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By IJAI’HNK HUTCHINSON
Rappahannock 'New* Staff Writer
“The other coaches have been polite but I hear things. They don’t appreciate losing to me,” reported Rappahannock’s junior varsity basketball coach.
A loss is always disappointing but it’s doubly so this year for the opponents of the Junior Panthers. Male egos take a beating when defeat comes at the hands of the only squad in the area to be coached by a woman.
Valerie Gehringer is the first female to lead a boys basketball team at RCHS. She follows in the grand tradition set by Ann Spieker who for years has directed the high school’s predominately male crosscountry contingents through successful seasons.
“I can see in some cases where having a woman coach could work to our advantage." Gehringer acknowledged. “The refs go from shock to total acceptance. I don’t think they discriminate against me. If anything, I think they give me the benefit of the doubt.”
Val applied for the post of JV coach this summer but it wasn’t until practice was already underway that the county school board approved her appointment. Naming a woman as mentor for a boys basketball team
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