching staff is still there.  I try to get to a game once a year.  My brother followed me to Iowa and also accepted a role as manager.  The Snyder’s have a solid history with the Iowa Women's team and we have stayed fans of the program.

Massey- As a sophomore, you got to play on the varsity and you made it to the Elite 8. In fact, there were no seniors playing regularly. It seems like it is so easy for players to take a "wait until next year" attitude. Being a young team becomes an excuse. I had teams make it to State with a few sophomores or freshmen playing key roles but usually there were role players with strong seniors providing the leadership. As you look back, what made you personally and your team as a whole be able to handle the pressure as just sophomores and juniors?

Whitney- I don’t think we knew anything different.  We had played together for many years and for us our experience was not a factor.  I honestly don’t remember worrying about our lack of experience.  For our team we were just excited to have another year playing together. 

I do remember losing to Loyola as a sophomore and watching film in the summer.  One of the things the coaching staff pointed out was our lack of strength and and Loyola’s ability to keep us from running our offence due to their size and strength.  We simply were not physical enough and as a team we committed to getting into the weight room and working on our strength.  As it turns out a year later, we were stronger and more physical.

Massey- Your junior year, we beat Loyola. What do you remember about that game? What do you remember from when the horn went off?

Whitney- This might have been the first game that year when we were the clear underdogs.  Throughout the conference season we were the dominant team only losing a few regular season games. At that time, girls basketball in the state of Illinois was only 2 divisions and private schools did not have a multiplier for recruiting athletes.  Loyola was the goliath of that game.   However, I don’t think it affected our preparation or mindset.  Favorites or underdogs we were ready to play.  It wasn’t until after the game that that I realized how incredible the upset was.  We had beat a team that on paper we had no business playing with.

 Massey- As a junior, you get to start in the State Championship game. Was it the most pressure you felt as a player? What do you think if you ever watch a boys or girls state championship game? 

Whitney- The state series games were a great experience.  Honestly, my high school athletic career played a major role in my development as a teenager and adult.  The lessons learned from being a part of such a great program are invaluable and I still find myself drawing on these experiences. 

I do think about my high school playing days when watching a state championship game and I am so happy for those athletes. As a high school administrator I try to provide students with as many extra-curricular opportunities as possible.  Sports are so valuable for young people and they teach lessons that can not be replicated in the classroom.

Massey- I realize you don't sit around having morning coffee talking about your high school playing days. But I am guessing from time to time something comes up in a conversation and you then mention you played in the State championship game in high school. Do people believe you? Is it a good put down line when some guys are acting important about their sports pasts?

Whitney- Although I do sit around drinking a lot of coffee as an administrator… I don’t bring up my high school glory days, but it does come up.  I now work at West Aurora High School.  As a senior we beat them in the quarter-final game of the state tournament.  West Aurora has a deep basketball history and there are still a lot of people around who remember that game, including the head coach, radio announcer and school board members.  In fact, when I was introduced as a new administrator at my first board meeting, Neil Ormond board member and radio announcer, recalled the game and even provided newspaper clippings. Great moment and proud to be a Streak!

Massey- What are your favorite high school basketball memories?

Whitney- I know it should be the state tournament games, but I loved the holiday tournament at Illinois Wesleyan.  We had a great time together as a team and competition was always great.  We had a great come from behind win my junior year capped off with a buzzer beater by Jaque Howard for the win. I think that was my favorite game.  

Massey- Allen was 3 when you were a senior. One Friday, we were supposed to be watching film in my classroom. Like all disruptive students, you were sitting in the back of the room. Allen was sitting next to you. He had a deal where he would clinch his fists, grit his teeth, and try to stick his chest out. While I was trying to make a point, he had everyone's attention by doing that. In front of everyone, I had to scold Allen and tell him not to do it. I think it is time to admit, you were the one trying to get him to do that? 

Whitney- I admit it… but I think your film session had gone on too long.  It was time to move on...

Massey- You have a little girl. What hopes do you have for her in athletics? 

Whitney- I hope she has the opportunities I had as an athlete and if she decides to play, I will do what I can to coach and support her.  I also hope to expose her to many sports.  In an age of specialization, I think it is important to be a multi-sport athlete and I hope she find success in more than just one sport.

Massey- You coached awhile, how would you describe yourself as a coach? Do you plan to be a youth coach for your daughter?

Whitney- As a coach, I was always focused on player development and the relationship I had with the girls.  High school athletics can play such a large role in the growth of young people and I always wanted to provide a positive experience for my teams.

From an x’s and o’s standpoint- I always pressured the ball full court and transitioned on offense as much as possible. I wonder where I learned that… Girls basketball can get a bad reputation for being boring due to lack of scoring.  It doesn't have to be that way. When I tell people my high school team scored 100 points in a regional game, they don’t believe me. I loved playing on a team that ran the ball and pressured full court on defense. It is also fun to coach that style of basketball. 

Massey- I had known you as you were growing up, and thought had a good idea about your personality. In JH you went to the Bucks Camp at Knox. The first night they are dividing up the players into teams for the league games. They had you down to be a post. I told them to switch you to play as a guard, my thinking was that you were not that tall and eventually would play guard. The coach came back to me about ten minutes later and said, "Snyder says she doesn't do guard, she is just a post." At the time, I was surprised how assertive you were with this coach. As time went on, I realized you indeed were assertive. I don't mean it as a negative. I am guessing that this has served you well in your professional life? If you aren't take charge or assertive, you will get pushed over as an administrator? 

Whitney- I can remember that story if you can believe it.  It think that time had less to do with my assertiveness and more to do with my lack of confidence in my ball handling skills.  Basketball certainly helped me to become more assertive and I think I have carried that trait into my professional life for sure.  

Massey- Do you feel your sports background, part of being on a team, helps you in your career?

Whitney- The thing I most carry with me from my sports background is that sometimes you must play a small role to have big success and sometimes you need to take the lead.  Team sports helped me identify when to do which and have the skills to apply it in order for the team to function at a high level.   

Massey- Are you still a Hawkeye fan even though they don't seem to win very much?

Whitney- Hawkeye for life!