(Massena) Sandy Booker got her start in coaching as high schooler helping out with youth sports, continued along that route during college through the Maryville Park and Rec Department, and ended up making a career out of it. Her first gigs were at Sidney and Farragut before she came to C&M which eventually became CAM.
Booker admits softball was her favorite sport even though basketball was the sport she reached the state tournament in as a coach. Her biggest influence was a great one, the late Leon Plummer, of Farragut. “Coach Plummer lived a couple of blocks away from me in my hometown of Riverton. So I hung around with coach Plummer a lot when he was doing not only softball, but at a young age boys baseball. I fell in love with going down there and getting to run the bases and shagging balls. I had a great mentor in coach Plummer and of course his assistant Max Livingston. Then I had the awesome opportunity to play for a Hall of Fame coach when I was down at Northwest Missouri State when I played for Nan Carter.”
Booker says one of the smartest things she ever did as a coach was to listen to the kids. “When we became CAM, Anita approached us because they did not have enough girls to play basketball. I gathered my seniors together and asked them what they thought. Sometimes these high school kids have a different way of looking at it. We talked about playing time and talked about many things, but eventually some of our girls asked what if it was us that was looking for a team and how would we feel? I think that was one of the smartest things I did was sat down and talked to the kids.”
In 1997, led by all-stater Zoey Artist, Booker guided the CAM girls to the state basketball tournament. “Oh my gosh. Crazy. Crazy fun with those young ladies.” She says she remembers outstanding community spirit. “I can remember sitting on the and one of the students came up and asked me if I was okay. And I was, I was just enjoying the celebration from the bench. It was a monkey off our back. We were mentally tough and we got there and it was a breath of fresh air.”
Coach Booker on why young people should consider coaching. “Because there are kids out there that need to build a rapport with somebody and they might be that one saving grace for that athlete.”
Previous Coaches
(Click to listen)
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Jason Mehrhoff, Anita Native (Carlisle)
Eric Hjelle, Elk Horn-Kimballton grad (Underwood)
Brett Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum (Waukee Northwest)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Marc Bierbaum, Griswold grad and Iowa Western track/cross country assistant
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Curt Schulte, Harlan graduate (Glenwood)
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
