MIDGET TO HEAD BOTH VOLLEBYALL, GIRLS BASKETBALL

As a youth, Sheila Midget was just one of the guys.

That's why she has separated herself as a coach.

Midget was officially introduced as Cape Central's new girls basketball and volleyball coach Friday and she points back to her school days at Risco as the reason she's so competitive.

"I played on the boys high school baseball team and the boys junior high basketball teams because they didn't have girls teams," said Midget, who will leave her teaching and coaching positions at Branson High. "I was really a tomboy, but I enjoyed it and none of the boys seemed to have a problem with it. Obviously, to be a girl and play with the boys you have to be competitive. And that's one of the things that has driven me to be a coach."

Midget has some impressive credentials.

She brings 13 years of high school coaching experience.

A basketball player at the College of the Ozarks, her career record as a basketball coach is 154-92 (.626 winning percentage).

As a volleyball coach, she led five teams to conference and district championships and took a team to the Final Four. Her career record in that sport is 165-47-17 for a whopping .778 winning percentage.

So Midget will get the opportunity to take over two programs in different situations. The volleyball program has been floundering for some time now, while the basketball team has been solid for at least a decade.

"That's the best part about it," she said. "Going in, I realize in volleyball there's a lot to be done. But it's obvious a lot of things are being done in the basketball program. The kids know what it's like to compete. We just want to take it to the next level."

Midget will replace basketball coach Mark Ruark and volleyball coach Heidi Knaak.