Davidson County Parents Raise Concerns about Termination of Hall of Fame Wrestling Coaches
Parents in Davidson County are raising questions and requesting meetings with school officials after two longtime Davidson County Hall of Fame wrestling coaches were fired and another was suspended. Coaches Tim Ellenberger and Andy Chappell from Ledford High School were removed from their positions, while Carter Ellenberger of Central Davidson High School was suspended indefinitely. All three are described by parents as beloved figures in the wrestling community, with years of service.
Chappell was recognized as the Mat News Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2004 and the National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for North Carolina in 2005. Described by his wrestlers as a “father figure” with a huge passion for wrestling, Chappell retired from the classroom in 2016 after 32 years of teaching Special Education.
Ellenberger, who graduated from Brevard in 1987, went on to wrestle at UNC-Chapel Hill. The National Hall of Fame coach, who also coached wrestling at Ledford High School in Thomasville, is also a retired captain with the High Point Police Department.
Coach Carter Ellenberger of Central Davidson High School {Contributed Photo}
According to parents and supporters, the situation stems from a bystander’s social media post of a June 12 trip to Sliding Rock in Transylvania County, where a student allegedly experienced a near-drowning. While the district has not released an official statement, the student’s parents issued their own—clearing the coaches of blame and expressing full support for their actions.
In response, community members have circulated petitions calling for the reinstatement of the coaches. Two petitions have received more than 1,000 signatures each.
Some parents have formally requested meetings with Davidson County Schools administration to discuss the disciplinary decisions and the lack of public information. As of now, school officials have not issued a public statement regarding the incident or the employment actions.
According to the petitions, the Ledford coaches were fired, and the Central coach was indefinitely suspended after an incident on June 12 at Sliding Rock in Transylvania County.
A visitor at Sliding Rock posted on social media that they had to pull a boy out of the water and that the adults, identified as coaches with Central Davidson High School wrestling team, did not attempt to rescue him. The post also included a picture of a Davidson County Schools activity bus and a group of boys standing at the water’s edge.
A statement from Davidson County Schools the following day said while the post was “not completely accurate”, they were aware of the situation and no student was harmed during the incident. They said they were continuing to investigate the report.
There was no further information provided by the school district, but on June 30 the petitions for the three coaches began circulating, claiming they were unduly fired or suspended because of a technicality concerning approval to transport students to a wrestling camp in Brevard.
Others claim it was in response to the untrue reports and following attention about the incident at Sliding Rock, as well as for other recent issues.
Courtney Brooks, a parent of a student on the wrestling team at Ledford, said she is unhappy with not only the decision to terminate these coaches, but also in the lack of transparency and communication by the superintendent with parents.
“My personal opinion is that the post on Facebook, which was deemed untrue, brought heat to the county office, which they didn’t need at the time. My thinking is they went through and found some minute paperwork issue to pin on the coaches. The superintendent is making a power move because the district hasn’t had a good reputation in the past couple of years.”
Jennifer Gallimore said she started a petition in support of the Ledford coaches because of the positive impact that they have had on students over many years, and that their dismissal was an overreach on behalf of the superintendent.
“These coaches have been nothing but amazing,” said Gallimore. “They have never had any problems, nothing on their record, no issues whatsoever and they were terminated for something that I feel is more like a reprimand or something.”
She said it is also unfair because both Ledford coaches went through the proper channels, even getting prior approval of the school board, to take the students to the wrestling camp in Brevard. She said it was only because of a request from the Central coach that students from another school were on the same bus, which she said was one of the reasons listed for their termination.
Gallimore said that she and many other parents have the utmost respect for Tim Ellenberger and Chappell because of the support and dedication these coaches have given to students.
“They go above and beyond for all their kids,” said Gallimore. “My child would have probably given up on wrestling, but Coach Ellenberger saw his potential, he kept talking to him and encouraging him...It is so much more than just wrestling, they instill integrity, dedication and the life skills you want your kids to learn. And we don’t want to lose them.”
Brooks said she feels it is important for students and other parents to show their support for these coaches, especially considering the positive impact they have had on their students.
“They are like family, and the kids are so upset right now,” said Brooks. “They have taught my son confidence and discipline...They love these kids, and they are training them to do better. They are building men to make a difference in the world; it’s not just about wrestling.”
There was no response to a request for comment from Davidson County Schools. It is policy for the school district not to comment on personnel issues.
