The Inside Scoop

Most people are innately nosey. Yes, we did just call you nosey.
For those of you that are willing to admit it (and, ok, those of you who aren't, too) here is a little peek at our first coaches meeting of the season!

Staff season theme: UNITY!
Unity is a noun. In fact, it is defined as, "The state of being one; a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one; oneness of mind, feeling, etc.; concord, harmony or agreement."
Anyone see a pattern here? How about the word "one"?
At Amarillo Juniors, we are focused on practicing what we preach. Individually, each coach in our club will preach "team team team" to our athletes all season long, doing everything short of pounding it into their heads with a hammer. (Ok so we don't really use physical violence to get that point across, but you see what we mean, right?) On that note, we believe it is essential for each of us as a staff to live out what we repeat season after season to our athletes - TEAMWORK!
One way our staff attempts to achieve that goal each year is by attending monthly meetings in which the entire staff gets together to discuss drill ideas, skill training, team building strategies, coaching techniques, and more.
One of our season quotes is, "The WE is greater than the ME." 
Yes, that means we have each other's backs. That means we work as a unit. That means that, despite some differences in our coaching styles and variations in our skills training our foundation is the same.
In fact, it was years ago that this same core group of people decided to begin coaching cohesively across the board as a staff. Our rockin' head coaching staff (Jason Skoch, West Texas A&M head coach, Jason Culpepper, Randall High School head coach, Scott Sandel, Tascosa High School head coach, Jan Barker, Amarillo High School head coach, and Stephanie Bankhead, head club director for Amarillo Juniors) establishes yearly how we are going to teach our volleyball fundamentals and foundations to our athletes.
Some of you might also be interested in learning that each year the Amarillo Juniors coaching staff each individually sign a "Coaches Code of Conduct." This means there is no just "talking the talk," but a whole lot of "walking the walk."
Now, does this mean that at some point a parent (or player, but in the spirit of honestly we're going to let you know it is more often a parent) will not be upset by one of our coaches coaching styles or coaching decisions? Absolutely not, and truth be told, that line is often blurry, much to the frustration of everyone involved. We encourage the parents in our club to remain mindful that your athlete's coach truly DOES have her best interests at heart, and never makes any decision without a reason behind it. Oftentimes that reason is something you never thought it would be. Bottom line? Let the coaches do their job, they really do care about your kiddo!
At our meeting we also discussed the fact that the parents of our athletes are entrusting their daughters into our care to help teach them excellent volleyball (and therefore life) skills for 5-7 months of the year, and each coach on our staff takes this role extremely seriously. Collectively, we understand how difficult it is to step back and entrust your child's emotional well being to us, all the while knowing that there's a possibility not everything will go her way.
Bottom line is, our staff is hyper dedicated to our teams, and therefore dedicated to each individual athlete. We are dedicated to doing the best we can as often as we can and as long as we can to train our athletes and bring them to into their highest volleyball potential, ultimately leading to a successful collegiate career, should they so choose. We are committed to staying unified as a club and going at it as a team.
We are so pumped for what all this season will bring, and truly appreciate how many amazing families have chosen to be a part of it with us!
- Amarillo Juniors

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The "A's" of getting an Athletic Scholarship

We are so excited to share this week's blog with you! Read on as guest blogger Johnny Quinn, founder and president of The Athlete Watch, explains the three "A's" you need to get an athletic scholarship. And remember - it's never too early to start planning for your collegiate career!  

- Amarillo Juniors
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Johnny Quinn, founder and
president of
The Athlete Watch.com

You need all A's for an Athletic Scholarship.

The road to playing collegiate sports is not black and white. The Athlete Watch is designed to help guide student-athletes and parents down the right path to play at the next level. You need all A’s for an athletic scholarship and the first one is pretty obvious – “Academics.” Student-athletes must have the grades to get into college and the desire to earn a degree. Academic standards for higher learning institutions are getting stricter every year, and with an ample amount of student-athletes out there for coaches to recruit, if you fall behind on your grades, you fall off a coach’s radar. 

“Athletic ability” is a vital part in the college recruiting process. Student-athletes must have the necessary skills coupled with the ability to outwork the competition. Today, student-athletes are bigger, stronger and faster and will continue to push the physical boundaries in high school athletics. In the realm of athletic competition and scholarship searching, it is a dog-eat-dog world... so you better be hungry.   

Rounding out the all A’s is the “Ability to market yourself.” Do not be fooled with the numerous companies and services charging thousands of dollars to join their network of coaches. As a former student-athlete who lived through the college recruiting process, my family could not afford those astronomical prices. Looking back, even if we could have afforded those services, we would not have fallen victim to their marketing tricks. The NCAA has an abundance of FREE and valuable tools to help families search for scholarships. Combine those tools with a student-athlete profile and skills tape from The Athlete Watch, and you now have an affordable and effective game plan.

- Johnny Quinn, Founder and President of The Athlete Watch and a Non-Recruited Student-Athlete

Johnny Quinn is a former NFL pro and has been a member of the US Olympic bobsled team since 2010. A McKinney, Texas native, Johnny grew up playing sports, and was a 5-A First-Team All-State wide receiver at McKinney High School, leading the state of Texas in receptions and finishing second in receiving touchdowns his senior year. After his successful high school career, Johnny went to the University of North Texas and became the University’s All-Time Leading Receiver. He was also a track walk-on who anchored the relay team to its third fastest time in school history. In 2011 Johnny was inducted into the University of North Texas Hall of Fame for his athletic success. After graduating with his Bachelors of Science in Pre Law, Johnny became a professional football player, spending time with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills. In 2010 he sent film showcasing his speed and acceleration to Olympic bobsled athlete Chuck Berkeley, who passed it along to driver Cory Butner. Johnny showed up the night before 4-man team trials and his very first push was the next day on ice in Lake Placid, NY during the 2010-2011 season, where the team finished third. Johnny spends his off-season in McKinney, training at the Michael Johnson Performance Center. He is the Founder and President of TheAthleteWatch.com, a digital platform for student-athletes to market themselves to colleges and universities around the nation.

To learn more about The Athlete Watch click here, here, or here!

To hear Johnny Quinn's interview with Amarillo Juniors coach Madelyn Vieth on her radio show, "Get Real with The getREAL Coach," click here!