How Does Niwot Work? – Part 15

Softball was not added as a high school sport for girls in the St. Vrain Valley School District until after the 1991-1992 school year. Although the Boulder Valley School District had added a girls softball program at the high school level in the late 1980s, it took an effort by area high school girls and volunteer coaches to convince the St Vrain Valley School District that there was sufficient interest to add softball to the sports available for girls in the district.

In the fall of 1991, teams were formed at Niwot, Longmont, Skyline and Lyons high schools, and the four teams played an "exhibition" fall schedule. Many of the girls had played competitive softball on club teams since their pre-teen years, and others joined after school-based teams after playing in recreational programs such as Niwot Youth Sports, under the Indian Peaks Girls Softball Association, which continues to provide those opportunities today.

The SVVSD had resisted the effort to add softball as a sanctioned sport for years, citing the cost of adding another extracurricular sports program, and claiming that there would not be enough girls tofor field teams at the local high schools. But after the fall exhibition season was completed, the interest had been demonstrated, and other entities, including Niwot Youth Sports, offered their facilities to the school district free of charge.

As a result, Niwot High School added a softball team, with games and practices held for several years at what is now known as Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. Eventually new sports facilities at Niwot High were constructed, including a varsity softball field, and another field that hosted JV and "C" team games, which is also shared with the baseball program.

High school coaches work overtime to prepare for and conduct a successful program, but none more so than baseball and softball coaches. In addition to their normal coaching duties, coaches must also maintain their fields on a daily basis, and spend additional time on game days getting the fields ready for play, dragging and lining the field with chalk. Funds provided by the school district are woefully inadequate to pay for anything more than game and practice balls, and perhaps new uniforms from time to time.

The gap requires a supporting organization, and for NHS softball, that organization is Niwot Softball, Inc. The non-profit organization was formed in the fall of 2004 by Edie Tesone, Peggy Broyles, Julie Breyer and Kellie Hudson. Each of them had daughters playing softball for NHS at the time, and they quickly raised funds to improve the softball facilities at the school. For a time, the organization also sponsored summer competitive teams, but with the growth of club softball, that effort was later discontinued.

The current president of the organization is Lori Waidler, whose daughter Meghan Waidler played at Niwot High and went on to play in college at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. Waidler, like many others who have served on the board, continues to donate her time and energy to the program long after her daughter had graduated. Waidler works with current Cougar coach Bobby Matthews to raise funds to support the high school program and bridge the gap to provide adequate funds for the program.

Donations are tax deductible to the 501 c3 organization, and may be sent to 2233 Bluebird Drive, Longmont, CO 80504.