Executive Summary

For many women, the combination of newly empty nests, extensive professional experience, and financial freedom make their 50s the perfect time to reinvest in their careers. The author offers 4 questions to ask that can help anyone rethink and achieve their professional goals. First, consider what your career would look like if nothing was in your way. Next, think about what assumptions youre making about yourself and who you could become. Third, conduct a relationship audit to better understand your own support network. Finally, figure out what you need to learn to get from where you are to where you want to be.

As an executive coach for a number of female leadership development programs, I work with purpose-driven women in every industry to identify their strengths and growth areas.While Ive helped women of all ages, Ive found that for many women in their 50s, the combination of newly empty nests, extensive professional experience, and financial freedom make it the perfect time to time to finally accelerate their careers.

But thats often easier said than done. As a 50-something woman, what can you do today to reenergize your career and make the most of your remaining professional years?Here are four questions that Ive found can help anyone rethink and achieve their professional goals:

Your 50s are the time to invest in the second half of your life. Find a quiet, reflective moment to ask yourself:

Some of my clients dream about advancing into more senior leadership positions, some envisionjob craftinga new, more fulfilling role for themselves, while others have considered leaving their organizations entirely to become entrepreneurs or focus on personal projects.

For example, Isabelle*, a senior technical lead in a regional office, enjoyed an impressive career with several published books and key industry reference pieces. At 52, she had just sent her son off to college, and she came to coaching for advice on how to make the most of her next 10 years.She recognized thatshe had more time, energy, focus and freedom to reinvest in [her] work life, and she wanted to push herself out of her narrow technical comfort zone and focus on leading others.

With her son out of the house, she was no longer limited to local opportunities, so shestarted applying for jobs globally. In less than six months, Isabelle landed a leadership position in another country.

Another client, Florence, was a senior manager in a multinational organization who came to coaching to talk about a troubling trend shed been experiencing: less competent, less experienced men kept moving past her into leadership positions for which she felt more than qualified.She was deeply committed to her organization and believed that by taking up a leadership position, she would be better poised to affect change both directly and by influencing others.She began actively promoting herself and applying for leadership positions within her organization, andafter 14 months, she was asked to lead a major department.

Many women get stuck in some version of theauthenticity trap: They hold on to too-rigid definitions of a singular self that dont permit them to engage with and develop other potential identities (e.g., a leader) or skills (e.g., networking).

For example, Isabelle never allowed herself to ask for help, feeling that it would run counter to her core values of independence, autonomy, and strength. Florence prided herself in being someone who put her head down and got the work done, not someone who sought the spotlight.By interrogating these limiting beliefs and exploring how they created unnecessary professional roadblocks, each woman was able to expand her identity and enrich her skillset.

Isabelle started to appreciate asking for help as an important component of good leadership, rather than an indication of a lack of independence. Instead of attempting to find a new job entirely on her own, she reached out to her boss, who turned out to be a supportive ally and actually introduced Isabelle to the hiring manager at her new organization.

Similarly, when Florence reframed her negative assumptions about self-promotion, she was able to find ways to promote herself that aligned with both her goals of increased visibility within the company and her values of humility. After becoming more open to being in the spotlight, she enlisted her bosss support to present her teams work at a senior management retreat, joined a high-level working group, and presented her research at an international conference.

At first, neither Isabelle nor Florence leveraged their networks to further their ambitions, so I urged them both to conduct a relationship audit. The process is simple: Open a Word or Excel file (or grab a pen and paper), and write down as many names as you can for each category:

After completing this audit, Florence reached out to colleagues who helped her identify new opportunities and connect with key decision-makers. Similarly, this exercise helped Isabelle leverage existing relationships to connect with important people both inside and outside her organization, ultimately leading to her new role.

The exercise was valuable not only because it helped both women to identify useful contacts, but also because it allowed them see how they themselves routinely supported others in their organizations. This enabled them to reframe networking as a shared, reciprocal activity rather than a purely transactional pursuit, making them feel more comfortable and confident with the process.

Good leaders are constantly learning. What skills, information, or self-knowledge do you need to get to where you want to be?

For example, both Isabelle and Florence found that they had toupskillin order to meet their late-career goals.Updating CVs, preparing bios and LinkedIn profiles, and engaging on social media were all skills they needed to refine and/or learn from scratch. Not only did they gain valuable technical skills through this process, but the exercise also helped both women refamiliarize themselves with their professional accomplishments, building confidence and improving their ability to self-promote.

While Ive focused on helping women who are looking to ramp up their careers in their 50s, this advice can apply to anyone. If you are a few decades into your career and looking to accelerate, think about what you want to be, do, and feel; recognize the beliefs and assumptions that might be standing in your way; and identify what new knowledge or skills will help you reach your goal. And when you inventory your supporters, dont forget to include yourself. You are your own strongest ally so move forward boldly, and with no regrets.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

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4 Questions to Help Women Navigate the Second Half of Their Careers - Harvard Business Review

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Joanna Orban

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Debs Brereton got her first soccer ball when she was two-years-old. Since then, its never left her feet. In Breretons native England, soccer very much was, and still is, a mans world. After playing soccer on all-male leagues for most of her life, Brereton started playing with a female league, oftentimes with girls that were older than her.

Eventually, her path led her to the United States and Northeastern State University. While there, Brereton was the most valuable player in 2003 and she still holds the record for the fastest goal.

After her time at Northeastern State, she played her 2004 season at Middle Tennessee State University, where she would later coach as a graduate assistant.

After her collegiate soccer career, Brereton played in the Premier Soccer League from 2006-10. She played for teams such as the Nashville Lady Blues, Hampton Road Piranhas and the San Diego Sunwaves. Eventually, however, she turned her attention to coaching.

Brereton loves coaching because it allows her to keep playing the game she loves but she also loves being able to interact with and help her players grow.

I get to serve people. I get to bring awesome people into the program and help those people develop into strong women and see those people graduate, Brereton said. It gives me an opportunity to teach them about life through the vehicle of soccer.

While serving as an associate coach at Ohio State University, Brereton was contacted by the Idaho State University Athletic Director Pauline Thiros and asked to come tour campus.

Once I arrived in Pocatello it was the end of the story. I love this place. I want to be a part of this family, Brereton said. The Bengal community is very unique, Ive never experienced anything like it.

Breretons second season at ISU is significantly different from her first. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the season has been pushed back until spring. According to Brereton, her players are disappointed with the season being pushed back.

Its just trying to make sure we stay in a positive mind frame, said Brereton.

Although the season has been pushed back, Brereton can see how it has been a blessing in disguise for the program.

The team that would have come out as Bengals in August to play our first game is not going to be the same team that will take the field in early of next year, Brereton said.

Due to the season being canceled, the team and the staff has had the opportunity to really integrate the new freshman players, as well as refine the way they want to play.

Another challenge the team is facing is a new practice space. Davis Field is currently under renovation which means the soccer team is sharing the Idaho Central Credit Union practice field with the football team. The practice field is made of turf, also known as artificial grass.

According to Brereton, the soccer ball moves faster on turf than it does on real grass, which has helped the girls improve their reaction times.

Even the surface were playing on is making us better on a daily basis, said Brereton.

Davis Field will be ready by the time the team starts their season, and the players wont have to worry about turf burn anymore.

Prior to the university shutting down in March, both Brereton and her team had another opportunity.

The ISU Theatre Department was working on a production of The Wolves, a play about a high school soccer team with an all-female cast.

The director of the play, Vanessa Ballam, reached out to Brereton and asked for her help in helping the actors learn more about soccer.

We would meet up once or twice a week where my players would take the cast through a warm-up and some basic soccer skills and teach them the basics, Brereton said. Its such a cool collaboration.

The Wolves opens September 18.

Breretons staff is made completely of women which is a different environment than the one she grew up with in England.

The incoming players and the returning players are surrounded by very strong, assertive females. Its unusual to have that at a Division 1 level, said Brereton. I feel as if the players live and see and breathe these mentors. They know on a daily basis what its like to see assertive, strong women in front of them. Its a womans job to empower other women and to help them get better. I feel like myself and my staff takes that very seriously. Its no longer a mans world.

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A Conversation With the ISU Soccer Coach - ISU Bengal Online

Dallas Wings assistant coach and former WNBA player Crystal Robinson is a basketball stateswoman who has been around the league for practically its entire existence.

Robinson was born in Oklahoma and played basketball for Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She was Southeasterns first three-time female All-America and holds many of the schools basketball records. The Oklahoman wrote in 1999 that Robinson is considered by most to be the best basketball player to ever come out of Oklahoma.

In 1996, Robinson was drafted by the Colorado Explosion in the now-defunct American Basketball League (ABL) and promptly won Rookie of the Year and named an All-Star. However, the ABL folded in 1998 and Robinson entered the 1999 WNBA Draft.

The New York Liberty selected Robinson sixth overall in the 1999 Draft and she became an important part of the mini Liberty dynasty. The Liberty made the playoffs every season from 1999-2002 and went to the Finals three times during that period. Robinson played around All-Stars Teresa Weatherspoon, Becky Hammon, Sue Wicks, and Tari Phillips.

Robinson averaged 10.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2 APG, and 1.1 SPG over 30.1 MPG during her eight-year WNBA career. She led the WNBA in three-pointers during the 1999 season while finishing in the top 5 every season from 2001-2003. Robinson is currently 19th all-time in three-pointers made.

After six years with the Liberty, Robinson briefly spent some time with the Washington Mystics before retiring. When Robinson retired, she became an assistant coach for the Mystics.

Robinson told Sports Are From Venus in a media availability about her decision to become a coach after her playing career.

I never wanted to be anything other than a coach, as a kid. I am very fortunate, very few people can say hey I want to be this when they are seven years old and end up actually being that. I got to do something that I wanted to do forever so thats how I ended up in coaching. I retired at 34 and started coaching early because I knew I wanted to coach one day.

After spending the 2007-2008 season as an assistant coach for the Mystics, Robinson coached girls basketball at McAlester High School in Oklahoma. From 2010-2013, Robinson was head coach of the girls basketball team at Murray State College. Robinson spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach for Utah State and the 2014-2015 season with the TCU Horned Frogs.

Robinson spent the 2015-2016 coaching HS basketball in Atoka, Oklahoma, where she grew up. After almost a decade of coaching college and high school, Robinson joined the Seattle Storm in 2018 an assistant coach.

As an assistant coach with the Storm in 2018, Robinson won her first WNBA Finals. After making the Finals three times as a player, she won her first championship 19 years after making her WNBA debut.

Robinson then joined the Dallas Wings coaching staff under head coach Brian Agler in 2019. When Robinson was first hired, Coach Agler said Crystal knows the game and she knows how to transfer her knowledge of the game to the players. She understands the intangibles that make great players and great teams. She also has a great work ethic and Im excited to add her to the staff.

Robinson joined a Wings team that was in the midst of a rebuild. The Wings had just drafted MVP candidate Arike Ogunbowale and added another young piece in Satou Sabally a year later. The Wings are one of the youngest teams in WNBA history, and if anyone can help develop the Wings roster into contention, it is the former player Robinson.

Arike Ogunbowale told Sports Are From Venus about Robinons impact on the Wings.

She helps everybody with everything. She is a great shooting coach, a great basketball coach. She has a great basketball mind. Shes been in our position. Shes played in the WNBA for years, been in WNBA championships, like done all that. She knows basketball, been overseas, so we can relate to her really really well. She loves us, she supports us with everything, always has our back. As I said, shes one of the smartest basketball minds Ive known and shes hilarious, she really helps the team a lot, just her energy and everything she brings to life. We wouldnt have as much fun if Crystal wasnt on the coaching staff.

Fellow Wings coaching staff member Bryce Agler, son of head coach Brian Agler, highlighted what Crystal brings to Dallas with her playing experience.

She is one of those people that gets along with everybody. She does a really good job of creating a relationship with the players. She knows what theyre going through, shes been there, shes been through the league, shes one of the top players in the league when she was playing. She can relate to both sides, them and us, as coaches, and I think its a good happy medium. What she brings to our team, our staff is invaluable. You cant put a price on it just because she understands these players are young. Sometimes we take for granted when we tell them to do something, they need to be shown how to do things. She understands that because she was at that point at one time, so that helps a lot. She is also a great person as well, on top of that.

Brian and Bryce Agler, as well as Arike, all mention how Robinsons experience playing in the WNBA helps the Wings roster. Everything that Robinson has learned, all of that basketball knowledge she has accumulated over the last 25 years is available and transferable to the team. Robinson understands what the players are experiencing in ways that the other coaches who did not play WNBA in the league do not.

Robinson was around the WNBA at its youngest, and now after the league has been around for 23 seasons, Robinson has seen it all. Robinson told Sports Are From Venus how the WNBA has changed since she played in the league.

Its really funny, me and Tamika Catchings just had this conversation this morning by the pool. I think that the talent level in the WNBA has gotten extremely better than the talent level when we played. Theres definitely an evolution of players in this league. I think that our generation was much tougher. We did things a little bit differently, that was in the era of hard fouls and a lot of hustle. Now, I think the more skilled players get the more the game starts changing and evolving. There are so many things that we did in our era that still make this game. I think you see the top teams have the necessary grit and toughness that it takes to win high at this level and those are some things that we have to adapt those things to our style and our culture and learn to understand how much they help you out.

A former pro athlete calling the current generation of players soft? Never heard that before!

With Coach Robinson on staff, the Wings have surprised the WNBA as they are in a great position to earn the 8th seed and final playoff spot. Sitting at 7-12, the rebuilding Wings are setting themselves up for a fruitful future, one that Coach Robinson will help mold into success.

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Former WNBA Player Crystal Robinson Always Wanted To Be A Coach - Sep 8, 2020 - Sports Are From Venus

Chris Boucher looked very well-prepared for his second window of opportunity in the series.

While hed been only a whisper in the Toronto Raptors rotation plans through the first four games against the Boston Celtics, head coach Nick Nurse was looking for a spark with his team in an early hole. Boucher got the call in a hybrid starter-bench unit that had played two possessions together all year and zero so far in the postseason. Boucher is not young by prospect standards, but he remains fairly inexperienced in high-leverage situations. With his first run in several games and unfamiliar linemates plus a shift to power forward, away from his more natural centre position he would have been forgiven for taking a few possessions to find his footing.

Instead, Boucher looked like the readiest Raptor on the floor. Stationed in the short corner along the baseline, Boucher read the Celtics plan early, yelling and pointing for teammates that...

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How the Raptors 'scout team' is adjusting to life inside the NBA's bubble - The Athletic

The pause in appraisal and revalidation during the covid pandemic offers an opportunity to reflect on their value and consider their future argue Victoria Tzortziou Brown and colleagues

The General Medical Council adopted a more flexible approach to regulation at the start of the covid-19 pandemic, with revalidation and appraisals largely suspended to allow doctors to focus on clinical safety and workload.1 With reinstatement planned, we argue for urgent clarification of their purpose, an evidence based approach for their implementation, and ongoing evaluation.

No consensus exists on the definition, mechanisms, and appropriate design of revalidation, and practices vary widely.2 Some countries have no formal process in place 3 while others rely heavily on evidence of continuing medical education.2

The GMC is the first regulator to implement a compulsory and comprehensive revalidation process4 and has over 335000 doctors on its register.5 According to the GMC, revalidation gives your patients confidence that youre up to date.6 A cost-benefit analysis in 2012 showed that, in England alone, revalidation would cost the NHS nearly 1bn over 10 years.7 The expected benefits included increased public trust and confidence in doctors, improved patient safety and quality of care, reduced costs of support for underperforming doctors, reduced malpractice and litigation costs, better information about care quality, and positive cultural change in the medical profession,8 but there is no evidence these have materialised.

Appraisal is the only route to revalidation and must contain supporting information under six defined categories: continuing professional development, quality improvement activity, significant events, feedback from patients and colleagues, and complaints and compliments.9 Most doctors (97%) revalidate through annual appraisals and a five yearly recommendation to the GMC from their responsible officer, based on the outputs from their appraisals.9

Disagreement remains about whether the mode

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Appraisal and revalidation for UK doctorstime to assess the evidence - The BMJ

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On Sept. 5, 2015, Braxton Miller made a play Buckeye Nation isn't soon to forget. Going against Virginia Tech in the season opener on Labor Day night, with the whole country watching, Miller, the two-time Big Ten GrieseBrees Quarterback of the Year, made his debut at H-Back in Urban Meyer's offense.

The story is well known by now. Miller suffered a shoulder injury just days before the start of the 2014 season and had to have surgery on the shoulder for the second time in eight months. Miller was sidelined for the year as he watched J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones lead Ohio State to a national championship.

After returning for his fifth year with the Scarlet and Gray, Miller elected to move positions, becoming a wide receiver in one offseason. When he stepped on the field at Lane Stadium that night in 2015, Miller was just happy to be healthy and back playing.

Recently on FOX Sports' Ring Chronicles series, Miller and Meyer joined host Rob Stone and discussed that game and the spin move, which Bucknuts remembered on Labor Day 2020, that had the college football still hasn't forgotten.

"I think that was the first time I opened up and cried in front of a whole group of men like that," Miller told Stone. "Because, you know, I didn't know what to expect and I think the good Lord willing, I was praying the whole week ahead of time and having the guy that we're talking to tonight, the king of college coaching (Meyer), have him behind you and just telling you how good of a game you gonna have, I believed him but I've got to go out there and perform myself. And he gave me chance after chance after chance and every chance that I got I took advantage of. I don't know what it was, man. I think I was just so determined to showcase my talent. I think coach Meyer was too. He knew what was inside of me, man, because he is one of the greatest coaches."

Miller was relatively quiet leading into the third quarter, and with just over two minutes to play in the period, Eli Apple recovered a fumble, giving Ohio State the chance to build on its 21-17 lead.

It didn't take long for Miller to take advantage of this chance. The H-Back took the ball to his left and found a hole. The play might have been done after about 12 yards except that Miller had other ideas. He wanted to find the endzone. That's when he hit the spin move.

"I remember we were coming out the huddle," Miller began recounting the play. "It was an H-Back sweep but who knows what to expect, man. I was supposed to go to the C-gap and I went way out there to the Z-gap. So it's like, here we go. And I just turned it on, man. It was just like a moment in my life that slowed down for me and honestly I did see those two guys coming and something just told me to spin and that was honestly I think like the spirit that hopped inside of me and that's what it was. And if you remember, when I put my feet down, I'm looking like, woah, I ain't touched. So I just kept running. So I'm like, 'Wow, this is crazy.' Then having that whole game just in my hands. I'd scored a regular touchdown. I'd been doing that in practice, little league, it is what it is. But when somebody sees you do that at a different position, the whole world erupts."

Standing on the sideline, Meyer was overjoyed. After coaching players at the position like Percy Harvin and others, Miller was a unique athlete who he envisioned making plays such as this one. But Meyer also knew what Miller had overcome with the two shoulder surgeries and the position change and was happy to see him doing his thing on the field again.

"Well, to this day, the worst part of coaching to me is when a player gets hurt, the injury factor," Meyer told Stone. "And Braxton's like family, man. I love Braxton Miller. I always will. That's my guy. I used to yell '5' at him all the time and I love Braxton Miller. So I'm always that way. When I see a player do what he did, the selflessness, he changed positions, and to have him rewarded. You know, at the end of the day why do you coach? That's why I coach. That's why I was doing this for 33 years because of guys like that and to see that."

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For Buckeye Nation, that was a special moment and one fans will likely think of any time the 2015 Virginia Tech game is mentioned. For Miller, that game, that play meant a whole lot more.

"It was probably one of the best moments of my life, honestly," Miller said. "Because without that, I don't know if I would go as high as I did in the draft as a receiver/athlete. That was like an emotional game for me. So it was a blessing, I'm very thankful and I'm always grateful."

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Miller on the spin move: 'One of the best moments of my life' - 247Sports

Having previously travelled the world as a flight attendant and designed hats in Kerry, Niamh Stack has made Madrid her home with her family of seven.

Stack, originally from Killarney, studied banking and insurance at the Cork College of Commerce in the late 1980s, before taking up a job at the ill-fated PMPA insurance.

Cork was an amazing place to be in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Michael Jackson came there. So did Nirvana. There were great clubs and nightlife. It was a great vibe.

But Stack had itchy feet so she got a job with Ryanair in Dublin in 1992.

At the time they only had a few routes to the UK, and I worked in the office for a year. It was short, but it gave her an introduction into life in the skies.

When Virgin Atlantic Cityjet started operating a business-class flight between Dublin and London City airport, Stack was on the plane as an air stewardess. It was a fantastic service. People would get Champagne and hot towels before take-off. It was a different experience than it is now.

After two years she spread her wings and started working for BA in 1995, first out of Gatwick Airport, then out of Heathrow.

It was an incredible time to fly. I was doing long-haul routes, often going on seven to 10 day trips. Wed fly to Antigua and then lie on a beach for seven days, then fly home. It was just before mass tourism and low-cost flying changed aviation for ever.

Stack commuted at first, but moved to the UK in 1996, living in Guildford in Surrey. Its nice and leafy but has easy access to London for a night out. There were lots of Irish girls commuting, but I was happy to live in London during that time.

Stack says she worked mostly in business or first class and particularly enjoyed an occasion when Jude Law took over on-board service, much to the joy of travellers in coach. On another occasion, the late Princess Diana was travelling home from Antigua.

The upstairs of the 747s were often economy, while first class was up the front. She sat upstairs, and I was looking after her and the boys. Upon seeing her, paying guests in first class wanted to swap seats but she insisted upon staying. She didnt want the boys to think life was that simple. So after chatting to guests and having dinner, she settled them across the three economy seats and she lay on the floor below. She flew with us regularly. People just loved her.

Now, the princess and the BA Boeing 747 are gone.

Stack says she stopped flying when she was pregnant with her first child and had an emergency landing into Heathrow her second in total. Overhead lockers flew open and that sort of thing.

She moved back to Killarney in 2004 to look after her dad and have three more children all boys.

I really wanted to do something creative and founded Hy Brazil Creations designing hats and jewellery. I was very busy with all the horse-racing events taking place across Ireland designing huge hats. It was fabulous.

But in 2009 the family six decided to move to Spain. We always wanted the kids to have a second language, so we flew over there on a whim.

It was a bit crazy, to be honest. We ended up renting an apartment with no furniture in it. When we landed we had to go to the furniture store. But everything just fell into place. We just clicked with the place and fell in love with the lifestyle and the people.

The move was tough for the boys at first. The first six months in school were the hardest, but suddenly they got the language and now you wouldnt even tell they were Irish.

Stack got a job teaching English conversation at the Montealto School in Madrid in 2010, which she still continues. It piqued an interest in education, and in 2015 she went on to form life-coaching enterprise Think Communicate Lead, which helps increase success at school, at work and in personal life.

We help increase self-awareness, set and pursue meaningful goals and develop positive personal qualities such as self-esteem, a positive attitude, self-discipline and self-motivation.

I also had a fifth child in between a daughter, who is more Spanish than Irish.

Things were going well, until 2020 came along. My husband was working in Ireland, so when the lockdown occurred in March, I was alone with five children in an apartment, trying to work and home-school with bad internet.

It was pretty intense. Our only highlight each day was clapping at 8pm for the health workers on the balcony.

Stack and her family had to stay indoors for six weeks as Madrid was hit hard by Covid-19.

My two youngest didnt leave the apartment during that time. Id go shopping every two weeks and not touch certain shopping bags. Wed have to ration everything. Because there was no traffic, youd just hear all the sirens and see people getting stretchered out of buildings by people in hazmat suits. It was beyond belief. I was terrified Id get sick and no one could look after the kids.

Once lockdown ended things went back to normal, but Stack fears they arent out of the woods. I still havent bought the kids uniforms just in case they dont go back.

Stack, who is a director at her husbands company OpticalRooms, an optical testing company based in Ireland, says she is working on reducing digital exposure.

So many of us especially children are spending more time in front of screens for the purposes of home-schooling and entertainment so we offer tips on how to find better home working solutions.

Despite the pending winter of uncertainty, she and her family are happy in Spain. Even though we endured the worst of a pandemic, we still love it here, and have chosen to stay, despite the odds. Its just such a great place to live and we are prepared for whatever comes next.

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We wanted the kids to have a second language so we flew over on a whim - The Irish Times

The summit of Camelback Mountain rises some 2,700 feet above Arizonas Salt River Valley, accessible by a trailhead that attracts serious hikers and aspirational amateurs alike. The journey takes about an hour. The climbers range from pre-teens to AARP members. On mornings in the winter before the 2012 baseball season, the bottleneck included a 30-year-old man whom many in Major League Baseball never expected to see again. Oliver Prez scrambled across the mountains brown rocks and caked his sneakers in its red dirt.

By his side was his friend and trainer Rafael Arroyo. Atop the mountain, they gazed across the desert sprawl of suburban Phoenix. After enough trips, Prez started to talk, about mistakes he had made, about lessons he had learned. He needed to cleanse the venom and humiliation he had endured during his last few years as a failed starting pitcher with the New York Mets. The hikes almost became like therapy sessions, Arroyo...

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The second baseball life of Oliver Prez - The Athletic

On a night designed to recognize his accomplishments as an athlete and longtime coach, Jim Vukovich took the podium at the 2002 Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but rather than talk about himself and his decorated career of more than five decades, he redirected praise toward just about everybody else.

His former Flint Northern teammates, his fellow coaches and his Burton Bentley players made prominent appearances in Vukovichs induction speech in front of 500-some attendees on Dec. 7, 2002 at the Genesys Banquet and Conference Center, and the fact that hed rather talk about them than shine the spotlight on himself was classic Jimmy, said longtime friend Bill Troesken.

If you talked to 50 people in this area who knew him, everyone would have a Vuke story, Troesken said. In his induction to the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame, he almost deflected being the guy and wanted to talk more about his teams, the teams he played on and his players. In his program bio for the ceremony, he mentions more about the people around him than stuff about himself. He was more interested in talking about the accomplishments of the team and his players than himself.

That night, everyone said thats typical Jimmy.

Vukovich died of a heart attack Monday at age 85 and is survived by daughters Ellen (Jim) Klobuchar, Arlene (Stephen) Hildensperger and Jane Vukovich, sister Jennie Calakay, plus five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by wife Barbara Vukovich.

The longtime baseball skipper leaves behind an unmatched coaching legacy at Burton Bentley and an impressive rsum as a player at Flint Northern and the University of Michigan.

A 1953 graduate of Northern, Vukovich starred for the Vikings basketball and baseball teams, earning All-Saginaw Valley Conference honors on the hardwood and helping the ball club win City and Saginaw Valley Conference championships.

On the summer baseball circuit, he played for American Legion Fisher Post 342 and led many of those same Northern players to consecutive state championships in 1951 and 1952.

After graduating from Flint Northern, he earned three varsity letters as a first baseman at the University of Michigan, then guided Montroses boys basketball team to a district title during a three-year run with the Rams, before ending up at Bentley, where he spent the final 37 years of his coaching career.

He coached just about every sport Bentley had to offer at one point or another, but the majority of his success came on the baseball diamond, where he collected a 575-361-5 record, which ranks 31st on the Michigan High School Athletic Associations career wins list.

Bentley High School baseball coach Jim Vukovich watches the action from the dugout. (File | MLive.com)

During that span, Vukovichs teams captured 11 conference championships, seven district title, three regional crowns and Class B state championships in 1973 and 1975.

He earned All-District Coach of the Year honors 10 times, All-Region Coach of the Year recognition twice and was the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association statewide Coach of the Year in 1974, the followed it up with Associated Press Class B Coach of the Year honors in 1976.

In addition to his individual induction into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, Vukovich was inducted as a player with the 1953 Flint Northern baseball team and as a coach with his two state champion Bentley squads.

He was also part of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Associations inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1987 and was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001.

During his induction speech for the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame, Vukovich expressed his love for coaching baseball and what sports in general meant to him.

I liked every day because I was working with young people, he said. I had fun, even on those cold, rainy spring days which were more like winter than baseball weather. Athletics was the center of my universe as a youngster. We had no TV or computer games, so the alternative was to get involved in sports.

That passion for sports and helping young athletes made him one of the most respected members of the community, said Troesken.

He has a great representative for the entire Flint area, and I never heard an individual say that he was even OK. He was perfect, and thats hard to imagine in the day and age we live in now, but he was first-class all the way, Trosken said.

Current Bentley athletic director Scott Bednarski played for Vukovich and described him as the type of coach who never had to scream to get his point across.

When I first met him, he was legendary because he had already won two state championships, so he was almost larger than life and a very tall man, said Bednarski, who graduated from Bentley in 1994. He spoke softly, never really hollered or got too high or too low, but everything he said had a purpose, whether it was about baseball or life. He was a very positive guy, and it was an honor to take the field for him.

Perhaps no player knew the legendary longer than Bill McLemore, who served as Bentleys bat boy at age 8, played for the Bulldogs until he graduated in 1984 and later returned to Vukovichs dugout as an assistant coach.

It was the time on the practice field that I remember the most, McLemore said. He was as father figure to thousands of kids. We were blessed at Bentley. He always took the approach of being really laid back and not being that fiery Rah-rah type of guy, but we won a ton of games.

He was larger than life, but yet so personable.

Vukovichs impact extended well beyond the players he coached thanks to his dedication as an educator -- first as a teacher and later as a counselor at Bentley, where he played an instrumental role guiding countless kids to career paths.

But at the center of it all was his family, and his daughter, Ellen, recalls plenty of afternoons in the dugouts, visits to his classroom and backyard T-ball games.

Hed let us come to his games, and sometimes wed sit in the dugout and run the bases, she said. Hed take us to the school and let us write on the chalkboard in his classroom, and when we were older, hed support us and his grandchildren in sports. Everyone got to play some T-ball in his backyard, and every time, hed try to get them interested in baseball first.

In all the hours Vukovich spent talking with his players, his students and his family, he never brought up was his own personal accomplishments, so his daughter, Arlene, couldnt help but admire his humility when she started learning more about the unassuming coach who carved out a career as one of the best in Michigan high school baseball history.

He was the most humble man Ive ever met in my life, she said. In the past couple days, weve come across all these awards and honors that we didnt know about because he never talked about them.

MORE:

Bentley 1975 baseball state champions honored with hall induction

Beecher gives legendary basketball coach Mose Lacy send-off fit for a king

Flint native and former Detroit Lions DE Herb Orvis, a giant within giants, dies at age 73

Players remember Frankenmuth football coach Budd Tompkins as one of a kind

One of states winningest baseball coaches still going strong in 38th season

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State champ baseball coach Jim Vukovich remembered as first-class all the way - MLive.com

Rutherford County, TNRutherford County Government recently awarded three employees with a $500 scholarship to continue their education.

Rutherford County wants its employees to be engaged and prepared with the tools essential to completing jobs effectively, efficiently, and professionally, said Sonya Stephenson, HR Director. We continue to look for ways to enhance employees abilities and skills and provide them additional training to ensure their success. Since Fall 2014, the County has offered the opportunity to apply for the scholarships to offset employees continuing education costs. Scholarships are awarded twice a year, in the spring and fall.

Sarah Blair, McKinzy Paturno, and Les Pearson were selected as recipients for Fall 2020. Each will receive $500 toward their education.

Blair has been with Rutherford County Sheriffs Office since October 2017 and serves as a Patrol Officer. Currently, shes a K-9 officer and wants to learn how to train other K-9 handlers and their dogs by becoming a Certified K-9 Fitness Trainer. She plans to attend the University of Tennessees College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville via an online curriculum, an in-person workshop, and three case studies. Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh stated, Deputy Blair trained her personal dog before becoming a police officer at Middle Tennessee State UniversityI highly recommend her to receive the scholarship that will benefit the K-9s and the Sheriffs Office.

Paturno has worked for the Probation Department since April 2016. She began as Admin Support but was quickly promoted to Probation Assistant. McKinzy says her experience in her current role has inspired her to pursue a degree in social work. To achieve her goal, she will be attending Motlow State Community College in Smyrna. During her time with the Probation Department, McKinzy and coworker Kelly Lane, developed an outreach program called Olive Branch to assist clients in their office with food and other essential items. Director Alissa Phillips expressed, McKinzy is always eager to learn and willing to step up to become educated in different positionsand has continued to prove herself to be a valuable asset to our team.

Pearson also joined the Probation Department in April 2016 as a Treatment Case Manager. Director Phillips recommended Pearson for the scholarship because he continues to seek out professional development opportunities to assist him with his position. Les assists clients of Probation with programs such as Batterers Intervention, Anger Management, Moral Reconation Therapy, Life Coaching, and Prime for Life DUI classes. Pearson plans to add Relationship Coaching to his certification as a BCC Life Coach through the Institute of Life Coaching. This certification will provide Pearson with an additional layer of training to help him provide counseling and guidance to his clients as a mental health professional.

Rutherford County has top-notch employees and these three are no exception, said Mayor Bill Ketron. I am proud of these individuals and wish them well in their quest for further professional development!

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Rutherford County Awards Three Employees $500 Scholarship for Continuing Education - Wgnsradio