Well over 100 people were in attendance for the Slaats Skybox ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Lake Forest College Sports and Recreation Center on Saturday, January 31.

The venue is named after Jackie Slaats, who coached at the College from 1986-2008 and oversaw the athletic department at the athletic director and vice president level for more than three decades.

An emotional Slaats spoke for several minutes before being assisted in the actual cutting of the ribbon by her father Roger and Jack Carruthers '78, the lead donor for the new area overseeing the varsity gym. Among the many people she thanked were the players who competed for her in six years as the Foresters' head volleyball coach (1986-91) and 22 as head women's basketball coach (1986-2008). She also expressed gratitude for past and present colleagues, both in the athletics department and across campus, and to many alumni from the College, including Carruthers, whose relationship with the institution and Slaats herself has been extremely strong throughout the years.

Emphasized in her speech more than anyone, however, was her family and many of its members were in attendance. In the front row were her parents Roger and Mary, who have traveled to Lake Forest from the southwest corner of Wisconsin for countless basketball games, volleyball matches, athletic department functions, and other events over the last 40 years. Her sisters and cousins and their families were also there for the unveiling of the room which will forever bear the Slaats name.

Saturday's ceremony began with introductory words from Lake Forest College Vice President for Advancement Katie Spieth, which included a message from College President Dr. Mike Sosulski. Assistant Vice President for Athletics Jim Catanzaro added to the comments from Spieth and Sosulski and everyone in attendance shared in a toast to the many contributions Slaats has made to the College over the last four decades.

After graduating from Iowa State University in 1986, Slaats came to Lake Forest as the head women's basketball and volleyball coach. In 1992 at just 28 years of age, she became the College's athletic director and continued to lead the basketball team, which claimed six conference titles, made five appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and won 386 games during her 22 years at the helm of the program.

Highlights from her 32 years as athletic director and later vice president for athletics include the creation of the College's booster/spirit organizations; implementation of a four-year career program that connects student-athletes with alumni and friends of the College, the addition of 11 varsity sports; and partnerships with several local community organizations. In addition, she has overseen several significant improvements made to Lake Forest College athletic facilities, including the recent gymnasium renovation project, of which the Slaats Skybox was a part.

Slaats was able to share her time with many of Saturday's attendees over the next few hours as the Forester men's and women's basketball teams hosted Cornell College in the gym below. She was also part of an on-court dedication of the Slaats Skybox between those games.