Spencer Cole was recently chosen as the Hartselle Enquirer Coach of the Year for the 2014 season. « Michael Wade: Wade Event Photography

Danville volleyball’s head coach Spencer Cole got his start back in 2002 helping a friend coach the team and ended his career with a state championship win this year.

Cole was recently chosen as the Hartselle Enquirer Coach of the Year for the 2014 season.

The 1992 Danville graduate started played volleyball with several friends after church while he was a student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He had played football, baseball and basketball for the Hawks, but he started coaching for the first time while he was still in graduate school.

“I had no coaching experience when I started with Danville volleyball,” Cole said. “I really get consumed with what I do, so I started working hard and doing my homework, trying to figure out the best techniques and strategies.”

Cole’s approach to coaching places responsibility on the coach and players in a mutual relationship.

“I knew I couldn’t expect them to work hard to improve, if I wasn’t doing my best to improve my abilities as well,” Cole said. “I visited AHSAA coaching clinics in Oklahoma and pooled any resources to immerse myself in better coaching strategies. My wife played volleyball in high school and I had some friends who were coaches. I also collected about $2,500 worth of coaching and volleyball videos over the years. I know that if my team faces any sort of failure, I am mostly to blame.”

Cole said his analytical personality has really played a part in his coaching style.

“I am a very analytical and technical person,” Cole said. “That translates to looking at every detail of the game to see where we can do better. I have videoed several aspects of our performance such as our arm swing so we can look over them and critique them. I think it’s all about finding out where we need to train and learning what makes teams successful. Many years that we have been put out in the state tournament, I make a point to watch the finals, often with returning players, to see what they are doing differently and what advantages they have that allow them to win.”

Cole and his wife and 1-year-old son have lived in Huntsville since 2011. His time spent with Danville volleyball and the long commute involved with it take time away from his family. Cole decided before the 2013 season that the 2014 season would be his last.

“I told the girls on the bus ride back from the championship game that I still have a vision for them and I will always have a Danville volleyball heart,” Cole said. “I realized I didn’t have the time and energy I used to have for it, and I never want to do anything halfway. They deserve someone who will devote as much time as possible to them, and so does my family, so I’m just not that person for the team anymore.”

Cole said the decision was something he came to over the years.

“I knew when it was time to walk away from it,” Cole said. “It wasn’t that my wife had a problem with it or anything like that- I was coaching there when we started dating. I want the best for the team and for my family. I hope they hire a better coach than me, and I know they will work hard to find a capable person for the job.”

Cole coached the Hawks to the state tournament 10 years in a row. They were in the semifinals six times and made it to the final round two times. Cole credits his success to the girls.

“The Danville volleyball family is the most special thing about coaching there,” Cole said. “In the last decade, I have never had to worry about the girls. I only have to worry about the strategy and technique that I am coaching them. They have such unity and camaraderie. I never have to deal with drama problems or jealousy issues. Playing time is not all equal, and some people will get their feelings hurt, but when it comes to the team, they want what’s best and they work together to make it happen.”

Cole also emphasizes the relationships the team can build.

“I tell them it’s never really about that blue trophy, but it’s about the relationships they will gain from the hard work and effort they put in,” Cole said. “Coaching is a partnership with the players. The players and their performance are the most important things during the game, and the coach is just there to help and give them a boost. I never want them to think I see myself as above them just because I am coaching them. Hopefully they know it’s their team.”

Cole’s coaching system involves a process that started 13 years ago when he first started coaching Danville volleyball, and he hopes a similar process will continue there.

“I always imagined them winning a state championship from the beginning,” Cole said. “I just had to find the right process to get us there and start building the foundations for success. I hope they will continue to work not only hard by smart and never stop improving. I can definitely see them winning the state championship again next year.”