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Spanish Teacher & head Volleyball coach at Helena High School

What brought you to Helena High School?

Truly, I found out about Helena High School by driving by from Clanton to visit my best friend who used to live in Old Cahaba. As I drove by many times and they were preparing the land to build it, I would say a little prayer, and I would think of myself already working at Helena High. When the hiring process started, I had a friend who taught French at Chelsea and knew Mr. Peoples well. She put in a good word for me, as well as coach Amanda Lewis as she wanted me to come coach at Helena and be part of her staff. After an interview with coach Parker and Mr. Peoples, I was hired to teach Spanish and coach with coach Lewis… and the rest is history.

How did you become a volleyball coach?

Volleyball has always been part of my life since a very young age. I have played in college at Miami Dade and the University of Montevallo.  I have coached club and team camp for many years. I have also coached at Prattville High School, before coming to Helena in 2014 to join Coach Lewis’ coaching staff.

What makes volleyball stand out against all other sports?

Volleyball has opened many doors for me, even the door to come to this country. It’s an intense and fast-moving sport which requires great athletic ability as well as discipline and ball control. It teaches teamwork, communication, toughness, decision-making, and accountability.

How would you describe your coaching style?

My coaching style is rooted in the fundamentals and mental toughness. If you can’t control the ball, it makes it hard to have success. However, you have to have the mental toughness to quickly recover from an error and make a mental adjustment to make a recovery from that mistake by having a positive mindset and believing in yourself and your teammates. I also try to keep an upbeat and positive attitude and encourage my fellow coaches and players to do the same.

What do you love about working for Helena High School?

Helena is a great community to live and raise a family in. We absolutely have the best students, and I am so grateful to be part of the huskies family and be part of my students’ and players’ lives at school daily. Lastly, we have great support from our administration and parents which makes our job as coaches very enjoyable.

What is a key component in having a successful volleyball team?

Fundamentals, teamwork and winning mentality. Ideally on each possession, there is a pass, a set, and a kill. If any of the three fail to accomplish the task at hand, it is hard to win that particular point. We each have a job on every point and if we don’t do our individual job, the team can’t have the success we want to have.