Starting this off, what exactly is a library? The definition of it is “A building or room containing collections of books,periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read borrow or refer to.”
When you go to a library you have a plethora of books to choose from. There are many ways you get to choose your books . Ranging from genre, page number to a certain author. For myself, I particularly look for authors who are African American.
The reason that I select my books that way is because all throughout school from kindergarten to high school we would be assigned books by white authors. If we got to go to the school library it would be a very limited range of African American authors to choose from. I enjoy reading, but when your used to reading a certain type of author it almost closes your mind to other types of authors works.
In my freshman year of high school, I was introduced to a whole new world of authors that spoke to me and their books were very entertaining. The book that sparked my attention and interest was by Sistah Soulja called ” Midnight.”
I saw it sitting on my grandmother’s table with a stack of other books. I looked through them but they were all history. I was drawn to this book because of the cover. An attractive, midnight skinned tone man with this blue hooded that contrast to his skin beautifully. I didn’t read the summary, just opened and curled up on the floor and immersed myself!
My mom picked me up around 5:30 in the evening and before I knew it, I was halfway through with the book.
Welcome back to my blog post! Today, I want to dive into a topic that has been gaining significant attention in sports: the role of women coaches and the importance of diversity in this field. In recent years, we have gradually shifted towards inclusivity, with more women breaking barriers and taking on coaching positions in various sports. This paper, titled “Breaking Barriers: The POV of Women Coaches and the Importance of Diversity in Sports,” aims to shed light on these trailblazing women’s experiences and perspectives while highlighting the significance of diversity in the coaching realm.
Sports have long been dominated by male coaches, with limited opportunities for women to step into leadership roles. However, this narrative is slowly changing as more women challenge the status quo and prove their expertise in coaching. From professional leagues to grassroots organizations, women coaches are making their mark and reshaping the landscape of sports. By examining their journeys, we can gain valuable insights into the unique challenges they face, the strategies they employ to overcome them, and the impact they have on athletes.
My final project for my Sports Journalism program is on women who hold head coaching positions. It is a topic that I believe I have a great passion for and hope to have done it justice. Enjoy!
In this project, I spoke with five women, four of them who are in significant phases of their long coaching careers, and one woman who is seeking a head coaching position after years of participating in athletics.
I want this to be an open diary for those women to tell a public forum how much they love their careers, but also know that it has a few years to go for it be totally inclusive and respectful of women and other genders who would find career in sports coaching.
Linked below are my final thoughts on the matter. It is to read, think, critique, or nothing at all. I hope to inspire others with this piece for generations to come, as the coaches I’ve interviewed have also planned to do.
She’s in her second year as head coach of the Texas Southern University’s Lady Tigers Women’s Basketball team, and she’s just getting started.
It is finally her turn. She has mastered several levels of being a woman who loves and plays sports. She went from being a player to a coach relatively young after graduating college in 2005. Coaching propelled her from leading her former high school team to leading a top HBCU women’s basketball program at Texas Southern University (1-5) in Houston, Texas. Meet Florida native Vernette Skeete.
” I coach and teach with love. That’s how I lead my team. I put out what I want to see in my girls when they get out on that court every week,” Skeete said. “That’s what I love about coaching and leading. I do it my way.”
What is her way? She said it starts with her faith. ” I know that it is unpopular sometimes to bring that in, but so far, it has kept me and the team grounded and able to work cohesively.”
Before reaching the TSU, she journeyed through several positions, where she “sat on every seat leading up to the head coach.” Skeete had said she had started from the bottom and worked through all phases, beginning with a fresh offer before she crossed the stage at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, where she also played and led the team to a SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference), championship.
“Yes, it was a major conference even before Coach Prime got there, ” she retorted.
” I had just recently got engaged. I was graduating with a degree in psychology, and I didn’t expect to go into coaching so soon,” she said while laughing uncontrollably.
An offer that ushered her to new heights that she was unaware she’d go. At Malone High School, her alma mater, the team needed a new head coach, as the one who coached Skeete in her teen years was retiring.
“I was 22, going to coach a team full of 16 and 18-year-olds. That was a lesson in itself! It’s a huge step in how receptive college athletes are. I can tell you this.” she said.
Skeete credits her skills as a former player, who brought a championship when she attended, during her run from 2005 to 2008 as the coach at Malone, and she realized she’d been called to coach once this opportunity arrived.
After leaving Malone, Skeete set her eyes on the bigger picture: the NCAA.
” I never say I got this job because I only worked hard. I got those jobs because I put the work in AND trusted God,” she said. ” I am not alone in my work because I know He has me.”
Those jobs consisted of multiple schools in Florida before leaving for the Midwest and heading to Texas again, and she garnered some big accolades along the way.
Northwest Florida State College: Head coach during the 2008-2009 season
University of Miami: 1 season as coordinator of basketball operations and two seasons as assistant coach from 2009-2012.
Gulf Coast State: Head coach from 2012-2014
*She won the Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year, Region 8 Coach of the Year, and Florida College System Activities Association Coach of the Year and brought the women’s program its best overall record of 49-13.
Marquette University: Assistant head coach for six seasons from 2016 to 2020.
*During her tenure, she helped bring the women’s basketball program to three Big East Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019, the first-ever in the program’s history, bringing them to an AP Poll ranking of No. 8.
University of Illinois: Staff member under now-retired head coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Nancy Farhey from 2020-2021.
*Five players earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors under her guidance
Texas A&M University: Co-associate head coach under now-retired head coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Gary Blair.
“I have moved around quite a bit, but that’s what it takes,” Skeete said. “I’ve been at the larger schools and smaller ones. In my journey, I’ve applied what I saw at those big Power schools to the HBCU experience I’m at now. Working under women basketball pioneers did wonders cause it made me realize how, as a Black woman who is a coach, I had to make my own rules and develop my own game plan for my team’s success,” Skeete said.
She says she notices the difference in athletic programs at historically black colleges and predominantly white institutions. According
“I told my girls that when we walk into these big arenas like LSU, Rice University, Illinois, or South Carolina, all that matters is what we put on the court. Yes, they have the nuts and bolts, but we have heart, and that’s what matters,” Skeete said.
Those words of encouragement give some of her athletes peace of mind, like junior point guard Shannon Gleason. ” We sometimes feel like they pity us because we’re coming from a school with a small athletic program and not well-known, but Coach V tells us that those 40 minutes we spend on the court is what counts,” Gleason said.
According to a report by the Associated Press, in 2022, there was an increase in Black female head coaches in positions at Power 5 schools, where only 5% of African-American women were head coaches nationally at the professional and collegiate level.
Skeete says she would like to see more of that, along with other minority women.
“I went through things under these phenomenal coaches that I questioned if I wasn’t Black, would this go the same way? I tried not to blame color, but unfortunately, some of them did and placed me in a box.”
She didn’t let that sway her. Her first order of business, once she got the head coaching position at TSU, was to create a diverse team and staff.
“I love that you see all of us because of her. You see Black, Indian, Hispanic, and white, all races, sitting beside her and on the court. We love the game of basketball and want to nourish it,” said former player and the TSU women’s basketball social media coordinator Marissa Mehra.
“Houston is so diverse, and there are so many beautiful people here. We want to be an example of that. We coach, love, teach, and help our community,” Skeete said.
While establishing a culture on the court, she instills in her players the desire to go out and foster relationships outside the court through community, such as volunteering at the Houston Food Bank, toy drives, community clean-ups, bible study, and helping the homeless.
Would you consider the game of volleyball mentally challenging?
While volleyball requires intense physical skill and athleticism, what often goes unnoticed is the tremendous mental capacity the sport demands.
Volleyball is not just a physical game – it is every bit as much a challenge mentally. I can say this as someone who has played for nearly 15 years, but while watching several AAU clubs, such as the HVS program it seems very much so.
Success in volleyball hinges not only on one’s physical ability, but also on strong mental focus, quick decision making, and high-level strategic thinking.
Yes, all sports require long playing times, and quick decision making, but it’s only a set time that a player on the defense has until the ball drops over the seven-foot net. You can count how long a quarterback stands in the pocket once the ball is snapped before a 300 pound lineman is barreling at him, that’s not the case for volleyball. It’s the same amount of time.
Beyond immediate in-game decisions, volleyball also requires advanced strategic planning. Coaches and players must carefully look at opponents, identify weaknesses, and develop detailed game plans. Executing these plans under pressure with 11 teammates on the same page could pose a challenge. One lapse in focus or communication can cause the team to lose a point, or worse, the entire game.
Strategizing and teamwork are just as much mental skills as physical ones in volleyball.
The psychological aspect of volleyball may be most tested in pressure situations. When points matter most in close sets or late in matches, mental toughness separates the great players from the rest. Overcoming nerves to make clutch serves or executes when victory is on the line is a battle that training alone cannot prepare for. Volleyball breeds mental fortitude through high-pressure experiences that challenge players’ self-belief and composure like few other sports.
No player, no matter how athletically gifted, can win in volleyball without superior mental tools. While strength, speed, jumping ability and technique give advantages, these mean little without a sharp, focused mind. Volleyball demands constant cognitive processing, complex strategic thinking, quick decision making, intense focus, and incredible mental stamina over long matches – challenging the mind just as much, if not more than the body.
I won’t say that volleyball is the most grueling sport. Players are not padded down, in the heat, in exception for beach volleyball, and hitting each other into oblivion for nearly two hours. Nor are they running down the court for 4 periods under hot florescent light. For this reason, I believe volleyball should be recognized as much a mental sport as a physical one. Success lies not only in physical training but also in cultivating strong mental capacities through experience, practice, and dedication to the psychological aspects of the game. In the end, volleyball comes down to what happens between the ears as much as between the lines.
I, as a former player of this game, respect all sports, but none will compare to the mental toughness that volleyball entails.
The Houston Volleyball Academy is slated to start the season next wee for what is described a a “winning season.”
The time is here! The Houston Volleyball Academy is gearing up for its season debut with its Girls Club teams starting next week against several Houston area and out-of-state clubs.
“I’m excited, this is my last time with this program, it’s a little bittersweet, I will say,” 17-year-old Delanie Williams said. Williams is a part of the Girls 16-18 club and has played for HVA since she was 12. She is a senior at Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend Independent School District and is slated to be a part of a college program this time next year.
“ I got a scholarship to Texas Wesleyan University. I just have to enjoy my time here before I go over to the next level. I will cherish my last time starting for this team.”
Now that Williams is exiting soon, there are several who are just beginning, like 11-year-old Treasure Burnett. Treasure’s mother, Miche’lle says this is great for her confidence.
“She was so excited to try out, and when she made it, she practiced day and night. She broke one of my lamps going for a low ball that she kept hitting off the wall,” she said. “I couldn’t even be upset, she’s happy, so am I.”
The HVA is ranked #6 in the state of Texas in AAU volleyball programs, something Coach Mackenzie Browning or “Coach B” is looking to change.
“Overall, we were 12-8 last year for the 16+ club. While I think that it’s good, it can for sure be better,” she said.
One way Coach B says can guarantee a better record, is a stronger mindset. “We have to get them prepared. Some teams will be strong, but we’ll be stronger.”
All she knew was playing volleyball, but soon came to the realization she couldn’t play forever.
“It’s bigger than me.”
What happens when a person decides it’s time to hang what they thought they were called to do? The thought process alone is jarring, and somewhat unsettling. At least that’s what Jaimie Green thinks it is, but says it’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“When I had to leave the game of volleyball as a player, I cried. This was all I had, at first,” Green said.
Green was a star stand-out setter at Prairie View A&M for the four years she was there from 2012-2016. She’s 29, with a degree in criminal justice, but didn’t take that route. All she wanted was to play volleyball.
“When I graduated, all I looked for was professional volleyball roster spots. I looked, I tried out and nothing.” Green said this game granted her solace from an awful home life and brought her to new heights, but soon after, she says her bubble burst.
“I didn’t realize that I didn’t fit the mold of a professional volleyball player, I was at least 5 inches shorter than the setter on the US Women’s team.”
Green says after 6 tryouts for over four years, she had to put down the knee pads, but once she did that, a new position came where she could still play the sport and teach: The Houston Volleyball Academy.
“I didn’t realize how much coaching would bring me so much joy. To give to these young players what I loved is more than I can imagine.”
Green is now the assistant head coach for the Girls 10-12 league at the HVA and says she always tells her girls to have a backup plan.
“ Granted yes, my girls have the ability to do what I didn’t, but I always tell them not to put their eggs in one basket.”
The Houston Volleyball Academy hosts tryouts like any other program, but theirs leaves an element of surprise.
She’s 11-year-old looking to experience something new and wants to find her place. Skylar Jones attends Lake Olympia Middle School and found a love of volleyball. So much so, she asked her mom to find an extracurricular outside of school.
“She told me she wanted to play outside of school, and I found HVA,” Skylar’s mom, Denise Jones said.
HVA hosted tryouts for their youth girls program, from Aug. 1st– Aug. 5th. But the kicker, instead of hosting public tryouts where you get to see your competition, the only option was private.
When asked why, head coach Johnathan Greeson said it’s for the mystery.
“As a coach of a young team that doesn’t necessarily watch film, we never know what we’re going into. I think it should be the same way when coming on a team,” he said.
Greeson said it’s not always like that, but it also helps the coaches cater to specific needs to the athlete trying out.
“We use it as a means to see where they can play. Some 10-year-old’s can play harder than 12-year-old, so we could place them on an advanced team.”
Little Skylar, with gleam in her eyes, said it wasn’t like her middle school tryouts where she saw her friends. “I was the only one there. The coach was really nice and she helped me with my serve.”
“ I’m glad she got this experience, it will definitely be something new for her, and now she can take what she learned with that private workout and lead her team at school to a big win,” Jones said.
It was something that was 30 years in the making, beginning in 1991 in Houston, Texas. The Houston Volleyball Association was formerly only an all-boys volleyball club. Among the boys, the leadership stems from USA Volleyball trained and certified coaching staff that has produced dozens of collegiate athletes who have played in the NCAA and beyond.
It wasn’t until 10 years later that the team was finalized as a volleyball club by owner and founder coach Carter thus ushering in several championships and new sectors such as the youth developmental programs for boys and girls ranging from ages 7-12.
But it doesn’t stop there. The organization hosts clinics, camps, and games in the US and out of the country while bringing in a new light for all to come and enjoy.
We finally get to the spread we waited months for, but how much is too much?
Turkey, honey-baked ham, stuffing (or dressing) however you know it as, will be here soon, and so will that dreaded thought that some have. How much is too much?
Delaney Miles is a former collegiate athlete. He said he was ready to eat, but wasn’t sure how “hard” at the table he could go. “ I liken myself to say I’m in great shape, but I do tend to hit the plates, both out in and in the kitchen.”
Miles says this year everyone should enjoy the food that is being presented to them and not to worry about those dreaded calories.
“I just see it as, you know, there are so many people who don’t have the privilege of eating this food and you’re going to not because of what, vanity, so your coach won’t yell at you?”
Miles said he used to feel overly cautious about what he ate because he switched sports from volleyball to football at the University of Central Oklahoma.
He said the extra calories are what he needs to fuel, not punish his body. So, everyone should follow suit.
So why should athletes and others take his advice? He majored in nutrition and is now a registered dietitian.
“I’m licensed to talk about these things. I understand people do get engulfed with how they look and eat, and while you should eat healthy, give yourself a break come Thursday and enjoy seconds,” he said.
The Final Four, as we know it, is college basketball’s biggest stage. This is because it brings four of the most elite teams in the NCAA to compete for bragging rights for the most successful team of the season. This is a highly anticipated event for fans of college basketball and the players and teams involved as they strive for excellence and the opportunity to be crowned champions. But what about the tournament host city? One could say that for it to be played there, it must be big. Nine times out of ten, the schools competing in the tournament are from a state incomparable to the host city.
The host city is just as much a part of the tournament as the teams and players. It is such an honor to host this prestigious event. From local businesses to fans, the host city will benefit from the tournament’s energy and excitement.
In the past four years, it has been played in Minneapolis in 2019, Atlanta in 2020, Indianapolis in 2021, and New Orleans in 2022. The tournament is held in such large cities because of the high number of hotels, restaurants, and other attractions available to the teams, fans, and media that attend the tournament. These cities are also familiar to many people nationwide, making them more likely to travel to the tournament. As of 2023, hundreds, or depending on who you ask, thousands of people have descended upon NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Some may know it as the Bayou City, or Space City.
Houston won the Final Four bid for the fourth time after the iconic 2016- Villanova buzzer-beater vs. North Carolina.
“I’ve been here before (Houston) and this was the most boring Final Four. I mean the city was OK, but they had to make do with who was going to be here I guess,” Tonia Michaels, who traveled with friends, said.
She continued, “The venue was nice, but the games were a bit of a letdown. It was just not as exciting as other Final Fours I’ve attended.”
The game was held at NRG Stadium, and if that sounds familiar, it’s where the city’s struggling football team, the Texans play on Sunday once September kicks off.
Five-time Final Four champions UConn Huskies took on Cinderella story San Diego State Aztecs in their inaugural appearance. The Huskies won the game, winning another championship. It was an exciting game, but overall, the tournament lacked the intensity and excitement of other Final Fours.
Numerous factors could account for the lack of intensity. A major reason could be that all top-ranked seeds lost their first few games in the month-long tournament, a first in NCAA history. Despite the fact that these teams have ardent fans, but not famous travel contingents, for those who did travel to Houston to cheer on their teams, it was just as satisfying to be in a city with so much going on.
“I’m from San Diego, went to SDSU, and had an awesome time. I always have an enjoyable time when I travel to Houston.” Katelynn Marconne said. “The Fan Fest was my favorite part, besides the game. The free activities, and concerts. I couldn’t believe it actually. In San Diego, the concert would’ve cost for us to get in.” She was also surprised at how easily she navigated the city after being stuck in traffic for an hour to reach an establishment that was only 30 minutes away during her previous trips. ” No problem, in and out.”
And during it just so happened to be action at every corner involving Houston sports. The Rockets were playing the Lakers and Celtics about 20 minutes over at the Toyota Center on Sunday and the day of the championship game, while the Astros had their season-opener coming off a World Series win five months prior. ( Which was where I decided to go in the midst of basketball madness)
Four days filled with music, fun, and games in a city known for its diversity and rich culture welcomed many but had some long-time residents questioning. For others, they believed the city could have pawned off this special occasion to another area that can handle the glamour and at least accommodate its residents.
“I hope they don’t have another Final Four here, or any big sporting event. It makes the city unbearable, and traffic is already bad as it is,” Rayshon Jones said. Jones, who is not a sports fan, was born and raised in Houston and says he enjoys the city on its own without the ‘mess of tourists.’
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my city, but the fact that they fixed potholes and made the necessary adjustments for those visiting when those of us who live here were begging for improvement, less than a few months ago, it’s slightly aggravating.”
Sorry to say Rayshon, but Houston did recently win a bid to be one of the 16 cities in the queue to host numerous games for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and will be the host city for the College Football Playoff National Championship next year in 2024. Guess you can say Houston is really on the ball lately!
It is not only the physical changes that have been made but the city’s atmosphere as well. It is much more chaotic when the city is hosting events and many locals feel that their city is no longer their own. It feels overrun by visitors and tourists.
Houston was described as “lively and upbeat and sure to make a slam,” according to its mayor, Sylvester Turner, but despite having one of the world’s largest sporting events, the economic impact fell out of bounds.
There were still lower-level tickets available for purchase moments before tip-off for just $45 each. Tickets were 40% cheaper than the day before and 1,000% cheaper than Taylor Swift tickets at NRG in the weeks following, according to StubHub. It is likely due to the fact that the two teams in the championship were not a high-profile matchup. Therefore, there was not as much demand for tickets and so the prices were lower than for more popular events.
What would’ve made a splash? According to the professor of economics at the University of Houston, if the University of Texas or the University of Houston made it to the championship game. This is because the two universities are located in the same state and it would have been a major event for the people of Texas. It would have brought a great deal of attention to the universities and to the state as a whole, which would have had an economic impact on the area.
Fans on a budget were thrilled to find such a great deal, especially in a city with ever-increasing prices for entertainment. ” I sold my already bought tickets and purchased another two for the cheaper prices and I got better seats, Ricardo Greenson said. ” I mean, SDSU may not be this big school, but they gave UConn a fair shake and I’m glad that I went.”
“That was my very first ever Final Four and I’d never been to Houston before, and honestly, the city excited me more than the game, and I’m a UConn alumnus. I knew I wanted to move here as soon as the game was over,” he said.
Well, moving here to Houston could be a smart move, as housing experts say the time is now to purchase a home in the city as interest rates are coming down, and the prices are moderate. According to the Houston Association of Realtors, the average sales price of a home in Houston declined by 2.4% to $385,103.
For what it’s worth, fans traveled from all over, from Florida, Connecticut, and California and beyond each gave a glowing review of the city and hopes to come back again.
LISTEN BELOW: How small conveniences can contribute to the difficulty of purchasing a home in Houston
Those who enjoy collegiate sporting events only see half the journey. Athletes participate in weekly games which are broadcasted for enjoyment and pride, but not for themselves. It is for current students, alumni, and future students who reap the benefits of someone else’s four-year journey.
But what happens when those four years are up, and a brand-new model of athletes arrives? It is easy for a spectator to think the athlete’s next best step is to enter their sport professionally, although that is not always the case for others.
A harsh reality is athletes know whether they will get a chance to go pro. That does not necessarily mean that they will not be successful in the end. Think about it, what is the targeted goal of being accepted to college? It’s that carefully manufactured folder handed to you as you walk across a giant stage in front of those who cheered for you in a different way three months prior.
Graduating athletes is not anything new, but as of 2021, according to the NCAA, the college completion rate for student-athletes has increased to the highest ever-recorded rate of 90% for Division I.
In that percentage, there are many differentiating factors. There is race, gender, and of course sports. While looking, the percentages amount varied in factors about the students. Their major’s course pathway, if they were given a scholarship, and if the sport that they took part in was more favorable than others.
The Academic Success Rate for Division II schools remains at 76%, which was considered the highest rate ever. What factors into this percentage is if students transferred and eliminated the students who left the school in good standing, academically. These include as well over 30,000 student-athletes, who are not on scholarship and were enrolled for the entirety of all four years at its university.
While it is not widely spread, college success rates for other divisional schools also hold a steady pattern.
In all, the benefits of being a student-athlete can be fun and can last for a lifetime. Just as college prepares those for the real world, so does athletics
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