Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard Announces Retirement
愛荷華州立大學體育總監 Jamie Pollard 宣布退休
Introduction
Jamie Pollard, the Director of Athletics at Iowa State University, has announced that he plans to retire on June 30, 2027.
愛荷華州立大學體育總監 Jamie Pollard 已宣布計劃於 2027 年 6 月 30 日退休。
Main Body
This transition comes after twenty-two years of service, making Pollard the longest-serving active athletics director in the Power 4 category. During his leadership, the university achieved significant success, including 24 Big 12 team titles in eight different sports and 24 individual NCAA champions. Furthermore, the football team played in 11 bowl games, winning the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, while the men's and women's basketball teams reached the NCAA Tournament 12 and 17 times, respectively.
這次交接是在他服務二十二年後發生的，使得 Pollard 成為 Power 4 類別中任職最久的現任體育總監。在他的領導下，大學取得了顯著的成功，包括在八個不同項目中贏得 24 個 Big 12 團隊冠軍以及 24 個 NCAA 個人冠軍。此外，美式足球隊參加了 11 場碗賽，並贏得 2021 年的 an Fiesta Bowl，而男子與女子籃球隊則分別 12 次與 17 次進入 NCAA 錦標賽。
Pollard explained that he decided to retire to focus on his family and to enjoy his retirement while he is still in good health. He also mentioned that his family has felt very welcome in the Ames community since 2005. To ensure a smooth transition during a time of great change in college sports, the university and President Cook decided to announce the vacancy early. Consequently, a national search for a new director will begin in the autumn of 2026 to find a qualified successor by June 2027.
Pollard 解釋，他決定退休是為了專注於家庭，並在健康狀況良好時享受退休生活。他還提到，自 2005 年以來，他的家人在 Ames 社區感受到了非常熱情的歡迎。為了在大學體育面臨巨大變革的時期確保平穩交接，大學與 Cook 校長決定提前公布職位空缺。因此，全國範圍的新總監搜尋工作將於 2026 年秋天開始，以便在 2027 年 6 月前找到合適的繼任者。
Conclusion
Iowa State will start a national search this fall to find a replacement for Jamie Pollard by June 2027.
愛荷華州立大學將於今年秋天展開全國搜尋，以在 2027 年 6 月前找到 Jamie Pollard 的接替人。
Vocabulary Learning
🧩 The "Connecting Word" Upgrade
At the A2 level, you likely use and, but, and because to join your ideas. To move toward B2, you need Logical Connectors. These words act like bridges, showing the reader exactly how two ideas relate to each other without using simple words.
🚀 From A2 to B2: The Transformation
Look at these phrases from the text and see how they upgrade the flow of information:
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"Furthermore" The Upgrade for "Also"
- A2: The team won titles and they played in bowl games.
- B2: The university achieved significant success; furthermore, the football team played in 11 bowl games.
- Coach's Tip: Use this when you want to add a new, impressive point to your argument.
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"Consequently" The Upgrade for "So"
- A2: The sports world is changing, so the university announced the vacancy early.
- B2: There is a time of great change in college sports; consequently, the university decided to announce the vacancy early.
- Coach's Tip: This word signals a direct result. It sounds professional and decisive.
🔍 The "Respectively" Trick
There is a very specific B2-level word in the text: "respectively."
"...basketball teams reached the NCAA Tournament 12 and 17 times, respectively."
What does it do? It tells the reader that the numbers follow the same order as the items mentioned.
- Men's team 12 times
- Women's team 17 times
Instead of writing two separate sentences, a B2 speaker uses respectively to keep the sentence clean and academic.