MHSA(Q&)A: Beal City volleyball coach Kelly David
October 6, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
When people in Michigan’s volleyball community hear the name Kelly David, they might think first of the standout from just a few seasons ago. A four-sport standout for the Aggies, she set the volleyball team into the 2009 Class D Semifinals before going on to play at St. Clair Community College.
David, 20, graduated from high school a little more than two years ago, but is continuing to have an impact on the volleyball court – although now from the sideline as coach of the No. 3-ranked team in Class D. She took over the Beal City program this fall from her former coach, Randy Gallagher and has the Aggies 26-5-1.
Coaching has come naturally for the former floor leader, who already has gained valuable experiences and knowledge to share with her players. She previously coached at the junior high and club levels, the former for her aunt Sue Frederiksen – who coaches Almont’s varsity and is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
David is majoring in elementary education at Central Michigan University and sees teaching and coaching in her future for many years to come.
Why did you decide to become a coach?
I played at St. Clair (Community College) for two years, and my aunt had always been into coaching. I ended up coaching her seventh grade volleyball team for two years, and I coached in the Skippers AAU program over there. I found out I liked coaching more than playing.
How have you approached coaching a team that includes players who were freshmen when you were a senior in high school?
Going into it, I knew I wasn’t their friend; I was their coach. I wasn’t close to any of the girls except my sister (Monica, a senior). The people who coached me or were my teachers, (who said) go to class, do this, and you knew they received ultimate respect. I had helped out in previous years, and I knew what I had to do to gain that respect. And (my players) have listened to me.
Did you anticipate questions about you taking over the program only a few years out of high school?
I knew in my head, but I didn’t think it would be a problem in people’s minds. "She’s young, her sister is on the team;" that’s the stuff people might second guess. But I knew how to control the team, and having my sister on it wasn’t a big teal. So far (issues) haven’t happened. I’ve coached teams in previous years, and I’d always been the leader when I did play. I think that helps.
What were your goals coming into the season?
I had a lot of goals. Obviously, I wanted us to go far, like in the past. The biggest thing I noticed playing college from high school, the players knew the game of volleyball. They were smart. They had the same athletic ability as those I played against in high school, but they were just smarter. Knowing how to position the ball on the court, knowing the game, and I wanted to teach (my players) the game of volleyball. It’s important to know the game, and then we can work around the obstacles.
What did you learn by watching your aunt coach?
Just how strong you have to be. When I watch her coach, she’s very enthusiastic. But when someone does something wrong, she lets them know. That’s an important thing.
When did you first know you were interested in coaching?
When I was in high school, when I played, I’d help the other players. I noticed that was something I liked to do. I’d watch someone and pick up things they could fix. I thought about it in high school, and once I actually did it with the seventh graders, it wasn’t a job for me. It’s fun. Coaching is something I want to do. They want to be playing volleyball – that’s why they’re on the team. Everyone wants to be there, and we’re trying to accomplish the same thing.
What has been the biggest challenge during your first season?
The biggest challenge is handling the pressure. I know the team can do well. We’re ranked third in the state right now. But it’s getting them to perform the way they can perform, getting them to come together at the right time.
I’d also like to mention that Beal City (already) had a great program, from (former coaches) Randy Gallagher and before I came, Kelly Knuth. I’m just happy to step in and try to continue what they did.
PHOTO: Beal City huddles during a break in its match against Shepherd this season. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Century of School Sports: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 19, 2024
As we believe that educational athletics are an extension of the academic classroom, it’s important to recognize as well that coaches – similar to teachers during the school day – are another first point of contact for more than 170,000 high school athletes and thousands more who play middle school sports in Michigan.
For two decades, the MHSAA’s Coaches Advancement Program has served as an avenue to provide our coaches with a variety of tools to assist in working through issues they encounter daily while building up their teams and building these relationships.
Past Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts, when writing about the CAP program in 2017, noted “the thousands of dollars and hours that the MHSAA devotes to CAP demonstrates this organization’s belief that nothing – absolutely nothing – is more important in the process of educational athletics than the quality of the coach-athlete connection.”
That commitment and dedication to the coach-athlete connection continues as the MHSAA moves through its 100th anniversary year.
Through the end of the 2023-24 school year, coaches had completed 41,167 sessions within the eight-level program since its creation for the 2004-05 school year. Counting this past weekend’s CAP 1 and 2 courses taught at Detroit Henry Ford, another 1,167 sessions have been completed since the start of the 2024-25 educational year.
The CAP program is broken into nine levels, each addressing a set of topics:
- CAP 1: Coaches Make the Difference, The Coach as Teacher, Sports Medicine and First Aid.
- CAP 2: Effective Communication, Legal Responsibilities, Psychology of Coaching.
- CAP 3: Additional Coaching Responsibilities, Effectively Working with Parents, Managing Time and Energy.
- CAP 4: Understanding Athletic Development, Strength and Conditioning, Preparing for Success.
- CAP 5: Healthy Living, Teaching Emotional Toughness, Resolving Conflicts in Athletics.
- CAP 6, 7, 8 & 9: Current Issues and Topics in Educational Athletics.
Those who complete the program receive a level of certification after their first 12 hours (completing CAP 1 and 2). Through this past school year, 2,295 individuals have advanced through CAP 5 – earning them themselves CAP Masters Certification. From that group, 476 have advanced through CAP 6, 100 through CAP 7 and 87 through CAP 8, with the first class to complete that module in 2015-16. CAP 9 was created this fall.
Perhaps just as notably, 20,960 individuals have completed CAP 1 over the last two decades. Completion of either CAP 1 or CAP 2 became a requirement for first-year varsity head coaches beginning with the 2016-17 school year, and predictably numbers have climbed since that time with 12,515 completing CAP 1 over the last eight school years.
The program is constructed and coordinated by MHSAA Assistant Director Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, who joined the MHSAA staff in 2004 after several years as a principal, athletic director, teacher and coach in Grand Rapids and Forest Hills public schools. She lives the program’s philosophy of providing CAP training “anytime, anywhere” across the state, and over just the last five months CAP 1 alone has been delivered at 19 schools plus during 14 dates at the MHSAA office in East Lansing. Flint Kearsley isn’t on the list of CAP 1 hosts this year, but instead welcomed in 45 students for a CAP 5 session in early August.
Additionally, colleges and universities in Michigan are licensed to present up to five levels through their undergraduate or graduate studies, and eight are scheduled to do so again this school year.
The faculty for 2024-25 includes well-known leaders in Michigan educational athletics, officiating and sports medicine. Instructors include past and present athletic directors, principals, officials, coaches, college professors, athletic trainers, leaders from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) and MHSAA staff.
For more information, see the Coaches Advancement Program page.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Sept. 25: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) Former Ypsilanti Community and current Wayne Memorial boys basketball coach Steve Brooks (far right) celebrates with a trophy-winning team. (2) Brighton girls lacrosse coach Ashton Peters raises the Division 1 championship trophy in the spring. (3) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball coach Betty Wroubel applauds during pre-match introductions. (4) Trenton baseball coach Todd Szalka (middle) huddles on the mound during last season's Division 2 Semifinals. (5) Past Calumet athletic director Sean Jacques (left) passes the Class C championship trophy to his girls basketball coach in 2015. All five have received levels of CAP certification.