Being a coach has always been a great way for me to connect with my students no matter where I am teaching. It doesn't really matter what is going on in the classroom, when you are in the gym coaching, it's a different world. The academic life seems to stop and the life lessons that are gained through sports begin. Hard work, determination, dedication, teamwork, and the will to continue when you think you have nothing left can be found on the court, track and the field.
In rural Alaska, being a coach also has a few other benefits. A flight out of the village is one of them. Flying across lands not seen by many and experiencing the beauty of the "last frontier" front the seat of a plane is something that is very special to me as I take my students to Volleyball jamborees at other school sites. This jamboree was held in Port Heiden, Alaska. The ground was not frozen yet as you can see from the pictures but the dying vegetation contrasted with the water was beautiful. It's not the mountains covered in snow that many people think of when envisioning Alaska's scenery, however it's my Alaska. It's what I see on a daily basis and when I get the opportunity to see it from the sky, it's even better. Finding beauty in the world around you is what makes each day special and wondrous. Not finding that is what makes that very same place, grey, dull and uninviting. Below you'll see the last bits of green hanging on before the cold winter zaps it away.
Volleyball at Port Heiden was exciting, the first time my team got to play against another. My team informed me that they had never won a match before. That was the goal, win at least one. Battling on throughout the days of play, we did. We won the first match for Egegik! While it was the only match we won, the kids improved significantly in team play and they really did a great job. I was proud to be their coach and really enjoyed watching them have successes!
During the time at each jamboree, the kids have a service project they work on. This time it was a beach clean-up. Each person was handed a big yellow trash sack and put to work. We combed the beach and to our surprise, glass floats were found along with the trash! A storm had done it's job and washed up glass floats that were used in nets but lost at sea. Excitement in the air, chaos, and many screams of "I found one!" were seen and heard as students and staff alike ran with glee. Yes, myself included. Those of you who know how excited I can get can just imagine my delight with each one found.
The other great thing that was discovered for me that day were bear tracks in the sand. The kids continued to point them out to me and I continued to take pictures of them. Now, let's keep in mind that my boots are a size 12, that's a pretty big bear foot! It was pretty exciting for me and it's really as close as I have gotten to seeing a bear, something I'm still waiting for and now, I'll be waiting awhile!Port Heiden is also a very beautiful place with some great views of surrounding mountains. While they are off in the distance, they can be reached if the teachers want to go on a hike for a day (or two). That of course was not in the plans for us as we chaperone the students but it would be great to be able to visit and take some time there to explore.
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