Welch Pulling Double Duty at A2 and Junior Nationals
July 02, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
July 2, 2013
by Deb Stadick for USA Volleyball
Dallas - Caitlin Welch (Louisville, Ky.) looked a little bit peculiar standing in the crowded hotel lobby in Dallas yesterday with two jam-packed suit cases, a backpack and volleyball.
But the defensive specialist from the University of Louisville didn't massively over-pack for her nine-day stint with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball A2 Team (WNTA2) program. In fact, she probably could have used another suite case.
Welch, a club volleyball coach for MAVA 16-1, coached her team in a four-day tournament and flew straight to Dallas to begin training with the WNTA2 program.
And Welch isn't just training and competing now that she's in Dallas.
She's sticking around to coach her MAVA 16-1 club team in the 16 Open Division of the 2013 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships after the WNTA2 program concludes on July 3.
It is obvious Welch isn't just passionate about playing, but coaching as well.
"I love it," Welch said. "I love taking what I have been taught and teaching others. It is so rewarding seeing my players progress from where they were at the start of the season."
Welch's passion for coaching has led her to eagerly take on this crazy schedule.
As a soon-to-be college senior, it really is crazy.
"We (MAVA) practice four times a week," Welch said. "I am in my spring season for college for the first few months of club practice, and it is a little crazy."
Welch manages being an elite student-athlete and coach by making sure her priorities are in line.
"It is all about prioritizing," Welch said. "When I am in college season, it has to come first. But after that I do everything I can to focus on my players."
Welch does all she can do to help her players develop and improve, and her ability to relate to them helps her be successful at this.
"It's a way to give back," Welch said. "I think I can relate really well to kids at this age. They are the age I was at when I first started having college volleyball dreams. I am in a position to help them discover their own."
When giving advice to young players about chasing their own dreams, Welch speaks from experience.
"It isn't always easy," Welch said. "But you can't give up. If you have a dream, you have to strive for it. You have to work hard not stop."
This article originally appeared on USA Volleyball and is reprinted with permission. Thanks to Deb Stadick and Bill Kauffman at USAV.
