3 minute read
Q&A with DeAnn Hall
How does it feel to be a member of FWCD’s Club Viginti?
Twenty years ago, my now husband and I moved to Texas, and I saw a part-time coaching ad in the paper's classified section! Now the FWCD community has become an extension of my family, a true home away from home. It is an honor to be a Club V member. I did not foresee my name on that wall because 20 years is a long time! When I attended my first Club V dinner, I sat among FWCD legends. It was a surreal feeling, one I hope I never take for granted.
How did your career begin?
My degree is in journalism and Spanish, so teaching PE and coaching were never on my radar. I had a part-time job at a local radio station, trying to get my foot in the door, but I knew I needed to find another job. So I answered that ad and was interviewed as the Head JV Softball Coach. I accepted that position in summer 2003. Two years later, I gained a full-time PE position. I’ve been blessed to teach K-6 PE and coach cross country, softball, swimming, girls basketball, and boys and girls volleyball at the Middle School, JV and varsity levels. Many assume softball is my favorite sport because I played in college and am the Varsity Head Coach. In reality, my favorite sport is whichever sport I’m coaching at the time.
How do you engage and empower students?
I love when a student or player tells me they cannot do something. In those moments, I find ways to push and encourage them to get out of their comfort zones. When they realize, ‘Hey, I CAN do that,’ it’s the greatest feeling for me as a coach. I get as much excitement from watching a second-grader learning a new jump rope trick as I do watching a player hitting their first home run. I think the best way I can empower my students is for them to know that I’m their biggest fan and their No. 1 supporter. When students and players know that their coach believes in them, they find that next-level strength to push through the toughest situations.
What is your coaching philosophy?
When I first started coaching, I came from the Division I softball mentality. My coach was tough, and while I thrived in that environment, I quickly learned it was not suitable for a high school program. What I did realize was those life lessons of responsibility, accountability, teamwork, etc., do not change. So I’ve tried to make those as important as teaching the game. The most significant growth my coaching philosophy has had over the years is in building relationships. Early in my career, I was so focused on teaching the game and those life lessons that I forgot about building relationships, which is ironic because I am such a people person! I want my players always to know that I love the person they are more than the fact that they play softball.
