What motivates a coach to … well … coach?

It may seem like a question with an obvious answer, but then again, everyone is different. Like any competitor, coaches want to win, and want to win badly.

But in particular for coaches at the high school level and younger, teaching the game is the most fulfilling part of their job. ADM football defensive coordinator Bric Nelson said he chooses to look at roster turnover as a positive, in the sense that new, younger players will emerge during an exciting learning process process.

The ADM volleyball team is facing similar roster upheaval as the football Tigers. Like Nelson, ADM volleyball head coach Mary Beth Scott acknowledged her team’s need to replace five graduated seniors from last year team as quite a challenge.

But she also agreed that it brings her back to the essence of coaching: teaching players the game and helping younger athletes blossom both on and off the court.

“That is so true. We’ve done a couple of team camps and you kind of start to look at who’s out there at times, and you have to remind yourself that, ‘I have to be more patient as a coach,’ and just realize that for quite a few of them, there is still so much to learn about the game,” she said. “But it is so much fun because you have to change your expectations – the expectation to win is still there – but you have to be a little more understanding and just have to realize that there are so many more teachable moments that take place.”

ADM volleyball opens the regular season August 25 with a four-team invite at Newton.