Director of Sports at Hutch Rec looks back

By JUDD WEIL 
Hutch Post

Hutchinson, Kan. – Before his reception on Dec. 8, and retirement as Director of Sports on Dec. 31, Randy Carter talked about his time and experience with the Hutchinson Recreation Commission (Hutch Rec).  

“I believe I’ve accomplished the growth of group sports,” Carter said of his achievements during his last 15 years with Hutch Rec.   

Carter started with Hutch Rec in November 2007.  

“[Youth sports] here in Hutchinson, Kansas, has got quite large,” Carter said. “I think Hutch Rec and the team we’ve put together for youth sports has developed a very large base in the community to support youth sports.” 

Emphasis on younger, small children, specifically ages three to six, was a big part of the youth sports programs’ beginning, according to Carter.  

“In all of our sports, we’ve been able to do that, and what happens is they stay with us all the way through until they’re about fifth or sixth grade,” Carter said. “Then once they go into junior high, it becomes a little harder.”  

Carter said when he first started with youth sports, Hutch Rec had between 1,000 and 1,500 kids. Hutch Rec now serves a little under 4,000 kids.  

Carter highlighted the achievement of Hutch Rec being able to gather enough community support to increase the recreational youth sports, as well as create separate competitive leagues.  

“I think another thing we really worked hard at, and that I worked hard at, is bringing back Fun Valley,” Carter said.  

Carter said the City of Hutchinson reached out to Hutch Rec about eight years ago to be the operating arm of the Fun Valley Sports Complex and Hobart-Detter Field. 

Under Hutch Rec’s direction, subsidies for Fun Valley and Hobart-Detter were dropped substantially. In the last three years, Hutch Rec has not had to subsidize at all.  

Carter said both facilities will be staples to the Hutchinson community after he retires. 

He added, he will miss watching kids and adults play softball and baseball at Fun Valley and Hobart-Detter.  

During Carter’s tenure, Hutch Rec was able to add two community gyms under their operation to the Hutchinson Sports Arena, which he calls a “big plus.”  

Various youth and adult Hutch Rec volleyball and basketball programs, as well as other sports, are held in the Hutchinson Sports Arena.  

“I don’t like to say ‘me,’ because it wasn’t just me," Carter said. "We’ve worked hard, but I think with the leadership I’ve been able to give to the sports division of Hutch Rec, I think it’s been a big positive sign for everyone in the community." 

Carter called being the Director of Sports for Hutch Rec his dream job.  

“It’s fun to see the kids grow and get better, and I think that’s been a big thing for myself,” Carter said. “Just to see the kids having fun and being able to participate in multiple sports here at Hutch Rec.” 

During his time with Hutch Rec, Carter said he has enjoyed watching youth he has coached, or have been part of the sports programs, come back in their adulthood. Over the years, several people have come back to Hutch Rec to referee games or be scorekeepers, and even work part time or full time positions, pending availability.  

Carter attributes part of his success as Director of Sports to his predecessor and mentor, Mark Trent.  

“I really give a big shout out to him,” Carter said. “Since then, our new director came here, Tony Finlay, and it’s been absolutely great. His leadership skills and everything he’s done for Hutch Rec here in the community has been fantastic. He’s really made it easy for myself to be able to succeed even further than what we have before.”  

Carter added, “With his leadership, we’ve been able to do a lot of things in the community not just in sports, but in multiple facets that have really made Hutch Rec the staple of stuff here in the community.”  

Carter was in charge of 52 projects in his department, consisting of multiple sports in both the recreation and competitive side, including a local adult softball league. 

“One of the reasons I am retiring basically is, number one, my family,” Carter said. “My mom lives with us and she’s got first stages of dementia and Parkinson's, that has been one thing."  

“Number two, I think one of things is that I’ve been thinking about this all the years I’ve been doing this, and things I’ve done in the past, and now I’m financially able to quit and enjoy retirement,” Carter continued. “I think I’ve done a lot here and I think it’s time for a change, it’s time to give somebody the opportunity to be able to enjoy the stuff I’ve been able to enjoy and make it even better.”  

While Carter and his family moved to Hutchinson in 1987, his initial career was not in sports. 

“I used to own the Godfather’s Pizzas here in town,” Carter said. “I was a district manager when I first started out.”  

During his time with Godfather’s Pizza, Carter sponsored many Hutchinson area sports teams.  

“From 1987 to 2007, I was already working for the Hutch Rec, but not full time,” Carter said. “I was actually providing pizza parties for their youth. We were heavily involved in sponsoring high school football for kids for Hutch High, Nickerson, Buhler.” 

Carter attributes his time with Godfather’s Pizza as his way of connecting to the community.  

Following his time in the food industry, Carter accepted a position as a sports programmer with Hutch Rec.  

“I did that for about seven years, then these last eight years I’ve been here as the Sports Director of Hutch Rec,” Carter said. “It was a dream come true to get to do something I like to do, which is sports.”  

Carter said his love for sports stems from his time playing baseball as a youth and 35 years of coaching, especially coaching his daughter, as well as refereeing and umpiring. Carter added, he has probably coached every sport Hutch Rec provides.  

“I think that’s a lot of it,” Carter explained. “As long as you wake up every day and you enjoy what you do, you keep doing it. I’ve enjoyed all 15 years of this.”  

Carter said it is getting harder to do some of things he used to as he grows older.  

“I mean I’ve done my time, and I think I’ve given everything I’ve got to sports and to the community, and I’ve been able to work at Hutch Rec and be part of a great team,” Carter said. “I feel good leaving.”  

Carter thanks the people of his past and present who have helped him in his career at Hutch Rec. 

“It’s pretty easy for me to walk away, because I know that there is going to be good people behind me to take my spot,” Carter said.  

The most valuable lesson Carter said he has learned from working with Hutch Rec, is patience and flexibility.  

“I would say that probably the hardest thing for us, is the parent issues. It is a huge problem,” Carter said. “I feel like we really do a really good job of managing the parents. The more you communicate with these parents and these coaches, the better.”  

Carter said the patience in dealing with situations from parents was hard for him, but feels he has imparted the lesson of patience to his Hutch Rec team.  

“You’ve got to be patient, but you’ve got to be flexible,” Carter said. “You’ve got to listen more, and that’s basically what we try to tell our officials. To listen and hear what the other side says, especially with the problems and issues we have in the parents' world of youth sports.”  

With his retirement, Randy Carter intends to spend more time with his wife, Sherry Carter; their son, his wife, and their three kids; and his daughter, her husband, and their child.  

“It’s going to be fun to be able spend more time with them, but like everybody, I’m going to be retiring but I won’t be retiring from work,” Carter said. “I will be doing some part time stuff.”  

Carter will be working for Perfect Game, the world's largest baseball and softball scouting organization. He has already been involved with Perfect Game for three years.  

Carter said, he also anticipates calls to officiate for Hutch Rec sporting events.  

“Just being able to kick back and enjoy life for a little while, without everything being so stressed,” Carter said. “I think that’s a big deal nowadays.” 

“I come from that era of ‘work, work, work,’ that’s the way it was. I’m learning more and more, that it's not about work, but whenever you do get that time to spend with your family or significant other,” Carter continued. “You do need to spend that time with them and make that time for them. That’s probably some of the things I did miss throughout all the years, that I wish I would have done better. Don’t forget about your family.”  

A public come-and-go reception for Randy Carter will take place on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Hutch Rec located at 17 E. 1st Ave. in downtown Hutchinson.  

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