GREEN RIVER — A group of Green River High School softball players are protesting Sweetwater County School District No. 2’s decision not to renew Blair McEndaffer’s coaching contract for next year’s season.
The girls rallied outside the Central Administration Building Wednesday afternoon with signs in support of McEndaffer, and they plan to keep protesting until the school district rescinds their decision. While the school district has not commented on their reasoning for not renewing the contract, several members of the softball team have been very outspoken with their support for their former head coach.
“We were all pretty mad about it, and confused as to why they weren’t renewing her contract,” Chacee Shiner said. Shiner has played under McEndaffer for three seasons, and is heading into her senior year this upcoming school year.
Both Shiner and recent graduate Terryn Avery spoke to McEndaffer’s dedication to coaching, stating that she was selected as the West Conference Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2023.
“I just think it’s unfair,” Shiner said. “She got coach of the year twice and it just doesn’t make sense.”
When Avery heard that McEndaffer’s contract was not being extended for the 2025 season, she said she was shocked. She pointed to the growth the team has had under McEndaffer, who was the program’s first and only head coach since softball was sanctioned as a high school sport in Wyoming in 2019, and the first season kicking off in 2020. While the girls didn’t win any games their first season, they have qualified for the state tournament for the past three consecutive years.
“I was really shocked because I played under Blair for four years and… having a team that knows what they’re doing and a coach that knows what she’s doing, and then to have people say she’s this awful person is just this mind boggling thing to me. Especially because she won coach of the year two years in a row. There’s a reason for that,” Avery said.
Members of the team do not plan on stopping with one protest to try to get McEndaffer back as their coach. They plan to protest again next week, and they will be speaking to the school board at the July 16 meeting.
We plan on going to the board meeting to get her back.
~ Chacee Shiner, GRHS softball player
Avery added that they will go to as many meetings as it takes.
“If we have to get into a petition then we’ll do that. I know that a lot of us won’t stop until it happens,” Avery said.
While many coaches do not have their contracts renewed for various reasons, this situation has rocked several of the Wolves softball players.
“She’s more than just a coach, and she’s supported all of us. She’s there for you on and off the field,” Shiner said.
Avery believes McEndaffer’s coaching has shaped her into the player and person she is today, stating that she doesn’t think there’s anyone else who can do the job as well as McEndaffer.
“Blair’s probably the only person in Sweetwater County who actually knows what she’s doing,” Avery said. “She’s a coach, not everyone is always going to agree with what she says or what she does but in the end, I know I’m a better athlete and a better person playing under her than I would be playing under anyone else. And I’ve been playing for almost 12 years so I’ve had a lot of coaches in my time.”
“Blair has so much love for the game and for us girls, her team. And she has so much knowledge that I don’t think anyone is more passionate about the game or about us as she is.”
~ Terryn Avery, former GRHS softball player
Michael Burns, who will be a sophomore this upcoming school year, only got to play under McEndaffer for one year, but she spoke to her positive experience on the team.
“She’s just a very, very, very good coach, and she does more than just coach us. She prioritizes us over a lot of other things and she cares about us very, very much, and we care about her too,” Burns said. “The fact that she treats us the way she does, it’s honestly hard to talk about because I’m in shock.”
