Former Westborough High Gymnast and Coach Now Flying With Sharon Eagles

This summer, Westborough High School 1984 grad and former gymnast Bill Martin became the Sharon High School athletic department's all-around guy.

Martin is Sharon's newest athletic director, his first such post.

Martin comes to Sharon from Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley, where he taught for 11 years. He also was the physical education, health and family and consumer science department coordinator for the past three years. He served as assistant athletic director for five years before that.

At Westborough, Martin was an all-around gymnast his first three years, and played soccer for all four years.

In Sharon, he's involved with all of the Eagles' sports: juggling their behind-the-scenes needs, such as scheduling and transportation, and rooting for them from the sidelines.

"I'm excited," says Martin, who succeeds Robert Sondheim, who retired after 11 years in Sharon.

"First and foremost, I'm a big fan. I can't wait to learn the kids and the coaches and get to watch them in practices and games, and learn how they set up and compete. (I have) a lot to learn about Sharon, and Sharon High School, and the coaches."

Martin says he applied for the Sharon post after researching the town, as well as the high school's sports program.

"And then, when I interviewed, I just really, really liked everything that's offered here," Martin says.

"(It's) even been more so now that I've gotten to know more people and gotten to walk around the town. It seems like a very nice community. A lot of friendly people."

One change Martin is participating in this summer seeks to make getting game schedule information more user-friendly.

Martin is putting those details on USA Today High School Sports, the former High School Sports.net.

"People will be able to go onto it, get information," Martin says.

"The other thing that's newer is they have a process where they can kick out e-mails. So, if something's canceled here, the parents can get e-mailed that their event was canceled.

"That will help out a lot. It gets frustrating, because we know how some of the student-athletes are. They don't necessarily call home right away to say that it was canceled. So, mom or dad are halfway to the game, and they finally tell them. This will, hopefully, stop that."

Martin says he visited Sharon about 15 times, between his hiring in March to his July 1 start, toward understanding the school's athletic needs.

"We'd be watching a tennis match, and Bob and I would have an ongoing conversation about the athletic department," Martin says.

"It was a lot of time that I got to learn."

Martin says Sharon High's strong gymnastics program was "a huge plus" for him.

Besides competing three years in all-around as a Westborough Ranger, his resume' includes coaching high school girls gymnastics for 15 years, including his alma mater.

"I love the sport of gymnastics," Martin says.

"And not only having a strong program here, having the reigning state champion back for her senior year in Sami Kaplan is going to be a great situation."