A Labor of Love

Not dollars and cents rich, anyway.

 

Sure, you receive a nice stipend, but if you put in the time both in the arena and in the planning and reflection, your hourly rate might buy you a cup of coffee. Emphasis on the “might.”

 

There’s swag involved, too, and it’s all great stuff, but if you wear the t-shirt, hoodie, and cap long enough, you’ll eventually wear them out. That, I promise.

 

What never gets old, though, are the experiences, and what you’ll never wear out are the connections, life lessons, and memories of time well spent together. That, I promise as well.

 

Sound cliché. Of course, it does, but it’s cliché for a reason. It’s a thousand percent true.

 

For years, Collegiate’s athletic program has prospered because of career coaches who consider preparing young women and men for competition as well as life a calling rather than an afternoon job.

 

It’s prospered also because of adjunct coaches, many of whom are Collegiate graduates, who make time in their busy schedules to pay forward the gifts that they received back in the day on the fields, courts, track, and trails at their alma mater.

 

“We at Collegiate cherish the opportunity to have our current students positively impacted by former Collegiate athletes who are very knowledgeable in the sports they coach and continue to care about the school,” said athletic director Andrew Stanley, 

“Their presence teaches an incredible lesson about what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves. I’m very grateful that dedicated, committed alums can reinforce the enduring core principles – sportsmanship, competitive spirit, loyalty, and fair play – that have been trademarks of our program for generations.”

 

What follows is a compendium of thoughts, insights, and reflections of seven graduates (among many over the years) who were so inspired by their Collegiate athletic experiences that they found ways to balance family and outside professional responsibilities to serve their alma mater as adjunct coaches.

 

Carter Reifsnider Toohers ’12, first-year girls varsity lacrosse coach and program leader after serving as an assistant at Douglas Freeman, the three-time VHSL Class 5 state champion. She also works full time as the manager of strategic analytics for McKesson Medical-Surgical. She and her husband Patrick have one young son.

 

 

Rob Ukrop ’88, boys and girls varsity soccer coach and program leader. He also assisted Charlie Blair with boys soccer and coached club soccer for years. He serves as CEO of the Richmond Kickers and involves himself in numerous community outreach endeavors. He and his wife Shannon have two children.

 

Jake McDonald ’07, volunteer varsity lacrosse coach who coached both football and lacrosse while serving as associate director of summer programs at Collegiate. He is a co-founder of The Peavey Project and a certified mindfulness facilitator. He and his wife Molly have two young sons.

        

Stephen Spraker ’92, assistant coach of Cub green football who served as a JV football assistant for five years after he graduated from Hampden-Sydney. He’s a financial advisor and vice-president of investments for Raymond James. He and his wife Kelly have two sons.

 

Cooper Moelchert ’15, assistant boys Cub green soccer coach the past three year. He’s a data analyst at Strange Ventures.

 

 

Chrissy Thexton Chappell ’11, assistant varsity volleyball coach this past fall and JV lacrosse coach this spring. She’s coached both sports at several levels since graduating from Harvard in 2015. She’s an associate commercial real estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield|Thalhimer. She and her husband Daryl were married in November.

 

Matthew Richardson ’07, head varsity cross country coach, track distance coach, and program leader for both cross country and track. Among several outside endeavors, he serves as director of Camp River’s Bend. He and his wife Anna have two young children.

 

~Weldon Bradshaw