Wisconsin native, Martha Richards, has been plotting her return to small town life for some time now. After coaching women’s golf at various top-tier Division One schools all over the nation, Richards decided it was time for a change of scenery and moved with her fiance to Aspen a year ago.  

  Richards was named the new Athletic Director at AHS on July 5, replacing Jay Maher.

  “I’ve always enjoyed living in small towns. I’m from Hudson, Wisconsin, which is a suburb of the Twin Cities, and had population of about 5,000 people when I left,” Richards said. “I moved out to Aspen with my fiance, who grew up here, about a year and a half ago. I wanted to become involved in an athletic program focused on supporting athletes at a younger age than college, so this job was really a perfect fit for me.”

  Richards, who most recently coached women’s golf at University of Texas, understands the importance of balancing academics and athletics. Richards’ experience as a coach and as a former student athlete gives her a unique perspective.

  “I went to Stanford on a basketball scholarship from high school. While I was there I played both basketball and golf,” Richards said. “I like to say that I went to college as an All-American in basketball, and left an All-American in golf. That is not to say I didn’t have a successful career in basketball at Stanford–we won the national championship in 1990.”

  Richards began her career as a coach for a women’s high school basketball team in Palo Alto after two years of playing professional golf in the LPGA. After that, she bounced around coaching women’s golf at several Division One colleges, such as Boise State, University of Texas, and Vanderbilt. Richards believes her experience coaching college athletics will help shape her  role as Athletic Director at AHS.

  “I think that it will be really important for me to take some of the skills I acquired from being a women’s golf coach and applying it to helping the other 24 coaches run their athletic programs well at AHS,” Richards said. “You have to be a really self-sufficient group to coach women’s golf at the Division One level. It’s not like Division One Football with unlimited funding and trainers. You have you and your assistant coach, and that’s all. You can’t just coach a team, you have to coach a program. I think my past experience coaching really prepared me for this job.”

  With her extensive athletic resume, Richards was an obvious fit for the AHS Athletic Director. AHS student athletes, fellow coaches, and school administrators have expressed great enthusiasm for her recent appointment.

  “I am really excited to have Martha on board. I think she understands the community. I think her experience as a D–1 college coach and D–1 athlete will elevate the athletic experience for our students. She really cares about kids and is a great addition to the team,” Vice Principal Sarah Strassburger said.

  Richards has high expectations for the upcoming year. She plans on making some improvements in her new role.  

  “Luckily, I inherited an already successful athletic program,” Richards said. “I want to make sure all the teams have everything they need equipment and transportation wise. Also, a crucial value I have is equity among all teams. All teams will be treated with the same amount of respect and care. Jay Maher did an excellent job before me, so I think my main goal this year is to enhance what he had started. I just want the athletic department to grow in the right direction.”