All-County fall sports teams announced
North Point head golf coach Skinner resigns after six-year tenure
Chuck Skinner started coaching golf at North Point High School in 2010 as an assistant under former head coach Tony Jones where the program claimed the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and District IV tournament titles that season.
Skinner took over the head coaching reins the next year and inherited a talented group of golfers leading the program to a SMAC regular season title and a District IV tournament crown.
The program continued to have success in the following years.
This past fall season, the Eagles frontman witnessed his team capture the Charles County Superintendent’s Cup and freshman Bailey Davis make history by finishing atop the SMAC, District IV, county and state tournaments in dominant fashion.
That marked the close of Skinner’s six-year run as head coach of the Eagles program as he decided to put in his resignation.
Skinner, whose in his ninth year as a teacher at North Point, will be retiring from Charles County Public Schools in June and will be moving to Michigan with his wife Teresa.
He has taught for 15 years, six years at Poland High School in upstate New York before arriving to North Point.
“I did not ever want to step down as head coach at North Point High School, but the eventuality of retiring from teaching was becoming a reality and I have an amazing young assistant coach [Mike Kirby] waiting to begin his head coaching tenure,” said the 60-year-old Skinner. “This past summer my lovely wife and I bought our retirement house in Michigan and have begun the transition to that next part of our life. I wasn’t sure if I would retire in June of 2018 or 2019, so I decided to make a decisive move and thought about what would be best for everyone around me.”
While teaching most of the day, Skinner put in countless hours with coaching golf.
“My time investment has been significant, but oh so worth every minute,” he said. “During the season, I spend about 25 hours each week on golf-related endeavors. Between coaching at the course, dealing with lost backpacks, clubs and what not, to maintaining the SMAC statistics. Offseason, most of my time spent with golf is related to course scheduling/availability, player watching and players’ academic support.”
During his six-year stint, Skinner led the Eagles to two SMAC regular season titles, two District IV tournament titles, three SMAC tournament titles, and four straight county championships. He also led North Point to a combined record of 254-37.
“Our success this year in SMAC was what we would consider marginally successful. We lost a few matches that we thought we should win,” Skinner said. “In the county we did well, losing to La Plata by a few, and then winning the county tournament after a few adjust- ments felt pretty good. I always like playing against La Plata because I feel like both teams are always competitive. Coach [Dave] Russell puts together a good team consistently, and they give us a good test even when we win.”
Skinner said Davis was a rare breed of talent.
“Bailey Davis is a coaching anomaly. She is a once in a lifetime prospect and I am blessed for having the opportunity to help her even for a year,” he said. “She was impressive winning the SMAC regular season scoring title, she led us at the county [tournament] winning by 12 strokes at White Plains. Her individual title at districts was totally expected by Kirby and I as she has a great long game. SMAC back at White Plains was assuredly to her advantage, although she has great preparation skills. The Maryland 3A-4A girls championship was like a dream come true for my final year. She prepared for that tournament for a long time and she executed her strategy beautifully. Congratulations to Bailey. Her future is very bright.”
On what he will miss during his coaching days with the Eagles, Skinner said: “Well, I would guess that I will miss the great relationships I have been able to build with players and the coaches in SMAC. A few weeks ago, I was honored to attend MacKenzie Cutter’s wedding, if you remember she was SMAC Player of the Year for 2010 and went on to win three Big East Championships at Seton Hall University. Right now I have several players on scholarship at colleges taking their game to the next level. But I think what makes coaching anywhere special is the relationships you build with all student-athletes.”
When asked what his plans are once the journey starts to Michigan, he said: “My plans for after this year include a lot more relaxation. Motorcycles, hunting, hobbies and maybe getting back into something competitive. I am toying with the idea of teaching in Michigan for a year or two, I just really enjoy it.”