Salonen resigns from C-Falls
Accepts teaching job at Glacier High
An era is over in Columbia Falls.
Wildkats girls basketball coach Kris Salonen has resigned.
After six years and 67 victories at the helm of the high school varsity squad, the star athlete from Great Falls was offered a teaching position she couldn't refuse at the new Glacier High School.
"I live in Kalispell and my family has been so divided with me working in Columbia Falls," Salonen said. "My husband has been very supportive. But it takes a toll. Plus my daughter is 10 years old now and I've been gone a lot. I have to do what's best for my family. We live in the new school district and my daughter goes to school at Edgerton and will be going to Glacier."
The Wildkats are fresh off a state tournament appearance in which they went 10-2 in their Northwestern A games - and Salonen didn't have the services of her leading scorer for the entire second half of the season.
"I wasn't ready to give up my head coaching position," she said.
She applied for the head coaching position at Glacier that Doug Hashley was selected for last month. But right before spring break, Glacier offered her the health enhancement position and she called Hashley to let him know she'd be available to help.
"Doug called and asked me if I did get the teaching position if I'd be a part of the staff with him," Salonen said. "He was awesome in doing that. And I took it as a big honor.
"It will be a challenging at first. I will be stepping backwards and working under somebody else. That's going to be hard for me. I could be coaching the sophomores and just building the fundamentals. Patience … Patience will be a big key. But this will be so exciting being a part of something new. The people at Glacier have been so great and everyone is so excited to get going."
Salonen has already been inducted into the Montana Hall of Fame and Grizzly Hall of Fame. She graduated from Great Falls High School in 1985, where her basketball teams took first, second and third at the State AA tournaments. She also ran track, which she is still famous for, and still holds the school's sprinting and hurdling records.
"Basketball was my first love, but track paid the way for me," Salonen said. "I got a scholarship for track to UM. That was my forte. After college, my first teaching position was in Ronan and I coached the varsity track there for eight years."
At the University of Montana, Salonen won the 400 hurdles a lot. She was an NCAA qualifier in the event and also was a part of the relay teams that won the Big Sky Championships. She was a part of the "Golden Girls" at UM in the late 1980s and her relay teams still hold the Grizzly records.
"That was an amazing experience," Salonen said. "I have thought a lot about getting back into track. Since my daughter was born, I just haven't gotten back into it. I wouldn't rule it out at the AA level. If they (the Wolfpack's track programs) need help, I will help. If they can fill the positions without me, that's fine. But the school has given me a wonderful opportunity and I would be more than happy to help with the track programs."
Salonen was the part-time junior high health enhancement teacher in Columbia Falls.
"That was one of the hardest things to give up - my schedule," she said. "I worked every other day. It was a great schedule. It's what enabled me to be a head coach. It was the most difficult factor in my decision. It's what helped me be a mom.
"I want to thank Columbia Falls. That was the hardest thing to let go of. I have no reason to leave Columbia Falls. They were all supportive - the fans, the parents, Athletic Director John Thompson … I've cried a lot of tears and I know I'm not done with the tears yet."