Coach: Kevin Cary

School: Mountain Vista

Sport: Volleyball

How many years have you devoted your life to coaching? What got you into coaching initially?

I have dedicated 15 years of my life to coaching so far. I began coaching basketball and swimming while I was in college. Then my wife got me hooked on coaching volleyball. She may regret it now that I spend so much time with it.

What is your history with volleyball? What’s most exciting about it to you?

I have been playing volleyball since high school. I toyed around with the club team at the University of Wyoming after I was done swimming for UW. I grew up playing all other sports from an early age, and then got into volleyball, so it is still relatively new to me, and I am constantly learning new aspects of the game.

Can you describe a moment or two when you found coaching to be truly rewarding?

While coaching youth volleyball, I had some players who were there to try out a new sport. And now they have found it to be the sport they want to play over any others. I'm proud that they love it that much and think that I might have had a part in their enjoying it.

As a coach, what is your No. 1 goal every time you walk into a new season?

I want the team and players to find success, and that looks like more than just wins. There needs to be growth from the beginning to the end. There needs to be milestones which get met. And the sport needs to remain enjoyable.

What is usually the first thing you take care of walking into the season?

I figure out who the players are going to be so I can fit the system around their strengths. We always want to utilize the best assets of each player.

What is the first thing you establish as a coach in preparation for the coming high school season?

As a coaching staff, we establish how the program will be made up based on who tries out. We want to make sure we are using what we have, instead of making the players fit the system.

We all know being a head coach requires a lot of time and devotion. How much does family and friend support come into play when trying to guide a successful preps sports program?

Family support is vital. It always helps when your family understands the rigor of the job, and when they are there for you when you get a chance to come home and see them once in a while.

What is most rewarding about working with high school athlete specifically?

The most rewarding factor about working with the high school athlete is watching them grow as a person and as an athlete from the time they are a freshman until they graduate. You get a chance to build a relationship with them. The next important thing is having that community support. You can't get a gym full of people to come watch a club team.

Say your team just won the state championship, given your choice, where would you want to celebrate?

In the gym with the rest of the student body there to cheer you on.

What do you do for entertainment that doesn’t relate to volleyball?

For entertainment, when I have a free moment, I enjoy playing with my two daughters, being around my lovely wife, playing poker, watching sports and napping.