Bates Bobcast Episode 185: Catching up with Bates coaching pioneer Sherry Deschaine

Sherry Deschaine, at the time Sherry Yakawonis, was hired to teach physical education at Bates in 1968 straight out of the University of Maine at Presque Isle and immediately became the school’s first women’s basketball coach. Thirty years later, she retired after having had a hand in almost every women’s sport on campus. She served as the head field hockey coach for 26 years and as the head softball coach for 21. Deschaine also at various times coached women’s lacrosse and volleyball, and she assisted with the track and field team. She even coached varsity badminton and bowling during her time at Bates. Yes, Sherry Deschaine did it all, and today, she joins the Bobcast.