I was willing to sit back and listen to the rest of you, as many have posted very good views, but after sitting on this a while I felt I had to respond.

 

I have no idea where you grew up, but I have been a lifelong NKY resident and have never witnessed a place where pickup 2 on 2 or any other combination happens on a regular basis. Volleyball players aren't like basketball players. They don't just show up at a park and play with strangers. Please enlighten me as to where you are speaking of?

 

I know my DD and some friends have gone up to Tower park a few times to play VB.

But it is nothing like the games going on at the basketball courts and absolutely nowhere near as frequent.

I was willing to sit back and listen to the rest of you, as many have posted very good views, but after sitting on this a while I felt I had to respond.

 

I have no idea where you grew up, but I have been a lifelong NKY resident and have never witnessed a place where pickup 2 on 2 or any other combination happens on a regular basis. Volleyball players aren't like basketball players. They don't just show up at a park and play with strangers. Please enlighten me as to where you are speaking of?

 

I've been a lifelong resident of Don't Make Excuses. It doesn't matter if you grow up in NKY, California or Maine if you have the desire to play a sport. I didn't just "show up" places and expect players to be there. I took some initiative, picked up the phone and met friends in someone's backyard or at the park. From time to time I even got the long-gone "busy signal" and had to continue to call or worse yet ride my bike over. Life was brutal

 

Mom and Dad didn't have to persuade me to pick up the phone and play ball. I found ways to play just about every sport to get better. Most just need a ball and a wall, yes volleyball included. People have done far more with far less than what these HS athletes have today.

 

To recap, you've gone from "para-professional Coaches being the #1 reason why public schools are so inferior in sports" to private schools get players involved earlier (which most do in volleyball). Those are two drastically different statements. It's still the players that make the biggest difference IMO. I've passed by Highlands in early Feb to see 3-4 players working on the field together...no mom, dad or coach around. That is the #1 reason why they are great.

I've been a lifelong resident of Don't Make Excuses. It doesn't matter if you grow up in NKY, California or Maine if you have the desire to play a sport. I didn't just "show up" places and expect players to be there. I took some initiative, picked up the phone and met friends in someone's backyard or at the park. From time to time I even got the long-gone "busy signal" and had to continue to call or worse yet ride my bike over. Life was brutal

 

Mom and Dad didn't have to persuade me to pick up the phone and play ball. I found ways to play just about every sport to get better. Most just need a ball and a wall, yes volleyball included. People have done far more with far less than what these HS athletes have today.

 

To recap, you've gone from "para-professional Coaches being the #1 reason why public schools are so inferior in sports" to private schools get players involved earlier (which most do in volleyball). Those are two drastically different statements. It's still the players that make the biggest difference IMO. I've passed by Highlands in early Feb to see 3-4 players working on the field together...no mom, dad or coach around. That is the #1 reason why they are great.

 

Actually to clarify, I'm not against para professionals being involved in sports, I'm against giving it to the teacher of said school over the most qualified just because they are a teacher of said school, and the private verse public sports program thing is just a further illustration of what I identified as the root cause of it all, That The Public School System In NKY Does Not Put Enough Emphasis On Sports At the Early Ages. Yes, a few select times individual schools have gone against the policy and hired the best candidate, such as hiring Matt Long at Dixie, but that is not the norm.

 

Girls are not boys... I have raised three boys and two girls. Boys do pickup games in the park, girls, not so much. You're description of calling and texting friends doesn't really work with girls. I don't know why, but it doesn't. Guys, yes, absolutely. Girls are much more likely to grab a ball and play by themselves. But my point is that girls are not being encouraged to do so early enough. Early involvement in sports, and more specifically volleyball, is why Louisville kicks every other part of the states but in that sport. If our kids ever want to compete, or dare I say, Beat them, we need to change the way our culture in NKY looks at sports.

It's still the players that make the biggest difference IMO. I've passed by Highlands in early Feb to see 3-4 players working on the field together...no mom, dad or coach around. That is the #1 reason why they are great.

 

Seeing how volleyball is played on a court.. not a field... you must be talking about football or soccer. I am specifically speaking about volleyball. I have been specifically speaking about volleyball. I have also been pointing to programs such as the FTJFL as a "success" in getting kids playing sports at the early ages, and how that leads to HHS football state championships. You've proven my point twice in one post.

Seeing how volleyball is played on a court.. not a field... you must be talking about football or soccer. I am specifically speaking about volleyball. I have been specifically speaking about volleyball. I have also been pointing to programs such as the FTJFL as a "success" in getting kids playing sports at the early ages, and how that leads to HHS football state championships. You've proven my point twice in one post.

 

To clarify, I did not say you were against para professionals...you just said they were the #1 reason public schools are inferior. My main point I've made is it's the PLAYER first and foremost, as opposed to your coach statement, regardless of how much circling of the wagons you do to massage one of your many previous statements into a different point. I also have both daugthers and sons. My daughter is just as willing as my sons to compete in the neighborhood.

 

I am in fact speaking of football in fort thomas. Congratulations, you broke the code. I'm not sure if it was the "field" or the never ending list of state championship banners that gave that away.

I heard seniors were talking about playing? Any truth to that?

To clarify, I did not say you were against para professionals...you just said they were the #1 reason public schools are inferior. My main point I've made is it's the PLAYER first and foremost, as opposed to your coach statement, regardless of how much circling of the wagons you do to massage one of your many previous statements into a different point. I also have both daugthers and sons. My daughter is just as willing as my sons to compete in the neighborhood.

 

I am in fact speaking of football in fort thomas. Congratulations, you broke the code. I'm not sure if it was the "field" or the never ending list of state championship banners that gave that away.

 

At a certain point after a kid has been indoctrinated into the basics of the sport I agree whole heartedly that the onus is on the kids to achieve greatness, but you're ignoring the facts. Seeing how you have held the Ft. Thomas area up as a model for us all to follow when is the last time their volleyball team won state? the Region? or the district? How many times have they defeated, NDA or St. Henry? Now, tell me why...

I heard seniors were talking about playing? Any truth to that?

At which school?

At a certain point after a kid has been indoctrinated into the basics of the sport I agree whole heartedly that the onus is on the kids to achieve greatness, but you're ignoring the facts. Seeing how you have held the Ft. Thomas area up as a model for us all to follow when is the last time their volleyball team won state? the Region? or the district? How many times have they defeated, NDA or St. Henry? Now, tell me why...

 

It's much like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg? NDA and St. Henry are volleyball powerhouses...which is attractive to other strong volleyball players. Success breeds confidence which breeds success...and so on.

 

I agree that there is no doubt it's beneficial to play at a young age. On the other hand, two of Dixie's strongest players Leah Metzger and Perrin Long didn't play volleyball until 4th and 6th grade respectively. While they are athletic, more importantly they have an amazing passion for the game and are willing to sacrifice more than most for an opportunity at greatness. Those critical elements can't be taught through instruction, but rather possibly modeled by their parents or maybe it's just something that they are born with or likely both. I'm not saying waiting until 4th or 6th grade is ideal by any means, but where there is a will, there is a way.

 

If you look to girls basketball, Highlands has beaten St. Henry the last 200 years or so:) If St. Henry takes the same approach in basketball that they do volleyball will they start beating up on Highlands? IMO Highlands has basketball and football in it's blood. St. Henry has volleyball in it's blood. NDA just has a lot of blood, for now.

It's much like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg? NDA and St. Henry are volleyball powerhouses...which is attractive to other strong volleyball players. Success breeds confidence which breeds success...and so on.

 

I agree that there is no doubt it's beneficial to play at a young age. On the other hand, two of Dixie's strongest players Leah Metzger and Perrin Long didn't play volleyball until 4th and 6th grade respectively. While they are athletic, more importantly they have an amazing passion for the game and are willing to sacrifice more than most for an opportunity at greatness. Those critical elements can't be taught through instruction, but rather possibly modeled by their parents or maybe it's just something that they are born with or likely both. I'm not saying waiting until 4th or 6th grade is ideal by any means, but where there is a will, there is a way.

 

If you look to girls basketball, Highlands has beaten St. Henry the last 200 years or so:) If St. Henry takes the same approach in basketball that they do volleyball will they start beating up on Highlands? IMO Highlands has basketball and football in it's blood. St. Henry has volleyball in it's blood. NDA just has a lot of blood, for now.

 

Just for the record, Leah started club in 3rd grade, but other than that your description of them is correct. Those two are good examples of what type of talent may lay hidden out there that is currently not being cultivated and encouraged to participate in volleyball. I know both of these girls parents and neither had a volleyball background. Yes, both families are very sports oriented, and therefore had taken it upon themselves to get there kids into sports at a very early age, but Perrin was headed to be a swimmer and Leah a soccer player when they both stumbled onto the world of club volleyball quite by accident.

 

As far as Highlands dominating St. Henry in basketball, I concede, for whatever reason they don't put an emphasis on Girls BBall there.

SK, and I just heard it from one the players parent that the coach gave an 8th grader a paper Friday that said she was on Varsity. When she came into practice on Monday she told her she was wrong and she only made the freshman team. The parent said the girl was in tears...

 

Feel sorry for the girls..

My daughter has played for Danah in the past and we have found that she is a great coach. I wish that everyone would just give her a chance to prove this again. We have to remember that she is not Andrea and in my opinion that is a refreshing outlook on the volleyball program.

I can understand your sentiments but this goes back to the conversation earlier. Had she been given the job because she earned it there would be no questions.

 

I'll say it again, I feel bad for the girls that this happened this way and they aren't getting the most qualified coach for the job.

I think unless you sat in on the interview, who is to say she doesn't deserve it. I find it hard to believe that the AD and others involved would just give anyone a job because they are a District Employee. Everyone needs to be a little positive, the girls on the team get on here also and it doesn't do them any good to see negativity towards their coach.

Regardless of coach, is there that much pressure to win in volleyball at SK? What's the "bar" set at? I previously posted that I thought SK was set up 2 years ago to make a nice run and that didn't happen. What are the expectations this year?