Girls’ soccer will have a short meeting after school in Stuber health room B,” was heard over the intercom after school on Dec. 11. The girls’ soccer team had been anxiously anticipating the announcement of their new coach.

For the past 11 years, history teacher Paul Hoelscher coached the girls, and for five years before that, he headed up the boys’ soccer team.

“Coaching is a wonderful job and I loved every moment of it, but it takes a lot of time away from your own family,” Hoelscher said, citing it as the reason he resigned.

Hoelscher believes in the positive impact that soccer gives the girls.

“In one week at school (within just three days), I received a handwritten note from a player who graduated last year, an email from an alum who was selected to be a White House intern and a phone call from a professor who had just interviewed a former CHS student for a prestigious post-graduate scholarship,” he said. “All of these communications had one thing in common – the three individuals all played girls’ soccer at CHS and cited the experience in our program as a significant aspect of their personal growth.”

An exciting experience for Hoelscher was seeing how his team came together last year.

“It was amazing watching one of our toughest defenders, Katie Marvel, become a goalkeeper because of an injury to Stephanie Avery,” Hoelscher said. “I didn’t see that one coming. I really enjoy when a team rallies around adversity.”

With Holscher’s resignation the search for a new coach commenced and ultimately Tom Redmond, the current coach of the CHS boys’ team, was given the position.

Bob Bone, the athletic director at CHS, has positive feelings about the transition.

“We felt he [Redmond] was the best fit for our program,” he said.

Redmond has been involved with soccer his whole life. He began his coaching career alongside Jerry Yeagley at Indiana University for two seasons before coaching at University of Missouri St. Louis for 14 years, nine years as head coach.

Redmond has also coached youth soccer, including a girls’ select team for the Metro Strikers Soccer Club.

Besides coaching soccer, Redmond also played at Meramec Community College when they won the Junior College National Championship his freshman year. Then he played for two years at Indiana University.

After college, Redmond played four years professionally, two in Chicago and two in Indianapolis. He has been the boys’ coach at CHS for the past three years, which he has enjoyed.

Not only does Redmond have a strong soccer background, but he enjoys the game for its uniqueness.

“I love the challenge of coaching a sport that is virtually impossible for a player to have a perfect game … but yet we coach and play the game striving for perfection,” Redmond said.  “As a coach, I still leave a lot of room within a system of play, to let players be creative and innovative.”

With clearly a great deal of experience, Redmond is ready to start the season with the girls’ team.

“Coach Hoelscher has really done a great job for many years with the team, and I know that he has provided a great foundation for the girls to be successful both on and off the field,” Redmond said.

Redmond is excited about his coaching opportunity, and plans to keep the girls’ team competitive.

“I have said this to the boys’ team and parents. Coaching at CHS is a privilege,” Redmond said. “It is one that I do not take lightly, and I will commit to the girls’ team that same dedication and respect for the privilege as I have for the boys.”