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Landmark gets a ‘rock’ solid AD

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Opportunities can arise at any minute and if one is in the right place at the right time, one can capitalize. Nobody knows this better than Peachtree City resident Ted “The Rock” Knapp. He has had a year full of exciting opportunities and he has recently been blessed with one more, as he was offered the job of athletic director at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn.

Knapp, an event coordinator at Velocity Sports Performance and host of “Chalk Talk Live,” a radio program on 720 AM WVCC, was in the area of the school towards the end of May. He decided to call baseball coach and athletic director Kevin Nix to see if he was available for a quick chat.

“I had talked with Kevin a few times on the phone but had never met him in person,” Knapp recalled. “After talking for around 10 minutes, Nix asked if I would be interested in being the athletic director at the school.”

Nix, who has three children under the age of five, was hoping to relinquish the athletic director position and just teach. He had hoped to find that position at Landmark Christian School, but did not and instead will teach math at Mt. Zion, Carroll in the fall. Nix recommended Knapp, who had served as a principal and athletic director, as well as a coach in Texas, to the higher-ups at the school and within two weeks Knapp had spoken to school officials and was soon offered the position.

He accepted and is excited about the opportunity. Among the things Knapp hopes to accomplish in the first year is to establish a school-wide athletic booster club and to create better communication within the athletic department.

“ I am seeking a team environment where everyone is heading in the same direction,” said Knapp, who stated that his formula for making decisions would be “Does it honor God and is it in the best interest of the kids?”

Knapp inherits a strong athletic program with teams that often contend or win state titles and he is looking to help continue that trend of success.

He is also looking forward to hosting his second year of Chalk Talk Live, a high school sports talk show, which has built a consistent audience and has expanded their coverage area since the show began.

“The goal that Jeff Kline (co-host) and I have is to name 100 local players in each show and to spin everything positive,” explained Knapp. “The first year has been really meaningful to a lot of kids and that makes their whole athletic experience more memorable.”

In addition to preparing for serving as Landmark’s athletic director and hosting the weekly talk show, Knapp has also served as the P.A. announcer for the Southern Crescent Lightning’s home games and as the head of a football skills camp for middle school students at Velocity Sports Performance. He will also coach at a Lineman’s Camp for middle school players July 11-14 and will coordiante the Lineman’s Challenge for high school players on Juy 16.

In the three years that Knapp and his family have lived in Peachtree City, he has made a name for himself. He has been married to his wife, Shari, for 25 years and his five children ranging in age from 6-21 share his love for athletics. In fact, his two daughters kept the book and ran the clock at the Lightning home games this season, making each game a family affair.

It will be a busy year for Knapp, but that is the way he likes it.