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Craig Mattick: In play with Craig Mattick made possible by Horton in Britton, a worldwide supplier of engine cooling systems and proud member of the community for more than four decades. Hortonww.com. Welcome to another edition of In Play, I am Craig Mattick. Well, today's guest started a high school volleyball program when the sport wasn't even sanctioned in South Dakota. She didn't even have record a win in volleyball for the first four years. But after a little time and then the success started coming, she retired at the same school where she started the program and retired at the time as the winningest volleyball coach in South Dakota. 630 wins from Gregory, it's Donna Schmitz. And Donna, welcome to In play.
Donna Schmitz: Well, thank you so much. This is the nice invite.
Craig Mattick: 36 years of coaching volleyball, all of it at Gregory. It seems rare that a coach to be at one school for their career. But you know what? In volleyball, it's not rare. In fact, the top 11 all time winningest coaches in South Dakota have spent at least 22 years or more at the school. But Donna, it's you and Jill Christensen at Parker, you had 36 years at the same school when you retired, so congratulations on that.
Donna Schmitz: Well, I can actually say it's 37 years.
Craig Mattick: 37. We'll add one more year for you. How's that?
Donna Schmitz: Somewhere that got a little confused. It was just one of those weird things that we were in the middle where you come into a job in Gregory and you're the fall basketball coach and you're the spring track coach. And then I coach started '75, '76. I had to have cheerleading advisor in that middle piece during the winter and that was not my bag. So the next year I went to the superintendent and I just said, "Is there a possibility I could have a little intramural program with the girls?" And I think I started that the winter of '77. So depending on how you do your math.
Craig Mattick: Well, Gregory certainly has one of the iconic mascot names in the country with the Gorillas. Do you know how that gorilla mascot came to be?
Donna Schmitz: Only story I know is whoever the football coach was, I don't know if it was in the '20s or the '30s, the boys come running out and just said, "You look like a bunch of gorillas." I guess I'm not sure if that was the way it happened or what, but it's a unique name.
Craig Mattick: Donna, at one point though, the Gregory volleyball team was known as the Spikers. How did that come about?
Donna Schmitz: That still is. They still go by the Lady Spikers. The issue was the very first volleyball tournament that Gregory made it to, somewhere along the line, the girls didn't like being called Gorillas, so they came up with a unique name of Girl-o-Illa. Wow, that was kind of a joke because the poor guy at the announcer had to restate that Girl-o-Illas by three times. And I just said no more of that. So we got home and I said, "Let's think of a new name for us. If you don't want to be called the Gorillas, what do you want to be?" And they came up with the Spikers and they've gone through... Even though the state, you have to go in as a gorilla on everybody's roster or when you go to somebody else's place, 90% of them put the Spikers on it yet, but at the state level you will be a gorilla. So they go by both right now.
Craig Mattick: Well, you went to high school in Bonesteel. That was what, in the late sixties, early seventies? We know-
Donna Schmitz: I graduated in '70.
Craig Mattick: We know that there was not a lot of sanctioned sports for girls at that time, but what kept you busy in high school at that time?
Donna Schmitz: That's a good question. We were just discussing this the other day. I did not have any girls sports except my stop ball from the time I was just little and I was a swimmer. I went senior year to the boys track coach and said, "There is a girl state track meet. Could we come out and practice for the regional?" That's all we went to was the regional [inaudible 00:04:57] meet. So that was the extent of my high school career. So I had to find something else to do being this tomboy I was, so what am I? Let me think. Oh yes, I was the president of the Pep Club, boy and I was a firm one. We had to get matching shirts and we had to be at all the games and stand tall and proud. And then we did get some intramural play across the Nebraska, [inaudible 00:05:25], and then Fairfax, I think we played three on three basketball once in the winter time. And then I co-edited the annual, my junior, senior year. Some really odd things when you can't have sports to play.
Craig Mattick: How different they are today for female athletes? How different they are?
Donna Schmitz: They really don't... How lucky. And it's such a great thing for everybody to have that time to do what they love to do.
Craig Mattick: Well, for college you went to the University of South Dakota at Springfield, which, by the way, is not there anymore. So why did you choose Springfield to go to college?
Donna Schmitz: I went to Springfield because I had two older sisters and an older brother that went... Everyone for education, the two sisters, that's back when you could just go a year and then a summer semester and get your teaching. My brother went four years prior to my start. He graduated out in '70 and I started at Springfield in '70 and it was called Southern State when I started.
Craig Mattick: That's right. That's right.
Donna Schmitz: And then it went to University of South Dakota at Springfield. And I fell into the sports program so accidental. It's just a bizarre story I guess.
Craig Mattick: Which sports did you get involved with?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I went down to watch my roommate try out for the volleyball team because that was before there were any scholarships given or anything. And I just was watching and she kind of got hurt. I went out on the court and small little five foot two, Karen Caberta, who is now Karen Brown came up to me and she goes, "What about you?" And I said, "What about me?" "Why aren't you trying out?" I'm about 5' 10 good size. And she goes, "We could juice you out here." I said, "I don't know the first thing about this game, other than we played it in PE." Long story short, I played five freshman sports and four sports every year following. So I had 16 letters at the end of my college career. I didn't like field hockey very well. That was way too much running. But it was a blast. It was just like you're back in high school getting to do all the things you wanted to do.
Craig Mattick: How about volleyball? How much time did you spend at least either intramural or whatever involved with volleyball before you got that first teaching job at Gregory.
Donna Schmitz: Just played the four years at Springfield for college ball and then I went on to grad school at South Dakota State to get my master's degree. And there I was in every sport as a coach there. I coached under, I can't even know, Norma Boetel I think was an older lady in basketball and I can't think of all their names now. But I worked with volleyball, basketball and track also at South Dakota State then for my master's, which was '74 and into the '75 summer. So that was a huge experience for me.
Craig Mattick: So in '75 you get that first teaching job at Gregory. What was that process like? Did you have opportunities to go somewhere else or was Gregory just sitting there going, I want to go to Gregory?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I had some family and I lifeguarded in Gregory throughout my college years and I had a sister and brother-in-law and it kind of felt like home. But I had interviews with next-door neighbors in Burke. I had out in Gillette, Wyoming, somewhere up on the Canada border. Even DWU, Gordy Fosness talked to me about, "Maybe you want to come to DWU." And I just did some [inaudible 00:09:11]. I was only 30 miles from home and Gregory became the stomping ground for me.
Craig Mattick: What did you teach?
Donna Schmitz: I was a biology teacher. I did get some PE. I started with biology and general science. That general science and I did not get along well. So I just went and said, "Is there something else?" I had two majors. I had a biology and a PE major, so I took up some PE and my cohort had to get the general science. He just left Gregory, 50 years done last year. John Hansen, the older wrestling coach.
Craig Mattick: Sure, yes.
Donna Schmitz: So we have a thing in Gregory where you almost come and a huge amount of us stayed the entire career. So then as I got a little bit more involved, I picked up anatomy, physiology probably my last 32 years of teaching. So I was a biology, anatomy, physiology kind of teacher. Love it. Still sub today.
Craig Mattick: It's 70 [inaudible 00:10:16] you're just at Gregory. Volleyball isn't even sanctioned at all. Not a lot of people are talking about it, but you started the program at that time in Gregory. What led you to that?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I just felt the girls had to have something in between the sports and to keep them a little busy. I mean they didn't have the cheer program yet, and I just said, "Let's start practice a couple hours a day," and we just played in [inaudible 00:10:43]. I think like you said, that was the winner of '75. And the only other person that had much to do with volleyball at that time was Galen Busch, my mentor [inaudible 00:10:53] out of Todd County was kind of same situation. And we, I think finally played Todd County and it seems like somebody else East River. I don't think Parker was up and going yet with Perry [inaudible 00:11:11], but we played each other probably somewhere in '78 or '79 a couple times. And then things kind of got going because I think the first day tournament was in '82, wasn't it?
Craig Mattick: That's correct, yes.
Donna Schmitz: At Brookings, '82 and '83 I think was in Brookings.
Craig Mattick: What did the Gregory school administration think about when you said, "Hey, I want to start a volleyball program"?
Donna Schmitz: I don't think they really understood. Volleyball was like, what is this game? No one really understood it. I had a really great superintendent at the time, David Gillerman, and it was amazing because the very first year we made it into the state tournament on our own, which was '84. He was on the superintendent park board of the sub quota, whatever the board is [inaudible 00:12:05].
Craig Mattick: The Activities Association,
Donna Schmitz: And he was the one who came out and gave us our plaque, whatever we got. And here we are playing in our girls basketball uniforms that were red with a little blue and white and red, blue little thing around the leg. They looked like little... I don't know, and sleeveless they were so god awful. But that's the only uniform we had. So I finally went to him, I said, "Do you think we could actually order some volleyball uniforms now that we have been in a state tournament?" He goes, "I think so." We're really into power volleyball now, aren't we?
Craig Mattick: Oh, power volleyball.
Donna Schmitz: He came from Iowa, so he did know. He came from Iowa.
Craig Mattick: But you did not even record a win in your first four years with the program?
Donna Schmitz: Not too much, no, because we hadn't really had anything to go play anybody.
Craig Mattick: How did you know what to practice when you got together? I mean things were pretty-
Donna Schmitz: What to practice?
Craig Mattick: ... early.
Donna Schmitz: I guess I just went by what I had at Springfield. What girls we had done, I don't know, probably invented some of my own, I don't know. I just remember to try to get them to serve point on, I'd take dollar bills down on the court that you can hit that dollar bill, you can have it. That's one drill I can remember. But yeah, it was just kind of find a book. You didn't have internet, you didn't have any of that.
Craig Mattick: 1982 again, was the first year of a state high school volleyball the tournament. And then until 2000 we're talking like 18 years, volleyball did not have rally scoring. They didn't have the libero. They played in the winter time. What was South Dakota High School volleyball like prior to the year 2000?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I thought we were doing really well. However, I realized as all of this was going to change, I was kind of dragging my feet thinking, oh, do we really need to do what all the colleges are doing? But oh my gosh, what a God sent the level of volleyball from that time to where we are now and that was when everything changed. Like you said, we experimented, South Dakota one of the first to use the entire inline to serve. We went into rally scoring. We started fan deck shorts. I remember that was a big deal for some kids and having a rally scoring make that defense, get credit for that hard play they get after and they actually score a point from it. It was the most awesome thing we did, and then we got all our kids able to be looked at by the college coaches because we weren't playing in the wintertime and they had already gone out and grabbed all of the great players before South Dakota kids were even very much looked at from their season.
Craig Mattick: I'm assuming before rally scoring, there were some long nights in the gym in some of those matches.
Donna Schmitz: The worst thing was the long nights and we also had tournaments, regional tournaments and state tournaments that were double elimination. So you get into only best two or three, but you could get into a game and you are sitting on a 7-7 for eight minutes and then somebody might finally get a point. You had no time to figure out... I remember we were in a regional tournament or district, I think out at St. Francis. We were still playing a double elimination tournament at two o'clock in the morning. Yeah, you never knew when you were going to get done.
Craig Mattick: Well, Donna, you had a tremendous streak for the Gregory volleyball program in 1984, getting to the state tournament, seven out of eight years you guys qualified for state. But what about that first team to make it back in 1984? What was special about that Gregory volleyball team?
Donna Schmitz: I had a group of seniors that year, they were pretty decent size, but I think they were just really scrappy and I had a couple really strong overhand servers. And another thing was I was known for... As I like the block serve, we could put those big gals up front and we could block serves and we really would catch teams, East River teams offside with that. I don't know if a lot of people didn't do it or what, but I just had a solid... I'm trying to think right now. I think I started four seniors and two juniors I think, and it was just kids that have busted their butts. I just can remember it was a double elimination tournament. I think we were playing Parker and Viborg all the way over-
Craig Mattick: Oh, boy.
Donna Schmitz: ... in Viborg because no one else had teams between us and them, I don't think. And we ended up having to go into... We got beat early, so then we had to double elimination the whole rest of the day and I just kept saying, "It's not over. It's not over until the fat lady sings and you know who that is [inaudible 00:17:35]." I really, I just said, "We need to get going," and they just dug in and got the job done. It was awesome.
Craig Mattick: Your best finish at state was 1987. You placed 3rd, was it Webster or Bennett County that you played in the semifinals?
Donna Schmitz: It was Webster with Cindy Nelson one of the best coaches. They had a good little Brazilian, I think if I get my years right, because they won so many state tournaments there in a row. We just couldn't get over the hump with Webster. We had to play them I think twice, probably earlier and then at the end, but we had our shot.
Craig Mattick: Who were some of those teams that you'd have to face almost every year just to try to get to the state tournament?
Donna Schmitz: When we were in just an A... Two divisions, we were in course, I don't know, was it A and B or AA. I can't remember what they were. We would have St. Francis and [inaudible 00:18:41] Todd County eventually went up, but St. Francis, Gregory, Todd County, we all could make it to the state tournament because they had the region set up differently and they were in Bennett County eventually. Those were big. When we didn't make it to a state tournament, one of those teams beat us out. That was the biggest competition we always had it seemed like. Because I never played with the 16, that's called a... I don't think it's called 316 but...
Craig Mattick: The SoDak 16.
Donna Schmitz: SoDak 16, thank you.
Craig Mattick: Yes.
Donna Schmitz: I got out in 11 and then that year, next year I think we went down to Class B already. We were always playing in A. There was a AA, A and B. And initially there were just two Classes.
Craig Mattick: Correct, yes.
Donna Schmitz: That's when we were at the state tournament the majority of the time.
Craig Mattick: Yeah. Last time you qualified for state, you were in Class A, it was 2004. What was that year like before you got to the state tournament in 2004?
Donna Schmitz: Well, we were at the state tournament 2004, and I had some really great ballplayers back at, Jenny Polkup and a Jill Whalen who were All-Staters for me a couple years. And Sioux Falls Christian was our team that kind of caused us some trouble. And again, comes right down to the wire and we were not able to get over the hump, but we ended up getting back to the state tournament my last year of teaching in 2011 of coaching. That was my last state tournament appearance was 2011, 7th place.
Craig Mattick: Eventually then here comes retirement. And when you retired, you were the winningest volleyball coach in South Dakota. I know-
Donna Schmitz: I don't know for sure, but.
Craig Mattick: I checked, you were.
Donna Schmitz: Jill Christensen took me out really fast.
Craig Mattick: Well, now there are seven other coaches who have surpassed your 630 wins, but here's the-
Donna Schmitz: And they're young.
Craig Mattick: Yeah, most of them are still active. You're right. But being at that time, the winningest coach in the state, it would've been great to win at least one title in your career. But you know what? It's tough. It's tough to get a volleyball championship.
Donna Schmitz: Well, I think that was kind of part of my brain thinking, Donnie, you have to get a championship in a state tournament before you can quit. And I'm thinking, how many years is it going to take me to get it? And I didn't ever get that goal met, but we sure did have a lot of fun trying.
Craig Mattick: We talked about you at that time, the winningest volleyball coach, 630 wins, but you're 8th on the list now, but there are a number of long-term coaches and some of those still active above you. I'm going to give you some of those names. If you see what comes to your mind when I say their name, if you had ever had a chance to coach against them at number seven, it's Darci Wassenaar at Sioux Falls Christian.
Donna Schmitz: Nope, never played them.
Craig Mattick: Number six, Nora Groft at Northwestern.
Donna Schmitz: She's been a staple in Northwestern. I can't say I ever played against her, but I've been around a lot of clinics and things. She's a great gal.
Craig Mattick: Number five, Linda DeBoer of Miller.
Donna Schmitz: Yep. We've had our go at... Even in the state tournament, Miller and Gregory have played. She's another gem.
Craig Mattick: At number four, Nelly Long out at Pine Ridge.
Donna Schmitz: We played Pine Ridge my last year for the regional championship and I don't know if she was coaching or not, to be honest with you. That would've been 2011.
Craig Mattick: Nelly Long is still at it, so she probably did. You probably-
Donna Schmitz: Probably was.
Craig Mattick: ... did face her. Number three, Kari Jung of Warner.
Donna Schmitz: Oh, another one.
Craig Mattick: Yeah.
Donna Schmitz: We didn't get up into the northern part of the state with Northwestern and Warner, but I followed them a lot over the years.
Craig Mattick: Number two was Anita Boeck up at Arlington.
Donna Schmitz: Yes, Anita Boeck. She was the queen and we did compete against each other throughout. I think both of us kind of flip-flopped around between Class size, whether they're B or A or whatever we... So we have competed against each other.
Craig Mattick: And of course the all-time winningest coach right now is Jill Christensen of Parker.
Donna Schmitz: Yes. We go-
Craig Mattick: Way back.
Donna Schmitz: Well, we go way back because we've played all those probably 30 of the 37 years. We might not have played every time every year, but they were always at the Barnum tournament and we were always at the Barnum tournament, but that's happened the year that I had gotten the win. It was a Tuesday night where I took out Mr. Busch, Galen Busch, and that Saturday I had the Barnum tournament and Parker was there and there just a saltier all the time. She ended up knocking me out of that. I think I had the best record for four days, but I got it my last year of coaching.
Craig Mattick: How would you describe yourself as a coach?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I would describe myself as... I always thought I was a good motivator and I was pretty firm and I had the attitude practice of perfection makes perfect. I said, "You just don't say practice makes perfect because if you're practicing it wrong, what good is that going to do? You need to figure that technique out and practice it that way to become as good of a player as you can be." I really tried to positively reinforce kids and I had a good sense of humor I think.
Craig Mattick: You've had a bunch of former players who have coached with you at Gregory. How cool is that and what was it like? I think it's nine former players were coaching with you.
Donna Schmitz: Yeah, I was so fortunate that the kids stuck around like a year before they went to college or they took a break or some started working and they wanted to come into our gym and volunteer their time. I tell you, the last year I had a Taylor Ann's youth who was All-State, made first team All-State [inaudible 00:25:30] and it was thanks to Annie Graham, now Hamilton who played out at Black Hills State who just got voted into the Hall of Fame for their national appearance in O-H. She came from winter every practice and worked 45 minutes with my DS's and hand shoots, and it was because of her that Taylor was able to make that. It wasn't my coaching, it was just... You can get those girls who are special players, they can get a lot out of those kids more than I could.
Craig Mattick: You coached the daughters of some moms at Gregory?
Donna Schmitz: Oh yes, I have. I did. Quite a few.
Craig Mattick: Were they just like their mother?
Donna Schmitz: Oh gosh, you're really going way back when you're talking the late '70s, early '80s, and now you're in the 2000s.
Craig Mattick: That's good.
Donna Schmitz: Even today, I went out last year, the middle school coaches needed a little help. They weren't much into volleyball and I just said, "I'll come in and help you out in that middle school." And man, there are sixth graders of the mamas I coached in. Oh, there's a couple that are just such sweethearts and so much like their mamas, and it was a fun time going in and helping those kids out.
Craig Mattick: I think volleyball in South Dakota is tremendous from Class B through Class A and to AA, how would you rate overall volleyball play in the state?
Donna Schmitz: Volleyball play today in South Dakota, I think it has to compete. Even though the Minnesotans and Nebraskans have played and played and played, we have finally have programs in South Dakota that can compete at that level, and it's just having that opportunity to play at that level of competition. I always thought Gregory was a little bit handicapped geographically for us to be able to play like at Chester, which we never did, or a Northwestern, which we never did because of travel time. But I'll tell you what, our kids have picked up and we have so many quality coaches. It's wonderful.
Craig Mattick: Lauren Braun is the current coach there at Gregory. What's it like for you to go to volleyball matches today at Gregory?
Donna Schmitz: Oh, it's fun. Lauren, I did not coach Lauren. She, I think was like... Oh, I don't know what year she graduated, but I watched her play in her high school career. She was a very level-headed and easily coached kid it looked like to me, talking with Teresa Webster, who was my assistant and then took the head job at that time. Lauren is always up for, what do you think? Will you come and practice and check out this cover? What do you think about what if I do that? So she's at least coming to me, which makes me feel like, hey, if I can offer you any suggestions, I certainly can help or try. So she's going to be a keeper, I think.
Craig Mattick: Yeah, I think she's making a good judgment there to get in touch with you for questions. I think that's a pretty good idea. You're not going to steer her wrong at all of your experience.
Donna Schmitz: Well, I hope so. She's a sweetheart.
Craig Mattick: You're in the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. What does that mean to you?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I first made it into the Volleyball Coaches Association. I think that was maybe in 2010, somewhere in there. And that was a huge honor. And then when I made it into the big time, the Coaches Association, that was I think in '14, somewhere of '14. And it was kind of a surprise to me because I know there hadn't been a lot of women that have been put on that Hall of Fame, but makes you think, well, somebody think you know what you're doing. Or I always say, it's your talent, it's your kids. Anybody can coach good kids. You just got to get them to come off and if you can just plan to set it up, rebuild, just reload. That's programs like Chester and Sioux Falls Christian, they don't rebuild. They have to rebuild. They just are so ready to go with their next young one just chomping at the bit to be on that court, and that's what it takes to have these super programs.
Craig Mattick: Donna, what are you most proud of regarding your career at Gregory?
Donna Schmitz: Well, I guess the longevity of it. That just being somewhere as long as I was, people get to know you. Having all of the past coaches, some are not even with us anymore, to be friends with them. For me to walk into a state tournament hospitality room today and be able to converse with them, I don't know. I can talk to anybody and it's just been was a great run.
Craig Mattick: In Play with Craig Mattick is made possible by Horton in Britton where smiling at work happens all the time. Apply now at Hortonww.com. If you like what you're hearing, please give us a five-star review wherever you get your podcast. It helps us gain new listeners. This has been In Play with me, Craig Mattick. This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
