Chris Wellman

[Jason Spoor]

For those who know Chris Wellman and even for those who don't - I thought you would all like to read an article in todays Post Falls Press sports page. There is a 4 paragraph article dedicated to Mr. Wellman that talks about his dedication to youth sports and all the work he's put in to helping build such strong character into all those he's taught.

Mr. Wellman was my coach in YBL when I played for the Trout. I will never forget the patience he showed us and how he never spoke an ill word about anything or anyone.

The story may appear in the Shoshone Press as well but since I don't subscribe I can't be sure - If possible could someone in the Valley look into that and add to this please. I will try to find the story online for those who want to read it but are not local.

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Wellman and wanted to show him some love on this board!

[Doug Knox]

I hope someone can find the article online and post it - look forward to reading it. Mr. Wellman is one of the nicest men that I have ever known. I used to love it when he would come out to do the PE's at Canyon - he would always let us do the huge parachute.

[Gwen Johnson]

I found this link to the CDAPress:
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2007/0 ... orts02.txt
Here's the text from the article:
THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke
Posted: Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 - 12:30:01 am PST

Winning isn't everything, coach

pushes in booklet

"Each player is a potential teacher. What can we learn from them?"

"Coach and treat girls like athletes. Be just as structured and demanding on a girls team as you would a boys team."


"Develop the person first, the athlete second."

Over a year ago, former Kellogg teacher and youth basketball coach Chris Wellman put together a 12-point booklet on coaching called "The Responsibilities of Positive Coaching" that has little to do with Xs and Os and much to do with developing the players as people.

"The reason I put the booklet together is, in my years playing AAU basketball, I saw lots of coaches that could have done more for their players if they knew more than just how to coach basketball," Wellman said.

A couple of years ago, Wellman took a survey of some 300 high school and college athletes in the Northwest. He asked them for the three most important things they wanted from their coach.

"The No. 1 thing they wanted was a positive mentor, someone that could make them a better person," Wellman said. "Out of all those responses, not one mentioned winning.

"They wanted a coach that was a leader-type person that they could take some things that would help them later in life. They also wanted a coach to motivate them to give 100 percent."

WELLMAN WAS a teacher in the Kellogg School District for 25 years, where he coached a little AAU basketball (including several current area high school girls standouts) and spent some time running youth basketball and soccer leagues.

"For years we ran a youth basketball league where we had to come up with 20 coaches for 20 teams," Wellman said. "We thought, 'We should have had a booklet that based our league philosophy on something other than winning."

So he started working on a booklet, and last June he sent it in to Scholastic Coach magazine. He was a bit surprised and pleased to get a call back from the magazine saying they were going to publish the booklet in the magazine, and it appeared in the January 2007 magazine, illustrated by a photo of legendary coach John Wooden, who provided the inspiration for point No. 4 -- Develop Character.

Since then, he's had calls from coaches and youth organizations all over the country.

"The majority of the people are people involved in youth sports leagues," Wellman said. "They want something they can hand to youth coaches that's not lengthy. If you hand 'em something 40 pages long, it's not going to get read."

Wellman's 12 points take up four pages, and apply to parents as well. Wellman said Ron Adams, the Spokane Stars girls basketball guru, handed out more than 300 of his booklets at his camp.

THE 1969 KELLOGG HIGH graduate is still distributing his booklet free of charge to all interested (phone 208-682-3914). Also, Wellman, 54, is scheduled to teach a class called Coaching for Character through North Idaho College beginning in March.

"Coaches probably have as much opportunity to have a positive influence as parents," said Wellman, who is retired and lives in Rose Lake. He owns 100 acres of timber land near Noxon and Trout Creek, Mont., where he grows and sells cedar trees. "Within coaches, it (the booklet) just plants a little seed that here's something we can do for these kids that will make them better as adults."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at mnelke@cdapress.com.

[Jason Spoor]

Awesome, Thanks Gwen!!

[Simon Miller]

Mr. Wellman was my 5th grade teacher as well as my soccer coach for most of my soccer career. (Grades 4-8 ) I couldn't have asked for a better role model and coach. He was always positive no matter what the situation. He had some mad soccer skillz too.

[Mike Nordin]

Ditto on Knox's post. He also frequented Pinehurst El.

[Ken Lagerquist]

I ditto everything everyone has said about Mr. Wellman. He was one of the best coaches in soccer and basketball that i have ever had. I played for him when he first came back to Kellogg to coach and our Trout teams of the early 80s were dominant!! I believe i was on his first Trout team back then. Like Simon said, he is one of the most positive influential people we could have ever had as a coach/mentor while growing up. I to this day have kept in touch with him, even after moving away sooooo many miles all these years.

[Ken Lagerquist]

If anyone has never met Chris Wellman, you dont know what you have missed. That was a great read.