February: Individuals continue, and about halfway through the month, practice begins at Middle Tennessee. The NCAA allows us about eight weeks or so of 20 hours per week with the entire team, and you???d better believe that we???re in that gym at least 15 of those hours (the rest belong to our strength and conditioning coach). More club tournaments to attend ??? every weekend.

March: Now the real fun starts ??? USAV Qualifiers. There are 800 teams, aged 10-18, hundreds of courts, my Palm Pilot, lots of aspirin, and the much-hated ???Red Eye,??? which to you non-coaches out there, is also known as the 1 a.m. flight from the West Coast back to Central Standard Time. More practice. Then the Michigan State High School Championships (see December).

April: Even more Qualifiers. More practice, and for the three or four weeks of April, tournaments for our Middle Tennessee team (NCAA allows for four competition dates during the non-traditional segment). The tournament part was great this past spring, as we went undefeated at 8-0 and didn???t lose one single game (see www.goblueraiders.com for details).

May: School's out and the Qualifiers are over, however, club tournaments are in full swing, so more recruiting.

June: More club tournaments, and the beginning of the camp season. Yes, that???s right folks, as if I wasn???t already overdosed on prep volleyball, a whole new ???season??? begins. This summer alone, we (my staff and I) will have instructed more than 1,000 middle and high-school aged girls. Related, one assistant leaves for a new job (bye Lexee [Marshall], and ???thank you.???).

July: Club volleyball season finally ends with the National Championships, but camp season is in full swing. Five camps on campus this July. No rest for the weary. Trying to get everything ready for Middle Tennessee boot, oops, I mean training, camp. Arranging unofficial and official visits, as we can now call 2007 prospects. And, yeah, we have to hire a new assistant coach.

August: Training camp, training camp, training camp. Need I say more? Three-plus weeks, three (sometimes more) sessions per day. Lots of hand-holding for freshmen (five for this year). Remembering the players names ??? not so difficult this year as we have four Ashleys, two Megans, and even two Sashas (one???s a trainer). Season opens in late-August ??? light at the end of the tunnel.

September: The season???s in full swing, school has started, which means staff meetings, tape exchange, high school volleyball season, JUCO volleyball season, and official visits. This year, however, one word keeps popping into my head, day and night. That word? Cornhuskers, yeah Nebraska. (see 2006 MT Volleyball Schedule).

October: Conference schedule is in full swing, which means lots of travel, fortunately most of it by airplane. More tape exchange, more high school volleyball, blah, blah, blah. Preparing for postseason - I hope.

November: Regular season comes to an end, and if we???re fortunate, prepare for the Sun Belt tournament, and if we???re even more fortunate, the NCAA tournament. Bask in the glow of another successful season (or conversely, get my resume updated). Just kidding. The only pressure we???re feeling is self-imposed.

December: Ahhhhh. Christmas shopping at the Final Four (this year in Omaha). I think steaks will be on the shopping list for all of my loved-ones. Sirloin for Uncle Harold, ribeyes for Peg and Doug, etc. Guess where I spend my Holidays every year ??? that???s right, Michigan, where, in early December through New Year???s Eve, high school play is just getting started. So even on my Holiday, there are teams to be seen and recruiting to be done.

There you have it. Would I trade it for any other career in the world ??? nope. Know why? It???s seeing my team so upset at losing in the Sun Belt Championship match on ESPN; it???s seeing those wide-eyed freshmen come into the gym for the first time in their Middle Tennessee practice gear; it???s laughing uncontrollably when unnamed player asks where are the palm trees and the gators when we get off the bus in Oxford, Ohio (Miami University of Ohio); it???s seeing those seniors walk across the stage to get their degrees, plus countless other treasured memories over the past 23 seasons. Now, if you???ll excuse me, Individual Camp starts this week, and I have get everything ready.