Tipton Magazine June 2023

THE PLAYER BECOMES THE COACH

It’s hard to decide if Lela Gillmann was more successful in the classroom, on the basketball court or on the golf course. She is the epitome of an outstanding studentathlete.

Gillmann graduated from Tipton High school in 2014 and was top 10 in her graduating class, ending her four years with academic honors. She lettered every year in both varsity golf and basketball, and was a three-time regional qualifier and four-time All-Hoosier Athletic Conference recipient in golf. On the court, Gillmann was two-time all-conference, and named all-area in her junior and senior years on the basketball team. She capped off her high school athletic career with three basketball sectional championships and one regional championship.

Gillmann headed to Indiana University Kokomo after graduating from Tipton High School, where she continued to excel academically and athletically.

“I graduated with academic honors from IU Kokomo in 2018 and received the Outstanding Future Educator award during my student teaching,” Gillmann says. “I played basketball my freshman and sophomore years, and was on the golf team my sophomore, junior and senior years.” Women’s basketball and golf were in their inaugural year when Gillmann played.

“This was a challenge because we started from the ground up,” she says. “We had to lay the foundation for what we wanted the programs to be. In my three years on the

GIVING BACK

LELA GILLMANN FINDS

FULFILLMENT TEACHING AND COACHING IN TIPTON SCHOOLS

golf team, we had three different coaches. It was a challenging few years, but I think those years helped me become the coach and person I am today.”

Tipton High School prepared Gillmann to be competitive. “Graduating from Tipton made me strong, high-achieving, and independent in the classroom and within athletics,” she says.

Gillmann went on to obtain her masters from Western Governors University in 2021 in curriculum and instruction, and in 2022 was named an Outstanding Career Educator from the IU Kokomo School of Education.

Currently, Gillmann is in her fifth year of teaching second grade at Tipton Elementary, is the women’s varsity basketball coach, and is in her fifth year of coaching middle school golf. Her drive and success as a coach started when she coached middle school volleyball, sixth-grade basketball and, eventually, junior-varsity basketball.

Above all, Gillmann loves giving back to her students and athletes, and instilling values of what it means to be a Tipton Blue Devil. “Having pride in our community, working hard and creating relationships is important at every level,” she says. “I have my first group of students that are now in sixth grade that come back and chat, and I really enjoy seeing how much they have grown.”

As a coach, Gillmann has enjoyed working with athletes on the mental and physical aspects of the game. “Talking and

understanding that both sides of the game are extremely important - I hope that if I can help a middle schooler or high schooler understand that, then they can carry that into life and do big things,” she says.

Gillmann notes that her parents, along with Paul Stowers, have been a huge influence on her life. “My mom coached me since I was in kindergarten and I’m not sure my dad missed many, if any, games growing up,” she says. “They have made me the person I am today. Paul Stowers also made an impact on my return to coach and teach at Tipton. From a young age I watched him coach, love the game of basketball, the town of Tipton, and invest in the athletes of Tipton schools. I admire him in all aspects of life as his encouragement and support is something I will never forget.”

It has always been a dream of Gillmann’s to teach and coach, but it was ultimately the Tipton community that brought her home. “I want to give back to all the people that invested in my academic and athletic career,” she says. Gillmann’s family was also a draw to stay local.

“My parents are Mike and Laurie Crawford,” she says. “They both graduated from Tipton High School and own a golf course in Tipton County. I also was married on that golf course last October to Austin Gillmann. Tipton is my home and what made me who I am, and I hope I can instill those same values into kids now. I want to help them be a better person and prepare them for the next step in life, whatever that may be.”

Olivia Gonzalez truly embodied the term ‘student-athlete’ while at Tipton High School, and then some. The 2016 Tipton graduate was part of National Honor Society, student council, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and also topped off her high school career by graduating top 10 in her class.

Athletically, Gonzalez was on the varsity basketball and softball team, both of which saw success. She was part of the 2014 sectional and regional championship team in basketball, and part of the conference title team in softball. She also received an all-conference award two years in a row, and, perhaps most important, the mental attitude award.

After graduating from Tipton, Gonzalez attended Taylor University where she played softball and majored in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine.

“The biggest part of being a studentathlete in college was knowing when to buckle down and stay focused, and when to let loose and relax,” Gonzalez says. “Fortunately and unfortunately, I was one of the two pre-med majors on the softball team, so there were several times that I had to remind myself of my goals and to stay focused.”

Gonzalez remembers bus rides full of euchre and karaoke on the way home from games while she and her teammate, the other pre-med major, were hitting the books. She admits that being disciplined in her studies and athletics was the hardest

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

OLIVIA GONZALEZ TALKS FORMER

STUDENT DAYS - AND CURRENT TEACHING DUTIES - AT TIPTON HIGH SCHOOL

part of coming to college.

“It was such a challenge, but I knew I could easily overcome it because of the opportunities and experience I had while at Tipton High School,” she says. “I learned what time management and discipline looked like from an early age.”

Gonzalez recommends going to a smaller school for the resources, clubs and activities available, many providing support while juggling studies and athletics. She credits being so involved in high school for her success in college.

Now she is in her first year teaching integrated chemistry and physics, honor physics, and Earth and space science, back where it all began - at Tipton High School - and acknowledges former teachers for her return.

“Nick Comer was single-handedly the biggest influence on me in high school, and not just with athletics,” she says. “He did everything in his power to make sure that his players were not only excelling on the court, but excelling in life. He taught me the very definition of hard work, reliability, and made a huge impact on my faith as well. He was there for us as players through every high and every low.”

For Gonzalez, returning home has meant staying close to her family as well as her husband’s.

“Returning to Tipton has meant everything to my husband and I,” Gonzalez says. “We

are both from Tipton, so being back home has been really fun for both of us. The community of Tipton is truly something special, and you don’t fully realize it until you’re in it. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but here.”

Gonzalez is most proud of her students. What stands out most to her are the kids who are willing to help each other, no matter who is asking, and she credits a great first year of teaching to that uplifting positivity. She’s also proud of the relationships she’s been able to build with her students and players.

“Teaching has been the greatest joy thus far,” she says. “I care so deeply for my students and my softball players. They are my ‘why’ every single day when it comes to teaching/coaching. Seeing them grow as individuals throughout the year has been so heartwarming and encouraging.”

Alec Weddell and sports, especially Tipton sports, are synonymous. A 2018 Tipton High School graduate who was a threesport athlete in basketball, golf and tennis, Weddell has always been surrounded by athletics. His parents, Scott and Jill Weddell, owned and operated The Cage, a basketball and baseball complex for youth sports development, for many years. His brothers, Cam and Grayson, are also in Tipton. Cam was previously an assistant coach for the Tipton eighth-grade boys basketball team, and Grayson does broadcasting for the Tipton boys and girls basketball teams. Most recently, Grayson is working as a commentator for the Kokomo BobKats.

Weddell was a two-time sectional champion for the basketball team, as well as a member of the All-Hoosier Athletic Conference golf team in addition to being a regional qualifier. His athletic achievements landed him on the golf team at Indiana University Kokomo, where he played all four years.

“I felt pretty prepared for college and playing on the golf team because my older brother, Cam, was also a member of the IU Kokomo golf team,” Weddell says. “He helped guide me through the first two years of my college career and helped me balance my athletics with my academics really well.”

Strong ties to Tipton and the athletic community are two of the reasons Weddell returned to his former high school to teach and coach after graduating from IU Kokomo.

“I’m five months into my new role as

TRUE TO HIS SCHOOL

ALEC WEDDELL RELISHING NEW ROLE AS ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND COACH FOR TIPTON SCHOOLS

the assistant athletic director for Tipton Schools,” he says. “On top of that, I am the assistant varsity coach for the high school boys basketball team. I was also the head coach for our eighth-grade boys team this past season.”

Weddell now understands why coaches always want to bring out the best in kids. “Being an athlete once upon a time, and now becoming a coach, I get it,” he says. “Whether that would be getting excited for something I did well, or if I did not do something well, I now understand why coach sounded mad at me. This has really helped me understand what coaches see versus what the players do not quite understand yet.”

Weddell’s toughest part of his new job is something everyone struggles with. “It’s really difficult to please everyone,” he says. “This is how it is with almost every job, however. You will find that some people think really highly of you and then others who may see you in a different way.”

Lou Lefevre, Weddell’s high school basketball coach, and Cliff Hawkins, the current head coach, helped shape Weddell and what he wanted to do with his life. Their influence on him, combined with their opposite approaches to coaching, set the tone and foundation for Weddell’s future in athletics. “They have had a great influence on me, and I am really blessed to be involved with two of the most legendary coaches in Indiana basketball history,” he says.

Weddell’s career goal is to shape his students

to be leaders. “How you interact and talk to kids is crucial for how you envision them to become down that road,” he says. “How you teach and coach them comes from experiences with those before you, and I have worked with some great leaders throughout my life that helped guide me to this point.”

Being an exemplary student-athlete is important to Weddell. He looks for his students to be leaders in the classroom and on the court or field, along with being respectful to those in the communityespecially how they interact with the next generation of youth students and athletes. The Tipton community has been lucky to land Weddell, who is committed to staying in the area.

“Being born and raised in Tipton, the love the community has for each other is something you hardly find anywhere else in the country,” he says. “We have great people here in Tipton and it was an easy decision for me to stay involved in my hometown.”

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Gracie Gerty Elaine Buster

Jordan Marie Carlyle

Breighzion Eugene Carpenter

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Elisha David Carver

Samuel Bryan Cline

Lydia Marie Clouser

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Kaleb Alan Cruzan

McKae Hugh Culbertson

Mackenzie Raquel Davis

Gabriela de Oliverira Motta da Silva

Shyann Lynn Deavers

EvaFey Jasmine Deckard

Madison Diane Ehman

Haley Elise Eliserio

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Jade Elizabeth Garmon

Kiana Marie Gillam

Malia Kate Gillam

Niyah Grace Gipson

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Zane Michael Goodrich

Addison Elaine Gremel

Eric Scott Grimes

Gavin Marshal Grismore

Daniel Joseph Hagerty

Gabriel Stacey Hawkins

Kaitlyn May Hearn

Clayton Conrad Henderson

Hannah Diane Henderson

Tristan Ray Henson

Gabrielle Annalee Herron

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Savannah Rose Marie Hill

Julianna Christine Hoover

Ryan Alexander Hopkins

Justin James Horsley

Brielle Paige Hoycus-Rakestraw

Connor Matthew Hussong

Cheyenne Nichole Jackson

Nykolas Eli Jackson

Ukiah Mikalah Johnson

Cheyenne Elizabeth Jones

Levi Thomas Jones

Shaun Matthew Jones

Gracie Jolenn Jung

Jasmine Renee Kerr

Cayden James Knotts

Richard Michael Chevy Lee

Sophia Zuniga Lee

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Brooklyn Paige Lewis

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Austin James Lister

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Ariana Marie Lopez

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Faith Alana Meyers

Kaydance Marie Minnich

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