Brynan Shipley doesn’t begin official duties as Ridgefield High School’s new director of athletics and activities until after school-board approval July 24, but the Vancouver native already has a laundry list of must-do items.
Social media is one of them.
“I’ve thought of what my (Twitter) name is going to be,” she said Thursday night, “and how I can spin this Spudder.”
The school district announced Shipley’s hiring Thursday. Pending school board approval, she’ll replace Debbie Bentler as Ridgefield’s new AD.
Shipley, a 1997 Evergreen High graduate, spent the past three years as athletic director at Class 2B Kalama, overseeing an athletic program that won two state titles this past school year and three overall in her tenure. While Shipley noted it’s going to be a big job jumping from Class 2B to 2A, she’s looking forward to the challenges ahead and “making an impact on a bigger stage.”
“It sparked my interest to be a part of something like that,” Shipley said.
A number of factors intrigued Shipley about the position and Ridgefield, including strong academic and athletic traditions, community support, and continuing growth, she said. She toured the soon-to-open $20 million Ridgefield Outdoor Sports Complex, a facility comprised of six multipurpose fields for football, soccer, baseball and softball among other sports. The complex is set to open this fall.
“It’s going to do so much for not only the schools, but for the community and for community education,” Shipley said. “It’s think it’s going to be a great opp to make a difference and have something to be proud of.”
Shipley began in the Kalama School District as a middle school English and math teacher in 2011, and coached the high school girls basketball team for eight years. She became athletic director in 2015, and Shipley’s administrative leadership, the Chinooks won state titles in volleyball (Class 1A, 2016), and 2B state titles in football and boys track and field during the 2017-18 school year. Her girls basketball team had its best season in program history in 2016-17, reaching the 2B state title game in Spokane.
She’s also experienced in turning around programs as a winning coach. Kalama girls basketball went 0-20 her first season in 2010-11 and three years later, won 20 games.
“Hopefully,” Shipley said, “that experience really allows me to relate to most coaches and help them out in difficult situations and build a strong program.”
As Brynan Enes, she graduated from Evergreen in 1997 as a dual-sport athlete in soccer and basketball.
