Coaches Hislop, Gunderson awarded after state titles

By Trent Makela / Leader Staff

A banner year for girls' spring sports at Polson High School netted the school a pair of state championships, and now coaches from both teams have been selected as the state's best by their peers.

Long-time coaches Bob Hislop, of girls' tennis, and Bob Gunderson, of girls' track, have both been voted as Coach of the Year in their respective categories by members of the Montana Coaches Association.

Hislop has been coaching tennis in Polson for the past 17 years and won his first state team title this season with his daughter Cali helping to lead the way. He also coached track and tennis at Malta and Bigfork for an additional 10 years before his arrival in Lake County.

Hislop's award actually came in the "Special Sports" category that is reserved for events that have fewer than 35 head coaches across the state. He shared the girls' honor with Stillwater softball coach John Smith. The award is the first for Hislop, though he placed second during his time in Malta after his track team won a state title.

"This award is a huge deal to me because it is from other coaches," Hislop said. "These people know the work you put in and you hope they have this kind of respect for you."

Gunderson has been coaching various high school sports for the past 39 years, and 32 of those have been with the track teams in Polson. This year's state title was his first leading the girls' team after winning two with the boys in 1981 and 1996.

Gunderson-led teams have produced 46 individual state champions from Polson High School.

The MCA award is Gunderson's third, though he has been nominated 11 times. He was also inducted into the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000.

"When you have good kids and good assistannts you have a pretty good chance for success. We've had good coaches here for 30 years," Gunderson said. "It's not easy to [get the COY award] so you need to enjoy it when you get it. We've lost by one point and two points before so I don't take anything for granted."

The two coaches have a long history of working together and each had a few kind words to say about his fellow award winner.

Gunderson said Hislop's first COY award was well deserved and hard-earned.

"I tell you [Hislop] puts in a lot of hours. I guarantee you he's at the tennis courts right now. He always gives free lessons for the summer to help the kids out," Gunderson said. "His kids are always successful, he just never had a team. He finally got some back for it - big time."

Hislop pointed out that Gunderson's resume speaks for itself, but understates his connection with the athletes themselves.

"I think [Gunderson] understands the athletes. He knows how to score points in a track meet and he's willing to let a quality group of assistants do what they need to do," Hislop said. "Track's tough with all 17 events and he does a great job with it."

The awards will be presented during the annual MCA Clinic on August 7 in Great Falls and both coaches plan to be in attendance.