Ark Valley News - Valley Center hires coaches for new programs

Valley Center hires coaches for new programs
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: April 12, 2018

Two new sports at Valley Center High School are taking shape.

A month after starting bowing and swimming, the school board April 9 approved the hiring of head coaches.

Abra Thieme, a former member of the Valley Center Swim Club, was hired as coach of the boys and girls swim teams. Thieme is coach of the Sedgwick Swim Club and has strong ties to Valley Center. Her father, Doug Vannaman, was a longtime teacher and swim coach at Wichita Northwest High School.

Thieme graduated from Northwest.

The boys' swim season will be during the winter, while the girls' season is spring.

The school board this week approved an agreement to use three lanes of the Newton YMCA's swimming pool for practices.

Athletic director Caleb Smith said the teams will not host meets during their inaugural seasons, but plan to in subsequent years.

The new bowling coach will be Phil Van Horn, who is an English teacher at the high school.

The bowling season is in the winter. The team will practice at Eastgate Lanes in Newton.

The bowling team will consist of up to 12 male and 12 female students. Van Horn said about 50 students expressed interest in trying out for the team.

The swim team's roster is unlimited.

Smith said the school is in the process of hiring assistant coaches for the bowling and swim teams.