Over the summer, Wilde Lake hired Tee Dronenburg as the school’s new athletics and activities manager. Dronenburg previously served as the school’s softball coach for 14 seasons.
At the start of the fall sports season, Dronenburg spoke with the Howard County Times to discuss her excitement and vision for the athletic program moving forward.
Note: Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity
What is your vision for the athletic program at Wilde Lake?
I’ve been coaching at Wilde Lake for 14 seasons. Then I taught here in the building for four years. So, when I was going through this process that led me to me to this position, I obviously really wanted that position, but more so I wanted that position at Wilde Lake. This community, the culture, the passion, the people that are here, I just couldn’t see myself leaving. So, the fact that I get to do this job that I really want to do in the exact place that I want to do it is an absolute dream come true. … I’m just really looking forward to continuing to push the athletics and activities programs forward. We’ve got a lot of forward progress in my time here and I just want to keep elevating it. Keep making it a better place for student-athletes, for their families, for our fans. One that when they ultimately graduate and move onto the next step, they just look back with only the best memories of their time playing or participating in things at Wilde Lake.
What were the biggest lessons in your time coaching that you plan on utilizing in this role?
One thing that I really learned from those 14 years is that every kid deserves a good coach. Whether it’s a winning program or one that’s having an off year, they deserve a really good experience. Coaching now, it is about so much more than just knowing the game. It’s about really getting to know the athlete — what their needs are, what makes them tick, what makes them special — so they can just leverage tem and push them to be the best they can possibly be. Athletics is about so much more than winning and losing. Don’t get me wrong, I love winning a championship. I hope we win many in my time here, but there’s so many things that sports and athletics can teach us. It’s an extension of the classrom where you learn things that you don’t learn in math or science or social studies. But, you learn that teamwork, communication, sportsmanship, perserverance, all those little things that we need as we grow older and become adults that sports can so uniquely teach us.
What do you think that first home football game is going to be like, Friday against Marriotts Ridge?
Our first home football game this year is actually Homecoming. I am so excited. There is nothing like that first football game feeling. Funny enough, I actually talked about that when I interviewed for this position. When I think of the ideal athletics and activities experience, I think of the Friday night football game, because everybody is there. You’ve got the players on the field, you’ve got the kids up cheering in the stands. You’ve got the marching band playing, you’ve got the parents working the concession stand. It is the true school community coming together and unifying for that Wilde Lake pride.
What does it mean to you to be another female AAM in Howard County?
That was absolutely huge. It is something that I do not take lightly. The idea of being a female in athletics leadership, which is a male-centered field. I’m so excited that I have the opportunity to show some of our female athletes here at Wilde Lake that, ‘Hey, there are opportunities for you down the road in athletics. That your playing time could lead to coaching time, officiating time or could lead to administrative time in the field.’ It something that I am really honored that I get to carry this torch and be a female in this field to show younger females that this is a possibility and opportunity for them in the future.
What are some of the qualities you look for in your coaches?
We are so lucky. It was one of the reasons why I was so passionate about staying at Wilde Lake, is the people that we have here. Our coaches, our teachers, just the staff in general, just really love working with kids. We want go give kids the best possible experience in their four years. So, with our coaches that we have and then our coaches that we’re bringing in that’s one thing that I’m really preaching: Make this something that these young people will remember forever. That they just look back on so fondly because they knew that they were loved. That they were cared, rooted for and they had the best possible experience.
When I took over, we had no volleyball coaches. That was Mission No. 1 was to get three new volleyball coaches. I’m thrilled to say they are three young females who are all Howard County graduates, all played college volleyball and all have club volleyball coaching experience. So, that’s huge to me, too, to be able to bring back Howard County graduates to come back and help the programs that helped them. Talk about a full circle moment. That’s also really good for our student-athletes to see like, ‘Man, maybe I could do that one day. I could come back and give back to the community that gave to me.’ It’s really cool and exciting stuff.
