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SM volleyball coach resigns due to ‘lack of support’
Citing a lack of support from school administrators, Tonya Snider, Smoky Mountain’s volleyball coach the past two seasons, has resigned.
“I am deeply saddened and disappointed that circumstances have dictated I step down as head volleyball coach at Smoky Mountain High School,” Snider wrote in an Oct. 17 letter to Principal Alex Bell. “There have been many rewarding moments in my coaching career with Jackson County that dates all the way back to 1995. I have encountered many players who have touched my life in different ways, and I hope that I have also been able to touch some of theirs.”
A member of the Lady Mustangs’ 1991 state championship volleyball team, Snider had stints as JV volleyball and basketball coach at the school before taking over as head coach prior to the 2004 season.
Her two-year record was 14-30, including 5-17 this past season.
“I am stepping down due to a lack of support, communication and competitive environment in our community and school system,” the letter says. “There is an expectation put forth for coaches to make their teams competitive, however there is little support in place for the challenges that arise in trying to make that happen. Winning comes with discipline, character, maturity and sacrifice, and when coaches try to instill those values in kids, they are seemingly ridiculed.”
Not being a school system employee, Snider told The Herald she had the freedom to speak out on the real reasons for her resignation rather than saying personal reasons as is so often the case.
“I’m sorry she feels there was a lack of support,” Bell said. “A lot of times it depends on what chair you are sitting in when decisions are made. I would certainly never try to undermine her or take away support from her or any coach.”
Superintendent Sue Nations declined to comment on the claims in Snider’s letter.
“When coaches are allowed to make decisions in the best interest of their team (I believe that term is called ‘coaching’), and people from the outside stick to their job which is to observe, the system in Jackson County will change and start to see improvement,” the letter says.
“I understand that coaching has its share of challenges, probably more so than most professions,” she wrote. “As a coach, I expect to make some people angry with my decisions, and I also expect to endure criticism, ridicule and blame. Those challenges I have always been prepared to handle. However, I did not expect to be undermined and over-ruled by my school and administration when I made decisions in the best interest of my team. In that circumstance, I believe I am fighting a losing battle, and that is not something I have either the time or energy to devote myself to.
“I have always believed in doing my best and inspiring my players to do the same. I believe that in helping these young ladies to become adults it is crucial to teach them the qualities that I have found to be so important in life: respect for authority, consequences for decisions, hard work pays off, and always be the best you can be no matter what the circumstance is. I feel like this system has let me down in a big way in not allowing me to do these things.
“Parents should not be allowed to verbally attack coaches in front of their team. Principals and superintendents should not entertain complaints from parents that have not been discussed with the coach. A coach should be afforded some sort of credibility, and respect should be demanded of all athletes and fans at all sporting events. Call me ‘old school’, but this type of nonsense was not going on in the days when Sylva-Webster and Smoky Mountain were successful in their athletic programs. Is there a deduction to be made here?”
Snider said she was particularly disappointed by school administrators’ decision to cancel a volleyball match at Asheville to avoid a conflict with two team members, chosen for the homecoming court, riding in the homecoming parade the same night. Snider had told the players they would be suspended for the next match if they did not play at Asheville.
“I find it hard to believe that decisions can be made in the best interest of a team by someone who has only heard one side of the story from one individual, never spoken to the coach or attended a volleyball match or practice all season and has the ability to deal with the heat of the decision at ‘arms length,’ ” she wrote. “That doesn’t seem fair or reasonable to me. Had I been asked my opinion on this matter, I would have reminded this person that a decision made on behalf of one parent’s complaint would also negatively impact 19 other student- athletes. I cannot imagine how that seems appropriate under any circumstances. I also believe that if I had an athletic director on staff during this season, this particular situation might not have escalated to this point.”
Athletic Director Si Simmons asked for a reassignment to teaching duties last month. Mutt DeGraffenreid was named his replacement last week and is expected to start his new duties soon.
Believing Simmons was forced out, Snider asked in an interview with The Herald how making such a move just after school started could be in the best interest of student-athletes. She said if such a move had to be made it should have been done during the summer.
“What I have wanted for these girls is to experience the feeling of working hard, achieving goals and believing in themselves,” Snider wrote. “I have asked them to be accountable for their actions and have tried my best to instill in them discipline and character that they can carry with them the rest of their lives. I have learned through this experience that it’s impossible to do so if I’m fighting a system that does not value the same things.
“I leave you with my favorite quote this season, from Bobby Knight, former head basketball coach at Indiana University: ‘Your players will elevate to what you will tolerate’. I hope that one day Jackson County can settle into this mentality.”
Snider told The Herald changes in attitude are needed from the school board on down throughout the school system and in the community if Smoky Mountain is to field a competitive athletic program. She said the attitude at the school is now depressing as student-athletes have gotten used to losing.
With a son in kindergarten and another child on the way, she wants the athletic program to be successful across the board. She expressed concern as to whether quality coaches will want to step into what she sees as a difficult situation at Smoky Mountain.
Vacancies currently exist for head coaches in volleyball, football, wrestling, men’s and women’s swimming and women’s soccer.
Another area of concern mentioned by Snider is the lack of a middle school and its negative impact on Mustang athletics. She said Jackson is one of three counties in the state that do not have at least one middle school.
“The middle school is an issue that kills us,” she said. “Our kids start off so far behind at the JV level. It takes the first half of the season for us to try to catch up.”
Despite Snider’s charges, Bell expressed appreciation for her work the past two seasons.
“She has certainly done a good job,” he said. “I was sad when she made that decision. I know she thought long and hard about it, and the reasons were multifaceted. She came through our system and is one of our own. She certainly cared about her players. We’ll miss her on the staff and wish her the best with her family and professionally.”
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