By Ariel Casida
What does being an involved parent mean? To Kortnie Cox, being an involved parent means everything. She feels that for our children’s sports programs and classrooms to be successful, you need parents involved to help make everything happen for them. “A few coaches or a teacher can’t do everything all on their own,” she says.
When Kortnie’s daughter, Ella, started playing basketball in the third grade, they didn’t have enough coaches for all of the teams. Kortnie decided to jump in and give it a try to help out. She wasn’t sure how things were going to work out, but she gave it her all. She was able to coach her daughters team for a few years and from there moved on to helping out in other areas. She has been running the clock for a lot of the First Lutheran home games since 2021, and voted in as this year’s Ponca City Tip-Off Club Secretary.
Kortnie’s favorite memories so far, was being able to travel with her daughter around the country for Lutheran Nationals. Getting to spend that quality time with her daughter while on the road and being there to support her daughter are two of the reasons that make all of the time and effort worth it. She was sad when her daughter graduated the eighth grade and this season for her daughter ended, but she now has trips with her younger daughter, Addi, to look forward to. She’s excited to be able to make those memories with Addi.
Kortnie says that her greatest contribution will always be watching her kids grow as people and athletes. “They both have improved off and on the court in the last few years and they both have made me so proud,” Kortnie says. The toughest part about being a sports mom for Kortnie is trying to juggle her children’s sports with classes and home life. All three of her kids are involved in sports. Kortnie says that her husband, Brett, is her real MVP. “He is the ultimate basketball dad,” she says.
