Alumni
300 and counting…
During the 2003–04 winter sports season, two coaches hit the 300-win mark. Here, Spectrum interviews each of them about their success.
Women’s Basketball Coach Jackie Slaats
Q: Your 300th career win came in a tournament at Washington University over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Tell us about that day and what you’ll remember about it.
A: To be honest, I was relieved. We had lost two games since getting number 299, so to finally win was a relief. Our team needed a victory, and it was a good game for me personally to achieve number 300, since I coached my 200th victory at the same place in 2000. I‘m sentimental that way.
Q: In addition to victory number 300, what were some other highlights for you this season?
A: Since win number 300 came on the road, my assistant coaches had a surprise celebration after a home game against Lawrence on Alumni Day to recognize the milestone and my 18 years of coaching. They presented me with a framed poster with photos of all the teams I’ve coached, and many of those alumni in the pictures were also in attendance. It was really a special day. The second highlight was Senior Day, when we put together one of our best games of the season to defeat a tough Grinnell team convincingly and send our seniors off with a great memory of their last home game.
Q: You entered the season with 297 career wins. Which ones really stand out in your mind?
A: There are three games that I will always remember fondly. The first was in 1988 when we beat St. Norbert College for the first time. They had dominated the league and defeated us handily my first year of coaching, so that was a big victory for our program. The second was winning our first conference championship at home in 1992. The third is Alison Grubbs ’01 hitting a last-second shot against St. Norbert in 2001, propelling us to a conference championship and the opportunity to host a first-round NCAA tournament game.
Q: What do you enjoy about coaching in general and specifically here at Lake Forest College?
A: The part I like about coaching the most is, without question, the relationships I’ve developed with players and their families. I’ve been fortunate to coach some great student-athletes — but more importantly, great people — in my time here. In terms of coaching at Lake Forest, we simply have a wonderful and supportive community, and that’s what means the most to me as a coach.
Men’s Hockey Coach Tony Fritz
Q: What are you going to remember about January 31, 2004, the day your team defeated UW–Stevens Point 5–1 for your 300th career victory?
A: Number 300 meant a lot to me personally, but the importance of the game to our season made the victory even sweeter. With that win we clinched home ice in the NCHA quarterfinals for the first time, and it came against the team that eliminated us from the tournament last year. What I’ll remember most, however, was having my whole family, including grandsons, there to enjoy it with me.
Q: The Foresters were 18–6–4 this year, so your 300th win was certainly not the program’s only accomplishment. What are some other highlights from the season?
A: We had our best league record since joining the NCHA in 1992, clinched home ice in the quarterfinals, and advanced to the semifinals, where we lost by just one goal to the top-ranked team in the nation. In addition, I was selected as NCHA Coach of the Year, a personal goal I had been pursuing for a long time.
Q: What are some of the most memorable victories in your 26 years here?
A: In addition to victory number 300, I’ll always remember defeating Bowdoin, an extremely strong program at the time, 4–1 in the 1990 Forester Classic championship game. It was both the first time we won the tournament and the last year we hosted it. Another important win this year was defeating Superior (4–0) on their ice for the first time ever.
Q: How have players or the game you obviously love changed over the years?
A: The players are bigger, faster, and stronger, and there is more questioning of what we do as coaches. The game has become much more physical, mostly because of the facemask and the way the rules are being enforced.
Q: It’s not often that a coach stays at one school for as long as you’ve been here. What do you like so much about the profession and about your job here at Lake Forest?
A: I really enjoy working with all the different personalities that exist on every team and trying to get them to come together and embrace the team concept. There’s also the joy of winning games and, in our league, being the underdog constantly trying to knock off the ‘big boys.’