[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING SHARON ZAVALA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON BACON

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 2024

  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Grand Island 
Central Catholic's Sharon Zavala, the winningest high school volleyball 
coach in Nebraska history, who is retiring after 49 seasons.
  Since 1975 Coach Zavala has built a volleyball dynasty at Central 
Catholic. She recruited athletes and cheerleaders back then to start a 
shaky first team but by the end of her career would compile a 1177 win 
220 loss record and 11 state championships after 49 years.
  Zavala was a pioneer in high school volleyball and set the standard 
for girls' sports in Grand Island and the surrounding areas. For her 
efforts she's been inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall 
of Fame, the Northwest High School Athletic Hall of Fame (Zavala 
graduated from Northwest), the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame (Zavala's alma 
mater) and the National High School Hall of Fame.
  In 2007 she was awarded the National High School Athletics Coaches 
Association National High School Volleyball Coach of the Year and won 
the Independent Girls' Coach of the year three times during her tenure.
  Few coaches have demonstrated Zavala's dedication and passion to high 
school volleyball. In 49 years she's missed only one practice due to a 
positive Covid test. She is devoted to players past and present and is 
responsible for the careers of many successful coaches whom she coached 
at Central Catholic. Her players speak of her quiet demeanor and her 
ability to stay calm during close matches. Notably, she has maintained 
long-time relationships with 49 years of players and is very proud to 
have coached daughters whose mothers played for her the previous 
generation.
  Zavala attributes her calm demeanor to the traditions she's 
meticulously followed through the years. Every match, she says, has 
begun with a ``Hail Mary''. Her players dedicated themselves to the 
recitation of the prayer at every match and noted that it always calmed 
and focused them.
  Grand Island Central Catholic is grateful for Zavala's many 
contributions to the school history and for helping to develop girls' 
sports at a time when boys' sports was the only show in town. Thanks to 
Zavala, hundreds of girls in Grand Island and in Central Nebraska have 
experienced the thrill, hard work, and perseverance and rewards of 
girls' athletics.
  Sharon Zavala has been a role model, leader and certainly a gift to 
Grand Island Central Catholic, to the Grand Island community, and to 
the state of Nebraska.

                          ____________________