Kristina Dronenburg, better known as Coach Tee, has known where she belongs from a young age. Coach Tee found her home on a softball field at the age of eight. Now, Coach Tee calls Wilde Lake her home. As the new Athletics and Activities Manager, she encourages young girls to find their home on the field just like she did.
Coach Tee is currently one of two female Athletic Directors in Howard County. When she was offered the position, she knew she had to take the job to emphasize the importance of women’s involvement in athletic activities.
“Getting females into leadership positions in athletics goes along with empowering female athletes, and I’m honored that I get to be a part of that,” said Coach Tee.
Coach Tee says that after the COVID-19 pandemic, getting girls to participate in sports has been a struggle. A lack of involvement in girls’ sports goes beyond Wilde Lake. Nationally, only 36.4% of girls between the ages 7-17 currently play a sport, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Coach Tee encourages female participation in sports because she believes that sports are a springboard to a successful future.
“I think that girls see the benefits of what a lifetime of sports can lead to,” said Coach Tee. She says sports lead to “teammates who become friends, coaches who become mentors, challenging situations which become tenacity, working as a group which becomes communication skills, and being a captain which becomes a leader in a career.”
Coach Tee wants to start youth programs at the elementary and middle school level so that in high school, there will be “so many girls that there’s an abundance of them who want to play sports.”
Coach Tee began her own athletic career at a young age. She says her parents put her in organized soccer and softball when she was eight years old. Coach Tee soon found her passion for softball. She went on to play softball at Salisbury University while earning her degree in Communication Arts. She says playing sports and being on a team came naturally to her.
“Being on a team clicked right away for me. I don’t remember ever considering not playing a sport. It was just natural and what I did,” Coach Tee said. “I always had a high level of comfort on an athletic field.”
Coach Tee graduated from Howard High School before attending Salisbury. After graduating from college, Coach Tee headed back to Howard County. Coach Tee searched for coaching vacancies throughout the county and found an opening for a softball coaching position at Wilde Lake.
Coach Tee took the job not only to empower lady Cats, but because she believes every athlete deserves a coach who prioritizes the team, no matter the scoreboard.
“I think that every kid deserves a good coach, whether that team is winning a state championship or they’re winning one game a season,” Coach Tee said.
She says that every kid should be able to look back at their Wilde Lake athletics experience and think about how much fun they had, and her players can attest to the fun Coach Tee brought to the playing field.
Senior pitcher Ainslee Torres has played softball under Coach Tee for three years. She says Coach Tee’s attitude is infectious.
“Her positivity is contagious,” Ainslee said. “She makes the best of a bad situation while bringing out the best in us.”
Coach Tee continues to inspire female athletes in her new position as the Athletic Director, which will help young girls find their passion on the field.
68% of current youth athletes have a male coach, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. This is why Ainslee says female role models like Coach Tee are vital to inspiring young girls.
“We need strong female coaches and athletes with good experience to encourage participation in girls’ sports and inspire hard work,” she said. “We need strong, accomplished women to show young girls what’s possible.”
