I thought I could avoid it…a final bus ride that is.  For those out there that don’t know this yet, I have accepted a position as an assistant volleyball coach at Central Michigan University.  So after six wonderful years as the assistant volleyball coach at Ferris State, it’s time to say goodbye to some pretty wonderful people.  I thought I could avoid a goodbye tour on the Ferris maxi bus with the girls.  I had gone recruiting so I had the rides all arranged.  The girls had other ideas.  What they didn’t know was that I had many hidden tears the prior weekend on the way to and from our spring tournament in Indiana.  What they didn’t know was that I knew how hard it would be to know ahead of time that it would be my final ride on that bus, with them, as a Bulldog.

                I’m so glad that they had other ideas!  I’m so thankful for them and for the experiences I’ve had in my time at Ferris State and very thankful that they made me take one last ride with them.  We have a few more times in the gym together.  We still have some goodbyes waiting….but there’s something about taking one final ride home… and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it.  If you’ve never been a member of a team, it may be hard to fully explain this, but for those of you who have, you all know that so much happens on the bus.  There is something about the travels, the times at dinners, the things teams do away from the court and field.  Those times are the special ones.

                Terry Pettit, a former volleyball coach at the University of Nebraska, wrote a whole book on it.  It’s called The Secret Life of Teams.  To me, that’s really what it comes down to, the secret or behind the scenes life of a team.  When I think of my time at Ferris State, I don’t think of the win/loss record.  I don’t think of the big wins or the tough losses.  I think of the times the players reminded me of on that final ride home.  The time I wiped out hard on a towel after setting up what I just knew was the perfect drill.  Or the time Sarah Lark set up a box for me to hit from and I walked into it backwards pulling over a ball cart full of balls spraying them all over the gym.  I also think of the day that a hand full of players came into my office with milk and Oreo Cookies to have a 3 hour chat or just last week when a different three players came in for a similar sit down. Then of course there is the time that I basically hit Lisa Tobiczyk with the van because of a stolen snack from the other half of the team.  No worries, she was sure to tell all of the parents at the next banquet.  Awesome!  Thanks for that Toby!    For all of those stories and a million others like it, I thank those girls for making me take that final ride.

                I’m excited to take on a new challenge and to get out of my comfort zone.  I’m thrilled to learn new things and listen to new perspectives on a game I love.  I know that in my career, if it’s ever easy to leave a place, you’re definitely not doing things right.  I know all of this and yet, I hurt at the thought of not being on that bus or behind the scenes with those girls anymore.  They have all left a very large imprint on my heart.  So simply put, thank you!  I feel a debt to you all for the trust, love and respect you’ve given me.  Thank you for letting me a part of your lives and for enriching mine.

 In my six years at Ferris I’ve been fortunate to have crossed paths with the following 42 volleyball players and to each of you I say thank you, you have done more for me than you know.  My hope is that I managed to enrich your life in some way as well.

                Danielle Baucher, Lauren Heine, Lindsay Tye, Karla White, Becky Thurau, Candice Marut, Molly Pickvet, Emily Clouse, Jamie Palazzolo, Jacque Edwards, Kaite Edwards, Andrea Zylstra, Sarah Miller, Emily Nemmers, Lindsay Johnson, Brittny Godlewski, Keagan Krauss, Andrea Rich, Amanda Kettlewell, Dana Ruttle, Meredith Doyle, Sarah Lark, Whitney Rupp, Kristy Gilchrist, Arielle Goodson, Leslie Swanson, Dana Fairbanks, Lisa Tobiczyk, Ashley Nugent, Danielle Hamilton, Ashley Huntey, Samantha Fordyce, Mallory Kopa, Aly Brecht, Karen Thompson, Brianna Grover, Paige Wyers, Anne Sutton, Lindsay Miller, Angi Kent, Stephanie DeYoung and Kara Hess.