These six are the engines of sport
Through several generations, high school coaches have tutored their teams so well and so often that most of us have come to assume that it’s all just part of their formal job description.
It’s not.
High school coaches, for the most part teachers at their schools, volunteer the extra hours it takes to provide extracurricular sports for student athletes. And those hours add up: collectively to months and months of freely-given time across the city, every single school year. A significant number of coaches are involved in more than one sport.
The Wismer Award for High School Coaching Excellence recognizes the commitment it takes to coach by highlighting outstanding individual effort and impact, but there’s also an implied recognition of the integrity and steadfast dedication to improving young lives required by every coach who donates time before and after school (and often on weekends), to keep the high school sports engine running as smoothly as possible.
The Wismer Award, now in its 15th year, was established in memory of John Wismer, who spent 30 years in the HamiltonWentworth District School Board at Central and Barton High Schools.
He coached football and basketball for his entire career, emphasizing character building and contribution to the community.
“We’re just so thankful that the coaches do what they do,” says Stacy Wismer, John’s daughter. “Our family, and the foundation, just want to thank them in memory of my dad, and keep his legacy going.”
Since 2016, there have actually been two awards, one each for the Hamilton-Wentworth District
School Board and the HamiltonWentworth Catholic District School Board.
Coaches can be nominated by anyone from the school or the community, and the three 2018 finalists for each board were announced Tuesday afternoon at Tim Hortons Field, with winners to be announced at the Wismer Foundation golf tournament and award dinner, May 29 at Carlisle Golf and Country Club.
Sean McPhee of Bishop Tonnos, Carolyn Mossey from St. Jean de Brebeuf and Cathedral’s Jeff Toole are the Catholic board finalists; and Jackie Brown of Sherwood, Doug Holmes from Nora Frances Henderson and Saltfleet’s Jim Weatherbee comprise the public board finalists.
The six finalists represent a combined 162 years of high school coaching in multiple
sports and scores of championship teams.
McPhee, who has been nominated three times and is a finalist for the first time, has coached for 21 years in football, girls basketball, rugby, badminton, track and field and Special Olympics.
Mossey, a 29-year coach, has led girls basketball and volleyball, cross-country and mountain biking. She is a first-time nominee.
Toole has 20 years coaching experience in boys hockey, KinBall, track and field and floorball. This is his second nomination, and first time he’s been a finalist.
Brown, a third-time nominee and second-time finalist, has coached for 25 years in indoor and outdoor soccer, field hockey and badminton.
Holmes has spent 32 years
coaching football, basketball, touch football, volleyball, baseball and tennis teams and has two Wismer nominations. It’s his first time as a finalist.
Weatherbee is not a teacher but has spent 35 years organizing his working and personal life around volunteer coaching basketball. He’s a three-time finalist and fifth-time nominee.
The previous winners of the Wismer Award for High School Coaching Excellence are John DiBenedetto, Jobina D’Aloisio, Anthony Macaluso, Dave Walters, Peter Luvisa, Bob Wynn, Blaize DiSabatino, Tish Jeffrey, Rich Wesolowski, Wilf Reed, Jos Nederveen, Brenda Nelson, Claudio Silvestri, Gary Banting, Antoinette Krusto and George Knill.