Coaches of Inspiration Awards

"Coaches of Inspiration Awards Night"
January 23, 2008 - 6:00 p.m. at the Wenatchee Valley Convention Center

Concept…to award amateur youth sport coaches for their inspirational coaching. Thus promoting positive role models by example and allow the kids they coach to spotlight coaches that made a difference in their life.

Nominated by their youth athletes. Top three spotlighted and one coach honored in each sport. “What made them inspirational?”

Sports Represented:

• Ice cream/Dessert Social in the evening where the kids from that team that nominated their coach could come and be apart of the awards presentation...bringing their parents too...affordable tickets.
• Video tribute and stories of kids about their coaches as well as local sports people, coaches, teachers and community leaders about a coach that made a difference in their life.
• We are actively seeking Sponsors to cover media, printing, video and awards costs.
• Any proceeds will benefit the Sports Council’s Scholarship Fund.
• Awards Night during January 2008.

Coach of Inspiration 2007 Award Listing
The 3rd Annual Coaches of Inspiration Awards provided some great twists this year. Aside from the usual nominations for youth sports coaches, we also received many nominations for coaches who are either retired or, in a couple cases, no longer living! So the COI Committee decided to create a “Legends” award this year.

Nearly 200 people attended the awards night on January 23rd at the Wenatchee Convention Center. In all, 37 coaches were nominated and 34 received awards. The awards are as follows:

Soccer
Dwayne Birmingham
Don Carroll
Carolyne Dotter
Edwin Eaton
Brett Johnson
Vicki Lenicka
Kevin Overbay
Mark Osborn
Eric Slife
Matt Tilger
Kristin Ward
Dan Waterhouse
Mary Zontek

Softball
Eric Granstrom
Kevin Overbay
Darold Schall

Baseball
Dan Bass
Charlie Brown
Nick Harris

Basketball
Ken Boyle
Todd Fabian
Bryan Worley

Football
Lee Gale
Tom Nees
Rod Thomas
Mickey White

Volleyball
Vern Neel

Swimming
Darcy Bruggman
James Elwyn

Figure Skating
Louise Kapeikis

Exceptional Coaching Awards

Basketball
Greg Jones

Soccer
Mike Grimm

Swimming
Bob Hill

Legendary Coaching Awards

Lee Bofto – Football & Wrestling at Wenatchee High School
Paul Preston – Football at Wenatchee High School and the Wenatchee Valley Rams
Rex Scott – Basketball at Cashmere High School

If you have pictures of this year's Coaches of Inspiration that you'd like to share, email them to sports@wenatcheevalley.org.

25 N. Wenatchee Ave. Suite C-111
Wenatchee, WA 98801
509 663-3723 or linda@wenatcheevalley.org