August 1, 2025 âą 48 mins
đ© Flying High: Joslynn Gallopâs 20 Years of Building Significant Volleyball at Embry-RiddleÂ
In this episode of Significant Coaching, Matt Rogers sits down with Joslynn Gallop, Head Volleyball Coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, for a conversation thatâs as direct and energetic as her coaching style.
A former Division I standout at San Jose State, Gallop knows exactly what the best of the best looks like â and she challenges her athletes to get there. Sheâs built a program over her 20 years at Embry-Riddle thatâs defined by a unique mix of fun, competitiveness, and tough love. From embracing a little good-natured trash talk to ensuring her players love the game as much as they push themselves, Gallop has created a culture that thrives on intensity with heart.
Youâll also discover why Embry-Riddle is much more than just a university for pilots and engineers, offering a wide range of academic programs alongside high-level athletics.
This episode is about what it really takes to compete fiercely, lead with love, and build a program that stands the test of time.
đïž Donât miss Part 2 of this conversation on Significant Recruiting this Monday, where Coach Gallop shares her insights on the recruiting process, the traits she values most in athletes, and how recruits can stand out.
To learn more about Matt, his books, and how he supports athletes and families through the recruiting process, visit coachmattrogers.com. While youâre there, subscribe to the weekly newsletter for coaching insights, recruiting tips, and stories to help you lead and compete with significance.
Learn more and connect with Matt Rogers here: https://linktr.ee/coachmattrogers
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I don't wanna talk you intoworking hard every day.
That's not gonna happen, andbeing Amber Riddle being a very
high academic university, you'vegotta take care of your
schoolwork no one can do it foryou.
You gotta take care of yourself.
You're away from home.
Nobody can do it for you, andthat's what we're looking for.
And if you say you're in.
It means you're in.
(00:28):
Welcome back to the SignificantCoaching Podcast, where we dive
into the mindset, the methods,and the stories of the coaches
shaping athletes, both on andoff the field.
I'm your host, Matt Rogers.
You just heard a small taste ofmy conversation with Jocelyn
Gallup, head volleyball coach atEmbry Riddle Aeronautical
University, and trust me, thefull discussion is every bit as
(00:49):
direct.
Passionate and fun is that clip.
Coach Gallup is a straightshooter who thrives on making
the game fun, competitive, andintense.
She's the kind of coach whoembraces a little trash talk
when it fuels competition andbuilds team chemistry.
As a former division onestandout at San Jose State, she
knows exactly what the best ofthe best looks like, and she
(01:12):
challenges her players to reachthat level.
Always with love, but nevershine away from a little tough
love when it's what they need.
In our conversation, you'll alsohear why Embry Riddle is much
more than just a university forpilots and engineers.
While it's world renowned forits aerospace programs, it
offers a full range of majorsand specialties from business to
(01:34):
cybersecurity, to human factorpsychology, all while competing
at a high level in athletics, inone of the toughest conferences
in the country, the SunshineState Conference.
This is a conversation aboutbuilding a culture where winning
and joy can coexist, whereathletes learn to compete
fiercely while loving everyminute of being together.
(01:57):
On and off the court.
And if you're listening todayand wanna learn more about me,
my books, or how I supportathletes and families through
the recruiting process, headover to coach matt rogers.com.
Feel free to schedule a strategysession or just leave a comment.
I'd love to hear from you.
Now let's get into my fullconversation, part one with
Coach Jocelyn Gallop.
(02:19):
Okay.
All right.
Emory Riddle AeronauticalUniversity.
Yes.
What do people need to know thatthey probably don't understand
about those four words?
First and foremost, we are thebest flight in engineering
school.
(02:39):
Without taking away that we aremuch more than that.
Okay.
Okay.
When I was looking for a job, Ihad no idea myself what Ember
Riddle Aeronautical Universitywas.
Um, but we, it's a specialplace.
It's a family place and it'ssomewhere that you can thrive
(03:00):
academically, athletically, andenjoy Daytona Beach.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So if I wanted to major inbusiness or English or history,
I can do that At Emory Riddle,you can.
We have a few areas of educationthat we do not have, and there
is no way that it's gonna workout here.
(03:22):
But we do have so much more thanjust what's known or what you
see on, uh, online.
Yeah.
And what's great is that ourprofessors and our, um, you
know, our committed.
Faculty and staff really put ittogether and make it work, you
know, um, for example, someonewanted to be a veterinarian.
(03:46):
We have a doctorate program.
It's not veterinarian school,but you gotta do that later
anyways.
Right, right.
So get your medical piece donehere and you are still gonna be
dissecting sharks and rats,which gets you the veterinarian
side, you know?
That's right.
Yeah.
Love it.
Yeah.
And it's, it's a place that, youknow, the, the faculty and staff
(04:07):
can put things together andhelp.
Get you whatever, wherever youwanna go.
So it's not Goose and Maverickwalking around in flight suits.
It's, it's, we have that though.
You have that, but, but we're somuch more, you know?
Yes, yes.
Yeah.
That's so cool.
And I love that you didn't knowmuch about it when you got
there.
You've been there 20 years,you've had a, you've had a great
(04:29):
career.
What's changed in your heart?
'cause you've stayed and you've,you've just, and one of the.
If not the toughest volleyball Dtwo volleyball conferences in
the country.
It's right there.
It's probably number two if it'snot number one.
What's kept you there andwhat's, what's what, what makes
you excited to go to work everyday?
Really it's the people, and Ifound this out 20 years ago.
(04:50):
Um, our former ad, he's stillour basketball coach.
He's been here 35, 36.
I don't wanna age him that well,but, um, he is been here for a
long time.
Our soccer coach, the same.
It's a place where people comeand really love it.
Um, it goes from not only ourcoaching staff, but our
administration.
And then you go to the academicside.
(05:12):
We have professors that havebeen here.
For many of years our secretaryjust re um, retired at 46 years.
Like it's a, it's a familyplace, you know, and it's, it
is, like you just said, it'snot, it's not work.
Like I come to work and I'mlike, sweet.
I get to see my work friends whoare, some of'em are out of the
office friends and some are not,you know, and, um, we, we are
(05:38):
supported here and, you know,we're, we're just, it's just a
place that you can have it all.
Yeah, that's the part I missabout being a head college
coach.
I was a head college coach,athletic director for 15 years.
I miss the relationships.
I miss being able to walk acrossthe hall to you and say, Jas, I
need, I'm struggling with thiskid.
I need some advice.
You know, it, it's, that is thebest part of being a coach for
(06:01):
me.
Yeah.
Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It's the growth of, of theseyoung student athletes, you
know?
Yeah.
It's not just coachingvolleyball, it's coaching life
and growing and learning withthem, still being here for 20
years, still learning andthriving and loving, you know,
every day.
What's one thing if you, if, ifa high school coach came into
(06:24):
your practices, they might seeas unique or unconventional
about how you run a practice.
Um, well, I've got a fewsayings.
Okay.
And I stick by those very well,and I just used it at camp with
a bunch of 14 year olds.
But, um, it worked.
It's, you get what you tolerate.
And from a coach's eye, um,we're very disciplined team.
(06:50):
We're very systematic, um, team.
And that doesn't come with, youknow.
Extreme consequences.
It is just high standards.
And so we don't, I don't say weover coach, but we coach very
detailed.
We take our time and let theseyoung ladies learn why, um, not
(07:11):
just how to do it, but why do wedo it, you know, in the match
when we only have two timeouts,they need to know why and figure
it out.
You know?
And that's a lot of what we'redoing is we're problem solving
and we're not tolerating a lotof.
Extra.
Just keep it simple, you know?
Yeah.
What gimme an example of, ofwhat that may look like in
practice?
(07:33):
Um, at practice, like it's justfootwork patterns, right?
Okay.
We have ways that we do them,and if we do them efficiently,
we can last for a really longtime.
If we do them inefficiently andwaste a bunch of energy, we're
gonna be gassed when it comes toset five.
Yeah.
And so our warmup is verydetailed with footwork patterns,
(07:53):
um, without the ball, you know,and then if you can do it
without the ball, you do it withthe ball and then you do it
live.
Um, and so there's lots ofbreakdown.
There's lots of pieces that we,you know, that habitual stuff,
those habitual movements, weneed to learn.
I was a basketball coach, so we,I could take my guards to one
side and I could take my postsmy forwards to the other side.
(08:15):
We could work on individualthings.
I, I'm, that's gotta be a littlebit harder with, on a volleyball
court.
So when you're talking footwork,is everybody working on their
drop steps and their pivots andtheir framing?
Is everybody working on their,on their hitting the ball?
How, how do you, how do you workall that footwork in?
Because every position's gotdifferent footwork.
They've got a, they've got, wedo.
(08:36):
And we all have, they all havea.
You know, kind of a warmup basedon their position.
Um, and then we collectivelycome together at the end.
But really, we're, we're veryfortunate.
We have four courts here in ourgym.
Oh, that's awesome.
And so we're spread out, likewe've got this huge facility.
You know, main court is usuallydesignated for the setters and
(08:58):
they're training.
And then we've got a court forsome hitters and Liberos are
over here doing things.
And so we're able to spread outand, you know, it's not
micromanaged as far as they justknow like, here's what you're
gonna do to warm up, right?
Get it done.
And we get to float around andtalk to people and see how it's
going.
Um, help out or, you know,answer questions.
(09:20):
Um, but really it's goes tothis.
You know, this trust, and I'mgonna talk about that word a
whole bunch because it, itmatters a huge deal in, in
coaching and leading.
Um, but we trust that they'redoing it to their best ability
and they do.
And because we don't toleratethe other stuff.
I love that.
Yeah.
How, how, what role does yourstaff play in all that?
(09:42):
Because when you have fourcourts and you're doing
breakdowns, talk about trustyou.
Yeah.
You can't be in every spot.
You can't be hearing everylittle thing and coaching every
little thing.
So walk me through how you, youkind of develop your staff, how
you use your staff and practice.
Yeah.
And I, I am glad you asked that'cause I, I feel like I've got
one of the best in the countryas far as staff goes.
(10:02):
My assistant coach playedprofessional volleyball, played
beach volleyball in the a BP,just as a gym rat.
Like he just wants to trainvolleyball.
Right.
And so he is, by the end ofwarmups, he's like drenched in
sweat.
Right.
Um, but we talk about it, youknow, as far as like putting a
practice plan together.
We'll each have a plan.
(10:24):
Going in.
I don't need to know everythingthat he's gonna do with his
group.
Because again, the trust, um,we've got a couple student
managers that may not do a bunchof the coaching part, but
they're at least there to putballs in, you know?
Yeah.
Um, but they're super valuablein what they do for us and just
really the energy they bring.
'cause they're unfortunately notplaying the game.
(10:46):
They're just around the game,you know?
Right.
And they just love being a partof what we're doing.
Right.
I love that.
I, I, I never had a programwhere I had a big staff or I had
a lot of managers.
You know, if I had twoassistants in the gym with me,
it was, it was a, yeah, it was aluxury, right.
So when you have three or fourpeople, five people that can
(11:07):
help expedite everything you'retrying to do, get you through
your drills faster, get morereps.
Yeah, that's, that's such anadvantage.
Every day.
And we look to our older, youknow, our kind of, um, you know,
the upperclassmen as well.
Um, you know, if there's middleson a court and we've got a
senior and a freshman, asophomore, like, let's lead
(11:29):
that, you know, or they get totalk about it together too.
So it's a lot of teaminteraction, you know, a lot of
ownership with what they'redoing.
I think that helps keep thetrust very high, is they're not
being looked at.
You know, it's just the doingthe right thing.
'cause it's what we do.
Yeah.
Um, and so they get to help eachother out as well.
(11:52):
Where does leadership start foryou in developing that culture,
that ownership with your kids?
How, how do you get thatfreshman to become that senior
who's leading or that juniorthat is leading with confidence?
Say, this is how we do this,this is, this is, you know, we
don't, we don't cut cornershere.
This is how we go about this.
(12:12):
How do you create that?
You know, I think it, itdefinitely starts in the
recruiting process.
It starts in the conversationsabout what do you really want?
You know, what's your dream looklike when it comes to college
volleyball?
You know,'cause I was a kid andI, you know, you write a letter
in ninth grade to yourself andyou hide it, right?
And it's like, I'm gonna playhere and I'm gonna do this.
(12:34):
And those are the conversationswe're having during recruiting.
It's like, what's your dream?
You know, and being able to dothat then gives us an advantage,
I think, or maybe a headstart inthe relationship building
process.
Um,'cause it's all relationshipsand again, it'll all come down
to trust, right?
Yeah.
Um, but if a freshman kind ofknows,'cause the recruiting
(12:55):
process, it's easy for them tojump on.
Right.
You know, and it's easy for themto go, I already know about
this.
Like, coach already talked to meabout this, or My teammates have
already talked about this.
'cause we talked all summerleading up until when they get
here.
Um, you know, but it's thatrelationship that really, you
know, I wanna know you and Iwanna know what you want.
'cause if you tell me you wannabe the best, let's get there.
(13:19):
But you gotta act on it too.
You can't just tell me you wannabe the best.
Right, right, right.
Yeah.
We all hear that, like, actionsspeak louder than words, but,
you know, it's a, it's a goodrelationship process.
I, I imagine it's huge on theother side too, where the
recruit's going, I want that.
I want somebody to gimmeownership.
I want to be a leader.
I want to be a part of that,where I can grow into that.
(13:40):
I, I would imagine for arecruit, that's gotta be really
exciting and it may weed outsome of the kids that maybe
wouldn't be good fits for you.
Yes, for sure.
And I think that that's, that'swhat we're trying to do in
recruiting, right?
Is like, are we gonna fittogether?
Right.
You know?
Right.
I don't, I don't know what I amin other people's eyes, but I'm
a little bit crazy'cause it'sall like happening, right?
(14:02):
And we gotta put it all togetherand super organized.
But you know, if you can buyinto my crazy and I'll help you
get to where you wanna go, youknow, it's like yeah.
We're all, we're all into it.
And some people love it and somepeople don't.
And that's what you're saying,that's where you're either gonna
love it.
Get into this, or I'm not rightfor you.
(14:23):
And that's part of it, right?
Like that's okay.
When recruits say no, it'sheartbreaking, but it's still
okay.
Yeah.
I, you know, I don't thinkparents and kids understand how
personal this is to us.
When we recruit, there's areason we're coming after you.
We really like you.
Right, right.
We really, we wanna be aroundyou for the next four years, and
when you tell us No, it's, it's,it's, it's like asking somebody
(14:44):
out to date and they say, no,I'm gonna, I'm gonna date this
person instead.
Right.
You know, it's, it's hard on us.
So I, I, I love that.
And I, I, and I don't think itcan be talked about enough for
kids to understand this isn'tvolleyball, this isn't just
education.
This is, this is your secondfamily.
This is mm-hmm.
This is the world you're gonnagrow up in, and you want to be
with the right people.
(15:05):
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
I love it.
And it's definitely like we'regonna have great days and we're
gonna have really hard days andyou're gonna cry and I'm gonna
cry, and then we're gonna hug,and then we're gonna keep
growing together.
'cause like I said, this is, younever end, never ending
learning, you know?
That's right.
It's funny, I, you know, I teachkids how to get recruited and I
(15:26):
teach them how to communicatewith coaches.
And I say at the end of the day,really all we're doing is you're
saying, coach, I'm interested inyou.
I'd like to know if you'd beinterested in me.
And, and, and for me, there's nobetter way to start a
conversation with a, a coachthat you're interested in,
because that's really what it'sgonna be.
I'm interested in you, here'swhy you've got my majors.
I like the location.
(15:47):
I've, I've researched yourprogram.
You sound like the type of coachI'd like to play for.
Now I'd like to know if you'd beinterested in me.
So it sounds like you kind oftake that approach as well.
Yeah.
The simplicity of that, right?
Yeah, definitely.
Because it's, I don't wanna talkyou into working hard every day.
Yeah.
Like that's not gonna happen,you know?
Yeah.
It's like, come on, are you intothis?
(16:09):
And being Amber Riddle being avery high academic university,
you've gotta take care of yourschoolwork, right?
No one can do it for you.
Right.
You gotta take care of yourself.
You're away from home.
Nobody can do it for you, youknow?
Right.
And that's what we're lookingfor.
And if you say you're in, you'rein.
It means you're in.
You're not in and out and onthis bubble.
(16:31):
Like it's in or out.
Yeah.
For sure.
I, I don't feel like you, youknow, you and I have had this
conversation.
We've talked about this a littlebit.
I don't feel like you've hadretention issues over the last
20 years, have you?
Not so much.
Um, we don't lose a lot of kidsbecause of transferring.
Um, we've, you know, some peopledon't make it here.
(16:53):
Um, not because of a lack ofresources or a lack of trying,
it's just not the right place.
But no, not a ton.
I mean, in my 20 years, if I hadto sit down and write a list, I
bet you it's on my two hands.
Yeah.
Which is unheard of these days,which I'm proud of because it
(17:13):
Yes, you should be.
Yeah.
It's a great place and you canreally, you can really thrive
here.
Let's, let's talk about that.
Every coach says the culturematters.
What's something that youactually do to protect your
culture when a player or asituation threatens it or
you're, you're worried about itdoesn't feel like it's supposed
(17:36):
to feel, is there stuff that youdo to kind of protect that
culture?
You know, it, that's, that's atough question because it's,
it's very open-ended, but I dobelieve that we protect
ourselves with the right peopleand we have the hard
conversations.
That's my job as the adult andas the person here, if it's not
(17:59):
working out, I have to be theone who steps up and approaches
that tough conversation.
Right.
Um, because.
We're, that's what we're doing.
We're trying to teach theseyoung athletes how to do that in
life.
And it's not easy.
It's not easy, easy to havethose tough conversations.
Um, but really it's, it goesback to recruiting.
(18:22):
And I'll, I'll say this, it'slike getting to the families and
getting to know what people wantand holding'em to an expectation
and a standard, because that'sall people want.
Like if, yeah.
You know, is too much freedom iskind of scary, right?
Um, too much structure and toomuch micromanagement is super
just intimidating and scary.
(18:43):
And finding that balance, youknow, finding the balance of,
you know, what you sign up foris out there.
It's very well communicated.
It's very black and white.
Um, and that's how we try to dothings here.
It, it's, it's so importantbecause we have to push.
You know, it's most kids, andI'm gonna put my hand here at my
(19:04):
eyes.
Most kids think that this istheir, their level of potential.
And as a coach, and I'm gonnaput my hand above my head.
Now it's our job to kind of get'em further than they thought
they could.
Right.
So for you, when it comes tochallenging your players, how do
you go about that kind ofgetting them past that comfort
(19:25):
zone and, and understandingthey've got more in them than
they thought?
You know, it's, it's good tohave a background in doing it,
you know, that's always helpful.
Yeah.
You know, being a successfulstudent athlete myself, um, but
also just.
Being prepared as the leader,you know, being prepared as a
(19:46):
staff, as the leadership.
If we're ready to go in andbattle, then they're gonna be
ready to go in and battle.
Right, right.
Um, they're trusting us, we'retrusting them, and they see
like, okay, coaches habit.
You know, it's very, it's veryhard thing to do, and I thought
about this conversation andwhatnot.
(20:07):
It's like, we don't get to havebad days.
Even if we're having a bad day,we have to go give ourselves and
be, have this giving mentality,this servant leadership no
matter what we're going through.
Right.
And that's where I think it, itstrengthen, strengthens, you
know, we could.
We could allow for a bad day orwe can go, you know what, we've
(20:29):
got something to do together.
And it's always about us doingit together, our team, you know?
Um, and that really keeps mycell my head kind of level in my
life, you know, with kids andwork and dah, dah, dah.
It's like, how do stay prepared?
Um, we've gotta stay level andknow that we're all in this
together.
(20:50):
I, uh, I miss that.
As much as I miss theconversations with other
coaches, I miss that we'rebuilding something that's bigger
than ourselves.
And, and, and there's so manydays where we, we might have 14,
15 practices, three, four gamesin a row.
We're traveling and we don'trealize how much we're growing
(21:11):
together and how much we'relearning about each other and
accepting each other.
For you.
Are there things that you tryand do throughout the year when
you know you've had a hardstretch or there's, there's been
midterms and you feel like thegirls are wearing down?
Are there things that you do tokind of say, I'm watching you.
(21:32):
I see you, we, we need abreather today.
Right.
And that's, that's where we haveto be really strategic and very
good at our job is allowing forrecovery.
Um, allowing for fun too.
You know, I think the, if youasked our team, what was the fun
part of last year when wetraveled to, you know, um, where
(21:53):
did we go?
We went to Lee, Tennessee lastyear.
It wasn't the volleyball.
We went thrifting.
And I didn't know what that wasand I'm, you know, I'm old
school.
I'm like, oh, is that become,what am I doing?
Where am I going?
And we all dressed up and we hada great time.
Like it was like, let's go dosomething else besides, it's not
all just volleyball in school.
(22:14):
Right, right.
You know?
Um, but that was our, like,okay, we made it here after 11
hour drive.
'cause we sat two hour traffic,you know, we got some dinner.
We don't play tomorrow until theafternoon.
Like let's get up and dosomething like let's get up and
have some fun.
So we went to the thrift storeand you've seen it on TikTok or
whatever where Yeah, everybodypicks out the outfit for so and
(22:36):
so and whatever.
Oh, it was so much fun.
And that's the stuff that reallyhelps you grow together.
You know, it's remembering thatwe're all just human and we like
to have fun and laugh and youknow, get out of the serious
mode all the time.
Yeah, my, my 12-year-old son,one of the moms did a birthday
party and she took him to athrift store and they each had
(22:57):
to do that.
They had to buy each other 12dress.
That, that sounds d That was so,it was so funny what 12 year
olds picked out for each other,you know, it was just, correct
me, uh, um.
The boys picked out a jersey.
My my son is the smallest12-year-old you're ever gonna
meet.
And somebody picked out thisbasketball jersey for him that
was like a men's extra large.
I mean, it was like a oversizeddress on him, right?
(23:19):
So it was great.
Um.
Again, I'm gonna, I'm gonna makeyour brain work a little bit
when you look back and some ofthose, you know, there's a
couple of decisions that I hadto make.
Were really, really hard thatare always in my brain.
You know, whether that's cuttinga player or making a decision
about assistant coach.
(23:41):
Talk about a time in your careerwhere you had to make that hard
decision and you weren't quitesure what to do with it, but it
turned out being absolutely whatyou and your team needed.
That's, it's interesting becausethere's, there's so many stories
that are hard, right?
Right.
This job is hard and thislifestyle is hard.
(24:03):
Um, you know, and that's whereI'm super grateful for the
longevity of our coaching staff.
'cause I can go to our men'ssoccer coach, you know, who's
been here for 35 years and hasprobably seen everything under
the sun, you know, or abasketball coach or baseball,
whatever.
Um.
But really it's, you know, it'sone of those things, and I hate
(24:26):
to say this out loud, and Idon't know if I'm supposed to
say this or not, but I had astudent athlete who was an only
child, and I'm not judging old,new children.
But she was so hard for me as ahuman, and I know exactly what
(24:46):
you're talking about.
What?
I know exactly what you'retalking about.
Yeah.
My assistant coach, she's agreat player and you know, we
wanna give some opportunities.
So he gives her, she'scommitted.
I don't have the relationship asmaybe as deep as, because he
took the lead on the one right.
(25:07):
She was so hard.
Her and I just didn't haveanything in common.
We had no, we didn't have workethic in common.
We didn't have anything incommon.
And I went to a senior coach andhe said, you know what, you
can't save everybody.
(25:28):
And I looked at thingscompletely different because I
can want something for you.
You can tell me what you want,but you have to really act on
it.
Right, right.
And instead of doing the chop,like the chopping block, right.
It was, we're gonna try this onemore time.
(25:49):
And it's gonna happen to be myway or we're done.
Um, but without saying it likethat, right.
Without Right, without sayingit, me versus you.
It was the program and the big,the big picture, you know?
Yeah.
Seeing the big picture in whatwe're trying to do here.
Um, again, it goes back to thewhy, not just how, but why.
(26:10):
And her, I've been to herwedding, I have, um.
Been to her baby shower and wesee each other.
She comes to our gate.
Like, it's, it's become a greatrelationship.
Well, but I, if, if I would'vebeen like, cut and dry, I
would've lost that opportunityto really be a, in a, you know,
(26:33):
a, a guiding relationship and afriendship and Right.
Just somebody for this younglady who is now a mom and, you
know, successful career woman.
Um, but that's what I take.
I think at this time in mycareer is how can we impact,
right?
And we can't save everybody, butwe can give it that one more
(26:54):
try.
You know?
Yes.
Um, we can't save everysituation, but we can try a
little bit better next time, youknow?
Yeah.
And, and some kids, they justneed you to get there where
you're like, okay, I've tried todo this a hundred ways, now
we're gonna do, here's yourreality here, here's Right.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Because you never wanna give upon somebody, but Right.
(27:17):
When, when I was mentored of,you can't save everybody.
Right.
If it was at all on thedefensive side by this young
woman, or the excuse making, oryou know, super defensive going,
that's not me.
I don't know if it would'veworked.
So we both had to kind of openour eyes to where we're trying
(27:40):
to go.
Yeah.
You know, and that's that.
I think the relationship part ofthis whole interaction, this
whole business, this wholeopportunity is the tough stuff.
Yeah.
And it's, it's so powerful too,because as a 19-year-old,
20-year-old, 18-year-old,whatever it may be, to hear
someone who's responsible foryour future, who has a lot of
(28:05):
control over whether you playvolleyball again, or whether you
play volleyball here, to almosthear that person say directly, I
can't save everybody.
I'm to the point where I'm notsure I can save you.
I want to, I want to have arelationship with you, right?
But here's where we're at, andI'm not sure if there's a more
(28:25):
powerful message for a teenagerlearning how to be an adult to
here.
Mm-hmm.
This can end tomorrow.
We can walk away and you can goyour way and we'll go ours.
I don't want that to happen, butthis is where we're at.
Yeah.
That's pretty powerful.
Yeah, and I think, I mean, arewe all doing this for life
after, right, right.
(28:46):
Life after sport because whenshe's 30 or whatever, and having
a tough time at her job, hercareer, and she's faced with
these tough things.
That's all we're trying to do isprepare, you know?
Yeah.
To give them a little bit of, alittle bit of something Yeah.
That they can take with them.
So, yeah.
When they get married, they gettheir first job, they have their
(29:07):
first boss that doesn't fit themwell.
They're not hearing for thefirst time, you've gotta figure
this out, or you're gonna gosomeone else.
Right.
Or we're not gonna be togetheranymore.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, that's the role that I loveplaying as a coach, and it's the
hard role, you know, it's, it's.
I, I don't know.
I, I don't think you can getinto this job without wanting
(29:28):
that even how hard it is.
You know, you, you have to say,I, I, I want these kids to be
better.
I want them to leave here ascapable, competent adults.
And if I don't have some ofthese conversations with them,
if I don't have highexpectations for them, I'm
failing them.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
So I, I love that about youcoach All I I, every season I
(29:53):
have a college president on.
And I, I, I just, I love talkingto college presidents about the
big picture.
Some of them have, you know,athletics is such a small part
of their brain and some of'emathletics is the centerpiece
'cause they know what athleticscan do for them.
Um, the president I had on wasthe president of, uh, junior
college.
He's also the chair of the Dthree, um, uh, NCAA committee
(30:16):
for presidents.
So he had a great perspective.
And one of the things he said,he goes, every time we hire a
coach, I have a marker board inmy office and I go write on the
board what your program's gonnabe known for.
Right on the board.
What your legacy or, you know,when we talk to people about
your program, what are wetelling them?
(30:38):
I'm gonna throw that at you.
'cause I thought that was sogreat.
I mean, and, and you gimme thatlook like you have to think
about it.
But you've been doing this forhalf an hour already telling me
what your program so far.
But when you think about.
This is kind of the one or twothings that really make our
program special.
'cause you have a specialprogram, you've done so well,
you've had such a great career.
(30:59):
What are those things you'relike, this is, this is why we
win.
This is why our kids leave hereprepared.
I.
Yeah, I think in that legacy,you know, we've had, um, a
passing of one of our coachesrecently and just thinking about
what's his legacy and it'salways just your legacy here,
just for volleyball for me isjust being a servant leader.
(31:22):
You know, being someone that'sjust.
Grateful for this opportunityand how can I help you?
Right?
Um, how can I, you know, besomeone that doesn't keep score
about, you know, well, I've donethis for you and you need to do
that for me now, you know, it'sjust about giving myself and
give myself, not just to thevolleyball game, but to these
(31:44):
young ladies who I had the bestcollege experience ever.
Like I thought if I could goback, I can't play anymore'cause
I'm gonna have a kneereplacement.
But after that, if I could go doit again, I'd do it again in a
heartbeat.
It was so great.
My coaches, um, you know, SanJose State was great.
I wanna help provide that tothese ladies who, who have
(32:06):
worked so hard for thisopportunity, you know?
Um, and so it's much, it's somuch of just a giving and, you
know, trying to be a good.
Good role model, a good person,a good advocate for our sport
and for life as a career mother.
Um, you know, having two kidsand doing all that, it's not
easy.
(32:26):
My husband travels like, you cando it all.
Yeah.
You know, you really can.
And that's what I want.
I, I hope our team, our youngladies take away from here is
like, I can do that.
Yeah.
You know, I can do it.
Yeah.
Well, I think that's whatseparates a great coach from a,
a mediocre coach is we all talkabout being a servant leader,
(32:47):
but it's the ones that say, thisisn't quid quo pro.
I, I don't need that giving tocome back to me.
It's great when it does, but ifI'm gonna be a servant leader,
I, I've gotta give, I've gottabe generous.
I've gotta my time's, my time'sgotta go to a lot of different
people.
But when kids need me, I'm gottabe there for them.
Yeah, right.
(33:08):
I love that.
Um.
If I sat in on a practice, okay,because I, I love practices.
Um, I love practice.
It's the best part of my day.
I do, I know, me too.
Um, if I walked outta thatpractice, what would I, what
would I still be thinking aboutand talking about two, three
(33:30):
days later?
Okay, first we're gonna jam inthe beginning.
We're gonna play music, we'regonna like get ready, we're
gonna go right?
We're gonna have fun.
And I think you're gonnaremember most just the
competition, the level ofcompetition, the battle that
these young ladies are gonna gointo every single day, and then
(33:50):
high five each other, give eachother a hug, and then see you
later at the apartment, youknow?
Yeah.
Um, but that's, that I think issomething that.
You would walk out of our gymand go like, man, that was fast
paced and people were crushingballs and making things happen,
and just really exciting.
(34:11):
That's awesome.
Well, and it's good.
It's exciting to come topractice every day when you know
that's how it's gonna be.
For sure.
Yeah.
It's, it's, you're gonna, you'regonna, you're walking into a
workout and Yeah.
And you're gonna do it with yourfriends and you're gonna have a
blast and you're gonna bechallenged and that's great.
Going back to that marker board,is that what your program's
(34:32):
known for in terms of on thefloor?
Is it speed or is it somethingelse that you feel like, this is
kind of our identifier, this iswhat makes us special?
Um, I would say we're.
Discipline and the systematic,right?
We're disciplined with how wemove and, um, how our system
plays out.
(34:53):
All the, all the pins,everything's kind of working
together, right?
All the cylinders are rollingtogether and kind of feeding off
of each other.
Um, you know, and we'll, it, Ithink the speed of play is
always dependent on thepersonnel.
You know, everybody always asksme, are you gonna run a five,
one, or a six two?
Depends on the personnel.
That's right.
Can we cut fast or can do wehave to slow down our offense?
(35:16):
Depends on the passing, right?
Right.
It all depends.
Um.
But just the level ofcompetition and, you know, the
respectful trash talking isencouraged.
Like, come on, get after eachother.
Like when you do something, belike, mm-hmm you can't get me,
or, you know, just having thosegood banter back and forth as
(35:36):
far as,'cause that's real, likethat's what people wanna do,
not.
Just this quiet volleyball.
It's loud and it's, you know,it's intense.
I would say intense over speed,maybe kind of intense, you know,
and, uh, just a lot of fun.
Like practice is my favorite.
Like I, my assistant coach and Iget here at eight 30 every
(35:56):
morning and we sit here andwait, like, we're like, okay,
when's practice?
When's practice?
You know, let's go, let's go,let's go.
Can we talk about it more?
Can we talk about it more?
But yeah, it's, it's a greattime.
That's so much fun.
All right.
What's the truth about coachingat college athletics that nobody
tells you before you sit in thathead coaching chair?
(36:20):
That's a, um, long story short,our, one of my best friends just
got our head baseball job lastyear, and he is been an
assistant for years and he lookslike it's hard and I'm always
going, Hmm.
It's kind of hard, huh?
Like this now is way different.
But anyways, um.
What's hard.
(36:41):
I just love it all.
It is hard, but I love it all.
I think just, I dunno what tosay.
What, think about yourassistants and, and some of the
girls that have left yourprogram that are went into
coaching, what, what did theyhave to learn when they got that
head coaching job or?
What advice would you give me?
That, Hey, you gotta be thinkingabout this.
(37:01):
It's not just fun and games, youknow, I'd like to tell you it's
90% volleyball and 10%everything else.
You know?
What are some of the things thata, a young coach, a young
assistant, getting into thisdoesn't understand about being
in that chair?
I would say be patient withsuccess.
Right?
Patience is.
(37:22):
I think hard for everybody.
It's definitely hard for me.
Um, it's hard for thisgeneration'cause it's all
instant gratification.
Um, but be patient becausesuccess looks different for
everybody.
Right, right.
Um, success to a non-starter,like what does that look like
for them?
And then that's the hard part Ithink managing all the different
personalities, all the differentroles that people play.
(37:45):
Um, you know, but really.
Making it intimate to that oneperson and finding their
success, you know?
Yeah.
Um, because it's all sodifferent, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, you know, I, I had to learnthis the hard way.
I got my first job at 26, and Iwas, imagine, I imagine that's
where, where you were, you mustbeen really young too.
(38:06):
Um, how little I got to coachbasketball.
How many meetings I was in andhow many, you know, loads of
laundry I was doing and cleaninglocker rooms, you know that.
Yeah.
It was, it was kind of, I, I didit all.
Do you find that that affectscoaches when they get that job
(38:27):
for the first time, that thatcan negatively affect their
desire to do it or affects howthey do it when they realize
that it's not just coaching andrecruiting?
I think so.
'cause it goes back to thatservant part.
Yeah, like we set up our matchbase.
Like I, I set up the, the netfor game day.
Yes.
Yeah.
I take pride in it.
(38:48):
Yeah.
I want the chairs to be acertain way.
Right.
Our game management staff is outof this world.
They're so great, but I takepride in doing those little
details.
Because it's, it's what I'mputting out there for whether
you're on this live stream oryou're visiting from out of
town, or you're the parents thatcome every weekend, like we're
(39:09):
putting on our production.
Right?
Yeah.
And taking the step back andnot, again, it's not like, what
am I doing this for?
What am I getting for this?
It's what am I giving?
And that I think is.
Um, you know, you're gonna startat the bottom when you're a new
coach.
Um, but don't get rid of that,you know, that blue collar, that
hard stuff, even when you'vebeen doing it as long as I have,
(39:32):
because that's the stuff thatreally, like, it matters to me.
Those little things matter tome, you know?
Yeah.
You're, you're inviting peopleover to your house, right?
Right.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, you know, the floors, the,this, that, like we do it, my
assistant coach and my staff, wedo it for every home match.
Um, you know, I wouldn't have itany other way.
(39:52):
Right.
Because it's our turn to showyou what we've been doing, you
know?
Yeah.
I love that.
Are you ready for a little rapidfire, fun questions?
Not that this hasn't been allfun.
Sure.
We're gonna, we're gonna, we'regonna Colbert rapport.
You we're gonna get to know youin a, in a okay way.
Okay?
Uh, is, do you have a go-topregame hype song?
(40:15):
Is there a music that you likebefore?
No.
So well, yes, but I listen to itevery day in my car.
I listen to chill out.
Because I think life is so crazyand I don't need to be like
jamming hard.
I need to chill out, you know?
Um, and here's just one littletidbit on top of that.
Always the girls are like, it'ssix o'clock, you know, and we're
(40:38):
doing our scout report, or youknow, games at seven.
Are you hyped?
Are you ready?
I'm like, no, 6 59, I'll beready to go.
If I'm hype for like 12 hours,I'm outta gas.
By the time your game starts,like I gotta like, and then I
can turn it on.
Like a light switch.
Yeah.
But like, let me chill.
(40:58):
I love it.
Is it more instrumental?
Or, okay.
All right.
I love that.
Okay.
Just kind of let your mindwander, like, woo, you know, I
love it.
Is there, um, do you have anysuperstitious before games?
Is there anything that you dobefore every game?
Um, well, I gotta eat'cause I'ma foodie.
(41:23):
Um, no.
Yes, no.
I wear black.
Okay.
I, I love black too.
Yeah.
I'm, same way black is like gameday.
It's like, here I am.
Like, you wanna mess with meblack?
Yeah.
I'm the same way.
Yeah.
You look at any pictures overthe last couple years of me
coaching, it's always in black.
Yes.
Love it.
That's my thing.
You're a foodie.
Is there a go-to pre-game orpost-game meal that you love or
(41:44):
you often go to or a restaurant?
Well, I just eat chips and salsalike every minute.
So no, not really.
Not really every minute, butlike you could.
I could.
Right.
Um, really it's whateverleftovers are in the fridge.
You've talked about how fun yourpractices are.
(42:04):
You've talked about how muchcompetition and the girls
connecting.
Is there a player celebrationyou love the most?
I just love it.
Like the fist pump, you know,and the like, just that like.
Ah.
You know, I just love it.
(42:25):
I, I mean, you see it everywherein sports.
Yeah.
You know, not at a person, justlike with your team and like
Yeah.
And especially when it's thequiet person who never does any,
like, no facial expressionsever.
And then they do something andit's like, and they get into it.
I'm like, oh yeah, that's right.
Like, we're into it.
You know, we're in a zone ifthey're into it, you know?
(42:47):
Yeah.
I love it.
Yeah.
Um.
Is there something you've takenfrom another coach?
And it doesn't have to be like adrill or anything, it could be
anything you want.
You're like that, that you'vekept all these years that you've
made your own.
Is there something you've stolenor borrowed?
You know, we play a lot of washgames here and in the volleyball
(43:09):
world there's a game called USAand you have to win three in a
row and it's really hard.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Well we've made it ERAU, so nowyou gotta win four in a row.
So we've leveled up a littlebit.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We had a drill like that.
We called it warrior.
You had to score three times ina row.
(43:29):
If the other team stopped you,you were off.
You had to score three and yougot to play off it.
So I love that.
Um, if you could coach any othersport for one season, what would
it be?
One season, any other sport.
Can it be a men's sport?
Absolutely.
(43:50):
Okay.
I would definitely do men'sbasketball.
Okay.
I don't know why.
Just because my kids play and Ithink watching men's basketball
is way cool.
And I, well, you love, it's,you've been talking how much you
loves speed and athleticism.
Yeah.
And yeah, it makes sense.
And I love that these femalesare getting into the NBA and
(44:12):
doing all these things.
I'm like, that's cool.
You get to like.
Talk to that seven foot guy likethat, you know?
That's right.
I love it.
I dunno.
I love it.
Um, if you could have dinnerwith any past athlete or present
athlete or coach, who would youchoose?
(44:33):
Probably Kobe.
Kobe.
Yep.
Yeah, we've got a basketballtheme here.
I love it.
You're speaking my, yeah, Imean, I got two boys.
That's all we do right now.
That's great.
Alright.
If I could bring them to dinner,that's all I need to bring my
kids.
Yeah, absolutely.
You can't have, you can't goback in time and have dinner
with Kobe and not bring yourboys.
Absolutely.
Um, all right.
(44:54):
Final question.
I try and ask this to everyvolleyball coach.
'cause we have this debate in myhouse every day.
I've got a club volleyballplayer, high school volleyball
player, and my wife's avolleyball fanatic.
That girl that wears the othercolor jersey, what do we call
her position?
LiRo.
LiRo, what do you call it inColorado?
Well, we call it LiRo too, butevery coach I talk to has a
(45:16):
different story about why theycall it something else.
Liber.
I don't know if it's technicallyLibro.
Yeah.
You know, I'm from the westcoast.
I'm from Oregon, so yeah, youknow.
Say, I don't know.
Well, it's funny'cause BeckySchmidt, the head coach at Hope,
was on the podcast a few monthsago, and I asked her this.
She goes, Matt, we were in Italyplaying, and I asked, you know,
(45:40):
this is Italy, this is, yeah.
Where the word came from.
Right?
And I asked the head coach, howdo you pronounce it?
And she said, he said, LiRo.
And I go, all right, but it wasin Italy.
Of course, they're gonna say ita little bit differently than
the way we say it here, so IThat's important to hear and I'm
not really good at it.
Rolling my Rs.
Yeah, I'm practicing.
(46:01):
I've got a, I've got a PuertoRican Libero LiRo, and I've like
the coaches from Puerto Rico,and I try, but you know, yeah.
I'm just a country girl.
I I'm with you.
I'm with you.
And, and lib just, it rolls offthe tongue in short, a little
bit easier.
The bros.
There's the bros, right?
They're the bros.
Yeah, exactly.
(46:21):
Coach, this has been awesome.
Thanks for talking, coachingwith me.
I'm excited to do a part twowith you.
I've got, I've been holdingback, talking, recruiting with
you so I'm excited to have himdo a part.
We were go in there and I waslike, don't say that.
A.
That was such a fun conversationwith Coach Jocelyn Gallup.
I love how she brings thatperfect mix of intensity, fun
(46:45):
and tough love to the game, andhow she has built something
truly significant at EmbryRiddle over her 20 years of
leading that program, creating aculture that goes far beyond
volleyball.
If you enjoyed this episode,make sure you subscribe to my
weeklynewsletter@coachmattrogers.com
for coaching insights,recruiting tips and stories to
(47:07):
help you lead and compete withsignificance.
And don't miss part two of myconversation with Coach Gallup
coming this Monday onsignificant recruiting where
we'll dive deep into therecruiting process, the
qualities she looks for inathletes at each position, and
the types of characteristics.
That get her excited about arecruit.
(47:28):
Thanks for listening and we'llsee you next time on Significant
Coaching with Matt Rogers.
I.
I don't wanna talk you intoworking hard every day.
That's not gonna happen, andbeing Amber Riddle being a very
high academic university, you'vegotta take care of your
schoolwork no one can do it foryou.
You gotta take care of yourself.
You're away from home.
Nobody can do it for you, andthat's what we're looking for.
And if you say you're in.
It means you're in.
(00:28):
Welcome back to the SignificantCoaching Podcast, where we dive
into the mindset, the methods,and the stories of the coaches
shaping athletes, both on andoff the field.
I'm your host, Matt Rogers.
You just heard a small taste ofmy conversation with Jocelyn
Gallup, head volleyball coach atEmbry Riddle Aeronautical
University, and trust me, thefull discussion is every bit as
(00:49):
direct.
Passionate and fun is that clip.
Coach Gallup is a straightshooter who thrives on making
the game fun, competitive, andintense.
She's the kind of coach whoembraces a little trash talk
when it fuels competition andbuilds team chemistry.
As a former division onestandout at San Jose State, she
knows exactly what the best ofthe best looks like, and she
(01:12):
challenges her players to reachthat level.
Always with love, but nevershine away from a little tough
love when it's what they need.
In our conversation, you'll alsohear why Embry Riddle is much
more than just a university forpilots and engineers.
While it's world renowned forits aerospace programs, it
offers a full range of majorsand specialties from business to
(01:34):
cybersecurity, to human factorpsychology, all while competing
at a high level in athletics, inone of the toughest conferences
in the country, the SunshineState Conference.
This is a conversation aboutbuilding a culture where winning
and joy can coexist, whereathletes learn to compete
fiercely while loving everyminute of being together.
(01:57):
On and off the court.
And if you're listening todayand wanna learn more about me,
my books, or how I supportathletes and families through
the recruiting process, headover to coach matt rogers.com.
Feel free to schedule a strategysession or just leave a comment.
I'd love to hear from you.
Now let's get into my fullconversation, part one with
Coach Jocelyn Gallop.
(02:19):
Okay.
All right.
Emory Riddle AeronauticalUniversity.
Yes.
What do people need to know thatthey probably don't understand
about those four words?
First and foremost, we are thebest flight in engineering
school.
(02:39):
Without taking away that we aremuch more than that.
Okay.
Okay.
When I was looking for a job, Ihad no idea myself what Ember
Riddle Aeronautical Universitywas.
Um, but we, it's a specialplace.
It's a family place and it'ssomewhere that you can thrive
(03:00):
academically, athletically, andenjoy Daytona Beach.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So if I wanted to major inbusiness or English or history,
I can do that At Emory Riddle,you can.
We have a few areas of educationthat we do not have, and there
is no way that it's gonna workout here.
(03:22):
But we do have so much more thanjust what's known or what you
see on, uh, online.
Yeah.
And what's great is that ourprofessors and our, um, you
know, our committed.
Faculty and staff really put ittogether and make it work, you
know, um, for example, someonewanted to be a veterinarian.
(03:46):
We have a doctorate program.
It's not veterinarian school,but you gotta do that later
anyways.
Right, right.
So get your medical piece donehere and you are still gonna be
dissecting sharks and rats,which gets you the veterinarian
side, you know?
That's right.
Yeah.
Love it.
Yeah.
And it's, it's a place that, youknow, the, the faculty and staff
(04:07):
can put things together andhelp.
Get you whatever, wherever youwanna go.
So it's not Goose and Maverickwalking around in flight suits.
It's, it's, we have that though.
You have that, but, but we're somuch more, you know?
Yes, yes.
Yeah.
That's so cool.
And I love that you didn't knowmuch about it when you got
there.
You've been there 20 years,you've had a, you've had a great
(04:29):
career.
What's changed in your heart?
'cause you've stayed and you've,you've just, and one of the.
If not the toughest volleyball Dtwo volleyball conferences in
the country.
It's right there.
It's probably number two if it'snot number one.
What's kept you there andwhat's, what's what, what makes
you excited to go to work everyday?
Really it's the people, and Ifound this out 20 years ago.
(04:50):
Um, our former ad, he's stillour basketball coach.
He's been here 35, 36.
I don't wanna age him that well,but, um, he is been here for a
long time.
Our soccer coach, the same.
It's a place where people comeand really love it.
Um, it goes from not only ourcoaching staff, but our
administration.
And then you go to the academicside.
(05:12):
We have professors that havebeen here.
For many of years our secretaryjust re um, retired at 46 years.
Like it's a, it's a familyplace, you know, and it's, it
is, like you just said, it'snot, it's not work.
Like I come to work and I'mlike, sweet.
I get to see my work friends whoare, some of'em are out of the
office friends and some are not,you know, and, um, we, we are
(05:38):
supported here and, you know,we're, we're just, it's just a
place that you can have it all.
Yeah, that's the part I missabout being a head college
coach.
I was a head college coach,athletic director for 15 years.
I miss the relationships.
I miss being able to walk acrossthe hall to you and say, Jas, I
need, I'm struggling with thiskid.
I need some advice.
You know, it, it's, that is thebest part of being a coach for
(06:01):
me.
Yeah.
Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It's the growth of, of theseyoung student athletes, you
know?
Yeah.
It's not just coachingvolleyball, it's coaching life
and growing and learning withthem, still being here for 20
years, still learning andthriving and loving, you know,
every day.
What's one thing if you, if, ifa high school coach came into
(06:24):
your practices, they might seeas unique or unconventional
about how you run a practice.
Um, well, I've got a fewsayings.
Okay.
And I stick by those very well,and I just used it at camp with
a bunch of 14 year olds.
But, um, it worked.
It's, you get what you tolerate.
And from a coach's eye, um,we're very disciplined team.
(06:50):
We're very systematic, um, team.
And that doesn't come with, youknow.
Extreme consequences.
It is just high standards.
And so we don't, I don't say weover coach, but we coach very
detailed.
We take our time and let theseyoung ladies learn why, um, not
(07:11):
just how to do it, but why do wedo it, you know, in the match
when we only have two timeouts,they need to know why and figure
it out.
You know?
And that's a lot of what we'redoing is we're problem solving
and we're not tolerating a lotof.
Extra.
Just keep it simple, you know?
Yeah.
What gimme an example of, ofwhat that may look like in
practice?
(07:33):
Um, at practice, like it's justfootwork patterns, right?
Okay.
We have ways that we do them,and if we do them efficiently,
we can last for a really longtime.
If we do them inefficiently andwaste a bunch of energy, we're
gonna be gassed when it comes toset five.
Yeah.
And so our warmup is verydetailed with footwork patterns,
(07:53):
um, without the ball, you know,and then if you can do it
without the ball, you do it withthe ball and then you do it
live.
Um, and so there's lots ofbreakdown.
There's lots of pieces that we,you know, that habitual stuff,
those habitual movements, weneed to learn.
I was a basketball coach, so we,I could take my guards to one
side and I could take my postsmy forwards to the other side.
(08:15):
We could work on individualthings.
I, I'm, that's gotta be a littlebit harder with, on a volleyball
court.
So when you're talking footwork,is everybody working on their
drop steps and their pivots andtheir framing?
Is everybody working on their,on their hitting the ball?
How, how do you, how do you workall that footwork in?
Because every position's gotdifferent footwork.
They've got a, they've got, wedo.
(08:36):
And we all have, they all havea.
You know, kind of a warmup basedon their position.
Um, and then we collectivelycome together at the end.
But really, we're, we're veryfortunate.
We have four courts here in ourgym.
Oh, that's awesome.
And so we're spread out, likewe've got this huge facility.
You know, main court is usuallydesignated for the setters and
(08:58):
they're training.
And then we've got a court forsome hitters and Liberos are
over here doing things.
And so we're able to spread outand, you know, it's not
micromanaged as far as they justknow like, here's what you're
gonna do to warm up, right?
Get it done.
And we get to float around andtalk to people and see how it's
going.
Um, help out or, you know,answer questions.
(09:20):
Um, but really it's goes tothis.
You know, this trust, and I'mgonna talk about that word a
whole bunch because it, itmatters a huge deal in, in
coaching and leading.
Um, but we trust that they'redoing it to their best ability
and they do.
And because we don't toleratethe other stuff.
I love that.
Yeah.
How, how, what role does yourstaff play in all that?
(09:42):
Because when you have fourcourts and you're doing
breakdowns, talk about trustyou.
Yeah.
You can't be in every spot.
You can't be hearing everylittle thing and coaching every
little thing.
So walk me through how you, youkind of develop your staff, how
you use your staff and practice.
Yeah.
And I, I am glad you asked that'cause I, I feel like I've got
one of the best in the countryas far as staff goes.
(10:02):
My assistant coach playedprofessional volleyball, played
beach volleyball in the a BP,just as a gym rat.
Like he just wants to trainvolleyball.
Right.
And so he is, by the end ofwarmups, he's like drenched in
sweat.
Right.
Um, but we talk about it, youknow, as far as like putting a
practice plan together.
We'll each have a plan.
(10:24):
Going in.
I don't need to know everythingthat he's gonna do with his
group.
Because again, the trust, um,we've got a couple student
managers that may not do a bunchof the coaching part, but
they're at least there to putballs in, you know?
Yeah.
Um, but they're super valuablein what they do for us and just
really the energy they bring.
'cause they're unfortunately notplaying the game.
(10:46):
They're just around the game,you know?
Right.
And they just love being a partof what we're doing.
Right.
I love that.
I, I, I never had a programwhere I had a big staff or I had
a lot of managers.
You know, if I had twoassistants in the gym with me,
it was, it was a, yeah, it was aluxury, right.
So when you have three or fourpeople, five people that can
(11:07):
help expedite everything you'retrying to do, get you through
your drills faster, get morereps.
Yeah, that's, that's such anadvantage.
Every day.
And we look to our older, youknow, our kind of, um, you know,
the upperclassmen as well.
Um, you know, if there's middleson a court and we've got a
senior and a freshman, asophomore, like, let's lead
(11:29):
that, you know, or they get totalk about it together too.
So it's a lot of teaminteraction, you know, a lot of
ownership with what they'redoing.
I think that helps keep thetrust very high, is they're not
being looked at.
You know, it's just the doingthe right thing.
'cause it's what we do.
Yeah.
Um, and so they get to help eachother out as well.
(11:52):
Where does leadership start foryou in developing that culture,
that ownership with your kids?
How, how do you get thatfreshman to become that senior
who's leading or that juniorthat is leading with confidence?
Say, this is how we do this,this is, this is, you know, we
don't, we don't cut cornershere.
This is how we go about this.
(12:12):
How do you create that?
You know, I think it, itdefinitely starts in the
recruiting process.
It starts in the conversationsabout what do you really want?
You know, what's your dream looklike when it comes to college
volleyball?
You know,'cause I was a kid andI, you know, you write a letter
in ninth grade to yourself andyou hide it, right?
And it's like, I'm gonna playhere and I'm gonna do this.
(12:34):
And those are the conversationswe're having during recruiting.
It's like, what's your dream?
You know, and being able to dothat then gives us an advantage,
I think, or maybe a headstart inthe relationship building
process.
Um,'cause it's all relationshipsand again, it'll all come down
to trust, right?
Yeah.
Um, but if a freshman kind ofknows,'cause the recruiting
(12:55):
process, it's easy for them tojump on.
Right.
You know, and it's easy for themto go, I already know about
this.
Like, coach already talked to meabout this, or My teammates have
already talked about this.
'cause we talked all summerleading up until when they get
here.
Um, you know, but it's thatrelationship that really, you
know, I wanna know you and Iwanna know what you want.
'cause if you tell me you wannabe the best, let's get there.
(13:19):
But you gotta act on it too.
You can't just tell me you wannabe the best.
Right, right, right.
Yeah.
We all hear that, like, actionsspeak louder than words, but,
you know, it's a, it's a goodrelationship process.
I, I imagine it's huge on theother side too, where the
recruit's going, I want that.
I want somebody to gimmeownership.
I want to be a leader.
I want to be a part of that,where I can grow into that.
(13:40):
I, I would imagine for arecruit, that's gotta be really
exciting and it may weed outsome of the kids that maybe
wouldn't be good fits for you.
Yes, for sure.
And I think that that's, that'swhat we're trying to do in
recruiting, right?
Is like, are we gonna fittogether?
Right.
You know?
Right.
I don't, I don't know what I amin other people's eyes, but I'm
a little bit crazy'cause it'sall like happening, right?
(14:02):
And we gotta put it all togetherand super organized.
But you know, if you can buyinto my crazy and I'll help you
get to where you wanna go, youknow, it's like yeah.
We're all, we're all into it.
And some people love it and somepeople don't.
And that's what you're saying,that's where you're either gonna
love it.
Get into this, or I'm not rightfor you.
(14:23):
And that's part of it, right?
Like that's okay.
When recruits say no, it'sheartbreaking, but it's still
okay.
Yeah.
I, you know, I don't thinkparents and kids understand how
personal this is to us.
When we recruit, there's areason we're coming after you.
We really like you.
Right, right.
We really, we wanna be aroundyou for the next four years, and
when you tell us No, it's, it's,it's, it's like asking somebody
(14:44):
out to date and they say, no,I'm gonna, I'm gonna date this
person instead.
Right.
You know, it's, it's hard on us.
So I, I, I love that.
And I, I, and I don't think itcan be talked about enough for
kids to understand this isn'tvolleyball, this isn't just
education.
This is, this is your secondfamily.
This is mm-hmm.
This is the world you're gonnagrow up in, and you want to be
with the right people.
(15:05):
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
I love it.
And it's definitely like we'regonna have great days and we're
gonna have really hard days andyou're gonna cry and I'm gonna
cry, and then we're gonna hug,and then we're gonna keep
growing together.
'cause like I said, this is, younever end, never ending
learning, you know?
That's right.
It's funny, I, you know, I teachkids how to get recruited and I
(15:26):
teach them how to communicatewith coaches.
And I say at the end of the day,really all we're doing is you're
saying, coach, I'm interested inyou.
I'd like to know if you'd beinterested in me.
And, and, and for me, there's nobetter way to start a
conversation with a, a coachthat you're interested in,
because that's really what it'sgonna be.
I'm interested in you, here'swhy you've got my majors.
I like the location.
(15:47):
I've, I've researched yourprogram.
You sound like the type of coachI'd like to play for.
Now I'd like to know if you'd beinterested in me.
So it sounds like you kind oftake that approach as well.
Yeah.
The simplicity of that, right?
Yeah, definitely.
Because it's, I don't wanna talkyou into working hard every day.
Yeah.
Like that's not gonna happen,you know?
Yeah.
It's like, come on, are you intothis?
(16:09):
And being Amber Riddle being avery high academic university,
you've gotta take care of yourschoolwork, right?
No one can do it for you.
Right.
You gotta take care of yourself.
You're away from home.
Nobody can do it for you, youknow?
Right.
And that's what we're lookingfor.
And if you say you're in, you'rein.
It means you're in.
You're not in and out and onthis bubble.
(16:31):
Like it's in or out.
Yeah.
For sure.
I, I don't feel like you, youknow, you and I have had this
conversation.
We've talked about this a littlebit.
I don't feel like you've hadretention issues over the last
20 years, have you?
Not so much.
Um, we don't lose a lot of kidsbecause of transferring.
Um, we've, you know, some peopledon't make it here.
(16:53):
Um, not because of a lack ofresources or a lack of trying,
it's just not the right place.
But no, not a ton.
I mean, in my 20 years, if I hadto sit down and write a list, I
bet you it's on my two hands.
Yeah.
Which is unheard of these days,which I'm proud of because it
(17:13):
Yes, you should be.
Yeah.
It's a great place and you canreally, you can really thrive
here.
Let's, let's talk about that.
Every coach says the culturematters.
What's something that youactually do to protect your
culture when a player or asituation threatens it or
you're, you're worried about itdoesn't feel like it's supposed
(17:36):
to feel, is there stuff that youdo to kind of protect that
culture?
You know, it, that's, that's atough question because it's,
it's very open-ended, but I dobelieve that we protect
ourselves with the right peopleand we have the hard
conversations.
That's my job as the adult andas the person here, if it's not
(17:59):
working out, I have to be theone who steps up and approaches
that tough conversation.
Right.
Um, because.
We're, that's what we're doing.
We're trying to teach theseyoung athletes how to do that in
life.
And it's not easy.
It's not easy, easy to havethose tough conversations.
Um, but really it's, it goesback to recruiting.
(18:22):
And I'll, I'll say this, it'slike getting to the families and
getting to know what people wantand holding'em to an expectation
and a standard, because that'sall people want.
Like if, yeah.
You know, is too much freedom iskind of scary, right?
Um, too much structure and toomuch micromanagement is super
just intimidating and scary.
(18:43):
And finding that balance, youknow, finding the balance of,
you know, what you sign up foris out there.
It's very well communicated.
It's very black and white.
Um, and that's how we try to dothings here.
It, it's, it's so importantbecause we have to push.
You know, it's most kids, andI'm gonna put my hand here at my
(19:04):
eyes.
Most kids think that this istheir, their level of potential.
And as a coach, and I'm gonnaput my hand above my head.
Now it's our job to kind of get'em further than they thought
they could.
Right.
So for you, when it comes tochallenging your players, how do
you go about that kind ofgetting them past that comfort
(19:25):
zone and, and understandingthey've got more in them than
they thought?
You know, it's, it's good tohave a background in doing it,
you know, that's always helpful.
Yeah.
You know, being a successfulstudent athlete myself, um, but
also just.
Being prepared as the leader,you know, being prepared as a
(19:46):
staff, as the leadership.
If we're ready to go in andbattle, then they're gonna be
ready to go in and battle.
Right, right.
Um, they're trusting us, we'retrusting them, and they see
like, okay, coaches habit.
You know, it's very, it's veryhard thing to do, and I thought
about this conversation andwhatnot.
(20:07):
It's like, we don't get to havebad days.
Even if we're having a bad day,we have to go give ourselves and
be, have this giving mentality,this servant leadership no
matter what we're going through.
Right.
And that's where I think it, itstrengthen, strengthens, you
know, we could.
We could allow for a bad day orwe can go, you know what, we've
(20:29):
got something to do together.
And it's always about us doingit together, our team, you know?
Um, and that really keeps mycell my head kind of level in my
life, you know, with kids andwork and dah, dah, dah.
It's like, how do stay prepared?
Um, we've gotta stay level andknow that we're all in this
together.
(20:50):
I, uh, I miss that.
As much as I miss theconversations with other
coaches, I miss that we'rebuilding something that's bigger
than ourselves.
And, and, and there's so manydays where we, we might have 14,
15 practices, three, four gamesin a row.
We're traveling and we don'trealize how much we're growing
(21:11):
together and how much we'relearning about each other and
accepting each other.
For you.
Are there things that you tryand do throughout the year when
you know you've had a hardstretch or there's, there's been
midterms and you feel like thegirls are wearing down?
Are there things that you do tokind of say, I'm watching you.
(21:32):
I see you, we, we need abreather today.
Right.
And that's, that's where we haveto be really strategic and very
good at our job is allowing forrecovery.
Um, allowing for fun too.
You know, I think the, if youasked our team, what was the fun
part of last year when wetraveled to, you know, um, where
(21:53):
did we go?
We went to Lee, Tennessee lastyear.
It wasn't the volleyball.
We went thrifting.
And I didn't know what that wasand I'm, you know, I'm old
school.
I'm like, oh, is that become,what am I doing?
Where am I going?
And we all dressed up and we hada great time.
Like it was like, let's go dosomething else besides, it's not
all just volleyball in school.
(22:14):
Right, right.
You know?
Um, but that was our, like,okay, we made it here after 11
hour drive.
'cause we sat two hour traffic,you know, we got some dinner.
We don't play tomorrow until theafternoon.
Like let's get up and dosomething like let's get up and
have some fun.
So we went to the thrift storeand you've seen it on TikTok or
whatever where Yeah, everybodypicks out the outfit for so and
(22:36):
so and whatever.
Oh, it was so much fun.
And that's the stuff that reallyhelps you grow together.
You know, it's remembering thatwe're all just human and we like
to have fun and laugh and youknow, get out of the serious
mode all the time.
Yeah, my, my 12-year-old son,one of the moms did a birthday
party and she took him to athrift store and they each had
(22:57):
to do that.
They had to buy each other 12dress.
That, that sounds d That was so,it was so funny what 12 year
olds picked out for each other,you know, it was just, correct
me, uh, um.
The boys picked out a jersey.
My my son is the smallest12-year-old you're ever gonna
meet.
And somebody picked out thisbasketball jersey for him that
was like a men's extra large.
I mean, it was like a oversizeddress on him, right?
(23:19):
So it was great.
Um.
Again, I'm gonna, I'm gonna makeyour brain work a little bit
when you look back and some ofthose, you know, there's a
couple of decisions that I hadto make.
Were really, really hard thatare always in my brain.
You know, whether that's cuttinga player or making a decision
about assistant coach.
(23:41):
Talk about a time in your careerwhere you had to make that hard
decision and you weren't quitesure what to do with it, but it
turned out being absolutely whatyou and your team needed.
That's, it's interesting becausethere's, there's so many stories
that are hard, right?
Right.
This job is hard and thislifestyle is hard.
(24:03):
Um, you know, and that's whereI'm super grateful for the
longevity of our coaching staff.
'cause I can go to our men'ssoccer coach, you know, who's
been here for 35 years and hasprobably seen everything under
the sun, you know, or abasketball coach or baseball,
whatever.
Um.
But really it's, you know, it'sone of those things, and I hate
(24:26):
to say this out loud, and Idon't know if I'm supposed to
say this or not, but I had astudent athlete who was an only
child, and I'm not judging old,new children.
But she was so hard for me as ahuman, and I know exactly what
(24:46):
you're talking about.
What?
I know exactly what you'retalking about.
Yeah.
My assistant coach, she's agreat player and you know, we
wanna give some opportunities.
So he gives her, she'scommitted.
I don't have the relationship asmaybe as deep as, because he
took the lead on the one right.
(25:07):
She was so hard.
Her and I just didn't haveanything in common.
We had no, we didn't have workethic in common.
We didn't have anything incommon.
And I went to a senior coach andhe said, you know what, you
can't save everybody.
(25:28):
And I looked at thingscompletely different because I
can want something for you.
You can tell me what you want,but you have to really act on
it.
Right, right.
And instead of doing the chop,like the chopping block, right.
It was, we're gonna try this onemore time.
(25:49):
And it's gonna happen to be myway or we're done.
Um, but without saying it likethat, right.
Without Right, without sayingit, me versus you.
It was the program and the big,the big picture, you know?
Yeah.
Seeing the big picture in whatwe're trying to do here.
Um, again, it goes back to thewhy, not just how, but why.
(26:10):
And her, I've been to herwedding, I have, um.
Been to her baby shower and wesee each other.
She comes to our gate.
Like, it's, it's become a greatrelationship.
Well, but I, if, if I would'vebeen like, cut and dry, I
would've lost that opportunityto really be a, in a, you know,
(26:33):
a, a guiding relationship and afriendship and Right.
Just somebody for this younglady who is now a mom and, you
know, successful career woman.
Um, but that's what I take.
I think at this time in mycareer is how can we impact,
right?
And we can't save everybody, butwe can give it that one more
(26:54):
try.
You know?
Yes.
Um, we can't save everysituation, but we can try a
little bit better next time, youknow?
Yeah.
And, and some kids, they justneed you to get there where
you're like, okay, I've tried todo this a hundred ways, now
we're gonna do, here's yourreality here, here's Right.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Because you never wanna give upon somebody, but Right.
(27:17):
When, when I was mentored of,you can't save everybody.
Right.
If it was at all on thedefensive side by this young
woman, or the excuse making, oryou know, super defensive going,
that's not me.
I don't know if it would'veworked.
So we both had to kind of openour eyes to where we're trying
(27:40):
to go.
Yeah.
You know, and that's that.
I think the relationship part ofthis whole interaction, this
whole business, this wholeopportunity is the tough stuff.
Yeah.
And it's, it's so powerful too,because as a 19-year-old,
20-year-old, 18-year-old,whatever it may be, to hear
someone who's responsible foryour future, who has a lot of
(28:05):
control over whether you playvolleyball again, or whether you
play volleyball here, to almosthear that person say directly, I
can't save everybody.
I'm to the point where I'm notsure I can save you.
I want to, I want to have arelationship with you, right?
But here's where we're at, andI'm not sure if there's a more
(28:25):
powerful message for a teenagerlearning how to be an adult to
here.
Mm-hmm.
This can end tomorrow.
We can walk away and you can goyour way and we'll go ours.
I don't want that to happen, butthis is where we're at.
Yeah.
That's pretty powerful.
Yeah, and I think, I mean, arewe all doing this for life
after, right, right.
(28:46):
Life after sport because whenshe's 30 or whatever, and having
a tough time at her job, hercareer, and she's faced with
these tough things.
That's all we're trying to do isprepare, you know?
Yeah.
To give them a little bit of, alittle bit of something Yeah.
That they can take with them.
So, yeah.
When they get married, they gettheir first job, they have their
(29:07):
first boss that doesn't fit themwell.
They're not hearing for thefirst time, you've gotta figure
this out, or you're gonna gosomeone else.
Right.
Or we're not gonna be togetheranymore.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, that's the role that I loveplaying as a coach, and it's the
hard role, you know, it's, it's.
I, I don't know.
I, I don't think you can getinto this job without wanting
(29:28):
that even how hard it is.
You know, you, you have to say,I, I, I want these kids to be
better.
I want them to leave here ascapable, competent adults.
And if I don't have some ofthese conversations with them,
if I don't have highexpectations for them, I'm
failing them.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
So I, I love that about youcoach All I I, every season I
(29:53):
have a college president on.
And I, I, I just, I love talkingto college presidents about the
big picture.
Some of them have, you know,athletics is such a small part
of their brain and some of'emathletics is the centerpiece
'cause they know what athleticscan do for them.
Um, the president I had on wasthe president of, uh, junior
college.
He's also the chair of the Dthree, um, uh, NCAA committee
(30:16):
for presidents.
So he had a great perspective.
And one of the things he said,he goes, every time we hire a
coach, I have a marker board inmy office and I go write on the
board what your program's gonnabe known for.
Right on the board.
What your legacy or, you know,when we talk to people about
your program, what are wetelling them?
(30:38):
I'm gonna throw that at you.
'cause I thought that was sogreat.
I mean, and, and you gimme thatlook like you have to think
about it.
But you've been doing this forhalf an hour already telling me
what your program so far.
But when you think about.
This is kind of the one or twothings that really make our
program special.
'cause you have a specialprogram, you've done so well,
you've had such a great career.
(30:59):
What are those things you'relike, this is, this is why we
win.
This is why our kids leave hereprepared.
I.
Yeah, I think in that legacy,you know, we've had, um, a
passing of one of our coachesrecently and just thinking about
what's his legacy and it'salways just your legacy here,
just for volleyball for me isjust being a servant leader.
(31:22):
You know, being someone that'sjust.
Grateful for this opportunityand how can I help you?
Right?
Um, how can I, you know, besomeone that doesn't keep score
about, you know, well, I've donethis for you and you need to do
that for me now, you know, it'sjust about giving myself and
give myself, not just to thevolleyball game, but to these
(31:44):
young ladies who I had the bestcollege experience ever.
Like I thought if I could goback, I can't play anymore'cause
I'm gonna have a kneereplacement.
But after that, if I could go doit again, I'd do it again in a
heartbeat.
It was so great.
My coaches, um, you know, SanJose State was great.
I wanna help provide that tothese ladies who, who have
(32:06):
worked so hard for thisopportunity, you know?
Um, and so it's much, it's somuch of just a giving and, you
know, trying to be a good.
Good role model, a good person,a good advocate for our sport
and for life as a career mother.
Um, you know, having two kidsand doing all that, it's not
easy.
(32:26):
My husband travels like, you cando it all.
Yeah.
You know, you really can.
And that's what I want.
I, I hope our team, our youngladies take away from here is
like, I can do that.
Yeah.
You know, I can do it.
Yeah.
Well, I think that's whatseparates a great coach from a,
a mediocre coach is we all talkabout being a servant leader,
(32:47):
but it's the ones that say, thisisn't quid quo pro.
I, I don't need that giving tocome back to me.
It's great when it does, but ifI'm gonna be a servant leader,
I, I've gotta give, I've gottabe generous.
I've gotta my time's, my time'sgotta go to a lot of different
people.
But when kids need me, I'm gottabe there for them.
Yeah, right.
(33:08):
I love that.
Um.
If I sat in on a practice, okay,because I, I love practices.
Um, I love practice.
It's the best part of my day.
I do, I know, me too.
Um, if I walked outta thatpractice, what would I, what
would I still be thinking aboutand talking about two, three
(33:30):
days later?
Okay, first we're gonna jam inthe beginning.
We're gonna play music, we'regonna like get ready, we're
gonna go right?
We're gonna have fun.
And I think you're gonnaremember most just the
competition, the level ofcompetition, the battle that
these young ladies are gonna gointo every single day, and then
(33:50):
high five each other, give eachother a hug, and then see you
later at the apartment, youknow?
Yeah.
Um, but that's, that I think issomething that.
You would walk out of our gymand go like, man, that was fast
paced and people were crushingballs and making things happen,
and just really exciting.
(34:11):
That's awesome.
Well, and it's good.
It's exciting to come topractice every day when you know
that's how it's gonna be.
For sure.
Yeah.
It's, it's, you're gonna, you'regonna, you're walking into a
workout and Yeah.
And you're gonna do it with yourfriends and you're gonna have a
blast and you're gonna bechallenged and that's great.
Going back to that marker board,is that what your program's
(34:32):
known for in terms of on thefloor?
Is it speed or is it somethingelse that you feel like, this is
kind of our identifier, this iswhat makes us special?
Um, I would say we're.
Discipline and the systematic,right?
We're disciplined with how wemove and, um, how our system
plays out.
(34:53):
All the, all the pins,everything's kind of working
together, right?
All the cylinders are rollingtogether and kind of feeding off
of each other.
Um, you know, and we'll, it, Ithink the speed of play is
always dependent on thepersonnel.
You know, everybody always asksme, are you gonna run a five,
one, or a six two?
Depends on the personnel.
That's right.
Can we cut fast or can do wehave to slow down our offense?
(35:16):
Depends on the passing, right?
Right.
It all depends.
Um.
But just the level ofcompetition and, you know, the
respectful trash talking isencouraged.
Like, come on, get after eachother.
Like when you do something, belike, mm-hmm you can't get me,
or, you know, just having thosegood banter back and forth as
(35:36):
far as,'cause that's real, likethat's what people wanna do,
not.
Just this quiet volleyball.
It's loud and it's, you know,it's intense.
I would say intense over speed,maybe kind of intense, you know,
and, uh, just a lot of fun.
Like practice is my favorite.
Like I, my assistant coach and Iget here at eight 30 every
(35:56):
morning and we sit here andwait, like, we're like, okay,
when's practice?
When's practice?
You know, let's go, let's go,let's go.
Can we talk about it more?
Can we talk about it more?
But yeah, it's, it's a greattime.
That's so much fun.
All right.
What's the truth about coachingat college athletics that nobody
tells you before you sit in thathead coaching chair?
(36:20):
That's a, um, long story short,our, one of my best friends just
got our head baseball job lastyear, and he is been an
assistant for years and he lookslike it's hard and I'm always
going, Hmm.
It's kind of hard, huh?
Like this now is way different.
But anyways, um.
What's hard.
(36:41):
I just love it all.
It is hard, but I love it all.
I think just, I dunno what tosay.
What, think about yourassistants and, and some of the
girls that have left yourprogram that are went into
coaching, what, what did theyhave to learn when they got that
head coaching job or?
What advice would you give me?
That, Hey, you gotta be thinkingabout this.
(37:01):
It's not just fun and games, youknow, I'd like to tell you it's
90% volleyball and 10%everything else.
You know?
What are some of the things thata, a young coach, a young
assistant, getting into thisdoesn't understand about being
in that chair?
I would say be patient withsuccess.
Right?
Patience is.
(37:22):
I think hard for everybody.
It's definitely hard for me.
Um, it's hard for thisgeneration'cause it's all
instant gratification.
Um, but be patient becausesuccess looks different for
everybody.
Right, right.
Um, success to a non-starter,like what does that look like
for them?
And then that's the hard part Ithink managing all the different
personalities, all the differentroles that people play.
(37:45):
Um, you know, but really.
Making it intimate to that oneperson and finding their
success, you know?
Yeah.
Um, because it's all sodifferent, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, you know, I, I had to learnthis the hard way.
I got my first job at 26, and Iwas, imagine, I imagine that's
where, where you were, you mustbeen really young too.
(38:06):
Um, how little I got to coachbasketball.
How many meetings I was in andhow many, you know, loads of
laundry I was doing and cleaninglocker rooms, you know that.
Yeah.
It was, it was kind of, I, I didit all.
Do you find that that affectscoaches when they get that job
(38:27):
for the first time, that thatcan negatively affect their
desire to do it or affects howthey do it when they realize
that it's not just coaching andrecruiting?
I think so.
'cause it goes back to thatservant part.
Yeah, like we set up our matchbase.
Like I, I set up the, the netfor game day.
Yes.
Yeah.
I take pride in it.
(38:48):
Yeah.
I want the chairs to be acertain way.
Right.
Our game management staff is outof this world.
They're so great, but I takepride in doing those little
details.
Because it's, it's what I'mputting out there for whether
you're on this live stream oryou're visiting from out of
town, or you're the parents thatcome every weekend, like we're
(39:09):
putting on our production.
Right?
Yeah.
And taking the step back andnot, again, it's not like, what
am I doing this for?
What am I getting for this?
It's what am I giving?
And that I think is.
Um, you know, you're gonna startat the bottom when you're a new
coach.
Um, but don't get rid of that,you know, that blue collar, that
hard stuff, even when you'vebeen doing it as long as I have,
(39:32):
because that's the stuff thatreally, like, it matters to me.
Those little things matter tome, you know?
Yeah.
You're, you're inviting peopleover to your house, right?
Right.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, you know, the floors, the,this, that, like we do it, my
assistant coach and my staff, wedo it for every home match.
Um, you know, I wouldn't have itany other way.
(39:52):
Right.
Because it's our turn to showyou what we've been doing, you
know?
Yeah.
I love that.
Are you ready for a little rapidfire, fun questions?
Not that this hasn't been allfun.
Sure.
We're gonna, we're gonna, we'regonna Colbert rapport.
You we're gonna get to know youin a, in a okay way.
Okay?
Uh, is, do you have a go-topregame hype song?
(40:15):
Is there a music that you likebefore?
No.
So well, yes, but I listen to itevery day in my car.
I listen to chill out.
Because I think life is so crazyand I don't need to be like
jamming hard.
I need to chill out, you know?
Um, and here's just one littletidbit on top of that.
Always the girls are like, it'ssix o'clock, you know, and we're
(40:38):
doing our scout report, or youknow, games at seven.
Are you hyped?
Are you ready?
I'm like, no, 6 59, I'll beready to go.
If I'm hype for like 12 hours,I'm outta gas.
By the time your game starts,like I gotta like, and then I
can turn it on.
Like a light switch.
Yeah.
But like, let me chill.
(40:58):
I love it.
Is it more instrumental?
Or, okay.
All right.
I love that.
Okay.
Just kind of let your mindwander, like, woo, you know, I
love it.
Is there, um, do you have anysuperstitious before games?
Is there anything that you dobefore every game?
Um, well, I gotta eat'cause I'ma foodie.
(41:23):
Um, no.
Yes, no.
I wear black.
Okay.
I, I love black too.
Yeah.
I'm, same way black is like gameday.
It's like, here I am.
Like, you wanna mess with meblack?
Yeah.
I'm the same way.
Yeah.
You look at any pictures overthe last couple years of me
coaching, it's always in black.
Yes.
Love it.
That's my thing.
You're a foodie.
Is there a go-to pre-game orpost-game meal that you love or
(41:44):
you often go to or a restaurant?
Well, I just eat chips and salsalike every minute.
So no, not really.
Not really every minute, butlike you could.
I could.
Right.
Um, really it's whateverleftovers are in the fridge.
You've talked about how fun yourpractices are.
(42:04):
You've talked about how muchcompetition and the girls
connecting.
Is there a player celebrationyou love the most?
I just love it.
Like the fist pump, you know,and the like, just that like.
Ah.
You know, I just love it.
(42:25):
I, I mean, you see it everywherein sports.
Yeah.
You know, not at a person, justlike with your team and like
Yeah.
And especially when it's thequiet person who never does any,
like, no facial expressionsever.
And then they do something andit's like, and they get into it.
I'm like, oh yeah, that's right.
Like, we're into it.
You know, we're in a zone ifthey're into it, you know?
(42:47):
Yeah.
I love it.
Yeah.
Um.
Is there something you've takenfrom another coach?
And it doesn't have to be like adrill or anything, it could be
anything you want.
You're like that, that you'vekept all these years that you've
made your own.
Is there something you've stolenor borrowed?
You know, we play a lot of washgames here and in the volleyball
(43:09):
world there's a game called USAand you have to win three in a
row and it's really hard.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Well we've made it ERAU, so nowyou gotta win four in a row.
So we've leveled up a littlebit.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We had a drill like that.
We called it warrior.
You had to score three times ina row.
(43:29):
If the other team stopped you,you were off.
You had to score three and yougot to play off it.
So I love that.
Um, if you could coach any othersport for one season, what would
it be?
One season, any other sport.
Can it be a men's sport?
Absolutely.
(43:50):
Okay.
I would definitely do men'sbasketball.
Okay.
I don't know why.
Just because my kids play and Ithink watching men's basketball
is way cool.
And I, well, you love, it's,you've been talking how much you
loves speed and athleticism.
Yeah.
And yeah, it makes sense.
And I love that these femalesare getting into the NBA and
(44:12):
doing all these things.
I'm like, that's cool.
You get to like.
Talk to that seven foot guy likethat, you know?
That's right.
I love it.
I dunno.
I love it.
Um, if you could have dinnerwith any past athlete or present
athlete or coach, who would youchoose?
(44:33):
Probably Kobe.
Kobe.
Yep.
Yeah, we've got a basketballtheme here.
I love it.
You're speaking my, yeah, Imean, I got two boys.
That's all we do right now.
That's great.
Alright.
If I could bring them to dinner,that's all I need to bring my
kids.
Yeah, absolutely.
You can't have, you can't goback in time and have dinner
with Kobe and not bring yourboys.
Absolutely.
Um, all right.
(44:54):
Final question.
I try and ask this to everyvolleyball coach.
'cause we have this debate in myhouse every day.
I've got a club volleyballplayer, high school volleyball
player, and my wife's avolleyball fanatic.
That girl that wears the othercolor jersey, what do we call
her position?
LiRo.
LiRo, what do you call it inColorado?
Well, we call it LiRo too, butevery coach I talk to has a
(45:16):
different story about why theycall it something else.
Liber.
I don't know if it's technicallyLibro.
Yeah.
You know, I'm from the westcoast.
I'm from Oregon, so yeah, youknow.
Say, I don't know.
Well, it's funny'cause BeckySchmidt, the head coach at Hope,
was on the podcast a few monthsago, and I asked her this.
She goes, Matt, we were in Italyplaying, and I asked, you know,
(45:40):
this is Italy, this is, yeah.
Where the word came from.
Right?
And I asked the head coach, howdo you pronounce it?
And she said, he said, LiRo.
And I go, all right, but it wasin Italy.
Of course, they're gonna say ita little bit differently than
the way we say it here, so IThat's important to hear and I'm
not really good at it.
Rolling my Rs.
Yeah, I'm practicing.
(46:01):
I've got a, I've got a PuertoRican Libero LiRo, and I've like
the coaches from Puerto Rico,and I try, but you know, yeah.
I'm just a country girl.
I I'm with you.
I'm with you.
And, and lib just, it rolls offthe tongue in short, a little
bit easier.
The bros.
There's the bros, right?
They're the bros.
Yeah, exactly.
(46:21):
Coach, this has been awesome.
Thanks for talking, coachingwith me.
I'm excited to do a part twowith you.
I've got, I've been holdingback, talking, recruiting with
you so I'm excited to have himdo a part.
We were go in there and I waslike, don't say that.
A.
That was such a fun conversationwith Coach Jocelyn Gallup.
I love how she brings thatperfect mix of intensity, fun
(46:45):
and tough love to the game, andhow she has built something
truly significant at EmbryRiddle over her 20 years of
leading that program, creating aculture that goes far beyond
volleyball.
If you enjoyed this episode,make sure you subscribe to my
weeklynewsletter@coachmattrogers.com
for coaching insights,recruiting tips and stories to
(47:07):
help you lead and compete withsignificance.
And don't miss part two of myconversation with Coach Gallup
coming this Monday onsignificant recruiting where
we'll dive deep into therecruiting process, the
qualities she looks for inathletes at each position, and
the types of characteristics.
That get her excited about arecruit.
(47:28):
Thanks for listening and we'llsee you next time on Significant
Coaching with Matt Rogers.
I.
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