Nothing sparks a fire in people like competition.
For Todd Jackson, The Robert D. Kennedy ’54 Director of Intramural Sports, competition is a means for educating students, training participants and helping students enjoy Cornell sports.
“[Todd] is very meticulous with all the little things it takes to run a successful intramural program,” says Jeremy Pickard, assistant director for intramural sports. “He genuinely cares about the staff, the students and all involved.”
“Long-term, the thing that really drives me at work is developing students,” said Jackson. “It’s teaching officials how to work hard and educating participants on how to become involved in recreational sports — making sure they understand the value of sportsmanship, teamwork and other fundamentals.”
After speaking to Todd Jackson for five minutes, his passion for helping students is clear and contagious. The fulfillment that Jackson gets from motivating and developing students, and the challenges that arise from it, is a drive that has a no end in sight.
“Working with students [keeps me going],” says Jackson. “Anybody that works in the field of campus recreation needs to focus on that. Also, a strange motivation for me is dealing with conflict: unfortunately, with large programs like this, you’re always going to have scheduling issues, player conduct issues and trying to come up with solutions is challenging and motivating.”
“Todd is an outstanding mentor to the students,” says Andrea Dutcher, director of recreational services. “I was an intramural director for four years, and it’s for the students. What Todd excels at is training the student supervisors and officials, giving them tremendous autonomy in what they do.”
Jackson is no stranger to college sports: with experience in teaching and coaching, he started his career at the University of Connecticut, and then moved to Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
Jackson’s experiences in campus recreation led him to Cornell intramurals, where more than 30 intramural programs and tournaments are offered to the student body every year.
“Getting here has been a pretty fun trip for me,” says Jackson. “I’ve been here for a full year now. I came into Cornell knowing there was a strong tradition for intramural sports, and we’ve been unlocking some of the potential here, bringing some consistency to the program.”
Jackson’s experience has led him to new ideas and developments in the growth of Cornell’s intramurals. The expansion of recreational activities, teams and organized sports is an ongoing effort that Jackson is at the center of.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in our soccer teams, and flag football and basketball continue to be our most popular sports,” says Jackson. “We are one of seven programs in the country that provides the Regional Flag Football Tournament, and that’s been important for schools around the northeast that come to compete. We provide thirty plus activities every school year — lots of one-day tournaments that I don’t think many students know we offer.”
“[Todd] is very organized and detail-oriented,” says Dutcher. “This is especially important when you’re trying to manage seven or eight intramural events at the same time. He has also helped develop technology in the department with a new web-based system where students can check league schedules, stats, and standings on the computer while they’re at home in their pajamas.”
As a former teacher and coach, Jackson’s creative approach to campus recreation revolves around one goal: to help student-athletes have fun.
“The number one thing we do everyday here is make sure we’re providing fun, safe, inviting, competitive playing environments,” says Jackson. “Those four criteria are key, so we always keep that at the front of our minds … We work towards making the program run smoothly, communicating with the students and making sure our website is updated among other things.”
Even though Jackson has held his current position for only a year, he is quickly establishing a special camaraderie with student staff and associate colleagues. Jackson has acknowledged his staff and students as some of the most influential factors in his success within Cornell recreational sports.
Jackson’s mission is to provide a fun-filled atmosphere of competition around the Cornell campus of intramural sports. While the University is recognized as a premier academic institution, Jackson sees his job as a way to help students de-stress and take a break from the everyday academic rigors of the semester.
“We always encourage students just to play,” says Jackson. “There are so many opportunities: good advice for those that don’t participate is to just put down the books for an hour and come out to the field, the court, or the gym to just get involved. It’s a great opportunity for students to socialize and to take their mind off work for a little bit.”
In his term so far, Jackson has created a Cornell campus that is chock-full of sports games and tournaments that satisfy the recreational athlete who wants to compete, socialize and learn new skills.
All you have to do is go out and play.