Coach shows girls ‘what a strong woman can do in this world’

By John Shaughnessy

The tributes from parents touched Jennifer Wood-Thompson. They also affirmed the approach that the mother of three has taken as a basketball coach for more than 25 years.

The tributes helped lead to her selection for the 2022 St. John Bosco Award, the highest honor given by the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization.

A parent of two daughters wrote, “She has been a terrific example for them, always modeling good sportsmanship, Christ-like behavior and a good work ethic. She shows them daily what a strong woman can do in this world.”

Another parent described her approach to her teams at Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis this way: “She always looks out for the child’s needs first, then the needs of the team, then the chance to win.”

These and more tributes all connect to one of Wood-Thompson’s favorite memories from coaching.

“There was a girl I coached. It’s been a while. Her younger sister was a better athlete and made the ‘A’ team, and she was on the ‘B’ team. I knew how hard that was for her. I told her I needed her to be a leader, and she was. I saw her not that long ago. You could tell she had an appreciation for me.”

At Christ the King, Wood-Thompson has been the girls’ basketball coordinator, the gym scheduler and the sports website administrator. She has also coached boys and girls in a variety of sports. Still, she has a special place in her heart for the girls’ basketball teams she coaches.

She strives to give them an experience similar to the one she had when she played multiple sports at Washington Catholic High School in Washington, Ind., in the 1980s.

“I learned to compete. I learned camaraderie. They say that girls are more self-confident and have greater success if they’ve played a sport. They learn to be on a team, to count on each other, to be strong independent women.

“I always make a special point that I don’t want them saying anything negative about their teammates. There’s a strong bond between teammates.”

She also works to help them create a strong bond to their faith, by having them go to Mass together at times, stressing sportsmanship, and praying before games and practices.

“You want them to be the person who lives their faith, who lives like a Christian. If you look out for people in your life, you’ll come out OK.” †

Related story: Archbishop salutes CYO volunteers ‘for giving of themselves’