Carlynton’s Nathan Milsom honored by Athletic Administrator’s Association

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 | 2:07 PM

Nathan Milsom loves to challenge himself.

The athletic director in the Carlynton School District for more than a decade fills his plate with his duties with the Cougars athletic program, work as the president of several conferences, his involvement with the WPIAL basketball committee and as the veteran head coach of the Carlynton boys and girls track and field teams.

Milsom recently added Certified Athletic Administrator to his already full resume with recognition from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

“Going to conferences and seeing the accomplishments of my colleagues, I decided to look into it and what it entailed,” Milsom said.

“This is something I knew would better myself and help me in my interactions (at Carlynton). It wasn’t about the title. I wanted to prove to myself that I could accomplish this. It really made me feel good to be considered one of the experts in the field.”

To earn the distinction, Milsom was required to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration through a detailed plan of self-improvement and development.

The NIAAA review committee, through its certification process, conducted a thorough evaluation of Milsom’s educational background, experience and professional contributions.

“I was confident I had the experience they were looking for,” he said.

Milsom completed five classes with a total of 20 credits leading up to a comprehensive exam.

“Through the classes, I learned a ton of information I can use daily in my job,” he said.

Milsom said the exam — 100 questions over the span of four hours — was both challenging and thought-provoking.

“It asks a number of legal questions which make you think critically,” he said. “It goes over things like how to deal with different situations with teams, athletes, coaches and parents. It helped that I had already dealt with a lot of it on a daily basis.”

The NIAAA is a national professional organization consisting of all 50 state athletic administrator associations and more than 12,000 individual members.

The first CAA exam was given in 1988 to 102 athletic administrators.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Carlynton