When she opened the email, Sarah Wallace wasn’t sure what to make of the message inviting her to a banquet for being named the state’s high school gymnastics coach of the year.
Unaware that she had been nominated, the Los Altos High coach couldn’t help but wonder if the email was some sort of phishing scam. So before replying, she reached out to her athletic director for verification.
“I had to check with Michelle (Noeth) to see what it was,” she said. “It was so out of the blue.”
Sure enough, it was legit: Wallace was indeed the California Coaches Association State Coach of the Year for her sport. She received her award last month in Redwood City at a banquet honoring all the winning coaches.
“It’s a huge honor,” said Wallace, who has coached the Los Altos and Mountain View gymnastics teams since 2017. “It’s not just some throwaway award. When you see all the people there and the sports represented, it drives home how much of an honor it is.”
To Noeth, who also attended the event, the honor is well-deserved.
“Sarah does an amazing job with our student-athletes, keeping them engaged in her program and organized,” she said. “Every time I’ve walked through practices or watch competitions, she creates a positive atmosphere with her student-athletes, encouraging them – no matter (what) their skills set is – to still compete and give it their best.”
Allie Bricca, a four-year varsity gymnast for the Eagles, agreed.
“Sarah has a lot of faith in the kids,” the 2022 Los Altos High grad said. “She’s real supportive and nonjudgmental and has a go-for-it mentality. She’s also really good at organizing practice and has a lot of knowledge.”
Bricca knew Wallace before either of them were at Los Altos.
“When I was in recreational gymnastics at age 9 or 10, she subbed at Twisters and taught me the back walkover,” Bricca said. “It was really cool; when I got to Los Altos, I told her about that – and she remembered.”
Wallace landed her first coaching job at age 16, working with 5- and 6-year-olds at the club she trained at in Sunnyvale. She didn’t coach high school gymnastics until she was hired at Los Altos.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Wallace said. “You have to find a balance between fun and serious; you want them to have fun, but you also have to set boundaries of expectations. I think I’ve improved in that.”
Working toward her second master’s degree, Wallace also coaches club volleyball and has a job in the athletic department at De Anza College.
“Coaching is the fun escape part of my day,” she said.
The CCA award is a bonus, according to Wallace, who wasn’t sure who nominated her for it. She suspected Noeth, but the AD said it wasn’t her. The Town Crier’s email to CCA president Jed Clark solved the mystery. He said the CCA executive board nominated Wallace based on Los Altos’ 2019 Central Coast Section championship. That marked back-to-back CCS crowns for the Eagles, who had gone 28 years without winning the title before that stretch.
Since Wallace took over the program, Los Altos and/or Mountain View has finished third or higher at CCS every season. This year, the Spartans were second and the Eagles third.
