In response to those who suffered such great loss from the devasting tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, earlier this week, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is offering to replace any state championship or playoff related memorabilia or awards that were destroyed in the tornado. Anyone who may have lost trophies, plaques, medals or state championship t-shirts should report this information to school administrators, who will contact the OSSAA office and report the items they wish to have replaced. The OSSAA regrets that it cannot replace programs from these events. The OSSAA will make every effort to replicate what is lost – and deliver it to the school – at no cost to the school, coach or student.

Visit www.ossaa.com for more information.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), in association with Get Official Products, is now offering apparel with the NFHS logo for high school officials.

The NFHS logo is displayed on the back of the shirt (just below the collar) as a heat transfer. Shirts with the NFHS logo are available for baseball and softball umpires, as well as football, basketball, volleyball, track and field, and wrestling officials. These items are available at http://www.getofficial.com/nfhs-apparel/.

Mark Koski, director of sports and events at the NFHS, said this new program reinforces the relationship between high school officials and the NFHS.  

“For many years, the NFHS sold officials’ equipment and apparel and offered the NFHS logo on that merchandise,” Koski said. “When the Equipment Center was discontinued, that link was lost. We believe this is a great way for officials once again to proudly display their association with the NFHS, as well as promote the NFHS mark.”

In addition to the NFHS logo, state high school associations will be able to add their logo to apparel sold to officials in their state. Logo placement will be determined by the state association, and Get Official Products will offer participating state associations a royalty for each item sold with the state logo.

Aside from the revenue-generating aspect, the NFHS-Get Official program will help promote the NFHS mark.

“When you watch National Football League games, for example, the NFL logo is prominently displayed on officials’ uniforms,” Koski said. “In the future, when people are watching a high school game, we hope they see the NFHS logo on officials’ uniforms.”

Currently, Get Official is offering a pre-order program to registered officials, which will include a free moisture-wicking t-shirt. Officials interested in placing an order can obtain more information at http://www.getofficial.com/nfhs-apparel/, or by calling toll-free 877-438-4242.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is seeking a qualified individual to serve in an internship position within its Publications/Communications Department during the Fall 2013 semester (August-December) at its national headquarters facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NFHS is the national service and administrative organization for high school athletic and fine arts programs.
The ideal candidate will be a graduate or undergraduate student who is working toward or has completed a degree in journalism, mass communication, athletic administration or other related academic program. The candidate should possess a strong interest in sports, excellent written and oral communications skills, working knowledge of computers, and the ability to meet deadlines. This position places a strong emphasis on journalistic writing, editing and layout. It is generally divided into two part-time positions (20 hours a week apiece) during the school year.

The chosen individual will gain hands-on experience in various areas, including the following:
• Writing hard news and feature articles for the High School Today magazine
• Writing press releases
• Writing for the NFHS Web site under the direction of the Web Content Manager
• Researching record performances and assisting with the National High School Sports Record Book
• Assisting with the NFHS Court and Field Diagram Guide, the NFHS Coaching Today, the NFHS Handbook and other publications
• Assisting with the National High School Hall of Fame

Whenever possible, the NFHS will assist the intern with his or her job search by providing job leads, references, etc. Among the individuals who served internships within the NFHS Publications/Communications Department, the following have gone on to work in the following professional positions: 1) administrative assistant of championships at the NCAA; 2) assistant account executive at Fleishman-Hillard; 3) admissions counselor at Elon University; 4) writer/reporter for Becker’s Hospital Review; 5) marketing assistant at United Way of Central Indiana; 6) assistant sports information director at the University of Indianapolis; 7) public relations and marketing manager of the National MS Society – Indiana State Chapter; 8) assistant sports information director at Texas State University.

Pay is $7.25/hr. To apply for this internship position, forward a cover letter, resume, writing samples and a
reference list by July 19, 2013 to:

Chris Boone
Internship Coordinator
National Federation of State High School Associations
PO Box 690, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Phone: 317-972-6900; Fax: 317.822.5700;
e-mail: cboone@nfhs.org
 

Charlotte Brown	Aria Ottmueller

This spring, two visually impaired female track and field athletes from the Southwest are distinguishing themselves with their nearly unfathomable accomplishments as pole vaulters.

Those two student-athletes are Charlotte Brown, a sophomore at Emory (Texas) Rains High School, and Aria Ottmueller, a junior at Chandler (Arizona) Valley Christian High School.

Brown, who is considered to be legally blind, has 20/400 vision in her right eye, and her left eye can only sense light and dark through a tiny pinhole. In addition to track and field, Brown also participates in cross country and basketball, and has had to make certain adjustments in each sport.

In cross country, her teammates wear bells on their shoes to help lead her through the course.

In basketball, she generally guards the opposing team’s point guard who brings the ball down the court and can time a steal by listening to the dribble and anticipating the crossover of her opponent.

In track, she runs the inside lanes where it is easiest to distinguish between the black of the track and the green of the infield grass. As a freshman at the 2012 Texas Relays, Brown anchored the Rains High School 1,600-meter relay team and passed another runner to help her team to fourth place. This spring, she is also competing in the high jump, in which she has cleared 4-foot-8.

However, the 5-7 Brown’s most amazing feat occurred when she cleared 9-6 in the pole vault to establish the Rains High School record. Due to her vision impairment, she sets a marker and times her steps so that she knows exactly when to plant the pole in the ground to make the vault.

Also a standout student, Brown currently ranks fifth in a class of 124 students. Earlier this year, she was selected as the 2013 Section 6 recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Born completely blind due to a condition called optic nerve hypoplasia that arises from underdevelopment of the optic nerve, Ottmueller’s vision improved to 20-200 by age four, but by the eighth grade it had worsened to her current legally blind 20-400. As such, she is unable to see much beyond vague shapes.

Undaunted, the 17-year-old Ottmueller has accomplished the amazing feat of qualifying for the 2013 Arizona Interscholastic Association Division IV track and field state championships with a 6-7 effort April 23 at the Chandler City Track and Field Meet.

To compensate for her nearly complete lack of sight and resulting inability to see anything while approaching the pole vault pit, Ottmueller developed a precise routine that includes lining herself up on the runway, counting her steps, and planting her pole accordingly.

The versatile Ottmueller began competing in distance-running events, horse-jumping and gymnastics before becoming involved with pole vaulting. In fact, she gravitated to pole vaulting because she found distance running to be not very challenging. In addition to her athletic abilities, Ottmueller is a standout student in the classroom.

Valley Christian High School has been a longtime power in Arizona girls track and field, as it won a national-record 16 consecutive state championships from 1996 to 2011, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations’ online multimedia National High School Sports Record Book. It ranks third in all-time state championships with 19 between 1992 and 2011.

Head coaches in high school basketball will be allowed to come onto the court in an effort to break up a fight or keep a situation from escalating. Previously, the head coach could only enter the court if beckoned by an official.

This revision to Rule 10-4-5 was one of five rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its April 15-17 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

While the head coach and his/her assistants must continue to ensure that players remain on the bench during a fight, the committee agreed that the presence of the head coach on the court could be instrumental in preventing the situation from escalating, and the coach also could assist game officials in controlling the situation.

“By removing the requirement of the head coach being beckoned onto the floor by the officials, it should result in a more expedient resolution of the situation and restoration of order,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials education. “The change also will allow the officials a greater opportunity to assess appropriate penalties by being able to observe the situation because of the increased assistance the head coach(es) will provide by their presence.”

In other changes, the rules committee approved the use of electronic devices during the game in certain instances. Rule 1-19 now will allow a coach to take advantage of electronic devices for use in coaching and gathering statistics.

Teams, however, cannot use electronic equipment for voice communication with players on the court, and the use of electronic audio and/or video devices are not allowed to review a decision of the contest officials.

In an effort to thwart the use of leg-compression sleeves for non-medical reasons, the committee added leg-compression sleeves to the requirements of arm-compression sleeves in Rule 3-5-3.

Leg-compression sleeves shall be white, black, beige or a single solid school color; shall be the same color for each team member; must meet the logo requirements in Rule 3-6; and must only be worn for medical reasons.

The final rules change approved by the committee for the 2013-14 season will permit a single, visible manufacturer’s logo/trademark/reference on the team jersey, not to exceed 2¼ square inches with no dimension more than 2¼ inches. The manufacturer’s logo may be located no more than 5 inches below the shoulder seam on the front of the jersey, or 2 inches from the neckline on the back of the jersey, or in either side insert.

Wynns said this change will bring basketball in agreement with other NFHS sports rules and allow the use of a single manufacturer’s logo on the jersey of the playing uniform.

In addition to these rules changes, the committee approved a new defensive tip signal that will be added to the Basketball Officials Manual. This signal will be given by the official when the ball enters the backcourt as a result of contact with the defensive player.

Basketball is the second-most popular sport for girls and third-most popular for boys at the high school level, according to the 2011-12 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS, with 435,885 girls and 535,289 boys participating nationwide. The sport ranks first in school sponsorship of girls and boys teams with 17,768 schools sponsoring the sport for girls and 18,099 sponsoring the sport for boys.

In continuing efforts to minimize the risk of injury in the sport, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Ice Hockey Rules Committee approved changes that will strengthen the language for dangerous hits as well as give game officials discretion for issuing a game disqualification when a player illegally hits another player from behind.

Rule 6-7-2 states, “No player shall push, charge, cross-check or body-check an opponent from behind into the boards or goal frame,” and a violation would result in a major and misconduct penalty or — if flagrant — game disqualification.

The checking-from-behind change was one of four major rules revisions approved by the committee at its April 22-23 meeting in Indianapolis. The changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“Checking from behind is the most dangerous act in the sport,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS assistant director of coach education and staff liaison to the Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “With all of its rules changes, the goal of the committee is to minimize the risk of injury.”

In another risk-minimization change, Rule 6-41-3 now states, “No player shall deliver a check to an unsuspecting and vulnerable player.” This addition was implemented to eliminate blind-side hits from the sport as well as to stress legal body-checking.

“This helps protect the defenseless player,” Schuster said. “The committee is striving to take these dangerous and unnecessary hits out of the game.”

The final rules change dealing with risk minimization is Rule 3-3-5. The rule now includes a goalkeeper’s glove as being a piece of equipment that, if it becomes displaced, requires play to be immediately stopped.

In the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play, the committee elected to institute Rule 6-42-1 and 2, which prohibits the embellishment of acts in an attempt to draw a penalty through any exaggerated or deceitful actions or to attempt to worsen an already called penalty. The infraction for both is a minor penalty call.

“Some kids are putting themselves in position where it looks like they get checked from behind, when in fact, they are merely attempting to draw a major penalty,” Schuster said. “The committee wants to eliminate these acts from the game.”

According to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, ice hockey is the 15^th-most popular boys sport at the high school level with 35,732 participants in 1,612 schools. An additional 8,833 girls participated in the sport at 600 schools.

This press release was written by Jason Haddix, a 2013 spring intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. He is a senior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis studying journalism and medical imaging.

 By John Gillis 

Under the expert administration of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), the state of Ohio offers outstanding spring state tournaments in unique venues in both the sports of baseball and softball.

The baseball state tournament is held at Huntington Park in downtown Columbus, while the softball championships are played in Firestone Stadium in Akron.

Huntington Park’s regular tenant is the Columbus Clippers, which is the Class AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Prior to being purchased by the Indians organization a few years ago, the Clippers were the New York Yankees’ Class AAA affiliate for many years.

The stadium opened in 2009 and was voted the minor league ballpark of the year in 2010. A beautiful and modern stadium with the skyline of Columbus looming beyond its outfield, Huntington Park seats 11,000.

In addition to hosting the OHSAA baseball state tournament, Huntington Park formerly hosted the Big Ten Conference baseball tournament, which has since moved to Target Field in Minneapolis and then to Omaha. A few years ago, the OHSAA signed a 10-year extension of its contract with Columbus, which makes it among the longest state tournaments contracts the OHSAA currently has in place. As such, the OHSAA plans to hold its state tournament at Huntington Park for many years to come. With those long-term thoughts in mind, through the office of minor league baseball, the Clippers annually schedule themselves to be out of town during the weekend of the OHSAA state baseball tournament.

Jerry Snodgrass

According to Columbus Clippers President and General Manager Ken Schnacke, Huntington Park and the OHSAA have enjoyed an outstanding professional relationship over the years.

“Huntington Park is very proud to host the OHSAA baseball state tournament,” Schnacke said. “Huntington Park has become a destination stop for people visiting Columbus, and the park continues to win awards and generate wonderful comments from fans and players alike.

“In addition to back-to-back Governors' Cup and back-to-back Triple-A National Championships won by the Clippers in these first four seasons, Huntington Park is proud to host many other non-Clippers events and the OHSAA baseball state tournament is not only one of the best, but it is certainly one of our favorite events to have here. It is indeed a pleasure and an honor to be able to give the state’s best high school baseball teams the opportunity to play for their state championships in our beautiful ballpark. It seems as almost every year this tournament continues, that we set a new record for the most fans to ever watch a high school baseball game. We look forward to being partners for many, many years.”

“It is such a blessing to be able to play our baseball state tournament in one of the most prestigious facilities in the country,” said OHSAA Assistant Commissioner and baseball state tournament administrator Jerry Snodgrass. “It’s an absolute thrill for the student-athletes, schools and communities to advance to Huntington Park, which does a fantastic job of welcoming us each year and hosting the state tournament.”

Cincinnati Elder has both the most OHSAA baseball state tournament appearances with 20 from 1943 to 2010, and the most state titles with 12 from 1943 to 2005. Reading, Newark Catholic and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller are tied for second with six titles apiece. Cincinnati Elder (1958 to 1960) and Newark Catholic (2002 to 2004) share the Ohio state record of three consecutive baseball state titles.

Among the standout OHSAA state tournament individual performances, Joe Tann of Canton Central Catholic was the winning pitcher in six of the eight tournament games for the Crusaders in 2011, including the regional semifinal, regional final, state semifinal and state championship game; Kyle Seeger of Reading hit a home run in four consecutive tournament games spanning the 2010 and 2011 seasons; and Sam Shafer of New Washington Buckeye Central and Lance Horner of Rittman each threw 10 shutout innings in a 2011 Division IV regional semifinal. Rittman won the game, 2-1, in 11 innings.

Roxanne Price

The Ohio state record for attendance at a baseball game occurred when approximately 8,000 fans watched the 2010 OHSAA Division II state championship in which Plain City Jonathan Alder beat Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 3-2. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, but rain postponed it until Sunday evening, which allowed more fans from Plain City and the surrounding communities to attend the game.

The state tournament record for attendance at all sessions (state semifinals and finals, all divisions combined) also occurred in 2010, when 17,632 fans filled Huntington Park. The second-best attendance of 15,934 occurred in 2012, also in Huntington Park.

On the other end of the historical spectrum, Firestone Stadium dates back to the early 1930s and was a baseball stadium for decades before being converted to a softball stadium. An all-brick stadium with a roof that covers some of the grandstand, its fans often feel like they’ve been transported back to that bygone halcyon era when they walk inside. Despite its age, the facility is still in good shape.

Among the luminaries to grace this historic ballpark was legendary New York Yankee Babe Ruth, who attended one of the dedications. Firestone Stadium has a series of photographs of Ruth in its Hall of Fame area that is located behind the third base-side seating.

In addition to holding one of the OHSAA regional tournaments and its state softball tournament there, the Akron Racers (a women’s professional fast-pitch softball team) play in Firestone Stadium, and the Mid-American Conference also conducts its softball tournament there.

Firestone Stadium is named after the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which is a subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation and is perhaps best known for manufacturing tires for automobiles and other forms of wheeled transportation. The company was founded in Akron in 1900, and it still has a huge plant there, along with some of it headquarters offices.

“I have to believe that there aren’t many high school softball state tournament venues in the United States that match Firestone Stadium in Akron,” said OHSAA Assistant Commissioner and softball state tournament administrator Roxanne Price. “While all of our state tournaments are special, having our softball state tournament in Firestone Stadium creates an unforgettable experience for the schools and fans.”

“In the summer of 1925, Harvey Firestone opened a ballpark in Akron, Ohio. More than 80 years later, its rich history and prestigious heritage are timeless,” noted Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic. “Each year, crowds of more than 10,000 come and enjoy watching 16 of the best girls high school softball teams representing four divisions throughout Ohio. We are proud to support a high school sporting event of this magnitude.”

Dr. Dan Ross

With nine titles from 1978 to 2005, Akron Springfield has won the most OHSAA softball state championships, and also holds the record for most consecutive softball state titles with four in a row from 1992 to 1995. Tallmadge is the leader with 14 state tournament appearances and ranks second with seven state titles. Springfield also holds the record for most consecutive softball state titles with four in a row from 1992 to 1995.

The state tournament record for attendance at all sessions (state semifinals and finals, all divisions combined) of 10,284 occurred in 2009 at Firestone Stadium. It eclipsed the former record of 9,246 set the previous year at the same site.

“Our baseball and softball state tournaments have so much history and tradition associated with them, and having them hosted by great facilities like Huntington Park and Firestone Stadium adds even more magnitude to that weekend every year,” said OHSAA Commissioner Dr. Dan Ross. “Both facilities and the cities of Columbus and Akron do a great job hosting those two state tournaments and we hope that generations of baseball and softball players will get the opportunity to play there for a state championship.”

John Gillis is the associate director of publications and communications of the NFHS. If you have any comments or articles ideas, please forward them to Gillis at jgillis@nfhs.org 

Webb (No. 31 on shorts) is pacing the pack in the 5,000-meter run at the 2012 Payton Jordan meet at Stanford University.

By John Gillis 

In the long history of high school distance running, there are only a select few athletes whose names are listed as record-holders in the National Federation of State High School Associations’ online multimedia National High School Sports Record Book.

Among them is Jim Ryun, who set the mile run national record of 3:58.3 as a senior at Wichita (Kansas) East High School in 1965.

Four years later, Steve Prefontaine set the national record in the two-mile run (8:41.5) while competing for Coos Bay (Oregon) Marshfield High School.

Some 40 years after Ryun and Prefontaine, Alan Webb of Reston (Virginia) South Lakes High School became the first high schooler to finish under four minutes in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 3:59.51. The 5-foot-9, 145-pound Webb set that record as a senior in 2001.

For Webb, whose career included a myriad of other record or near-record performances, the promise of excellence came at an early age. As a freshman, Webb was the Virginia High School League (VHSL) champion in the outdoor 3,200-meter run.

The following year, he was the VHSL cross country state champion, and was the indoor champion in the 3,200-meter run and the outdoor champion in the 1,600-meter run in track.

As a junior, Webb repeated as VHSL state cross country champion, and in track, he won state titles in the indoor 3,200-meter run and the outdoor 1,600-meter run.

During his senior season, Webb won his third consecutive state cross country title. He also won track state titles in the indoor 1,000-meter run and 1,600-meter run, and in the outdoor 800-meter run.

In addition, Webb holds the course record at the VHSL state cross country meet (15:03.3), as well as VHSL indoor track records in the 1,000-meter run (2:23.68), 1,600-meter run (4:12.11) and 3,200-meter run (8:50.96).

In 2001, Webb ran a 1:47.74 in the 800-meter run, which according to the National High School Sports Record Book, is the third-fastest time ever.

In out-of-school national competitions, Webb won the Great American Cross Country Festival Race of Champions in Charlotte, North Carolina, two consecutive years; finished second in the 2000 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Florida; and ran the fastest high school mile ever with a time of 3:53.43 in the 2001 Prefontaine Classic.

Webb’s well-rounded background in sports and a burning inner desire to succeed helped him from a very young age.

“Oh, I was definitely very driven in high school. That desire for success was developed through my involvement in sports,” Webb said. “I had been involved in sports my whole life. I was in swimming at a young age, and was good at that as well. The aerobic work I did in swimming helped me improve speed-wise in running. I didn’t really start training in running until my freshman year of high school. Although I also participated in soccer and basketball, I was mediocre in those sports.”

Despite the fact that 12 years have elapsed since his stellar high school running career, many of his marks still stand.

Alan Webb (left) and his wife Julia (right) proudly smile at their 10-month-old daughter, Joanie.

“I’m surprised that nobody’s broken my record in the 1,600,” Webb said. “The mile time (3:53.43) was a pretty legit time. Records are meant to be broken, but a few of the fast ones stand a little longer. I was an early developer and a combination of things aligned me for high school.

“Some of my cross country records have been broken at the state level. I trained with a guy who broke one of my pretty impressive records on a particular cross country course.”

For Webb, his high school success was the result of his own physical attributes, skills and inner motivations, as well as excellent direction from coach Scott Raszko.

“I think it was a combination of all aspects or running – I wasn’t amazingly good at any one thing,” Webb said. “I wasn’t the strongest guy, but I was very fast, very disciplined and very motivated ‑ that was a good combination. I was well-rounded ‑ that’s where my sweet spot was and what it takes to be a good miler.

“The No. 1 thing about coach Razcko was he was great at giving me individual attention ‑ he wasn’t a ‘cookie-cutter guy.’ I needed that guidance from him. He nurtured exactly what I needed to get that combination of every aspect of being a good middle-distance runner ‑ he fostered that.

“He had me do drills on a little bit of everything – I did a lot, but not a crazy amount of stuff. Not over the top, but also not too little. He did a good job of that.”

Although Webb has competed for many years at the highest possible level, he looks back very fondly on his high school experience.

“It’s definitely great to represent your school,” Webb said. “It’s part of the American culture to be involved in sports in high school. Being on the high school team was something you’d look forward while in middle school. It wasn’t just about yourself ‑ it was about being part of the team. I got to wear my South Lakes jersey ‑ that was a special part of my running career and I will always cherish those memories.”

Two longtime Old Dominion State individuals who have distinguished themselves in high school athletic administration at the local, state and national levels very clearly recall Webb as a prep distance runner.

David Morgan, who was president of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 1999, was South Lakes High School athletic director while Webb attended school here. Ken Tilley, who has been executive director of the VHSL since 1994, developed its nationally renowned Student Leadership Conference, its coach education program and the VHSL Foundation endowment.

David Morgan

“While at South Lakes High School for 18 years as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator, I had the pleasure of witnessing some incredible athletes, including Grant Hill, Christy Winters, Wes Suter, Chris Lee ‑ to name a few ‑ who went on to great success as NCAA champions, Olympians and professional sports careers,” Morgan said. “Alan certainly was in this list.

“What I remember is that Alan was cheerful and well-liked by his classmates. Despite his huge overnight success in breaking Jim Ryun's record, he was the same friendly Alan in school. As SGA president, his concern was always about how to make South Lakes a better place.

“What really stands out for me, though, is his discipline and commitment to his sport. One year, we hosted the district track championships and after the event, I was there cleaning up and putting things away. As usual, it was just me in a lit empty stadium.  

“There was one other person there – Alan ‑ doing a workout. Mind you, he had already competed that day in at least two championship finals I believe, and yet he was still there completing a workout. Not a warm-down ‑ but a full-fledged workout. He just operated on a different level from everyone else. That commitment to be the best is what makes him stand out for me.”

“Without a doubt, Alan Webb was an electrifying, once-in-a-lifetime runner,” Tilley said. “In every race, people knew he was capable of a record-setting performance, and most of the time he did not disappoint them. Alan was not just breaking marks at his school, his region or the state level. He blazed new standards nationally, and when he became the fastest high school miler ever by shattering Jim Ryun’s 36-year-old record with a time of 3:53.43, he proved himself to be without peer. Of course, we’re also proud that his 1,600-meter time of 3:59.51 in 2001 still stands as the fastest at that distance in the NFHS’ National High School Sports Record Book.”

Ken Tilley

Today, Webb lives in Beaverton, Oregon, with his wife Julia, and their 10-month-old daughter Joanie. At the current time, he is training in Mammoth Lakes, California, which is located on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera at an elevation of 7,880 feet. Its hilly terrain and high altitude make the area ideal for high-altitude athletic training.

“My current training regimen varies, but it isn’t crazy mileage,” Webb noted. “I do 100 miles a week during the fall, but at the moment am doing about 80 miles a week.

“For sure, I’d like to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics. I’m trying to do well this year in Russia and I’m trying to move up in distance. I’d love to run marathons one day.”

According to the NFHS’ 2011-12 High School Athletics Participation Survey, 9,841 high schools sponsor a boys tennis team and 10,058 have a girls tennis team.

Although no such records are kept, there are high schools around the nation in which the same tennis coach pulls double duty by coaching both teams. Among those are a handful who have distinguished themselves by their inclusion on the all-time coaching victories lists in the NFHS’ online multimedia National High School Sports Record Book.

Interestingly, four of them hail from New Jersey. Those Garden State coaches are Elliot Lovi of Livingston (New Jersey) High School, William Kingston of Moorestown (New Jersey) High School, Jeff Holman of Haddonfield (New Jersey) Memorial High School and William Humes of Princeton (New Jersey) High School.

Vin Romeo

The other two dual-gender tennis coaches in the Record Book are J. Cary Bachman of Glendale (Wisconsin) Nicolet High School and Vin Romeo of Dayton (Ohio) The Miami Valley School.

With a boys career coaching record of 654-125 and a girls record of 591-136, Romeo is the “winningest” tennis coach in Ohio state history with 1,247 combined victories. The University of Notre Dame graduate has taught English for 42 years at The Miami Valley School, where he started the high school’s varsity tennis program from scratch.

“Being the winningest coach just means I coached a long time,” Romeo said. “It’s been fun. I was most excited when I won my 100^th career match, because I never thought I’d reach victory totals like this. When I passed then-Ohio record-holder Jim Click’s 577 career victories, that was a big deal. Then, when I got my 1,000th  win, the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the NFHS showed up. I didn’t expect anything like that.”

With 42 years of coaching under his belt, Romeo has gained the perspective that can only come from experience.

“Every year’s different and every team’s different, even if you have the same players,” Romeo said. “I love the preparation – the John Wooden thing of being mentally prepared for anyone.

“As far as the differences between the genders, I always felt that the boys know you are the coach and they understand the overall mission. They also take the losses much harder than the girls.

“Looking back, there are two boys teams that stand out. I had a team that won 44 straight matches over a couple seasons – I loved that group. I had another group that was ranked fourth in the state and its only loss was to the team that won state. That senior class came to me when they were in eighth grade and said they wanted to play and win with me.”

With 1,013 boys tennis victories, Lovi leads the nation in that category, and ranks second for boys and girls combined with 1,737 wins. He led the Millburn (New Jersey) High School girls program to 12 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) group tournament titles and to four NJSIAA Tournament of Champions (overall state champion determined by winners of group tournaments playing each other) titles. On the boys’ side, he collected seven NJSIAA group championships and two Tournament of Championships titles. Having coached both genders, he can note the similarities and differences between the two.

Elliot Lovi

“Girls are less hung up on wins and losses and get over losses quicker,” he observed. “You also need to be a little more tactful with girls. On the other hand, you can push the boys a little more.

“The best part of coaching is the kids you meet and the people you meet. I try to enjoy it as much as possible. I want it to be as good an experience as possible – that’s the best part.

“Looking back, I don’t really have one ‘favorite team.’ However, a couple of the top boys players are Brandon Goldstein and Thomas Caputo, who played for us recently. Brandon currently plays for Lafayette (Pennsylvania) College and Thomas got redshirted at Michigan State this year. They both were so into high school tennis and had a great sense of pride. Both of their fathers shared that same sense of pride.”

A multi-sport athlete in his youth, Lovi eventually found the sport of tennis.

“I played a lot of sports when I was younger,” Lovi noted. “In the summer, I’d also play basketball and soccer. However, I always enjoyed tennis ‑ I liked it even before it was an ‘in sport’ and played it at Lakewood High School. I got hooked in the 1970s with the tennis boom. I later went on to become a reserve baseball catcher at Montclair (New Jersey) State University.”

Although retired from teaching, the 65-year-old Lovi has an open-ended vision for his coaching career.

“Teaching – one day I said ‘that’s it,’” Lovi said. “However, I still enjoy coaching and being involved with the kids. I have no timetable for tennis – I want to continue to coach. Tennis in New Jersey is just a very popular sport. We get many good athletes at our school who get into tennis. That makes it very enjoyable to coach.”

Holman has enjoyed great success at Haddonfield High School – located in a South Jersey suburb of Philadelphia ‑ including winning nine NJSIAA group championships in boys tennis and 18 group championships and three Tournament of Champions titles on the girls side. Similar to Lovi, tennis found its way to the forefront of Holman’s varied menu of sports.

“Although I also participated in high school basketball and cross country, tennis was always my No. 1 sport and the sport in which I enjoyed the most success,” Holman said. “After high school, I played on the Princeton (New Jersey) University freshman team, and remained involved with the sport as a recreational player in local tournaments.

“When comparing coaching the two genders, I would say that the parents of the female players tend to get more involved and might question coaching decisions. The challenge of coaching the boys is sometimes their behavior on the court might be more uninhibited. Girls might be more interested in talking to the coach about strategy during the course of the match.”

Jeff Holman

With numerous championships to look back on, Holman can point to a select few that might stand out a little more than others.

“Our 1980 girls team won the first-ever Tournament of Champions – that was a very special moment,” Holman said. “That team also stands out to me as a team that was not only very successful, but a group of girls that liked each other and was very tight-knit.

“As far as the boys, the 1983 team won our first-ever state championship, so that holds a special place in my memory. Three years later, the 1986 team won the Courier-Post Award, which recognizes the best team in southern New Jersey. That’s an award that the teams in my area always aspire to achieve.”

Along the way, Holman has had the privilege of coaching many outstanding players.

“For the girls, Taylor Ng, who played her final season last fall, has to be considered to be the greatest Haddonfield player of all time,” Holman said. “During her four-year career, we won the Tournament of Champions twice. Catherine Senopoulus ‑ who played doubles all four years ‑ was the best doubles player in southern New Jersey and holds the all-time Haddonfield record with 168 career wins.

“Scott Heacock, who was the all-time boys leader with 140 career wins, was a great player. However, I think the best male player was Chris Wojtalik. Although he had 136 career high school wins, he had perhaps his greatest success later when he went on the University of Notre Dame, which finished second in the nation.”

One of the unique aspects of the Haddonfield tennis program is its “no-cut” policy.

“We got recognized by the USTA for our no-cut policy,” Holman said. “During my first year, I cut a girl as a freshman. She worked hard and came back to have a great three-year career. From that, I recognized very quickly that cutting was not the way to go.

“Although our enrollment is only 800, some years we might have as many as 60 players out for tennis. Everyone who wants to play at Haddonfield gets to play at Haddonfield. We have both a traveling team and an intramural team, so there’s a place for everybody. Through this policy, we try to be positive and have everyone feel important and appreciated.”

Just down the road from Haddonfield is Moorestown, where Kingston has coached the boys tennis program since 1974 and the girls since 1982. Kingston played tennis at Moorestown as a freshman and a sophomore and had the rare opportunity to return to coach his high school alma mater.

Bill Kingston

“Returning to MHS gave me a slight advantage in that I knew some of the people and more about local tennis than I otherwise would have,“ Kingston said. “Knowing the community is helpful; a successful program involves many elements of that community (“It takes a village …”).

“For 40 years, I taught American history at MHS, and during the past 30 years, I specialized in AP US History, while also teaching a course on the local community, an Honors Economics course and a semester class on ‘America’s Pastime.’

“There are differences in coaching boys and girls. The girls tend to be more sensitive to personal relationships within the team. They are also less eager to display a competitive spirit, although there were exceptions. It is easier to speak more directly to the boys.”

With his extensive experience at the helm of the Mooretown tennis program, Kingston can recall many standout teams and players.

“A number of teams stand out, including the 1978 team which won the first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association public school state title, as well as the 2008 state championship team. But there were others too.

“We have been blessed with some outstanding individuals at times too. Without question, our best player was Mike Sell, MHS ’91. He won the New Jersey singles title twice and was a four-time All-American at the University of Georgia. He also competed on the pro circuit for a number of years during which time he advanced to the second round of the US Open.

“Other players who come to mind include our first No. 1 player, Dave Makel, MHS ’75; Marc Hill, MHS ’00; and Ryan Dickerson, MHS ’15, our current No. 1 player.”

With their close proximity to each other, Haddonfield and Mooretown both have strong tennis traditions.

“Both towns are similarly affluent, have small in-town longstanding tennis clubs, and place an emphasis on high school athletics,” Kingston said. “They both have tennis coaches who are willing to devote long hours to the development of strong teams.

“We generally play each other every year at least once and on occasion, twice. Between 1980 and the present, we have played 43 matches and Moorestown has won 33. We are a bigger community and have more resources which have contributed to that result. Jeff (Holman) and I are good friends. We both played tennis at our respective high schools and both graduated from Princeton. I have the utmost respect for Jeff, and a great deal of gratitude, too, for his service to high school tennis.”

Tennis Coaches Career Victory Totals 

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