INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 11, 2010) - Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country have been selected 2009 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in one "other" category that is not included in these 20 categories. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year in which they receive their award. This year's awards recognize coaches for the 2008-09 school year.

Barry Chooljian of Timberlane High School in Plaistow, New Hampshire has been named National High School Coach of the Year for wrestling.

Chooljian is a former USA Wrestling State Chairperson for New Hampshire. 

Other recipients of this year's national awards for boys sports are:

Curt Bladt, football, Harlan (Iowa) High School; Norm Persin, basketball, Oak Hill (Ohio) Local Union School; Karl Koonce, track and field, Pearcy (Arkansas) Lake Hamilton High School; Dean Jones, baseball, Chesnee (South Carolina) High School; Robert Weir, soccer, Plano (Texas) Senior High School; Tony Rowe, cross country, Owensboro (Kentucky) Daviess County High School; David Ghareeb, golf, Grand Rapids (Michigan) East Grand Rapids High School; Rivers Lynch, tennis, Myrtle Beach (South Carolina) High School; and Bill Reichle, swimming and diving, Martinsville (New Jersey) The Pingry School. 

Recipients of the 2009 NFHS national awards for girls sports are:

Don Petranovich, basketball, Winslow (Arizona) High School; Ronald Smith, track and field, Klamath Falls (Oregon) Henley High School; Linda Lampkin, volleyball, Hermann (Missouri) High School; Mike Jodoin, softball, Eugene (Oregon) North Eugene High School; Frankie Whitlock, soccer, San Antonio (Texas) Ronald Reagan High School; Tracy Waters Miller, tennis, Barrington (Illinois) High School; Eldon "Pete" Moss, cross country, Benzonia (Michigan) Benzie Central Schools; Ronald Johns, swimming and diving, Littleton (Colorado) Chatfield High School; Kathleen DeBonis, field hockey, Bridgewater (New Jersey) Bridgewater-Raritan High School; and Jodi Schoeck, golf, Barrington (Illinois) High School. 

The recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for other sports is Charles Apel, boys lacrosse, Bridgewater (New Jersey) Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

In addition to the 21 National Coaches of the Year, the NFHS Coaches Association has selected Gelaine Orvik of Fargo, North Dakota, as the recipient of the National Coach Contributor Award. This award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond and who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, moral character, and who carries the endorsement of his or her respective state high school association. 

Orvik, who has been executive secretary of the North Dakota High School Coaches Association for 30 years, is currently executive director of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. He has coached a number of sports over the years, including boys track and field for 30 years, boys cross country for 14 years, girls cross country for four years, boys basketball for two years and football for 10 years. 

The NFHS has a contact person in each state who is responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches' associations in their respective states. He or she contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach's record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 - Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 - Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 - South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 - Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 - Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 - Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 - West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 - Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY). 

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory board, composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives, which considers the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and selects the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The advisory board forwards those recommendations to the NFHS national office in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The NFHS Coaches Association advisory committee considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, plus one "other" category. 

A total of 342 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards. 

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About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and Rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing Rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.5 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; produces publications for high school coaches, officials and athletic directors; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, spirit coaches, speech and debate coaches and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org.