Pine River-Backus will welcome their new activities director Aug. 31.
Tim Tungseth, who for the past fours was the AD at Maple Lake, replaces longtime PRB AD Randy Schwegel who retired in May.
“I am very excited about coming back to the area as I had been the AD at Crosby-Ironton for three years from 2013-2016,” Tungseth said. “But my wife and I are thrilled to be coming back to the Brainerd lakes area. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Pine River-Backus schools and the administration has been wonderful to work with so far. I’m really looking forward to getting started and building on the success they have had there.”
Tungseth attended high school in Fergus Falls where he was a four-sport athlete — football, basketball, cross-country and track and field — and was in band. From there he studied his undergraduate at Concordia College in Moorhead.
After college, Tungseth was a school teacher as well as basketball and track and field coach. He got his masters in athletic administration at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.
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“During that time, I served as a graduate assistant at the athletic departments in Gonzaga,” Tungseth said.
Tungseth and his wife Molly are excited to be reunited with friends in the Brainerd lakes area. They have a cabin in the area as well.
“This has always been a place where we’ve looked at as a destination where we want to end up,” he said. “The opportunity to be at Pine River-Backus opened up that opportunity and we are really excited to make that area our home.”
Tungseth noted it’s not an ideal time to be switching schools because of the coronavirus pandemic, but with less high school activities going on in the fall it should make the transition smoother.
“I know when I get up to Pine River I have to hit the ground running and really start developing those relationships with my co-workers and coaching staff and getting to know the student-athletes,” he said. “In that first year, it’s all about building those relationships. When those relationships are built then I’m able to get input and visit with the administrator, the coaching, the community and get a better idea of where things go from there.”
Other goals for Tungseth include building competitive programs, providing positive experiences for student-athletes and promoting PRB programs in the community to help them become competitive.
As it relates to COVID-19 and keeping his student-athletes safe, Tungseth remains in conversations with the Minnesota State High School League and takes guidance from the Department of Health.
“We are expecting to hear more information about what the winter seasons and the rest of the seasons will look like shortly after the start of the school year,” he said. “Activities directors in the state take a weekly Zoom meeting with the MSHSL where they really have been keeping us in the loop of what’s going on and what the best practices should be to safely implement our activities programs that are going on and helping us plan for the future.”
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Tungseth felt comfortable during the interview process which helped make the choice to take the PRB job easy.
“They just seemed like wonderful people,” he said. “I knew right away that if this job was presented to me that I would like to go at it. I just feel like it’s a good group of administrators to work with.”
Communication and organization are the most important things for Tungseth as he makes his third stop in seven years. He believes those two skills are two of his strengths.
“In my seven years as AD, those skills continue to improve and get better,” he said. “Those two things allow you to transition smoothly in this job.”
Tungseth has positive memories of PRB when he was with C-I and when those two teams met. He also respects his predecessor Schwegel.
“I always had a positive impression of the school district and the community,” Tungseth said. “I always thought the teams we competed against were high class, good group of people. I knew Randy Schwegel quite well and he was someone I always had a lot of respect for. Just a really good person and I’m excited to be able to build off the foundation that he’s laid.”
CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad.engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34.
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