us ,” she recanted .
Jones also credits her parents with the more player-focused approach she takes to her own coaching .
“ Watching how they impacted the lives of their players is something I will never forget . They always put team goals over any specific individual they coached and they were always open and honest with their players , having those tough conversations with them - from lack of effort to what they needed to do to improve and help the team . They had very different coaching styles and I would like to think I have incorporated a little bit of both into my own ,” she described .
However , it wasn ’ t until her dad passed away , five years ago , that she truly realized the impact that he had on his players .
“ The stories and memories shared by his former players are priceless . I only pray to postitively impact as many lives during my life as they did . High school sports make up a very short time period in the lives of these kids . As coaches , our top priority is to help players learn life lessons through the sport , such as how to compete , how to lead , how to communicate and how to be a part of a team ,” she explained .
The volleyball prowess of Jones ’ family continues with her daughter , Halle Norvell . Norvell is going into her junior year at Southwestern and has starred with the Lady Warriors ’ volleyball team the past two seasons . The sports world has seen numerous instances of parents coaching their kids and Jones admits sometimes it is hard separating her daughter the player from just her kid . “ Coaching your own child is not for the faint at heart . It encompasses all of the emotions . There have been so many proud and joyful moments that I wouldn ’ t trade for the world , as well as moments of frustration and disappointment that I ’ m sure we both would like to forget . Halle knew the struggles of being a ‘ coaches ’ kid ’ as she grew up watching me and my husband coach our oldest daughter , Kaylee ,” she stated .
She also continued by saying she enjoys all the memories she gets of coaching her daughter on the court . “ I was given a piece of advice several years ago by a close friend that I always keep at the forefront of my mind . “ She is your daughter first and will be for a lifetime . She will only be your player for a short amount of time .” I have learned over the years that in the heat of the moment , when emotions are high and I need to give her coaching advice - it is best heard from her by another coach and even sometimes a team captain . This has helped us all enjoy our time together on the court ,” she elucidated .
The journey continues for Jones as a coach and she will soon make her own history at Southwestern as she is in the process of beginning a boys ’ volleyball program , a first for the Somerset area . Jones is hopeful of making that program just as successful as the girls ’ program is .
“ I have had several of my male students ask me about boys ’ volleyball over the years . After the KHSAA voted to sanction it , I knew that this was something that would help get more of our student population involved with sports . Boys ’ volleyball is very competitive , full of energy and intensity . I hate that we are getting into the game late , but there are tremendous scholarship opportunities out there available for boys ’ volleyball . My hopes are to get a strong boys ’ program up and running by next spring so that by the 2024-2025 season , we will be ready to compete at the state level ,” she said .
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August 2023 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 13