SC's Erin Hoffman returns to Stoddard County

[SEMOVBFanatic04]

Scott City coach Erin Hoffman will be returning to compete in the Stoddard County Athletics Association Conference this season, assuming the head coaching position at Bernie.

Hoffman, who led the Scott City Lady Rams to a stellar 30-1-1 record last season, will once again be inheriting a young squad fresh with talent. Bernie won the Class 1 District 2 title last season before being ousted in the first round of Sectionals on their home court by the defending Class 1 state champions Valle Catholic 25-27, 25-27.

Hoffman will lead a varsity squad that graduated no seniors and returns all six starters.

While at Scott City, Hoffman led the Lady Rams to capture the championship of the powerful 48-team SEMO Spike Classic over eventual Class 1 state champion Eminence, for the second year in a row. The Rams, led by all state selections Katie Hogan and Mikah Simpson, avenged its district title this season by reclaiming the championship from St. Vincent, the team that stunned the world of volleyball last season when the Squaws upset Scott City, the then-defending Class 2 state champions, on the Rams' home court.

The Lady Rams were defeated by St. Pius X of Festus 25-22, 18-25, 22-25 in the first round of sectionals this season.

Hoffman is no stranger to Stoddard County. Before coaching at Scott City, she led the Bell City Lady Cubs to clinch the district title for eight seasons in a row, including a state title during the 2003-2004 season.

 

[hailtoothevictors]

Good coach and I think anyone would like to have her head up their program. Why all the job hopping? 3rd team in 3 years?

 

[Kramerica]

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This post was edited on 5/8 8:02 PM by Kramerica

 

[hailtoothevictors]

All Cherries

And yes, I am saying it appears to be a cherry picking scenario.
This post was edited on 5/15 1:36 PM by hailtoothevictors

 

[SEMOVBFanatic04]

Re: All Cherries

It's not a cherry-picking scenario. Here's the real story: The administration at Scott City was tying her hands with the volleyball program. They wouldn't let her have an elementary team and they cut the junior high season halfway through season. She had 50-60 girls in elementary wanting to play, and the administration told her no. She was doing what any good coach in her situation would do: trying to build a solid program. She knew that Scott City would be in desperate need of a stronger program with Katie Hogan and Mikah Simpson and the rest of their talented starting lineup graduating this year. In these smaller public schools, you have to build a good volleyball program, and that starts at a young age. You have to get these girls interested in playing volleyball when they are in elementary to where they not only can develop the fundamentals but can acquire a love of the sport that they take with them through junior high and into high school as they mature. We are not as privileged as the larger schools in St. Louis and Kansas City, not to mention the private schools that can recruit all the talent in the world, so we do what we have to do here. Anyone in Southeast Missouri can tell you that Erin Hoffman is one of the best coaches in this area, and probably in the state. She transformed the volleyball program at Bell City and captured eight consecutive district titles while coaching there. Prior to that, she won back-to-back district championships at Meadow Heights. She obviously knows what she is doing, regardless of where she is coaching.

Yeah, she is inheriting a very talented squad at Bernie this season. So what? If you knew the whole story, you would know that Bernie offered the job to her; she didn't apply on her own ambition, so to speak, and the old coach at Bernie is moving back to Arkansas so it's not like Erin is coming in there and getting this coach fired; that is NOT the case. I can tell you that the school and this team are welcoming her with open arms, as would any school in Southeast Missouri, and I guarantee you that Bernie will be at state this upcoming season.

 

[hailtoothevictors]

Re: All Cherries

Well I could understand the Junior High season being shortened being a factor. Elementary team? A school elementary team? I have heard of parochial schools playing other parochial schools before 7th grade, but never publics. Don't most public schools just do intramurals or something like that during school or after school time? Is that what was cut? Seems like most schools rely on club volleyball before Junior High. You have 50-60 wanting to play seems like club teams playing in the SEMO area tournaments would be more than enough.

 

[SEMOVBFanatic04]

Re: All Cherries

I'm not sure how the rest of the state does it, but around here, pretty much every school that I've seen has elementary volleyball that coincides with junior high volleyball season and yes, the elementary volleyball program is ran through the school. Many, if not all, of the same coaches who coach high school and junior high coach elementary as well - I've seen a few exceptions of different elementary coaches versus junior high, but yes, around here, elementary volleyball is played, and has been ever since I was in school. Zalma, Leopold, Woodland, Meadow Heights, Advance, Bell City, Puxico, Bloomfield, Bernie, and Dexter all have elementary teams. I hate to say it, but I've seen some 6th grade teams that could beat varsity teams around here. I think Advance's 6th grade went undefeated this season. These girls all serve overhand and pass, set, and spike on every play; there's even one girl who does a jump-float serve, but she's the coach's daughter so I guess that's not surprising. Kudos to the Advance volleyball program. There are even tournaments. This past season, Advance hosted an all-day 5th grade tournament followed by a 6th grade tournament with many of the aforementioned teams in it and the first and second place winners were given medals. There aren't MSHSAA refs who ref the games, though; instead, it's mostly done by a junior high student, a high school student, or a volunteer from the community. Like I said, in many of the smaller schools around here that are trying to build better volleyball programs, this is how we do it: you have to get these girls interested in volleyball at a young age.

Now, as it pertains to Erin Hoffman, I'm not for sure if Scott City ever had elementary volleyball, but Hoffman, coming from Bell City, knew how to build a good program, and I think that's really what she was doing with the elementary team at Scott City, and clearly the interest was there if they had 50-60 girls wanting to play, so I feel as though she left Scott City not because she wanted to coach a better team at Bernie, but because she probably felt as though she couldn't really do her job effectively at Scott City and instead felt like she could do better at Bernie, a school and community that worships volleyball and has a proud history of multiple state titles to prove it. I don't blame her. I think Bernie will have some competition from other local powerhouses Advance and Leopold this season, but right now, they're definitely the favorite, at least in my opinion.

 

[hailtoothevictors]

Re: All Cherries

Thanks for the info. Never realized school teams were organized below 7th grade outside the private realm. I can't imagine any coach having it any other way.

SEMOVB I am fuzzy on the rules as far as HS coaches coaching players during the off season. Can you let me know:

1) Are there limits on the number of days coaches can 'coach' HS players in the off season?
2) Can HS coaches coach their players during USA Volleyball winter ball?
3) Can HS coaches have unlimited coaching access to Jr High players? Elementary players?

Would love to know the rules on this.

 

[movball]

Re: All Cherries

According to MSHSAA, coaches are not allowed "coach, officiate, or administrate" any player who is a current member, or will be a member of their program, during the off-season. So to answer your questions:

1) Coaches cannot "coach" their HS players in the off-season. They may hold open gyms or work-outs, but they may not direct drills or do any coaching.
2) In MO, HS coaches may NOT coach a club team that has any of their players, unless that player is their son/daughter.
3) HS coaches can have unlimited access to K-7th graders; however, since 8th graders will be joining their program the following year, the same rules that apply to high schoolers applies to them.

 

[Kramerica]

Re: All Cherries

By off-season I assume you're referring to during the school year but outside of the sports season. If you're talking about summer, coaches have 25 contact days when they can do any sports specific coaching that they want with their players.

 

[SEMOVBFanatic04]

Re: All Cherries

The following posters below me are correct in their information, to my knokwledge.

1) Coaches have 25 contact days during the off-season (which begins as soon as regular season is over and ends before regular season begins ).

2) High school coaches can coach USAV teams, but they cannot coach a team that has one or more of their own players from high school.

3) As far as I know, coaches can have unlimited access to junior high and elementary players.

You've raised some interesting questions, and I'd like to follow up by asking the two posters below me some other questions.

1) What would happen if you knew of a coach who was coaching his or her players in USAV? I've asked around from some veteran coaches in the area and they said that if MSHSAA was to find out, these girls would not be allowed to play during the upcoming season. Would anything happen to the coach? Personally, I think more of the punishment should fall on the coach and not the players.

2) Some schools in this area are not MSHSAA certified in junior high volleyball. This means that they can pull up elementary players to play in junior high. I don't think MSHSAA-certified schools can do this? I know there is one small school in this area that has pulled students from a neighboring elementary district to play on their junior high season this past season just so they could have enough for one team. This doesn't sound legal, but I don't see a problem with it. I know several smaller schools in our area have lately been struggling just to have two junior high teams. Kids today just don't seem to want to be involved in any athletics.

 

[Kramerica]

Re: All Cherries

SEMOVBFanatic04 wrote:

1) Coaches have 25 contact days during the off-season (which begins as soon as regular season is over and ends before regular season begins ).



This is incorrect. Below is the exact wording from the MSHSAA handbook:

School coaches: If held during the school year but outside the designated season for the sport:
1. A high school coach of any sport may not provide any coaching or instruction to any student who currently attends or will attend the member high school (9-12) the following year.

For high schools only (9-12), a limit of twenty-five (25) contact days are allowed per sport, per gender during the summer.
Summer is definied as the period beginning with the day following the last day of school, or the Friday preceding Memorial Day, whichever is earlier, and ending July 31st for all fall season sports.

 

[hailtoothevictors]

movball

MOVBALL ...

Alot of what you states makes sense. Some raises additional questions. Addressing your points numerically.

#1 in regard to point 1 of yours. I would wager some of these open gyms have coaching going on. I have heard of 1 small, prominant SEMO/MAC school which starts with the letter B that abuses this rule big time.
#2 If the hs coach does coach their daughter and her team has 4 other players on her hs team - is that allowed? Should not be ...and the daughter rule is a loophole imo that needs to be closed whether or not that leads to access to additional players on daughters team.
#3 A good coach will be involved with younger kids k-8 ... in regard to 8th graders - I would allow it up until the jr high season ends.

 

[hailtoothevictors]

Re: All Cherries

So 25 days of coaching out of season in the summer. HS camps and multi team camps like Licking.

 

[SEMOVBFanatic04]

Re: All Cherries

Thank you for the clarification. That's what I meant to say is 25 days during the summer. It was too early in the morning

 

[movball]

Re: movball

Hailtothevictors...

1) The rule is that they cannot do any actual coaching. If there is actual coaching going on, then they risk being sanctioned by MSHSAA. Hearing and having proof are two different things. If you have evidence, then I encourage you to contact MSHSAA. The only people involved with the open gym are probably part of the HS, so I would imagine they would not be quick to call MSHSAA to sanction themselves.

2) The coach's son/daughter is the only current HS player that a HS coach can coach in the off-season. No other HS player can play for that coach.

3) Whether you would allow it or not is not the issue. The issue is that, according to MSHSAA By-Law 3.14.2.e.1, "A high school coach of any sport may not provide any coaching or instruction to any student who currently attends or will attend the member high school (grades 9-12) the following year." Since the 8th grader will be attending the school the next year, they cannot be coached by the HS coach.

If you are interested, you can find all of the MSHSAA By-Laws at the link below:

Official 2011-2012 MSHSAA Handbook