Paul Brock out at Dig to Win?

[bratman]

I was talking to a friend of mine in Chattanooga and was told that after Coach Brock made it to the national championships in Club he was told by the people that run Dig To Win that he wasn't taking the team in the right direction. Is this true?

 

I have always found Coach Brock to be a GREAT coach. Any info?

[Cowboys Up]

I thought all along that Coach Brock ran Dig-to-Win. People have always had really nice things to say about him as a person and a coach. This will come as a surprise to me if true.

[Bledsoebtheboys]

I was talking to a friend of mine in Chattanooga and was told that after Coach Brock made it to the national championships in Club he was told by the people that run Dig To Win that he wasn't taking the team in the right direction. Is this true?

 

I have always found Coach Brock to be a GREAT coach. Any info?

I've been looking for anything on this subject all day and I can't find a thing....

[bratman]

My friend said that the two people that run Dig to win are Joe Harmon and a lady that was the Notre Dame coach. He also said That Coach Brock has started his own club team as a result.

[PHargis]

My friend said that the two people that run Dig to win are Joe Harmon and a lady that was the Notre Dame coach. He also said That Coach Brock has started his own club team as a result.

While I do not know anyone involved at Dig to Win and I am saddened to hear the program divided up and all of these people who have reputations as good coaches should put the players first and ego's last. Rumors have been around for the last two years that things were not congenial around the Dig to Win Program and as early as just after the state, there was likely already a split then. Volleyball is larger that any two or three people or more. The goal is certainly to teach young players to be technically sound in the sport. What ever happen, it looks as if now there are at least two good clubs in the Chatanooga area and the sport will survive.

That has happened in other places and the game has gotten stronger. It was certainly not like a takeover but it has happened. The Chat. teams will be stronger but I guess the nerves will be stretched. To the players in Chat.: Play the game, get better and remember that you are the reason for the game. Adults cannot take that away from you nor will they and have a great season.

[oldsklvb]

This type of split seems to have often but I'm surprised it has happened so soon in the Chatt area. I don't believe the area can support two clubs at this point and be successful (if you gauge success on tournament wins such as regionals). Other areas go through this as clubs grow and more and more girls participate at a high level. Louisville went through this when MAVA split from KIVA and same with Atlanta and A5 and the Atl Jrs. Normally this happens when you have so many girls that the age divisions become overcrowded and you have very good players that don't make the first team so they move on to other clubs where they will be on the first team and get playing time.

 

The Dig to Win situation sounds political and that's a real shame for the girls in that area because now they will be forced to make a decision between two clubs and dilute the talent they have in the area.

Edited July 15, 2006 by oldsklvb

[SNRaiderFan]

I remember Paul Brock when I was a player and I thought he was agreat coach and a better person. How could this happen?

 

Why would Joe Harmon have anything to do with Dig to win? I didn't think that he had ever coached anywhere. This is wrong if a non-volleyball person like Mr. Harmon has the power to fire a wonderful coach like Paul Brock.

 

 

I remember Coach Neely had problems with Dig to Win when it first started because the better volleyball people in the mid-state area weren't involved.

 

Club didn't exist when I played. It came a few years later. Now that I have a daughter situations like this make me leary of club. I know most of the posters on here love club. But something is wrong if someone like Paul Brock is fired. I can think of few coaches in the state any better.

 

From an outsiders view it looks like the people running the clubscan't get a coaching job and create one for themselves and then sell the idea that the club experience is superior to the training the player gets in high school.

 

I doubt there is ANY club coach better than Coach Neely; Coach Campbell; Coach Berry: Coach Harshbarger/Foster and Cantrell: or Coach Brock. How can a non volleyball person justify firing Paul Brock.

 

I will say that I don't know the club coaches up here in the tri-cities. I also like the big guy that coaches at Franklin and seems to run the Nashville club. Other than him and Coach Brock, do any of the other top coaches also coach club? If so where?

 

This saddens me, and makes me rethink club.

[PHargis]

I remember Paul Brock when I was a player and I thought he was agreat coach and a better person. How could this happen?

 

Why would Joe Harmon have anything to do with Dig to win? I didn't think that he had ever coached anywhere. This is wrong if a non-volleyball person like Mr. Harmon has the power to fire a wonderful coach like Paul Brock.

I remember Coach Neely had problems with Dig to Win when it first started because the better volleyball people in the mid-state area weren't involved.

 

Club didn't exist when I played. It came a few years later. Now that I have a daughter situations like this make me leary of club. I know most of the posters on here love club. But something is wrong if someone like Paul Brock is fired. I can think of few coaches in the state any better.

 

From an outsiders view it looks like the people running the clubscan't get a coaching job and create one for themselves and then sell the idea that the club experience is superior to the training the player gets in high school.

 

I doubt there is ANY club coach better than Coach Neely; Coach Campbell; Coach Berry: Coach Harshbarger/Foster and Cantrell: or Coach Brock. How can a non volleyball person justify firing Paul Brock.

 

I will say that I don't know the club coaches up here in the tri-cities. I also like the big guy that coaches at Franklin and seems to run the Nashville club. Other than him and Coach Brock, do any of the other top coaches also coach club? If so where?

 

This saddens me, and makes me rethink club.

Seems as if some of the other posters associated with Dig and past Posters have not shown up on here yet. Wonder if others left too. The thing that seems to happen is a new club shows up and the old club still survives and is even better. If Brock is as good as I know he is, he will wind up with good players and be able to develop others and VB in Chattanooga will be stronger than ever and with more players. Really the new club will have to prove themselves and that is sometimes hard with new management. ,

The big guy at Impact is Jay and he now has 17 teams this summer which is a pretty good work load especially with a new club starting in Williamson which was started with good coaches.

[Bruiserengineer]

Seems as if some of the other posters associated with Dig and past Posters have not shown up on here yet. Wonder if others left too. The thing that seems to happen is a new club shows up and the old club still survives and is even better. If Brock is as good as I know he is, he will wind up with good players and be able to develop others and VB in Chattanooga will be stronger than ever and with more players. Really the new club will have to prove themselves and that is sometimes hard with new management. ,

The big guy at Impact is Jay and he now has 17 teams this summer which is a pretty good work load especially with a new club starting in Williamson which was started with good coaches.

I wondered how long it would take before this topic emerged. Here are some thoughts from a three year Dig To Win parent who has had a daughter coached by both Paul and Joe.

 

1. Both coaches know a lot about volleyball and know how to motivate their players. They have different styles but both care deeply about their players. They have strong personalities and it would be hard to have "neutral" feeling about either of them. Our family respects both of them and are indebted to both of them for what they have done for our daughter.

 

2. I would not frame the debate as Paul vs. Joe. The Dig To Win organization has several officers (Lynne Stopford of Baylor is the President) and the stated reason for the split centers on a difference in practice and training regimen. Dig To Win would like to move to a skills based method and it held that Paul's methods are more scrimaged based and there was a belief that Paul would not move to the methods Dig To Win wanted to use.

 

3. In my opinion this was the best year ever for Dig To Win. There were many new coaches whose enthusiasm and skills were amazing. Each team could count on three and sometimes four coaches at practices and matches. The ratio of coaches to players was certainly responsible for the improved performance of the club. Certainly Paul's 18's trip to Nationals had to be the highlight but many other teams can also claim successful seasons.

 

4. Volleyball is growing in Chattanooga. Probably in part because of Dig To Win's success. Three years ago Dig To Win was the only club. This year area players had three clubs to choose from.

 

5. The rift will certainly be hardest on the girls at GPS. Most of them played for Dig To Win this past season.

 

6. We had a wonderful situation in Chattanooga. The girls would play together on the club team and then square off during the school season. The competition was spirited but there would be plenty of hugs after the match. This is my biggest fear; that the community will be split and there will not be a season when everyone plays together.

 

7. The real effect will not be known until November. Where will the coaches go? Where will the girls go? Can the Chattanooga Volleyball community find enough good coaches to staff all the clubs?

[PHargis]

I wondered how long it would take before this topic emerged. Here are some thoughts from a three year Dig To Win parent who has had a daughter coached by both Paul and Joe.

 

1. Both coaches know a lot about volleyball and know how to motivate their players. They have different styles but both care deeply about their players. They have strong personalities and it would be hard to have "neutral" feeling about either of them. Our family respects both of them and are indebted to both of them for what they have done for our daughter.

 

2. I would not frame the debate as Paul vs. Joe. The Dig To Win organization has several officers (Lynne Stopford of Baylor is the President) and the stated reason for the split centers on a difference in practice and training regimen. Dig To Win would like to move to a skills based method and it held that Paul's methods are more scrimaged based and there was a belief that Paul would not move to the methods Dig To Win wanted to use.

 

3. In my opinion this was the best year ever for Dig To Win. There were many new coaches whose enthusiasm and skills were amazing. Each team could count on three and sometimes four coaches at practices and matches. The ratio of coaches to players was certainly responsible for the improved performance of the club. Certainly Paul's 18's trip to Nationals had to be the highlight but many other teams can also claim successful seasons.

 

4. Volleyball is growing in Chattanooga. Probably in part because of Dig To Win's success. Three years ago Dig To Win was the only club. This year area players had three clubs to choose from.

 

5. The rift will certainly be hardest on the girls at GPS. Most of them played for Dig To Win this past season.

 

6. We had a wonderful situation in Chattanooga. The girls would play together on the club team and then square off during the school season. The competition was spirited but there would be plenty of hugs after the match. This is my biggest fear; that the community will be split and there will not be a season when everyone plays together.

 

7. The real effect will not be known until November. Where will the coaches go? Where will the girls go? Can the Chattanooga Volleyball community find enough good coaches to staff all the clubs?

What an informative and heartfelt post and acessment of what is going on. We all appreciate the info but it has been evident what has been happening for some time. Large Growth requires restructuring. It happens in every field. It will happen again. The consumer is the winner. Now everyone has a chance to prove their point. Demand for Greatness will win out and now the Clubs have to produce. The high schools will be the winners being able to build their teams on more trained players. The VB community will be the winners. Title 9 provided opportunities and the public is scrambling to take advantage of it. Healthy.

[VballDaddy78]

I wondered how long it would take before this topic emerged. Here are some thoughts from a three year Dig To Win parent who has had a daughter coached by both Paul and Joe.

 

BE, great post as usual. I thought this topic might not stay up here, since it is specifically "club" and not at all High School. But since it seems to be lasting, also coming from a 3 year DTW parent, you have made a very "fair" and balanced reply and the only thing I would stress is that for the girls sake, keep things "fair" (as you have done) and remember there are always two sides to the story.

Edited July 18, 2006 by VballDaddy78

[play4keeps]

<<BE, great post as usual. I thought this topic might not stay up here, since it is specifically "club" and not at all High School.>>

 

FYI, if you find that your club discussions DO disappear, there is now a forum for Travel Team Volleyball on CoachT -- I found it, quite by accident, a couple of weeks ago.