by Larry Eder
2011 Brooks Most Inspiring Coaches Nominees with Jim Weber, Brooks President (center), photo courtesy of
Brooks Running
2011 Brooks Mosting Inspiring Coach Winner Amy Pitzel
& Brooks President, Jim Weber,
photo courtesy of Brooks Running
Brands that are in the running performance business (ASICS, adidas, Brooks, K-SWISS, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, PUMA, Saucony) are all working on programs to reach to the 14-19 year old high school athletes and their coaches.
Approximately 120,000 assistant and head coaches are involved in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. 38,000 head coaches oversee the 17,000 plus programs for boys and 16,500 for girls in the U.S. They spend an average of two hours, fifteen minutes a day on the field with their 1.4 million athletes, six days a week, forty-six weeks a year. Considering that the average salary for a high school track coach is $1,500, this is an avocation, not a vocation.
Nice job on a nice progam!
2011 Brooks Most Inspiring Coaches Nominees & Winner video
Brooks® Sports Sprints to the Finish, Names Nation’s Most Inspiring High School Running Coach
Winner Credited With Constant Encouragement, Strong Leadership and Fostering Teamwork
Bothell, WA (June 28, 2011)
– “Leads by example,” “totally dedicated” and “the glue that bonds her
team like no other.” This is how Coach Amy Pitzel’s community in Katy,
Texas describes her. As of today, they can add “2011 Brooks Inspiring Coach of the Year” to the list.
Leading running company Brooks Sports, Inc. (www.brooksrunning.com)
today announced Coach Pitzel winner of its 2011 Inspiring Coaches
program. The head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Katy
Taylor High School, Coach Pitzel is one of 10 finalists selected from a
nationwide pool of elite entries representing 46 states.
As the award-winner, Coach Pitzel receives $12,500 in cash and Brooks performance gear for her school. She also got an invitation for two to attend the 2012 Brooks
PR Invitational, a national track meet where the fastest high school
runners compete against one another and chase their personal records.
“All
athletes recognize their coach was one of the most influential people
in their lives,” said Jim Weber, president and CEO of Brooks
Sports, Inc. “Many don’t often realize the same coach willingly
sacrificed personal time and resources to build a better program. Brooks
is proud to recognize and reward the coaches who inspire people to run
and be active, ensuring their teams achieve both athletic and personal
greatness.”
Brooks Sports, Inc. created the Brooks
Inspiring Coaches program in February 2011 to identify and honor
coaches across the nation who go above and beyond to build and keep
their programs strong, make a lasting difference in the lives of their
athletes, and inspire everyone in the community to run and be active.
Like her students, Coach Pitzel also had an inspiring coach who helped
shape who she’d become: “My cross country and track Coach inspired me
the most in high school. She saw potential in me that I did not see in
myself.”
Coach
Pitzel was chosen not just because of the confidence, focus and spirit
she instills in her team every day, but also for how she led them
through any community’s worst nightmare: An athlete fatality during
practice due to undetected health issues.
After
the tragedy, though the students were devastated, scared, and shocked,
Coach Pitzel helped bring the team and town together. She
organized a community-wide memorial service at the track with more than
300 in attendance, made T-shirts for the team in the athlete’s memory
and supported her team’s decision to run at a meet the next day, wearing
black arm bands in their teammate’s honor. The result? Despite their
grief and exhaustion, the team delivered an above average performance,
placing at every level.
“I am so honored to be chosen by Brooks as the 2011 Most Inspiring Coach,” said Coach Amy Pitzel after receiving her award. “I am inspired every day by my athletes to be a better coach,
teacher, and person. To see each grow and excel during their high
school careers and beyond touches my heart and makes me want to work
harder every day.”
Coach Pitzel was among an impressive group of 10 finalists, the remaining nine who were also honored by Brooks last night.
· Coach Bob Ayton – Hatboro-Horsham High School, Horsham, PA and William Tennent High School, Warminster, PA
· Coach Frank Davis – Southern High School, Durham, NC
· Coach Bill Gregg – Davis Senior High School, Davis, CA
· Coach Ken Hans – Leonardo DaVinci High School. Buffalo, NY
· Coaches Katie and Bob Jazwinski – Dexter High School, Dexter, MI
· Coach Jon Knight – North Central High School, Spokane, WA
· Coach Scott Nelson – St. Francis High School, Wheaton, IL
· Coach Jim O’Brien – Arcadia High School, Arcadia, CA
· Coach Clint Shultz – White Mountain School, White Mountain, AK
Each of the Inspiring Coaches finalists will receive $5,000 in Brooks performance running footwear, apparel, and accessories, $500 in cash for additional team expenses, and membership into the Brooks Inspire Daily (I.D.) program. The Brooks I.D. program is an invitation-only influencer group with members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand.
For more information about the top ten Inspiring Coaches finalists, visit www.brooksrunning.com/
About Brooks
Brooks
Sports, Inc. is a leading running company that designs and markets a
line of performance footwear, apparel, and accessories in more than 60
countries worldwide. A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Brooks
was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in Bothell, Wash., near
Seattle. The company’s mission is to inspire everyone to run and be
active by creating innovative gear that keeps them running longer,
farther, and faster. Visit www.brooksrunning.com for more information, and follow frequent brand updates on Twitter (@brooksrunning) and Facebook (Brooks Sports).
2011 Brooks Mosting Inspiring Coaches winner, Amy Pitzel: Interview
