There’s a lot that goes into each and every sporting event that Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) student-athletes take part in, week in and week out, during the school year.
Behind it all, to make sure things run smoothly on the home front, or that the participants get to where the game schedule takes them, to everything in-between, is the school’s athletic director.
For the past three years, that person has been Crista Barlow, a longtime youth coach, former teacher and parent of two RFHS student-athletes: Ross (2022) and Jacob (2024).
Barlow was recognized last week as the Colorado Athletic Directors Association (CADA) 3A Athletic Director of the Year. The award was presented at a banquet at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge on April 29.
Barlow said she was at one of Jacob’s hockey games in Denver earlier this year when she heard of her nomination for the award.
“It makes me happy that my peers thought that highly of me. That always makes it that much more special,” she said.
CADA Awards Chairperson Matt Heckel wrote in a letter to Barlow informing her of the award, “This prestigious recognition is a testament to your outstanding contributions and unwavering dedication to high school athletics. I want to express our deepest appreciation for your exceptional leadership and significant impact on athletics in your community.”
Barlow arrived in Carbondale 25 years ago after several years of teaching environmental education in New York State. Looking for a change, she considered a move to either Key West, Florida, or out to Colorado where a high school friend of hers had relocated.
“I picked here because of the seasons, and it was just beautiful,” Barlow said.
She met her husband, J. Ray, while exploring the White Rim Trail outside of Moab, Utah, in 1999, and began coaching youth soccer when Ross was 3. She coached and directed the U6-U8 program during Ross and Jacob’s club-level years.
She took the RFHS athletic director job when Ross was a senior and Jake a sophomore on the Rams soccer team that won the 3A state championship in 2021.
“That was definitely an all-star moment for me, both as athletic director and having coached a lot of those same boys when they were little,” Barlow said. “I got to be on the field with them and celebrate all the fun, and just that whole ride was pretty amazing.”
She recalls several of the players commenting after the game that what made it so special was the fact that they had all played soccer together since they were kids.
“That was pretty cool to hear,” she said.
The athletic director position was a natural fit for her, she said, because she likes being around teenagers. “They’re my jam,” Barlow said.
So what exactly is the job of an athletic director?
For starters, it’s everything from making sure all of the coaching positions get filled for the nine Colorado High School Activities Association-sanctioned sports, paying them, lining up and paying certified officials for home contests, arranging for buses and drivers for away games and making sure all of the participating athletes have their required physicals and pay their fees on time to support the program.
Fundraising is a big part of it.
“We have to pay for everything pretty much ourselves as an athletic department,” Barlow said, giving credit to the RFHS Booster Club for leading part of that effort. “It’s just a lot of minutia,” she said.
Barlow is often the stadium voice at the Rams Field home games, announcing the starting lineups and giving the play-by-play. “I wear a lot of hats,” she said. “Sometimes I’m custodial, sometimes announcing, sometimes I run the clock.” She added, “I take the opportunity to remind people that we’re here for the kids, and to just enjoy the game and cheer them on.”
Creating a safe environment for the students to participate in sports, and keeping all of the necessary equipment up to par is also a big part of it, she said.
From student participation fees, to gate fees, to fundraising on the side with the Booster Club concession stand and special events, it all adds up to support RFHS sports, Barlow emphasized.
RFHS boys basketball head coach Jason Kreiling said Barlow’s efforts don’t go unnoticed at the school level. “I think she brings in some good understanding of sports, because she’s played sports and her kids have been involved, and she really enjoys it,” Kreiling said. “She has the kids’ best interest in what we’re doing at Roaring Fork High School and is willing to do what needs to happen to get kids out and playing sports.”