Now we get to play Tiffin Calvert… what that means

The volleyball team at Calvert High School just completed a perfect season. They compiled 29 wins without a loss and became state champions when they defeated Monroeville in three sets last weekend.Congratulations have been pouring in from all over and I would like to add my compliments as well. What these young ladies accomplished is amazing, but I wanted to do a little digging and perhaps give some people a deeper look into what has become an incredible program.If you just look at the record that coach Lori Rombach has compiled in her eight years as head coach, it will leave you shaking your head. Calvert's record in those eight seasons is 210-15. It includes three state championships, two state runners-up and two regional runners-up. In the one season where they did not make the regional finals their record was 23-3. So much for a "down" season!To suggest that Calvert has a good program would be a huge understatement. They have a phenomenal run going, but they are not the only school to do so. In the 1990's Hopewell-Loudon had a similar run in the sport of volleyball. Coach Dave Reinhart and the Chieftains went to state eight straight years with five state titles ending that fantastic streak.Other schools have dominated in a given sport. St. Paris Graham in wrestling comes to mind. Marion Local is currently riding the longest football winning streak in the country at 75 games. Unless they lost last night that streak is now 76. Wow!Back in my playing days Mansfield St. Peter's had a basketball program that was as good as anyone's in the state of Ohio. We lost to them in a district tournament opener and though disappointed we could say that we got beat by the state champs. Many local high schools suffered the same fate at the hands of the Spartans.So how does a school become so dominant? What has to happen for a program to achieve this kind of greatness? It is my considered opinion that many factors are responsible, but three stand out. Let me share my thoughts as a former player, coach and currently a big sports fan. These three things are in order of significance.TALENTED ATHLETES.The biggest key to any team's success is having good players. In the last eight years many very accomplished young ladies have suited up for Calvert's volleyball team. The success that the Senecas have had in recent seasons comes primarily from the fact that they have had very good athletes showcasing their skills.GOOD COACHES.Player talent though, is not simply enough to win consistently. These athletes need guidance and that's where coaches come in. Teaching fundamentals and schematics, keeping the players focused, encouraging and constructively criticizing – it's all part of the job. But any good coach will tell you that they are only as good as their players and I believe that is a fact.Many years ago I tagged along with some area head basketball coaches to Pittsburgh for the Dapper Dan Classic. I went with New Riegel head coach Bud Snyder, my former high school coach Attica's Glenn Brooks, Van Buren head coach Lynn Martin and Old Fort's Steve Smith. The weekend included a couple of games involving the best high school players from across the country.It also included the chance to listen to several big time college coaches speak. Bob Knight, Hugh Durham, Lefty Driesell and Norm Sloan were among those talking hoops. I don't remember the coach who told the story, but it left an impression on me. He stated that when he was with a given school he had an All-American playing for him. That made him a good coach. When he left for another job he had so and so playing for him. That made him a good coach.The concept was clear. If you don't have good players being a good coach won't help that much. I don't want to downplay Lori Rombach's significance to Calvert's success. My goodness her record speaks for itself. I'm just saying that good coaching comes in second on this list to talented athletes. I'm betting Lori agrees with me.TRADITION.This concept is one that frequently gets overlooked. Once a school gets a dominant program going it serves two purposes. First of all, the kids at that school EXPECT to win. They play with confidence and when things go bad in a game they quickly bounce back. On the other hand when a school goes up against that dominant program their usual thought process is we HOPE to win.A subtle difference perhaps, but when things go bad for the other school, the feeling is here we go… I knew they were better than us. I think this helps the team with the tradition win and contributes to the less dominant school losing.Calvert has that tradition in volleyball right now. The title to my column could have begun with "uh oh" or "oh no" and that thought could be the difference between winning and losing.So will Calvert's volleyball team have another incredible season next fall? They will be losing some of those talented athletes, but many return. History would suggest that this dominance can't go on forever. After all, how long has it been since Mansfield St. Pete regularly made it to Columbus in basketball?My suggestion would be that the Tiffin community celebrate Calvert volleyball now. What they have done in recent years is astounding. They deserve the plaudits they are receiving from all across the state of Ohio.Their success may well come crashing to a halt at any moment. Then again, they do have a tradition...