Coach’s Box: Lowery tackles responsibilities of coaching, department chair
Victoria Hertel, Staff Writer
May 6, 2020
Chip Lowery is the Coppell wrestling team coach and the department chair for physical education and dance. Due to coronavirus, wrestling workouts are completed on virtual Performance Course. All questions were answered by Lowery via email. What does being a coach mean to you? Coaching has been my who...
Coach’s Box: Landa supporting players through self-isolation
Trisha Atluri, Staff Writer/Photographer
April 16, 2020
Natalie Landa is the assistant coach for the Coppell tennis team and teaches world geography at CHS9. Since all school tennis courts and schools are closed due to COVID-19, Landa is working with Coppell coach Rich Foster to provide home workouts and encourage players to maintain their fitness. All r...
Coach’s Box: Bourg diving into golf, calculus
Sreeja Mudumby, Staff Writer
April 2, 2020
Jan Bourg is the head coach for the Coppell girls golf team and an AP Calculus teacher at Coppell High School. Aside from school, she is a licensed scuba diver and likes to travel to oceanic places and spend time with her family. Why do you like to play golf? Well, I like all sports,...
Coach’s Box: Dyson running Cowgirls with experiences coaching champions
Tracy Tran, Staff Writer/Photographer
March 25, 2020
Coppell softball coach Mike Dyson is in his fifth year of coaching at Coppell High School. Under Dyson, who previously coached at Frisco Centennial and Irving Nimitz, the Cowgirls advanced to playoffs in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. When did you become the head coach of the Coppell team? Fi...
Coach’s Box: Balcom leading team to turnaround, passing love of sports to family
Angela Yuan, Staff Writer
March 11, 2020
James Balcom has been the head coach of boys soccer at Coppell for three years. He developed a love for sports at a young age, and his competitive nature drove him to become a soccer coach. He teaches world geography at CHS9 and has three children: 7-year-old Carson, 5-year-old Mason and 2-year-old Ally. He s...
Coach’s Box: Hartsburg applying Mavericks experiences to basketball coaching
Shravya Mahesh, Entertainment Editor
January 15, 2020
Behind the large gym, on the other side of a Coppell-colored door lies a corridor with a small room labeled “Basketball Coaches Office.” This room holds tables, chairs, promotional posters and Coppell assistant girls basketball coach Julieann Hartsburg. With more than 13 years of professional experi...
Coach’s Box: Schnell teaching students character through basketball, English
Akansha Singh, Staff Writer
December 18, 2019
Coppell varsity basketball coach and English teacher Clint Schnell has always had an affinity for basketball, as he played the sport growing up. Schnell hopes to use his coaching and teaching to shape students into better people, both on and off the court. When did you start coaching? I started coac...
Coach’s Box: Irons leads cheer in building strong relationships, supporting other teams
Claire Clements, Executive Editorial Page Editor
November 20, 2019
This school year, Coppell High School welcomed cheerleading coach and English lll teacher Alexis Irons back to campus. Irons hopes to inspire her cheerleaders and students in supporting each other and becoming more well-rounded. How did you first start coaching cheer? I worked here at Coppell prev...
Coach’s Box: Smith exudes patience while coaching
Shreya Beldona, Staff Writer
October 30, 2019
Coppell assistant coach Holland Smith has been working with the Cowgirls volleyball team for three years. With a background in sports throughout her childhood, Smith pursued a job as a volleyball coach. Smith bases her coaching around two values: patience and appreciativeness. How did you start coaching? I played sp...
Coach’s box: Tennis coach fostering relationships, encouraging success for players
Christie Hernandez, Staff Writer/Videographer
October 4, 2019
Continuous hours of coaching before and after school does not prevent Coppell tennis coach Rich Foster from pushing his players to achieve their goals. Regardless of the long hours, Foster leads his players towards success while emphasizing scores do not reflect the talent or personality of any student. ...
Coach’s Box: Spoor bringing experience, dedication to cross country team
Laasya Achanta, Staff Writer
September 19, 2019
At 6:30 a.m., rain or shine, assistant golf and cross country coach Jason Spoor makes his way to the track, fueled by his passion for helping students mature into adults both mentally and physically. How is your background in track different from cross country? Before I came to Coppell, for seven years, I was th...
Coach’s Box: Merchant looking to make a difference on, off the field
Arman Merchant, Staff Writer
September 4, 2019
Editor's note: This story has been corrected from its original version. The Sidekick apologizes for the error. With the start of the 2019 football season, a new face can be seen on the sideline. With more than 15 years of experience, new Coppell defensive coordinator Justin Merchant replaces Kirk McBride, w...
