When Athletic Director Cristina Garcia enters her office at 7:00 a.m. to begin her work day, she is immediately met with a slew of emails waiting to be answered. On the left side of her desk sits a large stack of athletic clearance packets that she needs to look over in order to make sure the student-athletes are ready to go for the start of tryouts. She receives phone calls from other California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) board members, filling her ears with bylaws and regulations that her teams must follow come game-time.
Garcia is the backbone of the athletic program with her own history of athletics. She began her journey in elementary school, where she participated in Bobby Sox softball, later on playing for San Pedro High School’s softball team.
“I’ve always loved and enjoyed watching and participating in sports,” Garcia said.
With a passion for sports, Garcia knew that she ultimately wanted to be involved in athletics as a career field, and set her sights on finding a way to continue her passion. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and continued her education to receive a master’s degree in sports management as well. After completing her college education, she made her mark at Granada Hills Charter (GHC) and became the athletic director, working behind the scenes to run the athletics program.
Day to day, Garcia manages the tasks of answering emails and phone calls, organizing meetings for different sports events, attending games as a supervisor, managing athletic clearances, coordinating with game officials, and running/attending CIF meetings. She has also served on the CIF LA City Section Board of Managers for the past four years and has recently been given the opportunity to be Sectional Board President this school year and has been elected to the CIF State Executive Committee.
Her secret to getting all her work down is by always being a week ahead of schedule so she doesn’t fall behind on paperwork or meetings.
Garcia’s love for the game and athletics itself has remained strong over the years, which she helps foster in the GHC student-athletes she works with.
“The biggest enjoyment since I’ve started here, particularly as a high school Athletic Director, is seeing how passionate and competitive our students are,” Garcia said.
Garcia enjoys attending games as that has always been a source of joy from when she was younger. She would frequent sports games outside of just the ones she competed in. Supporting the students who work day in and day out to achieve their goals gives her a sense of pride as she gets to witness their own excitement and love for their sport.
Last school year, there were 11 CIF LA City Section Championship qualifiers from GHC, reflecting that determination and hard work leads to positive results.
“I get a sense of pride for our students and coaches when they achieve success in their field,” Garcia said. “It also serves as a positive reflection on our program and school overall.”
Garcia has committed lots of her time to helping leap towards success for the athletic programs on campus, and we wish her good luck in her new positions as well in the upcoming seasons.