PHCC Hires Coaches to Lead Softball, Cheerleading
Thursday, March 27, 2008
By RUSS CARTER - Bulletin Sports Writer

Patrick Henry Community College recently added two new women’s athletic programs, and along with them, two new coaches. Kathleen Brown of Omaha, Neb., has been named the women’s softball coach and Jane Leizer, who currently teaches dance, aerobics, and fitness and nutrition at the college, will take on the responsibilities of the cheerleading coach.

Both coaches are hoping to focus on the community in their inaugural seasons. Brown, who is obtaining her master’s degree from Peru State College in Peru, Neb., said she will be getting a late start in recruiting, but she is confident that with the help of Chris Parker, PHCC’s athletic director and baseball coach, she will be able to field a complete team. “We wanted to start out extremely local,” Brown said. “We are hoping to generate interest from the community from having a lot of local girls.”

Brown said she is excited for the opportunity to not only be a head coach, but to build a program as well. “I’ll be learning along with the girls,” Brown added. “But it also is something I’ll be very excited for and something I’ve been looking for. This is an awesome starting point for me.”

Likewise, Leizer is looking forward to the start of her program and is hoping to build a squad to generate support from the area. “This is another way to get out in the community and get involved in the things they really enjoyed in high school,” she said.

Leizer, a former professional dancer with the Rockettes, has run dance companies in Franklin County and at Ferrum College and hopes to add her dance knowledge to the cheering experiences of her students, as well as members of the surrounding community. “We want to put together our skills and hope to come up with a dynamite squad,” Leizer said.

Both programs will start in the fall, pending adequate participation from PHCC students. The cheerleading program will be offered as a one-hour physical education credit to participants, while the softball team will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association. “PHCC is excited about both of these opportunities for women to increase their athletic abilities and continue their academic careers,” Parker said.

PHCC to Field Softball
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By RUSS CARTER - Martinsville Bulletin Sports Writer

Patrick Henry Community College will add women’s softball to its athletic program next fall. Athletic Director Chris Parker said the team is an effort to add more sports opportunities for women at PHCC. “This is a good opportunity for the girls (of the area) to play softball at a collegiate level and continue to get an education right here in their backyard,” Parker said.

Parker said the team will play on the fields at Jack Dalton Park until the college can create a softball field on campus, and he hopes the addition of the sport will add some excitement in the community. “I hope (the program) will build quickly,” he said. “It will build a community among the girls, and it will also give the community something to come out and watch.”

Parker said the college came to the decision to add women’s softball after a failed attempt to start a volleyball team this fall. Due to little or no interest, volleyball didn’t take off, although the college hired a coach on a contingency basis and made all the preparations necessary to field a team, Parker said.

He said he believes that because the college volleyball season begins on Aug. 1, those who might have been interested were not able to give up the last few weeks of their summer obligations. “We just had to get a feel for what the girls had a passion for,” he said. “It seems like softball was the most sought-after female sport.”

Parker said the college came to that conclusion after several surveys concerning student activities as well as feedback from physical education classes at PHCC. He said the decision was based on what the college thought would impact PHCC and the surrounding community the most.

Parker added that the college will continue the program even if the first season is slow to take off. “We really want to see women excel on and off the field just like our men’s teams,” he added.

Currently, PHCC hosts three men’s sports, including basketball, baseball and wrestling. Softball will join the women’s basketball team as the only other women’s sport. Parker said he is confident in the team being able to fill its schedule because there are eight schools in the region that field women’s softball teams.

The softball program will join the college just as it begins to play in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) next fall. Playing as a junior college gives PHCC’s athletic programs more credibility, Parker said.

PHCC will be the first community college in Virginia to compete in the NJCAA. Currently, the college is searching for a coach for the team. “We’ve talked to a lot of the girls around here but want to leave it up to whoever we hire as coach to recruit,” Parker said. He added that the program will build more quickly if the team utilizes the talent of local softball players.

The team will not practice regularly until the summer, but Parker said he wants to hire a coach soon and let him or her begin trying to fill a roster. “We just want to let people know (about the team) so they can begin to make up their minds before the spring,” he said.