“Blessed to be a Pointer.”
These were the words spoken multiple times by Scott Schmitz during the naming ceremony in his honor.
Tuesday evening, during the triple dual wrestling match vs. Cuba City/Southwestern/Benton and River Valley, the #PointerNation Gymnasium was officially dedicated as the Scott Schmitz Community Gym.
Superintendent Mitch Wainwright began the ceremony by speaking about Scott’s academic contributions to the district.
Scott was an employee in the Mineral Point Unified School District for 36 years. He started in 1987 as an Instructional Assistant and also taught middle school Phy Ed. During the 1997-98 school year, Scott became a full time PE teacher.
“Tonight we are all in what was his classroom for the last 26 years,” said Wainwright.
In his time here in Mineral Point, Scott helped create a Physical Education program that attempts to instill lifetime fitness activities into all of our students. As a matter of fact, that is one of the courses he taught. The course included opportunities to explore golf, bowling, canoeing, rollerskating, disc golf, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and pickleball.
Also, because of his advanced degree, Scott was able to offer college credit through UW-Oshkosh for archery and badmitten. Any students who opted into these courses were granted college credit for PE and would not need any additional coursework.
“He has left a lasting impact on so many people, here in Mineral Point and beyond,” added Wainwright. “I didn’t take the time to count, but I am sure Scott has been a ‘parent’ for well over a thousand students.”
Retired Athletic Director Vickie Dahl spoke regarding Scott’s coaching contributions.
“We built a very strong working relationship over the last 34 years,” said Dahl. “During those 34 years, we coached volleyball together for 17 years. For 32 years, we worked together as Varsity Wrestling Coach and AD. Scott has also been coaching JV Golf for 11 years.”
During 32 years as Varsity Wrestling Coach, Scott compiled a list of incredible accolades, including:
- 9 SWAL Conference Team Championships
- 17 WIAA Regional Team Championships
- 11 WIAA Sectional Team Championships
- 5 WIAA State Team Championships
- 26 WIAA State Individual Champions
- Career Record 484-144
- Allen E. Bauman Hall of Fame Inductee 2009
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee 2013
- George Martin Hall of Fame Inductee 2016
“My admiration for Scott Schmitz goes beyond his accomplishments,” added Dahl. “He has created a legacy as a teacher and coach. Not only is he humble but he has always been passionate about the sports he coached. For Scott, it was never about him, or the wins and losses, or the championships. It was never about the coaching honors or awards he received during his outstanding coaching career. What was most important for Scott was our student-athletes and their success. Sure, he wanted them to have success in athletics, but most of all he wanted them to succeed in life.”
“My parents taught me good from bad, and just do good,” said Schmitz.