Elliott helps Prospect stay in the swing of things
Want to learn to play golf from the man who gave Prospect’s Class 2A girls state championship team a helping hand?
He’s available once a week during the winter months at Links and Tees Golf Facility in Addison.
His name is John Elliott, and he has served as a longtime mentor for Prospect girls golf coach Jim Hamann.
Hamann, in his seventh season, has dedicated himself to the Knights program, planning and motivating nearly year round.
The former Willowbrook and Eastern Illinois scholarship golfer tosses a lot of credit to Elliott and to his father John, who died in August, 2010.
Hamann also praises the positive energy the players and parents provide in his Prospect program. Elliott gives lessons to many of the Knights golfers.
“Jim and I are in constant contact during the year, always discussing the girls and where they are with both their game and swing,” Elliott said. “We share drills and short game contests to not only help improve their short games but to have fun with. Strings, hoops, poles, shafts and chickens are some of our props, we have fun and so do they.”
During the off-season, Hamann and Elliott build new moves, strength and knowledge.
“Jim tries to attend each girl’s individual lesson and takes notes and asks questions,” Elliott said. “He is totally there.”
Computers are used to show the girls their swings and how to change them if needed.
“We work a lot of short game into their lessons and teach them many new shots to use that next year,” Elliott added. “What I see and like is their desire to keep coming back for more, they are having fun learning and we are having fun teaching.”
Even the parents get involved.
“They like to sit back and watch their kids get better and more into it,” Elliott said.
Elliott said one of the keys to the Knights’ history-making season is how well the girls work together.
“They are a team,” Elliott said. “That’s why they won. Love, respect, caring and hard work were their main ingredients to success.”
And of course, Hamann’s relentless dedication.
“During the summer Jim takes close to a week and spends it with the girls at that year’s state tournament site,” Elliott said. “He is charting, discussing, picturing and playing each hole and at night going over the good and bad tendencies of each of the girls.
“He has made a tape of each hole and shares it with the team just before the competition begins. He shows them the target area, suggests to them where to putt from and narrates the strengths and weaknesses of each hole.”
Hall of Fame
The 2011 National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame class includes the late Tom Frederick, who served as athletic director and a coach at Barrington High School.
Frederick was the pioneer of the high school athletic administration profession in the United States during his 22 years on the National Federation High School administrative staff.
After joining the NFHS in 1967, Frederick started the National Conference of High School Directors of Athletics in 1971, the Interscholastic Athletic Administration magazine in 1974 and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 1977.
Frederick began his career as a coach at Waterloo (Wis.) High School in 1948. In 1950, Frederick moved on to Barrington, where he served as athletic director and coach for football and track.
As football coach at Barrington, he compiled an 81-20-4 record in 13 seasons and won six conference titles. He also coached four undefeated teams and was instrumental in the founding of the school’s Quarterback Club.
At the state level, Frederick had a four-year tenure as assistant executive secretary of the Illinois High School Association from 1963-67. During his time with the IHSA, he assigned officials for state basketball tournaments and managed the wrestling and track state tournaments. He was also the editor of the state athletic magazine.
Frederick joined the NFHS staff in 1967 as director of the film program. He was named assistant director in 1975 and associate director in 1977 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1989. He passed away on Oct. 10, 1990.
Frederick organized the first National Athletic Directors Conference in St. Louis in 1971 with 250 athletic directors in attendance. The final conference organized by Frederick in 1989 drew more than 1,500 athletic administrators and more than 300 exhibitors.
In his early years with the NFHS, Frederick was the director of the film program and was responsible for the sports of football and track and field.
Frederick, who graduated from West Allis (Wis.) High School and the University of Wisconsin, received the NIAAA Award of Merit in 1980 and an Award of Excellence from the Virginia State High School Athletic Directors Association in 1989. He was inducted into the Illinois football coaches Hall of Fame in 1981 and the National High School Hall of Fame in 1994.
Men’s soccer
Kyle Held (Palatine) recorded a shutout fot Saint Xavier (Chicago) when it defeated Taylor University 1-0 in double overtime of opening-round action of the NAIA National Championship in Upland, Ind. Held had 6 saves and one was a game-saving breakaway that led to the Cougars’ winning goal just minutes later.
Coaches vs. CancerProspect High School will host a benefit for #147;Coaches vs. Cancer#148; on Friday at its annual IHSA #147;Pack the Place#148; basketball event, featuring varsity girls#146; and boys#146; back-to-back games.
Prospect will play against Elk Grove High School at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in Prospect#146;s Jean Walker Fieldhouse.
The evening will feature a pregame Inflatable Challenges Obstacle Course, raffle prizes, a memory wall for friends and family members lost to cancer, and other activities to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer, which is associated with the American Cancer Society.
Prospect#146;s Knights#146; Way program will donate 90 classroom-made blankets to Alexian Brothers Cancer Institute as part of the benefit. The Prospect and Elk Grove Varsity Basketball teams are cooperatively selling apparel and raising funds for the benefit.
For more information, contact Prospect school psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson at (847) 718-5284 or jay.kypjohnson@d214.org.
Men#146;s basketball
Lewis senior point guard Chris McClellan (Wheeling) topped the Flyers with a game-high 17 points in a 62-44 non-conference win over visiting Ferris State.
Women#146;s volleyball
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee freshman Kayla Price (Fremd) was named the Horizon League#146;s newcomer of the year.
She was the setter for Milwaukee (23-4, 16-0), which won the Horizon League regular-season title and became the first team to go unbeaten through the league since 1994.
Price is the second-straight newcomer of the year from Milwaukee.
She led the league in assists, directed a Panther offense that led the league in kills and finished the regular season second in hitting percentage. For the season, Price has collected 13 double-doubles while going past 40 assists 16 times, including three efforts of 50 or more assists.
The Panthers defeated Cleveland State 25-15, 25-21, 25-16 in the Horizon League Tournament championship match. Price was on the all-tournament squad after recording 36 assists along with 3 kills and 6 digs.
Ÿ Carthage won its sixth-straight College Conference of Illinois Wisconsin title with a 3-2 victory over Elmhurst as senior setter Drewann Pancratz (Schaumburg) and senior outside hitter Lauren Dembkowski (Hersey) were named to the all-tourney team.
Dembkowski was also named to the third team of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III All-America Team. Pancratz was honorable mention.
Women#146;s basketball
Daily Herald honorary co-captain Megan Rogowski (Hersey) averaged 9.8 points in five games while coming off the bench for No. 18 DePaul.
The Blue Demons hit 15 3-pointers in a 99-64 rout of Portland at the Rainbow Wahine Classic. Rogowski had 13 points in that game with three 3-pointers.
Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.