SweetwaterNOW congratulates the Class of 2019 Rock Springs High School Hall of Fame inductees. We will feature each inductee throughout the week leading up the banquet on Saturday, September 7. Profile features are made possible by Tanner Family Dentistry.
Sheila Syvrud – Outstanding Coach
Sheila retired from SSD1 following 43 years of service, teaching physical education and health and 31 years coaching Rock Springs High School Gymnastics.
She graduated from Jamestown High School in 1970 with hopes of becoming a nurse, having been awarded a substantial nursing scholarship from Jamestown College, a small but prestigious school In North Dakota.
The Budding Gymnast
In her youth, she participated in gymnastics at the recreation level then competed scholastically through the junior high and high school level in the only high school sport for women at that time (before Title IX). She lettered all six years, being a member of six state championship teams and holding several state titles in several events.
Sheila (far left, middle) has been a guiding source for many teachers and coaches at RSHS. 
Sheila and the women in her family.
Sheila had some unique opportunities while participating in Jamestown High School Gymnastics. She learned the practice and art of teaching and coaching from a true trailblazer and advocate for women in sport that were unvaluable to her in the future.
She was coached and mentored by Delores Paulson, a gifted advocate for women’s high school sports and activities who coached gymnastics, girls’ dance/drill team and started gymnastics in North Dakota.
Sheila garnered opportunities to continue to teach and coach throughout college by serving as an Assistant Gymnastics Coach for two years for Jamestown High School, while attending college.
Rock Springs Came Calling
Sheila graduated Magna Cum Laude from Jamestown College In 1974, and married her husband John Syvrud the next day. In May of that year, she was hired over the phone to teach in Rock Springs. She was the first in her class to be hired that year.
Sheila was hired the same year White Mountain Junior High was being built, so she taught a “second shift”. She taught two classes at East Jr. High, 7th and 8th grade physical education, health, and swimming, while also teaching a full schedule of elementary physical education classes at Washington and Roosevelt Schools. She was also asked to coach girls swimming that year while the regular swimming coach was on sabbatical.
Sheila with daughter Ellie. 
Sheila has started her own company, Brain Niche, a kinesthetic tutoring program helping people who struggle with focus.
A New Sport Develops at RSHS
In the spring of 1975, Sheila petitioned SSD1, with the help of her A.D.,George (Bud) Nelson, to add women’s gymnastics to the Rock Springs High School sports roster. She was granted a summer gymnastics program for girls ages 6-17 to assess the interest and feasibility of offering a high school program in the fall of 1975.
The success of the initial summer program convinced the school board to establish gymnastics at RSHS. Wyoming had 14 other teams competing in gymnastics at the times. With the support of M. Jack Smith, Dr. Wallendorf, Bud Nelson,and Bob Carmine, gymnastics was established,and financed, and Sheila’s coaching career was born.
During Sheila’s coaching career, her teams won Wyoming Gymnastics State Meet Championships three times, were runners up 8 times, and were Wyoming Conference Champions 13 times.
After 31 years coaching gymnastics, Sheila’s career has included many awards, opportunities,and to experience many honors and accolades. However,the opportunity to coach hundreds of athletes, establish lifelong relationships with many of her athletes, assistant coaches, coaches and judges has been the mark of success for her career.
Many times, Sheila felt that she had “died and gone to heaven!” for all the experiences afforded her. Sheila often stated, “I love to teach, but I live to coach!”, and Rock Springs, Wyoming, has been the best place in world for her to coach.
Career Honors
In 1996, Sheila was recognized as one of 36 educators in the United States as a finalist in the McDonald Disney Teacher of the Year Awards as one of three finalists in the Coaching Division.
The Disney recognition was followed on the heels of being named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches in 1996.
Also in 1996, Sheila became the first women honored by Jamestown College, with the Rollie Greeno Award, an award for her Outstanding Commitment In the Fields of Education and Coaching and the Sweetwater Community Pride Award from the City of Rock Springs. In 1997,Sheila was inducted into the Wyoming High School Activity Association’s Hall of Fame. She was, at the time, only the third women so honored.
In 1998, she served on the Wyoming High School Activity Association Board member from 1992-1994 Also in 1994, she was presented the Coaching Sportsmanship Award and her 1994 Gymnastics Team was awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award at the State Meet.
Sheila was awarded the NHSACA Region 7 Special Sports Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2005.
Sheila was also awarded the National High School Athletic Coaches Special Sports Coach of Year from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 2005. She served on the NHSACA National Board from 1992-1998 as Special Sports representative and as the Gymnastics Presenter at the NHSACA South Dakota High School Gymnastics Convention in Aberdeen, SO in 1998.
Sheila was selected by AAPHERD (American Association of Physical Education, Health Recreation and Dance–now Shape) for the prestigious National Pathfinder Award.This award is presented for Outstanding Women in Sport in 2005 and again in 2013. She was also named WAPHERD Dance Teacher of the year twice and WAPHERD Physical Educator of the Year in 2003.
Brain Niche
After her gymnastics career, Sheila decided to pursue her Master’s Degree in Education with a Brain-based learning emphasis, through the Nova Southwestern University in Tampa Florida.
From 2010-2018, she augmented her Master’s Degree to study brain research to use the concepts apply and accelerate learning in the classroom.
Preceding her retirement from 2013-2018, Sheila studied with Andrew Mellon of Brain Works of Utah to create her new company, BRAIN NICHE a new and exciting kinesthetic academic tutoring program to help people of all ages struggling with focus, attention, concentration, working memory, visual tracking, or processing issues.
This one of a kind program addresses these issues during a one-time, 7-week parent involved experience designed to help correct learning issues, make learning easier for individuals age 8-adult.
Brain Niche also assists with team and individual mental training for performance. Sheila is still participating actively in the educational arena during her retirement years, and intends to continue her career by helping struggling students succeed.
Since 2015, Sheila has worked summers for BOCES, working with children creating fun, four day adventures. She has enjoyed the challenges and adventures of substitute teaching which goes to prove, “once a teacher, always a teacher!
