Coaches play such a pivotal role in the development of a high-performance athlete, many of the world’s best sports people credit their coach for more than just their on-court success.
Coaches model and teach ethical behavior. Coaches build skills to communicate, collaborate, educate and support all stakeholders in a program. Coaches create an emotionally and physically safe sport environment. Coaches promote physical, psychological, and social benefits for athletes and encourage sport participation.
A High-Performance State Coach for example provides specialised training for our sportspeople and teams. They develop techniques for improving individual performances and devise new strategies for boosting team goals. A High-Performance Coach might also work on player motivation, fitness, skills, or teamwork.
Hear from our U23 Men’s and Women’s State Coaches on what they like the most about the role, what the challenges are, and how the teams are shaping up for competition in July.
Laurel Wentworth – U23 Women’s State Team Head Coach
What do you like most about coaching State Level Volleyball?
I enjoy the opportunity to assist these young women to experience a higher level of volleyball, challenge their ideas and develop as team players. I like seeing the athletes take pride in representing WA, and competing against teams from other states. I also enjoy the challenge of developing my abilities as a coach, the opportunity to work with experienced coaches and share my knowledge and experience with up-and-coming coaches.
What are some of the challenges of coaching at this level?
Coaching at AJVC (U23s) involves bringing together a group of talented athletes, exploring ways to challenge each of them to reach their potential and working together to implement team strategies and achieve a common goal. There are many highly talented young female volleyballers in the 17 – 22 year old age group here in WA; the biggest challenge this year has been to select only one team from such a strong squad.
From what you have seen so far what are some of the strengths of the trialing/squad members?
I have coached most of the squad athletes over the past few years and they continue to improve in all areas. They have worked hard over the past two years at training, in the gym and on the beach. They are particularly strong in attack and serve receive, and have shown good commitment and team values.
How do you think they will go in their first National competition for some time?
I anticipate WA will be very competitive at AJVC this year as we have a group of very talented athletes who are actively involved in National team level opportunities. WA has been exceptionally fortunate over the past two years as we were able to compete in our full domestic seasons, and most of these athletes took the opportunity to train with ourU23 squad and senior Steel squad during this time. I believe we are well placed for a podium finish!
Dylan Wood – U23 Women’s State Team Assistant Coach
What do you like most about coaching State Level Volleyball?
I enjoy being able to give back to the sport that has given me so much and in doing so hopefully impacting some of the best up-and-coming athletes in the state.
What are some of the challenges of coaching at this level?
Selecting the team is always incredibly difficult with the older age groups, as the skill gap is often very small between who makes the team and who misses out.
From what you have seen so far what are some of the strengths of the trialing/squad members?
I think offense is a big strength of this group. We have some incredibly explosive and powerful athletes, so our ability to terminate will certainly be a driving force behind the team’s campaign.
How do you think they will go in their first National competition for some time?
It’s always risky saying the team will perform well… as you set yourself up, but I’ll do it anyway…backing the girls in to have a great tournament.
Steve Petsos – U23 Men’s State Team Head Coach
What do you like most about coaching State Level Volleyball?
I really enjoy coaching and imparting my knowledge to the athletes assisting them to become better athletes and better people. I am really enjoying this groups dedication and effort at training. Also learning new training methods and drills from other experienced coaches is great.
What are some of the challenges of coaching at this level?
Player availability is always an issue as we have people away for work, COVID, and national team duties. Trying to get them to gel in a short amount of time can be difficult. Selecting the actual team is difficult as we have so many talented athletes cutting athletes from a team can be a really tough and difficult task.
From what you have seen so far what are some of the strengths of the trialing/squad members?
I think defensively we scramble well and our ball control is getting better. We are a pretty good blocking team at the moment, but we still have room for improvement.
How do you think they will go in their first National competition for some time?
I feel like we should be very competitive, and it will be very interesting with a compacted tournament as to how everyone can recover after each game and a team’s ability to maintain high level volleyball. This tournament is going to be both physically and mentally taxing on the players, so it will be a survival of the fittest. I’m backing our boys to perform well at National’s.
Desiree Tan – U23 Men’s State Team Assistant Coach
What do you like most about coaching State Level Volleyball?
I like pushing the athletes outside their comfort zones, which is different from what happens at the club level. Seeing athletes take on and adopt new concepts and strategies on the court is such a rewarding experience, and I find that I can push myself harder as a coach as well, against opposition teams from other states. There’s always something new to learn at this level.
What are some of the challenges of coaching at this level?
It’s always challenging bringing athletes together who have either been playing together at a state level for years or who have never played together in any capacity. I really enjoy watching a team start to gel with playing styles and personalities, so that is a challenge I’m looking forward to.
From what you have seen so far what are some of the strengths of the trialing/squad members?
We’re definitely a very aggressive attacking team; we have a lot of height and jump that will definitely help us when we’re away. We also have a great combination of experience coupled with new blood, which brings a fresh and different perspective to our team.
How do you think they will go in their first National competition for some time?
I always want to back the boys to have a great tournament! It will be a great experience regardless and given how hard all our state athletes have worked, they deserve the chance to compete on a bigger stage.
At the time of writing this, the teams are being finalised and will be publicly announced soon. The teams will be competing at the AJVC tournament in Sydney, July 7-9.