WISL Honoree Leads by Making Connections
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 29, 2020
Nikki Norris received her life’s education from professional educators. Her father Howes Smith served as an assistant principal and then principal at Ithaca High School, and her mother Maple was a teacher. Howes’ mom also taught.
Their influence and example certainly rubbed off on Nikki and her siblings. Norris has worked in education for more than 30 years, while her sister is a school guidance counselor and their brother a college professor.
In fact, Norris has impacted educational athletics in nearly every role possible as a teacher and athletic director at multiple schools, coach at various levels and game official. She is in her second year as athletic director at East Lansing High School after eight in that position for Corunna Public Schools. She previously taught for six years at Carson City-Crystal and then 11 at Corunna before taking over the Cavaliers’ athletic department during the summer of 2010.
She also coached volleyball at multiple levels over more than 15 years including Corunna’s varsity from 1999-2002 and 2006-09, and coached high school basketball for a combined eight years during her time at the two schools where she taught. Before and between her volleyball coaching stints, Norris also has served as an MHSAA registered volleyball official for a total of 12 years.
Norris’ many and continuing contributions will be celebrated Sunday, Feb. 2, when she receives the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s 33rd Women In Sports Leadership Award during the WISL Banquet at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West.
“I try to connect with all students, athletes or not, because there are so many kids who just need a connection," Norris said. "And if we can find it through sports, or through clubs, or teaching – I do look at them all as my own children, to a certain extent. We used to say in Corunna, 'They're all our kids.' And I want them to be successful in whatever it is they want. And if I can help them, that's what I'm there for.
“So many people did it for me. Coming from a family of educators, and my dad an administrator, I knew what that entailed as far as how they get into your heart. I want to do that for kids.”
Each year, the MHSAA Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics.
Those who wrote letters recommending Norris for this year’s WISL Award especially noted that personal impact she has on students, staff and colleagues.
Fowlerville athletic director Brian Osborn – one of her former coaches – wrote of how Norris goes above and beyond to care for and connect with her student-athletes. Owosso athletic director Dallas Lintner wrote of Norris’ dedication to children’s safety and educational values. Fenton athletic director Mike Bakker noted how fortunate her students are that Norris made the decision to leave coaching for administration, where she can have an even larger impact.
“Someone asked me once, why do you want to be an athletic director? Well, I can go from impacting 100 kids a day, at that time (as a coach and teacher), to maybe 600 kids a day, to now 1,200 kids a day (at East Lansing),” Norris said, then quipping, “Well, maybe (not all) 1,200 every day.”
But she does continue to lead on wide-ranging levels, both at her much larger school and beyond.
While at Corunna, Norris served as master scheduler and part of the constitution committee for the Genesee Area Conference. Her schools have hosted various MHSAA Tournament events in multiple sports, in addition to local invitationals and conference meets. She’s served on every type of MHSAA Committee, providing input on a variety of sports, site selection, officials selection and the Scholar-Athlete Award. She also annually volunteers as a tournament administrator at the MHSAA’s Volleyball Finals in November and Baseball/Softball/Girls Soccer Finals in June.
A certified Red Cross instructor, Norris has provided CPR/AED training to coaches, bus drivers and staff members. Corunna in multiple years received the state’s HEARTSafe School designation recognizing preparedness to respond to cardiac emergencies.
As a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA), she has facilitated sessions and presented at its conferences and served on the newsletter committee.
She was named the MIAAA’s Region 7 “Athletic Director of the Year” in 2016. She also has received “Certified Athletic Administrator” designation from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).
“Nikki is one of the most genuine, caring and hard-working people I’ve ever met in athletics,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “She has worked extremely hard in both Corunna and East Lansing to develop a first-class program that produced high-character people. Nikki is truly a role model to everyone in the world of athletic administration.”
A 1987 graduate of Ithaca High School, Norris received her bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in exercise health science from Alma College – where she also competed as a runner and thrower in track & field – and then earned master’s degrees in biological sciences from Michigan State University and educational leadership from American College of Education.
Norris lives in Bancroft and is the mother to two daughters, Meredith and Elizabeth Norris. Neither is planning to go into education – but sports is a big part of both their current lives and likely futures, and no doubt the impact of growing up in a sports family has played a significant part. (Their dad, Dr. Robert Norris, played basketball at Alma College and serves as physician for the MSU hockey, volleyball and baseball programs and Lansing Lugnuts.)
Meredith was named the state’s Miss Volleyball Award winner in 2017 as a senior at Corunna and plays currently at Michigan State. Elizabeth is a senior at Corunna and was a finalist for the same award this past fall, and will continue her academic and volleyball careers at University of North Dakota. Meredith is majoring in kinesiology, and Elizabeth is planning on orthopedic surgery.
“I look at the names that are on the (WISL Award) list, and there are so many deserving women who over my career I've looked up to and aspired to be like when I 'grow up,'" Norris said. "So to even be considered in that group is amazing, humbling. It's an honor."
Past recipients of the Women In Sports Leadership Award
1990 – Carol Seavoy, L’Anse
1991 – Diane Laffey, Harper Woods
1992 – Patricia Ashby, Scotts
1993 – Jo Lake, Grosse Pointe
1994 – Brenda Gatlin, Detroit
1995 – Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor
1996 – Cheryl Amos-Helmicki, Huntington Woods
1997 – Delores L. Elswick, Detroit
1998 – Karen S. Leinaar, Delton
1999 – Kathy McGee, Flint
2000 – Pat Richardson, Grass Lake
2001 – Suzanne Martin, East Lansing
2002 – Susan Barthold, Kentwood
2003 – Nancy Clark, Flint
2004 – Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Grand Rapids
2005 – Barbara Redding, Capac
2006 – Melanie Miller, Lansing
2007 – Jan Sander, Warren Woods
2008 – Jane Bos, Grand Rapids
2009 – Gail Ganakas, Flint; Deb VanKuiken, Holly
2010 – Gina Mazzolini, Lansing
2011 – Ellen Pugh, West Branch; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City
2012 – Janet Gillette, Comstock Park
2013 – Barbara Beckett, Traverse City
2014 – Teri Reyburn, DeWitt
2015 – Jean LaClair, Bronson
2016 – Betty Wroubel, Pontiac
2017 – Dottie Davis, Ann Arbor
2018 – Meg Seng, Ann Arbor
2019 – Kris Isom, Adrian
PHOTOS: (Top) East Lansing athletic director Nikki Norris confers with Grand Ledge athletic director Steve Baker during a 2018 football game. (Middle) Norris with daughters Elizabeth, left, and Meredith, after Nikki presented the Cavaliers with a District championship trophy won in 2016. (Top photo courtesy of the Lansing State Journal; middle photo courtesy of Nikki Norris.)
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.)