The President’s Message

Happy 2007!

      I hope this newsletter finds our fall coaches resting and recuperating, our winter coaches in the trenches coaching and preparing for a successful season and our spring coaches knowing that it will be their turn just around the corner!

      Congratulations to Khara West, Lisa Schumacher, Penny Isenbart, Pam Fagerlund and Sheila Hasenkamp for very successful All-State Softball and Volleyball Games!  A special thank you to all of the softball and volleyball coaches who attended our selection meetings.  You help us make these games successful.

      As we are plunging into the second half of the winter sports season, I encourage all of our basketball coaches to be as actively involved in the selection process of All-State Basketball players as the softball and volleyball coaches.  Jim Miller (Green Mountain HS) and Merci Ames (Strasburg) are co-chairs for basketball.  They are excited about making the All-State Basketball Games the best they can be, but they need your help.  Receiving ballots from your leagues with coaches and players phone numbers is vitally important.  If we can’t contact players, they can’t play.  If you have any questions please feel free to email Jim Miller (4A and5A) jpmiller@jeffco.k12.co.us or Merci Ames (1A, - 3A) mames86@hotmail.com.

      Once again, thank you for all you do to promote the young women and girls athletics in the State of Colorado!!

 Terri Ward

President Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President's Message

Helen McCall Scholarship Winner

Recognition Award

Hall of Fame Inductee

Helen McCall Coaching Scholarships

 Congratulations to Lori Cooling of Liberty HS, who received a $225.00 Helen McCall coaching scholarship.  This scholarship pays for Coach Cooling’s softball coaching conference fee! 

The Helen McCall coaching scholarships are available to all members of CCGS!  The only stipulation is that conference fees are only given every other year to a specific coach.  Don’t you want to know how to land free conference fees?

 To apply, you must:

1.      Be a member of CCGS

2.      Write a short essay explaining the benefits of the activity (conference, seminar, ed. Materials)

3.      Applications must be received 2 weeks prior to the conference deadline

4.      Include you Name, Address, Phone #, e-mail, Sport, & School

5.      Mail to:  Laura Fischer, Helen McCall Scholarship, 2350 Brentwood St., Lakewood, CO  80214 or

      E-mail to: brandyb@ecentral.com

Recognition Award

       CONGRATULATIONS to Monica Tuz, Broomfield Volleyball Coach, who was awarded the CCGS Service Award!  Coach Tuz grew up in Boulder playing the game of volleyball.  Her volleyball interest took her to the west coast to college and then back home to Colorado.  Tuz coached five years at Boulder HS before moving to Broomfield four years ago.  Once at Broomfield she became an intricate part of the success of the CCGS All-State Volleyball Games that have been hosted the games at her site.  Her enthusiasm for the behind the scenes work of the All-State Games is appreciated!  Thanks Monica for your work!

      If you have someone that you would like to recognize who has consistently worked to assist your program, CCGS, and/or worked with CHSAA at the state tournaments over the years, please nominate them for this award.  These people may be timers, scorers, announcers, officials, or others you feel are deserving of state recognition because of their loyalty to you and your team.  To often hard workers are not thanked publicly for their hours of dedication!  Mail your nominations to CCGS Recognition Award, P.O. Box 1750, Arvada, Colorado  80001

Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports Hall of Fame

2006 Inductee Mary Wood

       Congratulations to our 2006 Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports Hall of Fame recipient Mary Wood, who has been an athlete, and an important advocate for girls sports as an adult.  Coming to Colorado from Iowa at the age of 12, Mary understood what girl’s basketball was all about.  When her parents and family arrived here, they were stunned at the lack of athletic

opportunities for girls at the middle and high school level.  In Colorado Springs, and in most of Colorado, Mary’s only opportunities came in the form of play days organized by the girl’s physical education teachers.  Mary’s parents knew the value of athletics and the lessons they teach children and decided to involve Mary in AAU and community sports programs.  Mary needed to play and her parents would not deny her that opportunity!

      After playing volleyball for the University of Northern Colorado and graduating in 1977, Mary entered the ranks of teaching and coaching.  Colorado was young in its efforts to equalize the playing field in girl’s athletics, so Mary became involved immediately at Stratton H.S.  There, she taught physical education and coached Jr. and Sr. High volleyball, basketball, and track.  She immediately made her mark taking her volleyball and basketball teams for the first time to the District playoffs.

      In 1979, Coach Wood moved to Weld Central H.S. where she built a volleyball dynasty on the northeast plains!  Coach Wood took her teams to 11 state playoffs in a 14-year period.  Weld Central, under the helm of Coach Wood won the state 2A Volleyball Championship in 1982, and finished second, third, and forth each once.  Her teams also won two consolation championships.  Ms. Wood was named 2A Rocky Mountain News Coach of the Year in 1982, and was recognized a Coach of the Year seven times within the league.  Her team won the first CHSAA Sportsmanship Award in the 2A division.  She has had 18 All State players and many players earn volleyball scholarships.  Coach Wood was always building a program at Weld Central and felt her younger players needed role models.  With this in mind, she made it a point to take her players to see the former Rebels in action at the collegiate level.  After spending time the last ten years in Arizona and Illinois, Ms. Wood is back providing her elementary students with outstanding learning opportunities.

      Coach Wood received the National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Association Volleyball Outstanding Coach Award in 1988 and the Outstanding Services Award by the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1991.  She was Vice President and Volleyball Chairperson for our CCGS All-State Games, a volleyball official for five years, and a volunteer for the Special Olympics.  Coach Wood collaborated with coaches around the state wanting to learn and provide the best for her athletes.  She knew how important athletics were in her life and she has always wanted to provide quality programs and experiences for athletes and students.  As a role model she took her players to numerous volleyball clinics throughout the state.  It is with pride and enthusiasm that we celebrate Mary Wood, the 2006 CCGS Hall of Fame recipient.