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 54,364 Number of Student-Athletes that competed in an NJCAA sport during the 2008-09 academic year.
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North Platte's Thalken gets 800th win
October 24, 2009
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd spend my career here and see 800 wins," said Thalken, shaking her head in disbelief. "I guess we must be doing something right." Although Thalken is exceedingly modest about her accomplishments, her success as a coach cannot be denied. Her teams qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) National Tournament in 1984, 2004, 2007; she has been named Region IX, Division II "Coach of the Year" numerous times; and she was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2003. Not too shabby for someone who never set out to be a coach. "Some kids want to be a coach, so they teach," Thalken said. "I wanted to be a teacher and ended up coaching." Thalken said her desire to teach came about as a result of a teacher she had at Ogallala High School, Mr. Ken Meyer. "I wasn't a great student at all, but he made it fun," Thalken said. After graduating from high school in 1971, Thalken headed to Kearney State College in hopes of becoming a biology teacher. She also took up swimming, and it was there that she got her "first taste of competition." As she made her way through college, Thalken said she found herself growing weary of all the labs that were required in her career field. At the same time, she connected with many people who were involved in athletics and found herself growing more interested in those areas. She ultimately changed her major to physical education, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education in 1975 and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration in 1989. With her newly earned bachelor's degree in hand, Thalken took a job as the K-12 physical education instructor and volleyball, basketball and track coach at Ainsworth High School in 1975. "I experienced some success as a coach in Ainsworth and it inspired me to head in that direction a little more," Thalken said. When Thalken was offered a job at the college in 1981, she viewed it as an opportunity that was too good to pass up. She also didn't plan on staying long. "Here I am, 29 years later and still going!" Thalken said laughing. Thalken said there have been many "highs" through the years, such as taking teams to nationals and being inducted into the Hall of Fame. There have also been a few "lows" that include player injuries and teams that just don't quite live up to their potential. The one thing that has remained consistent, according to Thalken, is the tremendous amount of support she and her team continually receive from the administration at the college. "It's been an easy place to work," Thalken said. "I have the freedom to run the program how I want to and I really appreciate that." She is also extremely appreciative of the support she and the team have received from communities in the area throughout the years. Thalken said when things get difficult she sometimes imagines how nice it might be to have a 9 to 5 job that she could leave behind at the end of the day, but she always comes to the realization that her passion lies in coaching students and helping them be the best they can be. So, with an impressive list of accomplishments and 800 wins under her belt, what comes next for the veteran coach? "Win game 801," Thalken said with a grin.
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North Platte Community College Coach Sally Thalken gets congratulations and the game ball from the Lady Knights Volleyball Team as they celebrate Thalken's 800th win on Oct. 20 at McCook Community College.