| School: Grant | Graduation Year: 1982 |
Year Inducted: 2017
Sports Played: Soccer, Softball
High School Honors: 3-year Soccer letterman. 1st Team All-PIL as a Senior; 2nd Team All-PIL as a Junior.
4-year Softball letterman. 1st Team All-PIL as a Junior and Senior; PIL Champions and Team Captain as a Senior.
Post High School Career: Graduate of PSU. 4-year Softball letterman and starter; Player of the Year and Team Captain, 1986. In 30th year teaching Health and PE at Grant, 31 years coaching Softball, reaching State Playoffs 13 years, multiple years as PIL Coach of the Year. Assistant JV Coach of Soccer, 21 years; Assistant JV Basketball Coach, 3 years. Gold medal winner in Soccer World Master Games in1998 and competed in Softball World Master Games in Melbourne, Australia in 2002 and Edmonton, Canada in 2005. Planning for new Softball field at Grant by Spring, 2020.
Commentary:
Athletics have always been a part of my life from an early age. My experiences through athletics have played a huge role in who I am today. I am still very active in sports as a player and a coach. This is my 30th year teaching PE & Health at Grant High School where I was also a student/athlete and in my 32nd year coaching.
As I reflect on being involved in athletics, I am humbled by all the women coaches and women athletes who came before me and helped pave the way for women athletes to perform and achieve. We still have far to go. I continue my work today trying to make things easier and opportunities more accessible for the women athletes in our programs.
I have been fortunate to have three very strong female role models in my life: my high school coach Carolyn Fitzwater, my college coach Teri Mariani and my mom Sandy Gibbs. Through their guidance and encouragement, I have learned that with hard work anything is possible. I want to be the role model for my athletes that these women were for me.