Traverse City Athletes Taking LEAP into Coaching, Officiating
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
March 18, 2022
Set. Spike. Jump – rather maybe leap?
Nothing new to many female high school student-athletes.
But this spring, Abigail Hicks, Keira Castle, Madeline Bildeaux and Honorae Shore made THE LEAP — as in Learning, Enrichment and Athletic Programs (LEAP). They actually leaped into coaching and officiating roles.
Hicks, Castle and Shore stepped into LEAP as coaches for Willow Hill Elementary School’s volleyball team. Bildeaux became a referee for LEAP’s 4th and 5th grade volleyball program.
All four girls are part of the North Shore traveling volleyball club. And, all four are a part of Future Coaches, its 4-year-old program preparing athletes to become effective coaches through LEAP, which is operated through Traverse City Area Public Schools.
Bildeaux and Castle played their first high school volleyball seasons last fall at Traverse City West. Hicks did the same at Traverse City St. Francis. Shore attends Greenspire, a Grand Valley State University-sponsored charter school located in Traverse City.
Parents, grandparents and school administrators love having the high school girls on the sidelines. The girls may love it even more though.
“The most rewarding aspect of teaching young girls is seeing the excitement they get when they get the hang of playing or when they win a game,” noted Castle, who started with the coaching program as an eighth grader. “I also love knowing that I've helped some of these girls fall in love with a sport.”
There may not be anyone more thrilled with the girls taking the leap than David Payne, elementary sports manager for LEAP. The student coaches help LEAP meet its vision of providing preschool through 12th-grade students with increased opportunities for engagement beyond the school day with activities to improve learning, health and wellness.
“The high school girls have a love and knowledge of the game that they share with the elementary kids,” Payne said. “Parents that were not comfortable or able to coach are finding the excitement and interaction between the high school girls and the elementary kids is very positive.
“At times the high school coaches look like cheerleaders on the sidelines,” he continued. “They keep the energy level high while supporting their team.”
The four ninth graders are the latest to make the “leap.” Jordan Bates, founder of the Future Coaches program, first connected the players as coaches with LEAP as COVD-19 shortened the 2020 season. The very first high school volleyball player to make the leap was Phoebe Humphrey, now a Traverse City Central sophomore. Humphrey coached Cherry Knoll as an eighth grader during the 2020 brief season. She is now coaching Eastern Elementary.
The pandemic also resulted in the cancellation of the 2021 elementary season. This season will conclude next week.
“The opportunities for these athletes to coach their own teams is extraordinary,” Bates said. “It would not have happened without David Payne.
“His support, scheduling acumen, and love of sports has made this program pretty amazing.”
Veronika Caughran, who plays for Traverse City Central, is helping Cherry Knoll Elementary in Traverse City. Anissa Wille, Suttons Bay High School; Jenna Flick, TC West; and TC Central’s Natalie Bourdo and Lily Briggs have coached North Shore travel teams. Briggs, Bourdo and Humphrey have been coaching in North Shore’s beach program for the past three years.
Hicks, who recalls Gladiators varsity players helping coach her in volleyball as a fifth grader, said the girls can’t go it alone. She’s found the Willow Hill school community to be extremely supportive.
“We have received lots of positive feedback from parents, our coaches, our team, and other LEAP coaches,” she said. “All the parents have been very kind and grateful and always willing to support the team by bringing in snacks for after the game — not only for our players but for the opposing team — along with being willing to help line judge and run the scoreboard.”
The high school players-turning-coaches have been attending classes with Bates and guest coaches mostly from the North Shore club. Topics covered include coaching philosophy, how to be a great referee, practice planning, tournament preparation and health and wellness.
Bates said the program benefits go beyond the participants.
“Perhaps the biggest struggle is for athletes and parents to realize how valuable coaching is to an athlete,” he said. “It not only helps them with communication, structure, planning, and strategizing, but also it makes them better athletes earlier in their journey.”
Adding fun too is important, Hicks noted.
“I hope I help make practices a fun environment and for them not to worry about making mistakes and helping them know that not everything is their fault,” she said. “And … how to learn from their mistakes.”
Castle, who started playing volleyball as a fourth grader at Willow Hill, agreed. She recalls fondly the difference past coaches have made in her life, including Bates.
“While I've been coaching I've also noticed how (Willow Hill players) interact with each other and cheer each other on, and it's been such a great experience,” she said.
“I remember the feeling I felt when a coach made me love volleyball, and from coaching these girls I'm starting to see what that's like from a coaching point of view.”
Bates created the program with interscholastic competition and the student-athlete in mind.
“There is also the coaching shortage, so creating opportunities for these athletes to coach, and ref, just made sense,” Bates said.
Castle is preparing to meet the growing needs.
“I plan to continue coaching volleyball until the end of high school,” Castle said. “In a year or two, I want to start coaching middle school volleyball.
“When I get to college I plan to either continue coaching or find a job as a ref.”
Hicks indicated her experience has increased her love for the game of volleyball and respect for coaches.
“I learned that coaching is a little more complex than it looks, and you have to plan practice and be prepared for them to have a bad attitude or unfocused after a long day of school,” she said. “You, as the coach, have to have a good attitude, have lots of patience, be ready to problem solve and get them back on track.”
Teamwork, sportsmanship and the value of hard work are among the strengths Castle and the other future coaches bring to the table.
“We had our girls practice sportsmanship by saying ‘good game’ and waving to the other team,” Castle said. “In practice, we have taught them to work as a team and to always give it your all.”
Hicks recommends coaching to all high school athletes.
“I’ve learned a lot,” she said, “and this has been a positive, fun experience that I definitely recommend.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) From left, Honorae Shore, Abigail Hicks and Kiera Castle coach their Willow Hill elementary volleyball team this season. (Middle) Madeline Bildeaux, far left, also has joined Castle, Hicks and Shore as part of the LEAP coaching and officiating program. (Top photo by Tom Spencer, middle photo courtesy of Allie Walters.)
Competitive Fire Always Burning as Wayland's Ritz Climbs All-Time Coaching Wins List
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
May 9, 2025
WAYLAND – Cheri Ritz will never have to be nudged out of coaching.
After more than 40 extraordinary years as a high school softball coach, when the moment to step aside finally comes, Ritz will recognize it's time to move along.
All she'll have to do is check the progress of her latest Wayland softball team.
That's the yardstick Ritz has for herself in determining how much longer she'll coach. When the program's phenomenal success starts to wane, Ritz said she will know it's time to retire.
Ritz entered this season 10th on the MHSAA's all-time wins list with a 1,037-275 record. But when numbers like 23 Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold titles, 34 District and Regional championships, five Semifinals appearances and Division 2 Finals titles in 2006 and 2015 become a distant memory, Ritz said she'll know it's time to hang up her green and white jersey.
"It means I don't think I'll be doing my job," she said. "It means I'm out and it's time for someone else to take over. If I ever get there, it means I'm not doing my job. It's like when I can't pitch batting practice, I'm done."
That time, however, seems a faint light on the horizon. Wayland has won 41 of its last 52 games over the last two seasons, four straight conference titles and 14 over the last 17 years.
Those type of numbers – and Ritz's desire to continue coaching – fall in line with what makes her tick as a coach: competition. Whether it’s a weekly pickleball game in Hudsonville or throwing a frisbee or playing ping pong at family gatherings, Ritz is in it to win. Period.
It's non-negotiable with her. If a score is kept, Ritz said there's only one side of the ledger to be on.
Still, when she's pressed, Ritz – who took over at Wayland after serving as head coach at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg from 1987-94 and also coached at East Grand Rapids – will admit she has probably changed from her first two years at Wayland when the team managed just a combined 29-34 record with fourth and fifth-place conference finishes. It wasn't until the third season when the team went 31-6, and 14-1 in the conference, that Ritz first tasted success.
While the competitive drive hasn't waned, Ritz does believe her coaching philosophy has been, well ... altered. Whether it's a love of teaching, growing relationships with other coaches, attending national and local conferences, running summer softball leagues and three annual clinics, offering optional Sunday hitting practices or trying to win games, Ritz still has a fire for all.
Winning is still priority No. 1, but her appreciation of what else softball means to her has only deepened over the years.
"As a coach I wanted to be successful, but I'm probably more transformational now," she said. "Do I say this will be my last year? Maybe. But I still like being a part of it all. I like molding players into a great team and better people."
The success at Wayland is no accident. Only three coaches ahead of her on the statewide all-time wins list have a higher winning percentage (.790) than Ritz. That comes from her not only having a pulse on what's happening in softball in the Wayland area, but also in the surrounding communities.
As director of middle school athletics, Ritz has a handle on upcoming talent. She also runs an offseason league in Moline, holds four-person workouts in the winter and conducts clinics in the spring, summer and fall. Combine that with a program that teaches fundamentals and it's no wonder only Hudsonville's Tom Vruggink (1,197) has won more games among West Michigan softball coaches.
"We work hard on fundamentals," said Ritz, who played softball at Michigan State from 1978-81. "(Teaching) is still fun for me, and being around like-minded people. I want the best for our program and the kids."
Like many successful coaches, it's tough to pin down Ritz on her favorite moments at Wayland. Her teams have won at least 30 games 20 times, including a trio of 40-win campaigns. There was her winningest season with a 42-2 mark in 2014. Then there are the 43 collegians she's coached, including five who went on to play at Michigan, Michigan State and Central Michigan.
But probably topping the list are the two championship teams – the 2006 team finished 41-3, and the 2015 title winner featured five future college ballplayers. Not only did both teams feature superior talent, both had to overcome substantial off-field difficulties. Ritz said it's a credit to the players that they played up to lofty expectations amid problems that could have wrecked many clubs.
Whether it's those two teams or others she's coached, Ritz, whose ambition includes writing a book on why coaches are successful, said the goal for Wayland players is clearly spelled out during her annual three-hour postseason banquet. Ritz said what constitutes the program's philosophy is clear to any prospective player or coach who has attended:
Any player on the roster can be expected to be pushed – and if that's not possible, they should consider alternative activities.
While that may be harder for parents to accept in today's society, Ritz said it's still the cornerstone of the Wildcats program.
"They know my philosophy and what I put in and what I expect from the kids," she said. "It is probably a lazier society today, so you have to push a little harder. But winning is fun."
Ritz said her philosophy of teaching fundamentals combined with her competitive drive and trying to do what's best for players was tested years ago when she was coaching tennis in the fall. She glanced at the nearby football field where a coach was screaming at a player over an apparent lack of effort. Ritz went home, researched how that program had recently fared, and saw less-than-mediocre numbers. The scene made Ritz reevaluate how she ran her own program.
"I see other coaches and talk like that isn't going to get it done," she said. "I am a coach watcher, and I didn't like what I saw."
Ritz said while high school athletics have changed over the years, her love of the game hasn't faltered. She's still flattered when an opposing coach praises her team not necessarily for how well it plays, but for the classy way players handle themselves. Ritz loves hearing stories about how former players have succeeded and what playing softball at Wayland meant to them.
Another reason why Ritz’ coaching conclusion doesn't seem close is how she approaches games versus practice. Ritz said she still gets the same thrill in talking about one of her past 40-win seasons versus a 2025 club that features nine of 11 players clubbing the ball over a 227-foot fence on the first day of outdoor practice.
"My love of the game is still the same," she said. "I still get excited about practices. I tell the girls I like to win practices and they like to win games."
PHOTOS (Top) Wayland softball coach Cheri Ritz works with Laney Wolf – also an all-state swimmer – on bunting during practice this spring. (Middle) Ritz shows off her first Division 2 title team. (Below) Ritz presents the championship trophy to her 2015 Finals winner. (Top and middle photos by Steve Vedder.)