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Monday, September 08, 2008 12:14 PM Youth and sports, Patterson's perfect job mix By Gina Childress Daily Times Staff Writer Because he has always had a love of athletics and a desire to work with children, Braxton Patterson strived to find the perfect mix of the two. And while he was in college at Greenville, he did. Patterson, 28, began college with the thought of working in business or with computers. Shortly after beginning that curriculum, however, he knew he was meant for another career. "It just wasn't for me," he said. "I wanted to do something different." Because he has always loved watching and participating in athletics, Patterson decided to pursue a full-time career that stemmed from his part-time job -- working with children in Greenville's Parks and Recreation Department. "By working there I realized what path I wanted my career to take," he said. "So, I combined my love for working with children and my love for recreation programs." In 1997, Patters began working part time with the Greenville and Wilson parks and recreation departments as a basketball referee and scorekeeper and a baseball umpire and scorekeeper. While attending East Carolina, Patterson also worked with the intramural athletics program at the college. After graduating from East Carolina, Patterson began working full time at the Greenville Parks and Recreation Department for Boyd Lee. Boyd Lee is the father of David Lee, the director of Wilson's Parks and Recreation Department. "I loved working for (Boyd) Mr. Lee," Patterson said. "He really taught me a lot, and I would probably still be there if he hadn't retired." "I knew shortly after we hired him he was going to be a special professional. He had all the qualities you want in an employee like loyalty, eagerness to learn, honesty and dependability," said Boyd Lee. "I also realized that when David (Lee) got to be a director that we would probably be losing Braxton at one point or another. Before I retired, I always took pride in the fact that I thought Greenville had one of the best professional staffs in the state. With new hires like Braxton and others, I think Wilson is well on their way to having one of the top staffs in the state." Patterson takes that a compliment. "I'd worked with David (Lee) while I was working part time and knew he was a lot like his dad," he said. "I've certainly learned a lot from David over the years as well. Both he and his father have been my professional role models." Patterson said he has received advice on how to deal with uncomfortable situations with children and adults from the Lees. "It takes a special person to be a professional in recreation, especially in athletics. You have to be fair, and it has to be every day," said David Lee. "You also have to constantly keep an eye on the big picture while identifying your current goals. Braxton does all of these for our department." David Lee went on to say how Patterson loves working with the youth in and around the city. "Wilson's youth are important to him, and he understands the role athletics play in their development," said David Lee. "I've known he was going to be an athletic director since the day he started working part time for us when he was 15 years old." Patterson wants to pass along what he has learned from the Lees as well as through his own personal experiences to the children participating in the programs he is involved with. "Seeing the kids having a good time along with the adults, is the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing," he said. "I hope that through the programs we have, a child or an adult's quality of life improves during their participation." As athletics supervisor for the department, Patterson is responsible for youth baseball, flag football and basketball, and adult softball, flag football and basketball. Among his duties are scheduling games, recruiting coaches, overseeing the officiating and scorekeepers, supervising the playing fields, maintaining the equipment, keeping up with rule changes and keeping up with the changing recreation trends in the different sports. In addition to working 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Patterson spends a lot of his personal time at the different sporting events making sure that things are running smoothly. "Some days are very, very long," he said. "But seeing a child participating in a sport and having a good time makes it very worth it." One of Patterson's most satisfying accomplishments since taking over as athletics supervisor has been watching the participants in the youth baseball program more than double in number over the last three years. "Seeing the fields packed is amazing to me," he said. "We have more and more children signing up to play, and when you go to the field to watch them, you can just feel the excitement from them." "One thing I really enjoy is watching a kid develop throughout a season and from year to year," he said. "It's very satisfying to watch them grow and develop." One of the hardest aspects of Patterson's job is watching a child leave the program whether they age out or for some other reason. "I take it personally when someone quits participating," he said. "But I know that I can't keep everyone happy all of the time. I have to do what's best for the overall program and not what will benefit one particular child -- that's hard." But Patterson said he's always in a learning stage and hopes that he gains valuable lessons from mistakes he's made in the past. "I do the best I can and try to learn from each and every mistake -- that's all I can do," he said. Patterson says whether it is here in Wilson or somewhere else, he sees himself always working with recreation programs. "Hopefully (in 15 to 20 years) I will still be in recreation athletics" he said. "Maybe as a director -- maybe not. Whatever it is, I will be happy. I cannot see myself doing anything else. gina@wilsontimes.com | 265-7821 |
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