At the conclusion of every winter season there is speculation about who will be back and who will be making a change - with this year being no exception. There were some big moves to report in all divisions. Starting in class AA we had some long time coaches depart from top-performing Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield. They have replaced their entire coaching staff after the resignation of Kelly Newlin and Kerry Marshall*, with Marshall remaing on the MADT board of directors. Their new coach is Brittany Fowler, a Totino Grace graduate who was a varsity assistant at Andover. Fergus Falls, Orono, and Rocori will all look to have new coaches in AA.
*Corrected on 8/24, sorry Kerry!
*Corrected on 8/24, sorry Kerry!
In class A, state champions Cannon Falls saw the departure of their entire staff after 4 years in their current arrangement. The varsity coaches Carrie Pommier, Erin (Hawkinson) Kruesi, and Amanda Hemmingson-Jager all drove the hour trek to Cannon and just couldn’t make the commitment anymore-handing the program over to Northfield grad and Marshall dance team coach, Madi Salisbury. Also in class A, Lake City, Wabasha-Kellogg, and Lakeview will add new assistants to their existing programs.
In AAA, Spring Lake Park took Jennifer Blaido away from the Burnsville program to be their new head coach – a logical choice for her since she is a north metro resident. Burnsville in turn hired their varsity assistant Anna Lardy to be their head coach for 2012. Park of Cottage Grove took on former Cannon Falls assistant Amanda Hemmingson-Jager as their new program head, and Duluth Denfeld, Edina, and St. Francis all also added new head coaches from their respective areas. New AAA assistants will appear at Andover, Eagan, Chanhassen, and Roseville.
When all the dust settles from the yearly changes it will be interesting to see the impact new coaching staff(s) will have on existing dynasties and programs with less of a successful history. Time will tell how these changes will impact the competitive landscape, but I wish all the new coaches the best of luck in their new endeavors!
Anyone else I missed?? Add comments below to share the new hires!
Class A Duluth Marshall also has new coaches this year. Erin Strey was the assistant coach last year and is now the head coach. Her sister Allison Strey is the new assistant coach. Both are Burnsville alumni and University of MN Duluth students.
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