Local lacrosse coach Margaret Koenig has been involved with leading a number of Hood River lax programs over the years and recently received national recognition for her coaching efforts.
Koenig, who currently coaches Hood River’s 7/8 girls lacrosse team along with Bill Norris and Al Barton, was one of 50 coaches nationwide selected by Positive Coaching Alliance to receive the Double-Goal Coach Award. The honor is bestowed upon coaches who “strive to win while also pursuing the more-important goal of (teaching) life lessons through sports.”
PCA is a national nonprofit that strives to “provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience,” by providing trainings, workshops and other resources. The organization has an illustrious board that contains some big names in sports, such as 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson, World Cup soccer champion and Olympic soccer gold medalist Brandi Chastain, NFL Network analyst and former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, and Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Kerri Strug, just to name a few.
Koenig, who was nominated by Norris, received the award after the field of 2,400 nominees across the nation was whittled down to 150, and then to the 50 finalists. Although Koenig currently coaches the 7/8 team, she was instrumental in helping the Hood River Valley High School girls lacrosse team get off the ground 10 years ago. According to an April 2006 article in the News, Koenig volunteered her time coaching the fledgling team formed of dedicated athletes, who started the team on their own without a coach, teaching themselves the fundamentals of the East Coast sport and training by running from HRVHS to Westside Elementary.
Last year, Koenig, along with Norris and Barton, led the 7/8 team to the state finals, ultimately losing to Lake Oswego. The team posted a 9-1-2 record.
Koenig has been a resident of Hood River since 1996. In addition to coaching, she is also a psychologist with a private practice in town.
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