Ridge Point Fall 2023 Volleyball

approval from Fort Bend ISD athletic director Dena Scott. In less than 48 hours, the ball was already rolling at a high rate of speed. Cook’s undeniable powers of persuasion led to generous underwriting sponsorships led by WalMart, C&K Business Consulting, the Houston Texans, and Books Between Kids, plus dozens of other companies and individuals. With their win in the Friday match, the Stars’ designated charity (GiGi’s Playhouse, where a half-dozen Panther volleyball players volunteer regularly) received $3,000; the losing Legends team garnered $1,500 for the Shelter for Cancer Families. About the new hall of famers: Caitlyn Cooper (class of 2015), Skylar Fields (2019) and Reagan Rutherford (2020) emerged as the three inductees after multiple prolonged debates among the voting Hall of Fame committee: Taylor Bannister, Tara Cross Battle (whose daughter Lauren will be a Senior and will be playing her 3rd varsity season in 2023), Cook, Fort Bend ISD assistant athletic director

Rosemary came up to me during a tournament game in August of ‘22, talking about getting more jerseys or something like that,” Smith said. “As we talked, we shared ideas about benefitting current and future Panthers, some stuff that had been on my mind for a year or so. These ideas needed to right kind of people to execute it, and Rosemary’s that kind of person. I mentioned to her the idea of getting a hall of fame. She got excited about it, really quickly. “Later, at the same tournament, Rosemary told me she already had arranged the dates and events with Coach (Lauryn) Bailey. It hatched just from me mentioning it to her.” “(Ridge Point campus athletic co-ordinator overseeing fundraisers) Rick LaFavers approved the fundraiser on that Thursday in August 2022 when Wade and I first started talking about it,” Cook said. “By the time we saw each other at the tournament Saturday, we had all the approvals and paperwork we needed for this fundraiser.” That included an in-writing

FALL 2023 • AT THE NET 15