Kerry Sherman is adding his name to the list of recipients for the Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Media Award.
The Media Award is given to an organization (newspaper, radio, television station, etc.) or individual who has significantly supported Colorado high school athletics through the media.
“My ultimate goal is to get as many kids as much attention I can get them,” Sherman said in an interview last week.
Sherman, a Washington County native, said his love affair with sports goes back to when he was four-years-old after he checked out a Major League Baseball rule book from the Akron Public Library.
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“I read that book cover to cover more times than you could count,” he added.
As he grew, the more sports he could watch as a fan the better, but he would also break down the ins and outs of everything. In high school, he played what sports he could, but his ultimate goal was to be a coach.
A few years after high school, and before his brother, Jeff’s, senior season, he went on a mission to get the Woodlin School more coverage.
“There were some really good kids there at that time, and I was determined,” he said.
So, Sherman stopped into the Akron News-Reporter one Friday and gave Bonnie Miller and Karen Ashley as much of his mind he could spare. Karen Ashley, being her Karen Ashley self, asked Sherman if he wanted to be a part of the problem or part of the solution. The News-Reporter was in need of someone to write sports.
Sherman laughed, “The funny thing was that I didn’t do any more writing in high school than I had to. There was no school newspaper, I wasn’t involved in the yearbook.”
The following Monday, Sherman did his typing test, and the rest is history. For the last 33 years, Sherman has been covering high school sports and has had features in nearly every publication in the state of Colorado. In 2011, he started radio broadcasting occasionally, but for the last five years, has been a constant for KNAB FM out of Burlington.
During his time coaching, Sherman built relationships with several members of CHSCA. To be nominated for the Media Award, it has to come from an active member of the association, though he’s unaware of who nominated him.
“To be nominated, I know I made an impact somewhere along the line as a coach. When I look at the list starting with Scott Stocker and there are so many huge names on there, and for me to be included…wow, do I really belong on this list? I’m my own biggest critic, but to be on a list that includes Marcia Neville, Tony Rayl and Bobby Fernandez, I know someone has been paying attention to what I’m doing,” Sherman said.
Currently, Sherman writes all of the high school sports for the Burlington Record and the Springfield Plainsman Herald. Additionally, he covers the smallest classifications for the Mile High Prep Report, and writes a quarterly sports column for Real Deals Magazine in Lamar.
Even with his busy plate of print and radio broadcasting, Sherman has no plans of slowing down.
“I figure when I say my final goodbye will be right before my actual final goodbye,” Sherman joked. “The wear and tear does get to me sometimes, and I think I need to scale back, but then I think of all of the kids and parents who have told me that something positive I said lifted their spirits. I look deeper than that stat sheet, because you never know who needs that boost. I saw my name in the paper twice when I was in school, but it made me smile, and every time I write I think of that 16-year-old boy that was me.”
Sherman will be officially presented with his award during the CHSCA Hall of Fame Ceremony on April 15.
“To be able to share a night with any of those names going in is amazing. Going back to second grade, all I ever wanted to be was a coach. Even though I’m not going in for coaching, to be recognized among them is amazing. It’s truly very humbling. I’m just a simple farm kid who doesn’t like being the center of attention, but these last few weeks have really warmed my heart. I still go back to that first day and if it hadn’t been for my brother and Karen, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Neither are still around, but I know both are still with me and smiling. The Akron paper will always have a special place in heart,” Sherman finished.
