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Home > Sports

Coach, team dig sophomore’s style

By Jill Fitzpatrick
jfitzpa6@mscd.edu

Tenacious, trustworthy, inspiring and humble are words that any person would like to be identified by, but not many can fulfill all of those characteristics.

Amy Watanabe, a defensive specialist for the Metro volleyball team, is one of the rare exceptions as coaches and friends will easily define her with those words.

As a member of the team, Watanabe is not the player who razzle-dazzles to spectators, but holds an even greater role.

“She is as hard working as we can find,” said Debbie Hendricks, head coach of the Roadrunners. “She has the intangibles. We can teach defense, but can’t teach the intangibles.”

Watanabe, a sophomore, will express her commitment and love for the game to anyone who asks.

“I love (volleyball). I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t play,” she said.

Though her passion and skills are great, her career almost came to an end after her senior year of high school.

She said it had been her dream for so long to play in college, but she did not market herself enough to coaches, making her hopes for the future diminish.

Luckily she caught the eye of Hendricks and was invited to spring tryouts. Players who participated in those tryouts were supposed to receive a call three weeks later if they made the team.

Three weeks passed and no call came, making Watanabe concerned that her dream may not come true at all.

Finally, 10 weeks after the tryout she received a call asking her to walk on as a defensive specialist.

“Before I got that call, I thought my life was over,” Watanabe said.

Hendricks said the staff was trying to find a place for her. The Roadrunners already had a setter, the position Watanabe originally played, but Hendricks said she had to get the “little spark plug” a place to fit.

Watanabe definitely took on the challenge of switching positions, as she proved herself by playing all 237 games, or 62 matches, her freshman and sophomore years on the squad. This determination earned her a full ride.

Watanabe explains her berth to the Junior Olympics to be one of her most memorable moments. In the third and deciding game, where a team must reach 15 points and win by two, her team was down 14-10. The winner of this match would receive a bid to nationals.

The odds were stacked against Colorado Volleyball Company at this point, but the team fought back to win the match 16-14.

“It was the most exciting thing of my life,” Watanabe said, while still glowing in recollection of that moment.

At Heritage High School, Watanabe achieved success as well. She played all four years as a setter. Her freshman year she played for the sophomore team. Her sophomore year she played for Junior Varsity and traveled with Varsity to the state tournament where they finished eighth in 5A.

The next two seasons, Watanabe led the Varsity team to the state tournament, with third and eighth place finishes.

While achieving much success as a young player, Watanabe never let it go to her head.

Hendricks said if anything, the only problem with Watanabe is that sometimes she’s too hard on herself.

It’s hard to think someone with the résumé she has is still building her confidence. Hendricks said going into her junior year, Watanabe is gaining her confidence and honing her skills.

“I think she’ll get better every single year,” Hendricks said.

Not only does Watanabe want to become a better player, she also wants to become a coach.

Assistant coach of the Roadrunners Gavin Markovits knew she had an interest, so he asked her to assist him in coaching for Flatirons Volleyball Club.

“The ability and knowledge is there,” Markovits said. “She knows more than she gives herself credit for.”

Watanabe, as many coaches would agree, said coaching a club team can be frustrating, but it is always fun.

“(I) really like working with the girls and helping them become better players, and helping them understand the game better.”

With her major in human performance and sport, physical education concentration, Watanabe plans on becoming a P.E. teacher at either the high school or elementary school level and a volleyball coach.

“We’ll see where life takes me.”

With young talent entering the program, Watanabe will be looked at more for leadership, and Hendricks thinks her decision making and leadership through play and commitment will allow her to fill that role.

“Everybody wants a teammate like Amy … and that’s the greatest compliment.”