New Trier Township High School District 203

 New Trier's Hall named Assistant Coach of the Year

Veteran New Trier coach and educator Kerry Hall has been named Illinois Girls Assistant Tennis Coach of the Year   for 2012 by the IHSTCA (Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association). Hall, a 1977 graduate of New Trier (East) earned a fifth place doubles team medal in high school before playing #1 singles and doubles for Kenyon College (OH) in a career that included a trip to the Division III NCAA Tournament.  In addition to serving on the Trevian Boys Tennis staff for the past four years, Hall has previous Head Tennis coaching experience at the Keith School and at North Shore Country Day School. Still an avid player, Hall was formerly ranked #1 in Chicago while playing in father-son competition with his own father and continues in that same vein today with his own son.

When asked to comment on the award, Hall said "I love coaching the girls, seeing them bond and improve.  I also love getting to know the supportive parents. The coaching staff, in my view, is the best in the State." Hall also serves New Trier as a member of the Social Studies Department and has taught at New Trier since 1994. Congratulations to Kerry on this prestigious award and to the entire Girls Tennis staff under the direction of Head Coach Jerry Karzen.

New Trier's Fairbairn inducted into Soccer Hall of Fame

Craig Fairbairn, New Trier Boys Soccer Coach from 1991 through 2012, was inducted on Thursday, November 15th into the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in a ceremony conducted as part of the Illinois Soccer All-State Banquet. New Trier varsity teams under Fairbairn's direction captured state championships in 2006 and 2008 in addition to claiming 8 CSL Conference, 16 Regional and 8 Sectional titles. New Trier also finished third in Class 3A in 2009 and 1999.  Coach Fairbairn has also served as an assistant coach in the Girls Soccer and Boys basketball programs while at New Trier. Joining Coach Fairbairn in the picture are former players and longtime assistant coaches Craig Snower (L) and Wes Molyneaux.  Congratulations , Coach Fairbairn!

Bruce Woodbury Selected National High School Girls Swimming Coach of the Year 

By Samuel Nadell, Syracuse '13

Winnetka, IL, June 11, 2012 - New Trier High School's Bruce Woodbury has won the National High School Girls Swimming Coach of the Year, selected by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA). 

 New Trier High School's Bruce Woodbury has won the National High School Girls Swimming Coach of the Year, selected by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA). This award caps a sensational coaching career for Woodbury that ended this year with his retirement after three separate coaching stints at New Trier.

"It's pretty exciting for the recognition. It's a nice honor to be recognized by these people," Woodbury said.

There aren't many coach's resumes that are as impressive as Woodbury's: 11 Illinois High School Association State championships, including seven consecutive from 1982-88, back-to-back in 2000 and 2001 and ending his career with back-to-back in 2011 and 2012; 8 runner-up finishes; 16 Coach of the Year awards; and 100 All-American swimmers.

"My greatest accomplishments, I think, have been working with kids and the relationships I've built over the years with different kids," Woodbury said. "Every state championship is different; every kid that I've worked with has been different and rewarding."

"This is a fitting honor that comes to Bruce at the end of a phenomenal career," New Trier Athletic Director Randy Oberembt said. "Bruce is well regarded as an exceptional tactical coach and as an extremely hard-worker, but his greatest gift has been the development of the high quality and meaningful relationships he enjoyed with his athletes. He will always be a revered and beloved figure at New Trier."

Shortly after graduating from New Trier and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Woodbury began teaching in the New Trier Mathematics Department. Early in his coaching career, Woodbury launched a girls swimming squad in 1977 at New Trier West in Northfield. In 1980, Woodbury coached the boys swim team at West to third place at the State championship, which is the best finish ever for a New Trier West swim team.

When the two New Trier campuses in Winnetka and Northfield became one high school in 1981, Woodbury became head coach of the girls swimming and diving program and saw immediate dominance: seven consecutive IHSA state titles from 1982-88. Following the 1988 championship, Woodbury retired from coaching.

In 1997, Woodbury came back to New Trier to retain his position as girls swimming and diving head coach. After three consecutive runner-up finishes, Woodbury won two more state championships in 2000 and 2001. Once again Woodbury retired from coaching.

In 2006, Woodbury returned for his third and final stint as New Trier's girls swimming and diving coach. In 2009, the Illinois Swimming Association named the Illinois Swimming Hall of Fame award the Bruce Woodbury Award, to honor exceptional coaching in girls swimming.

"Having an award named after me two years ago, a Hall of Fame award for girls swimming, is pretty nice. It was a surprise," Woodbury said.

His coaching career concluded with back-to-back Illinois state titles in 2011 and 2012.

"I never envisioned this kind of success," Woodbury said. "As I always told the kids and told Randy (Oberembt) this, and other athletic directors, there might be better coaches out there, but no one is going to outwork me or the kids in the program. I think that's a tribute to them."

Woodbury noted that it's not all about the athletic accomplishments. It is also about the academic accomplishments of the swimmers. Over his coaching career, Woodbury emphasized to his swimmers the significance of being part of a team, even though swimming is an individualized sport.

"I try to teach them that the team is important," Woodbury said. "It's an individual sport, you're out there racing, but you're racing for the team. If someone doesn't do well or someone does do very well, it's only a piece of the team. It's hard to do that in a sport like swimming, to bring that together."

Woodbury finds himself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a student, teacher and coach at a school like New Trier.

"I've worked with four athletic directors over the years and they've all been so supportive of me and what we do for kids. That's really what it's all about," Woodbury said. "Obviously the goal every year is to win a state championship, and I never thought that we wouldn't have a shot at winning it, but that's the nice thing. They allow me to run a program that supports kids, and the school allows me to support kids and work towards that goal."

The student-athletes have been the most influential part of Woodbury's career, and he said developing relationships with them is what makes coaching special.

"Just the kids, working with kids, having an effect on their life," Woodbury said. "I never thought I'd have some of these relationships. I think in the long run, that the experience of being part of the program has been positive and they have a good feeling about that. So I'll miss the kids." 

Although Woodbury is officially retiring, he plans to still be close to New Trier and the swimming program. He will be teaching at New Trier in the summer and will teach swimming on Saturdays to elementary school kids. He also will be teaching swimming through the New Trier Guard, a volunteer service organization started in 1936 that teaches children in the community to swim. Woodbury also plans to help run swim meets and even canceled a cruise that has the same dates as the upcoming season's Illinois state meet.

New Trier Boys Swim Coach Onstott honored at State and National level

New Trier Boys Swimming and Diving Head Coach Mark Onstott will receive two majors awards in the coming weeks. The Illinois Swimming Association (ISA) will present Onstott with the John Newman-Swimming Hall of Fame Award. The Illinois Hall of Fame award, named in honor of Lane Tech's John Newman is presented annually by the Illinois Swimming Association to the person who during his/her career has promoted swimming in Illinois at all levels through leadership, service, and outstanding achievement.

On March 24th Onstott will be honored in Seattle by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) as a Hall of Fame Award winner. This is the highest award given by the association for leadership in interscholastic aquatics. At each Annual General Meeting one member may be honored with this award. A member may receive this award only once. The recipient’s name will be engraved on the trophy at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and an individual award will be presented. To be considered for this award, the member must have: 1. been selected for the Outstanding Service Award, and/or shown leadership at the national level in interscholastic aquatics and service to the Association; 2. served aquatics in swimming, diving, and/or water polo for at least twenty (20) years; 3. Been a member in good standing of the Association for at least fifteen (15) years; 4. had outstanding success as a competitive aquatic coach.

In a career that spans thirty seven years, Onstott has been recognized as Coach of the Year in Iowa, Texas and Illinois a total of 13 times.  His 2012 Trevian swim and dive team captured the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championship and the 400 Free Relay team set a national high school record in that meet. Congratulations, Mark! (posted 6/20/12)