On Coach of the Year, a dancing setter, and Jenks

SANDPOINT — Congrats to Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager for being the 4A Inland Empire League Coach of the Year, as voted on by the sports editor of the Daily Bee.

For some inexplicable reason, Alsager was once again not voted coach of the year in the three team league with Lakeland and Moscow, where coaches can’t vote for themselves or their players. Evidently, dominating the opposition year in and year out isn’t worth much in the voting criteria, as Alsager almost never wins the award.

I watched the Bulldogs play the Bears and Hawks on multiple occasions this season, and there’s little doubt in my mind who the best coach on the floor was, voting process be damned.

If there is any solace for Alsager, who naturally feels a bit snubbed, it lies in the fact that for nearly her entire nine years at the helm in Sandpoint, it’s the only time the other coaches get to beat her.

It was fun to have the state volleyball tournament up north again, as a host of Sandpoint fans traveled south to watch the 4A tournament unfold at Lake City High School.

With some of the heaviest hitting teams in state in the loaded draw, there were a few college coaches on hand to scout the action, and it’s a safe bet some of the Sandpoint players opened some eyes.

Seniors Emma Liband and Hannah Neumann were each named to the All-State tournament second team, no small feat with scores of college bound players throwing down. Liband finished the season with 139 kills, 46 aces and a team-high 77 blocks.

While they finished fourth in the tournament, the Bulldogs did bring home the sportsmanship award, a recognition of their positive attitudes and respect for their opponents on the court.

Friday must have been a long day for starting junior setter and dance team member Hailey Dunn. The 6-foot-2 junior led the team in set assists in wins over Bishop Kelly and Canyon Ridge and a loss to Bonneville.

Luckily for Dunn, the Bulldogs swept Canyon Ridge in a consolation match that started at 6 p.m. on Friday night, giving her time to drive back to Sandpoint in time to join her other teammates for a hip hop performance at halftime of the Bulldogs’ football game against Lakeland.

There is a lot of grace and skill necessary for both endeavors, to say nothing of the time commitment.

It was nice to beat Bishop Kelly at state for the second time in a week, as the volleyball team joined the girls soccer team in taking down Bishop Kelly of Boise. Two memorable playoff football losses, a few classic soccer championships and an epic win in baseball in the state championship have created a burgeoning rivalry between the schools separated by more than 400 miles of the beautiful Gem State. Here’s hoping for many more.

Driving down to cover the action Saturday, I was able to listen to KPND disc jockey and Sandpoint assistant basketball coach Chris Chatburn spin nothing but Beatles songs for an hour, which shortened the trip.

One song in particular struck a chord: "All You Need is Love". The Beatles song was sung at David Jenkins’ memorial service a few years ago, and I can’t hear it without thinking of Jenks.

Longtime Sandpoint fans no doubt remember Jenks, and his loyal support of Sandpoint athletics. The last time the state volleyball tournament was held at Lake City, I watched much of the action next to Jenks, an astute fan of volleyball, among a myriad other sports. I can still hear him yelling “Go Dogs.”