USA Volleyball High Performance Introduces New Girls’ Naonal Training Programs 2013 marks the beginning of a new Olympic Quadrennial, or “quad’ as it is more commonly called. USA Volleyball is busy hiring new National Team coaches for the quad leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, beginning with Karch Kiraly as the head coach and Reed Sunahara as the assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team with additional coaches to be announced in the very near future. A new quad brings with it new athletes in the National Team gym in Anaheim and a shift in the training of our National Team and High Performance athletes. A new quad also gives High Perfor- mance the opportunity to add and modify our current training pro- grams to better model what is going on in the National Team gym and simply improve our Athlete Pipeline Training. In that vein, USA Volleyball Indoor High Performance is excited to announce new and updated programming for 2013 and the quad leading up to Rio. Please see the complete listing of all 2013 High Performance Programs, including dates and locations on page 7 of this newsletter. 2013 Women’s Junior National Team and Girls’ Youth National Team Age Groups: Junior and Youth The Junior and Youth National Teams are the highest level of pro- gramming in their respective age groups and will represent the United States at the FIVB World Championships this summer. Both teams will train for a number of days in the United States and then travel to the country hosting the FIVB World Championship for their age group competition. These athletes have the longest and most significant time commitment of all programs, however USA Volleyball covers all associated costs for these programs. More Info USA A1 International Training Team Program Age Group: Junior only Athletes in the A1 International Training Team Program will be select- ed from tryouts to represent USA Volleyball in the European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia. This is an international tournament featur- ing Youth and Junior National Teams and high-level club and professional teams from countries around the world. This group will meet in Venice, Italy and will train for 5 days with the Junior National Team of a country to be announced, then travel to Croatia for the competition. Athletes will have the opportunity to do some sightseeing in a number of European countries during the training, competition, and travel. More info hp hp hp Inside Inside Inside 1 Connues on pg. 5
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USA Volleyball High Performance Introduces New Girls’ National Training Programs 2013 marks the beginning of a new Olympic Quadrennial, or
“quad’ as it is more commonly called. USA Volleyball is busy hiring
new National Team coaches for the quad leading up to the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, beginning with Karch Kiraly as
the head coach and Reed Sunahara as the assistant coach for the
U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team with additional coaches to
be announced in the very near future.
A new quad brings with it new athletes in the National Team gym
in Anaheim and a shift in the training of our National Team and
High Performance athletes. A new quad also gives High Perfor-
mance the opportunity to add and modify our current training pro-
grams to better model what is going on in the National Team gym
and simply improve our Athlete Pipeline Training. In that vein,
USA Volleyball Indoor High Performance is excited to announce
new and updated programming for 2013 and the quad leading up to Rio. Please see the complete listing of
all 2013 High Performance Programs, including dates and locations on page 7 of this newsletter.
2013 Women’s Junior National Team and Girls’ Youth National Team
Age Groups: Junior and Youth
The Junior and Youth National Teams are the highest level of pro-
gramming in their respective age groups and will represent the United
States at the FIVB World Championships this summer. Both teams will
train for a number of days in the United States and then travel to the
country hosting the FIVB World Championship for their age group
competition. These athletes have the longest and most significant
time commitment of all programs, however USA Volleyball covers all
associated costs for these programs. More Info
USA A1 International Training Team Program
Age Group: Junior only
Athletes in the A1 International Training Team Program will be select-
ed from tryouts to represent USA Volleyball in the European Global
Challenge in Pula, Croatia. This is an international tournament featur-
ing Youth and Junior National Teams and high-level club and professional teams from countries around the world. This group will
meet in Venice, Italy and will train for 5 days with the Junior National Team of a country to be announced, then travel to Croatia
for the competition. Athletes will have the opportunity to do some sightseeing in a number of European countries during the
by: Karen Owoc Clinical Exercise Physiologist & Media Nutritionist
If your New Year resolution this year was to lose weight, how are you doing so far? How many times have you resolved to lose weight at the start of each new year and the result just didn't turn out like you had hoped? The key to making this year's fitness resolution a successful one is to establish a goal that's S.M.A.R.T.E.R. than before. In other words, your goal is... Specific and Sets a Simple Health Habit: Oftentimes, goals are too vague and/or too complicated a process. "I will lose weight" does not focus on precise details. And when the process to lose weight becomes too complex, such as "drinking a freshly made veggie protein shake three times a day" when you're shooting in the field all day, then the likelihood that you'll stick with your goal is pretty slim. Measurable and Meaningful: First, losing weight should be YOUR desire and not that of someone else and your goal should have measurable objectives. Be sure you have concrete criteria for measuring your progress. Aim for quantifiable results. It's easier to assess whether your objective has been met if you commit to a specific number. When losing weight, use several different measures to evaluate your progress. Don't just rely on how many pounds you've lost. The scale doesn't reflect a change in body composition. It cannot differentiate between fat, muscle and water weight. Use a com-bination of measures, such as inches around your belly, waist-to-hip ratios, percentage body fat, or even pants size, to evaluate whether you've met your objective. Attainable and Appropriate: Failure to achieve weight loss goals is often the result of being too ambitious at the outset and for-getting to allow for limits on your time, energy and resources. Successfully achieving your goal comes down to setting a goal that's realistic for you and actually attainable. Realistic with Ready Resources: You can do anything you set your mind to doing, but it's important to honestly evaluate your abil-ity and commitment to making your dream come true. To help you along, make sure you have available resources to support your pursuit, whether it's a friend, spouse, weight loss program, trainer, or fitness equipment. If you're the type that needs social support, share your goal with a friend who can also help you measure your progress. Every year a new diet book promises the formula for weight loss, but use common sense and look at the long-term picture. Em-bark on a lifetime eating plan. A diet that you can't sustain for the rest of your life won't maintain your weight loss. Time-based: Be certain you have a time limit and establish a target date. A time-sensitive goal creates a sense of urgency and it's an effective motivator to take action. And when you act, you increase the likelihood that you'll meet your objective. Without a time frame and a commitment to a deadline, your weight loss goal is just a wish. Enjoyable: Pick healthier foods and exercises that you enjoy. So if you hate to run, don't. An exercise program should be sustaina-ble, not torture. Try walking instead, or spinning, yoga or Zumba. If you opt for a personal trainer, work with several different ones to see whose style/personality you like and whose methodology you find most effective. If you prefer solitude versus social interaction during your workouts, find an activity that supports your preference. Rewarding: Set benchmarks. Weight loss is a slow, gradual process, so find ways to reward your successes along the way to make the journey more fun! Remember... You can start losing weight at any time of the year and on any day of the week -- not just on Mondays! Every day is a new day. With a dream and a plan, you can accomplish your goal. To help you define your plan, fill out the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Weight Loss Worksheet on Karen's website at www.TheHealthReporter.tv.
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Name: _______________________________ Class: _________ Date: __________ My goal is:
Develop your plan to accomplish your S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal. Use this worksheet to outline
your objectives. S: A specific goal will usually answer the "W" questions: • Why is the goal important? Provide specific reasons, a purpose or benefits of accomplishing your weight loss.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ • What is expected? What do you want to accomplish?
__________________________________________________________________________________________ • Who is involved?
__________________________________________________________________________________________ • Identify a location where it's going to happen.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ M: A measurable goal will usually answer the 'how' questions: • How much? _______________________________________________________ • How many? _______________________________________________________ • How will you know when it is accomplished?_____________________________ A meaningful goal will answer the question: • Who is the driving force behind this goal?________________________________ A: An attainable and appropriate goal will usually answer the questions: Is your goal reasonable and safe? ______________________________________ How can the goal be accomplished? Specifically, how are you going to lose the weight? If you're going to follow a
weekly exercise plan, outline the specifics. For example, describe how frequently, how long, what time of the day, and how hard you are going to exercise each day. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are your obstacles? For example, do you need someone to watch your children while you exercise? Do you have a spouse that loves to cook or eat high-fat foods or desserts at home, etc. ____________________________________________________________________________
How will you overcome the obstacles that impede your progress? _____________________________ R: A goal that is realistic with available resources will usually answer these questions: • Are you both willing and able to do the work to achieve this goal?
_______________________________________________________________ • Do you truly believe that your goal can be accomplished?
_______________________________________________________________ • Where can you get support and intervention if needed?
_______________________________________________________________ • What steps will you take to access the resources you need to achieve your goal?
Boys’ Player Spotlight: Curtis Stallings Hometown, club and high school: Chesapeake, Va., Coastal Virginia
Volleyball Club/Grassfield High School
Position: Setter
Height, block touch and jump touch: 6-5, 10-9, 11-3
Favorite Warm-Up Song:
My favorite warm up song is Kids by Sleigh Bells
Scorekeeping or Line Judging? Why?
Line Judging! I always enjoy line judging even though everyone always
associates it with being easy and boring. I find it to be really cool.
"Gotta Have" snack between matches at a tourney:
“Gotta Have” snack between matches would definitely be a sweet and
salty granola bar, and a few clementines.
If you could meet any current or past Olympian, who would it be and
why?
If I could meet any Olympian I would want to meet David Lee. He has
such a presence on the court and truly fills the role of what it means to
be middle blocker.
Other sports/activities/hobbies:
I used to be a competitive swimmer growing up, and played all the recre-
ational sports when I was younger. I enjoy watching International volley-
ball in my free time and hanging out with friends.
When did you start playing volleyball?
I started playing volleyball my freshman year of high school.
Who was the most influential person in helping you to develop as a
volleyball player?
The most influential person in helping me develop as a volleyball player
is Kevin Jones, my coach. He showed me early that nothing is going to
stop me as a volleyball player and a person.
What USAV HP Programs have you been involved in? Are these different from other programs you have been involved in? If so,
what makes them different?
I have been to High Performance Championships in Tucson, Ariz., and Des Moines, Iowa. I also attended the Holiday camp held in San
Diego in 2012. These programs are slightly different to other elite level events I have been to before. I attended national swimming
competitions similar to High Performance Championships, but HP provides an amazing coaching staff to work with
and opportunity to learn and grow with the best players in the country.
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photo provided by Curtis Stallings
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(Continued from pg. 1 - new HP programs)
USA A1 National Training Team Program
Age Groups: Junior, Youth, and Select
The A1 Program is the highest level of programming
available to athletes in the Select age group and serves
as the National Training Team Program for athletes in
the Junior and Youth age groups. Athletes selected for
this program are in strong contention for making a
Youth or Junior National Team in the future. Par-
ticipating athletes will train as a group for 5 days in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida before splitting into ability-tiered
teams of 11 for the USA High Performance Champion-
ships immediately following training. Training is con-
ducted by some of the top High Performance Pipeline
Coaches in the country and features an intense inter-
national skill and system focus, including hands-on
opponent scouting training. A1 Teams often play in one age division higher than their own at HP Championships (Youth Teams com-
pete in the Junior Division) Teams are selected based on athlete performance during training. More Info
USA Future Select National Training Program
Age Group: Future Select only
The Future Select National Training Program features the top athletes in the United States born in 2000 or later. This 5-day program
features High Performance training geared for athletes who are working to climb the Pipeline as they move to the older age
groups. Players are introduced to international volleyball concepts, and training is designed to help athletes appreciate the ad-
vantage that being an all-around player will give them as they progress not only through the HP Pipeline but as they are eventually
recruited by colleges. In addition, players will be trained positionally based on the position in which they tried out. Located at the
Paralympic Training Center for USA Volleyball’s National Sitting Teams, players will also have the opportunity to experience the sit-
ting volleyball game, lead by USA Paralympic Team coaches and players. More Info
USA Continental Team Program
Age Groups: Junior and Youth
In 2012, 19 of the 40 USA Volleyball Regions sponsored Re-gion High Performance Programs by sending at least one team to the USA High Performance Championships; howev-er, that leaves 21 that did not. Athletes who come from regions that do not send a team in their age group or older to the USA HPC’s are eligible for the USAV Continental Team Program. Athletes who participate in a Continental Team Program will go through a parallel training and competition experience as the A1 Program, training for 5 days and then competing in the tournament in tiered 11-player teams. Continental Teams typically compete in their own age group division (Youth Teams compete in the Youth Divi-sion). USAV HP is aware of which Regions sponsor programs and know which athletes are eligible for programs when making program decisions. More Info
Thank you all for making the 2013 High Performance
Coaches’ Clinic the biggest and best yet.
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All photos by Bill Kaufman
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Boys’ Coach Spotlight: Nickie Sanlin
USAV HP Programs Coached: Future Select A2 Girls IMPACT certified? Yes CAP certification level: no
PERSONAL What led you to become a coach? Just the love of the game. I had a great career experience at Marshall University and learning from different coaches. I just felt compelled to share what I’ve learned along the way with the next genera-tion of athletes. I just love being in the gym!
What is the best thing about being a coach? Being able to interact with players, coaches and parents from diverse backgrounds. Knowing that at some point during their career as an athlete I had an impact on their lives.
What or who has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? What has been the biggest influence in your career? Personally, my mother. She is a no nonsense woman who has always excelled professionally through hard work and perseverance. She has shown me that no task or job is ever impossible and always to have confidence and believe in yourself, especially in tough times. The amazing supportive people I have met in my journey as a coach. Starting with the individuals who have coached me along the way and the coaches I have met when I transitioned from player to coach. What do you do in your free time? I love to read! I am a very fast reader and I can definitely lose myself in a great book. Not to mention, try to play as much as volleyball as I can in the time I have between coaching and spending time with my family.
PROFESSIONAL What is your coaching philosophy? My philosophy is that through their athletic experience I am their guide to help them grow in every facet of life through experiences on and off the court. I am able to nurture the emotional, mental, and physical growth of athletes through situations where they have to hold themselves and others accountable, be responsible and learn from difficult experiences. I believe athletes need to be in an environment that constantly provides challenging opportunities to develop while being provided the necessary encouragement and support. That will help them mature simultaneously as players and as people. What are your personal career goals? Naturally I would want to win championships and win all if not majority of the games I coach in, but my major goal is growth. I want to grow as a person so I can inspire young athletes around me as well as a coach so I can not only give them the best collegiate experience as possible. I want to help those athletes not only develop as players but once they hit the real world be prepared to face life’s challenge and become good people along the way. What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? I am currently the women’s assistant at McKendree University and I am starting the new men’s program at McKendree with inaugural sea-son starting 2013-2014. Which is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? Probably would be cutting players and trying to get them to understand during that time that this isn’t the end-all be-all of their careers. Just the look on their faces and discouragement in their eyes is sometimes tough to take. to keep pushing. What are some important lessons learned? Don’t take any interaction with players or coaches for granted. You don’t know how in a brief meeting you can impact someone’s life and how they can impact yours. What are you most proud of as a coach? The lifelong relationships I have developed with some of the players I have coached along the way. During this past summer, I had a mo-ment where I was wondering if it was best to continue going down the road less traveled personally and professionally. Then in the mail I received a handwritten card from a player I had the opportunity of coaching at future select camp in Colorado Springs. She was thanking for the time I took with her and how I made an impact on her experience at camp. That card and enclosed picture of us let me know that the road less traveled doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong path, but it might just take longer to get where you’re going. I keep the card and picture in my office as a reminder
Describe some of your most important career accomplishments.
It might sound minuscule to some but my biggest career accomplishment that I take to heart even though it didn't result in a win but did result in the best volleyball my McKendree University women's team played all year. As being brand new in a Division II conference one of our first matches was to nationally ranked Minnesota-Duluth. The came previous we had a poor showing to a very good Truman State team. We as a staff knew the players had much more and they proved that the following match. With a practically entire new team we took Minnesota to 5 sets, losing a very close match. Not only did the girls push through their fears with a team physically out matched us, they played with a renewed sense of hope and with reckless abandon. That's success in my book. They could have easily rolled over with a defeated attitude but everything that we worked hard for during preseason was translated on the court in that particular match. I couldn't have been a prouder coach at that moment...
Do you have any advice to offer parents? Let coaches coach. It’s difficult to see your children not playing or watch them lose a game, but it’s helping them in the long run to experi-ence that. Negatively interfering with what the coach is trying to accomplish can not only affect your child, but affect the entire team. The whole goal no matter what level the athlete is playing at is if they’re happy where they‘re at! What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Be patient and don’t think you ever know too much. The long hours and hard work will pay off and always be willing to open you mind and your ears to the influential people around you. How do you define success? Success in the coaching world is what’s in your win and loss column, but for me being able to leave your collegiate career saying you gave everything you have to the program and leaving no regrets. If that happens, then I will feel better that the players can use the tools they’ve learned in the game of volleyball and apply them in the game of life. What motivates you? Being able to say I’m giving everything I have and seeing the fruits of my labor. Whether that be in the gym with players, my personal goals in the weight room, or just helping the people I care about.
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photo provided by Nickie Sanlin
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(continued from page 4—Curtis Stallings
spotlight)
What part of your background best
prepared you for playing at an elite
level?
My mental focus and ability to not let
pressure get to me has prepared me
the best for the next level.
What is the happiest moment in your
volleyball career?
The happiest moment of my volleyball
career was signing my NLI to attend
Long Beach in a great California cli-
mate. The happiest moment while
playing volleyball happened at East
Coast Championships in 2009, which
happened to be my first year of ever
playing volleyball. My team was one
of the lowest seeds in the entire tour-
nament, and we beat the top seed of
the tournament in our first match of
pool play. It was an amazing feeling
and is something I will always look
back on.
Describe some improvements you
want to make, in the coming year, in
the physical or mental side of your
game.
One improvement I want to make
with my game is to effectively com-
municate with my team even when
things are not going well. Physically, I
want to keep my endurance up, and
keep my agility quick at all times.
Do you want to play volleyball colle-
giately and/or professionally?
Do you strive to represent the USA
one day as an Olympian? I have com-
mitted to play collegiate volleyball
next year at Long Beach State where I
hope to take my game to the next
level. I hope I have the opportunity
to play professional volleyball one day
and I do strive to represent the USA
one day and be an Olympic volleyball
player.
10 photo by Bill Kaufman
photo provided by Curtis Stallings
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(Continued from page 9– Nickie Sanlin spotlight)
How would your players describe you as a coach? The strong silent type, where I have view few words to say but when I do it’s straight to the point. They also know I care where it might be a tough conversation that would have to take place, but in the next instance I’m right there with them working out in the weight room. We all strive to motivate each other to push to the next level.
How would your players describe one of your practices? High energy and always competitive trying to accomplish in the gym.
Do you have any pet peeves? Walking in practices and in drills, it wastes time in practice and shows a little lack of respect for the importance of what we’re doing.
Describe some of your most important career accomplishments. It might sound minuscule to some but my biggest career accomplishment that I take to heart even though it didn't result in a win but did result in the best volleyball my McKendree University women's team played all year. As being brand new in a Divi-sion II conference, one of our first matches was to nationally ranked Minnesota-Duluth. The game previous we had a poor showing to a very good Truman State team. We as a staff knew the players had much more and they proved that the fol-lowing match. With a practically entire new team we took Minnesota-Duluth to five sets, losing a very close match. Not only did the girls push through their fears with a team that physically out-matched us, they played with a renewed sense of hope and with reckless abandon. That's success in my book. They could have easily rolled over with a defeated attitude but everything that we worked hard for during preseason was translated on the court in that particular match. I couldn't have been a prouder coach at that moment...
PHILOSOPHICAL What book is a must-read for all coaches? For players? Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg; Mind Gym: An athlete’s guide to inner excellence by Gary Mack Do you have any advice to offer parents? Let coaches coach. It’s difficult to see your children not playing or watch them lose a game, but it’s helping them in the long run to ex-perience that. Negatively interfering with what the coach is trying to accomplish can not only affect your child, but affect the entire team. The whole goal no matter what level the athlete is playing at is if they’re happy where they‘re at! What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Be patient and don’t think you ever know too much. The long hours and hard work will pay off and always be willing to open you mind and your ears to the influential people around you. How do you define success? Success in the coaching world is what’s in your win and loss column, but for me being able to leave your collegiate career saying you gave everything you have to the program and leaving no regrets. If that happens, then I will feel better that the players can use the tools they’ve learned in the game of volleyball and apply them in the game of life. What motivates you? Being able to say I’m giving everything I have and seeing the fruits of my labor. Whether that be in the gym with players, my personal goals in the weight room, or just helping the people I care about.
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photo provided by Nickie Sanlin
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Girls’ Coach Spotlight: Andrew Wehrli
2012 Programs: Head Coach U.S. Women’s Junior Continental
IMPACT certified?: Yes
CAP certification level: 2
PERSONAL What led you to become a coach? I became a coach because I had tremendously influential coaches personally. I knew that I wanted to teach young people life lessons through sports. The lessons I learned have stuck with me throughout my life. What is the best thing about being a coach? The moment where a player recites something that is a core philosophy to why you coach. I confronted a player a few weeks ago about not putting in more time at the gym, and her response was that I always say that there is more to life than just volley-ball. I totally did not see that coming. I completely agree with that. Great athletes must have balance to maintain high level play. On the other hand, I also had to help her un-derstand that life demands different commitments at different times. It was in that mo-ment that I realized that my players were actually listening. Great moment.
What has been the biggest influence in your career? The biggest influence in my career has been my education. I have had the unique opportunity to study exercise science, sports management and sports psychology. I am a certified strength and conditioning coach as well as a performance enhancement expert. These influences have blended science and psychology into my approach. What or who has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? I love reading John Wooden. His philosophies, experiences, and life lessons are timely. His pyramid of success is something that every ath-lete should read and learn. What do you do in your free time? In my free time, I spend as much time with my family as possible. I have a wonderful wife and an 18-month-old daughter. Between reading books to my daughter and walking to the park, it’s amazing how quickly time goes by. I also spend time watching other sports. I love watch-ing football.
PROFESSIONAL What is your coaching philosophy? Process determines outcome. It’s not the victory that determines success, it’s how we executed our fundamentals, our game plan, and adapted to the situation. Practice is a major part of the process. Hard work, team work and heart overcome talent. Sports are a reflection of life. They reveal character. Trust repetition. Practice perfection. Mental toughness is preparation. It is a decision to respond a specific way to a given situation before the situation ever presents itself. Confidence is earned through hard work. Your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. What are your personal career goals? During the course of my career I’ve learned many lessons. I truly just want to be the best at what I do at every level I coach. I want to enjoy each team, each moment, and every opportunity I get. I love the job I have right now. I enjoy helping athletes develop. What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? I am really excited about our club (Nebraska Elite) this year. We have many great players who are committed to improving. My team is con-sistently getting better, and we should compete well nationally. I am really excited about the direction of our club looking forward to what comes next. Which is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? The hardest thing that I have had to do as a coach is make necessary changes to player personnel after coaching a team the previous year. I truly appreciate each player’s contributions. However, my job as a coach is to steward the well-being of the whole team. Any competitive environment demands that a coach picks the best combination of players to compete with. That combination always includes role players. Sometimes roles change based on who tries out. It’s never easy, but necessary at times.
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photo provided by Andrew Wehrli
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(continued from page 12—Andrew Wehrli spotlight)
What are you most proud of as a coach? Out of all the experiences that I’ve had (coaching a National Championship team in college, Qualifier Championships, etc), I am most proud of the relationships that I have built with players. If it weren’t for the coaches and teachers I had growing up, I would not be the man that I am today. I am thankful for the opportunity to influence young people each day. I am proud to watch players as they use lessons that they learn through volleyball. How would your players describe you as a coach? Probably nuts, but I’d like to think fun-loving. Players would also describe me a genuine, honest and hard-working. I imagine they would probably also describe me as a perfectionist, detailed-oriented, and hopefully competent. Describe some of your most important career accomplishments. Earning my Ph.D in sports psychology, M.S. in sports management, B.S. in exercise science. Earning advanced certifications in strength and conditioning from nationally recognized organiza-tions (NSCA, NASM, ACSM). Finishing third at Nationals in the 14s age division. Competing in multiple championship matches at USA qualifiers. Winning the NCCAA II National Championship with Grace University in 2006. Head Coaching a Program for USA
PHILOSOPHICAL What book is a must-read for all coaches? For players? For coaches, For players, John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success Do you have any advice to offer parents? Be honest with yourself and your child. Effort means more than earning a scholarship. Every player is gifted differently. I work with kids throughout the cycle of development from 10-years old to college All-Americans to Olympians. Every child is gifted differently. I see many parents who create unrealis-tic expectation on their children because success is what they want as a parent. I have learned so much more through failure than I have through success. This generation of children struggle when they receive honest feedback. They look for constant praise and often choose not to invest effort when they don’t succeed at first. The game teaches many great life lessons. Pick a club where you trust that their mission matches your desire to see your child grow through athletics. Then, let the club and coaches do their job. If your daughter is the star of the team, accept it with humility and expect them outwork everyone else. If your daughter is the worst player on the team, then help her maintain a great attitude and encourage her to focus on small improvements. If you feel like your daughter isn’t getting the respect she deserves, then recognize the life lesson and encourage her to find something to earn that respect. There is a time a place to fight for your daughter, any great coach has the team’s best interest at heart and always maintains perspective on individual improvement. Great coaches empower individual players with the information and tools to help them be successful. If every-one is getting better, then the coach is doing his or her job! What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Be yourself. I spent the first several years of my coaching career trying to emulate great coaches I had and coaches that I looked up to. It didn’t work. I found myself unhappy most of the time. I didn’t see the results that I had expected and kept trying to change myself to achieve those results. I don’t remember what made me recognize that I needed to be myself, but it was one of the exasperated moments when I realized that I just needed to relax. Anyone that knows me well would tell you that I love to have fun and am a pretty laid-back guy. I love to challenge myself and would do most anything to be successful. For the longest time, I tried to focus on only the business of coach-ing. You come, you train, you win, and you get ready to train tomorrow. I’ve had the greatest successes in both my personal and profes-sional lives as I have relaxed and committed to being myself as a coach. Focus on getting better as a coach. I see many coaches that get into coaching because they have a passion for the game, but they rarely spend time learning more than they know. Don’t be afraid to seek out the experience of the best coaches you know. Almost every great coach loves to talk volleyball. Pick their brains and watch them as they practice. Identify the characteristics that make them great. Don’t be afraid to ask them what their secret is. It’s amazing what coaches will share with you when you are willing to put your ego aside and learn.
What motivates you? I’m motivated to be great at what I do because of the effort that I demand from my players. I am motivated because I want to give each team, each player the same type of effort that is expected from them. I am motivated by a great desire to see each player that I work with be success on and off the court. Beyond everything else, I love it when they achieve their goals. Nothing make me more proud!
