How Laura Smith became the cornerstone of Adena's volleyball program

FRANKFORT − Few people have left as indelible of a mark on a program as Laura Smith has left on Adena volleyball.

Ask around. Talk to Adena alumni far and wide, and Smith's name comes up as one of the cornerstones of not just Adena's volleyball program, but the wider community as a whole. Her list of achievements is long, and the list of people she has impacted is even longer. She's coached mothers and daughters, and her own daughter sat in for practices long before she even suited up for the Warriors.

But no matter who speaks up, more often than not, one name comes up in conjunction with Adena volleyball and its long history of success − Laura Smith.

"When my daughter was born, my goal was for her to play for Laura Smith," Megan Bethel, mother of current Adena player Brinlee Preston and who played for Smith from 1998-2001, said. "It's been great, and I'm so glad she got that experience."

Granted, Smith is one of the program's cornerstones for good reason. Smith is just the third coach in program history, and one of the winningest volleyball coaches in state history. Her 800th career win − a three-set sweep over Lehman in early September − became the latest set piece on a stack of career achievements including 26 Scioto Valley Conference championships, 36 consecutive sectional titles and two state finals appearances.

While Smith is one of two coaches in Ohio to ever record 800 wins, she is unique in her achievement. Every single one came while at Adena.

With the resume she has compiled over the years, Smith could have gone anywhere and led a successful coaching career. But Adena is her home. She wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"I don't want to go anywhere else, it's right down the road," Smith said.

Starting out small

Everyone has their origins. Even the greatest sports dynasties start out small and build their way up. Smith's mythos at Adena started under similar circumstances. She played for Adena herself under the program's first coach −Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Marvin Seyfang − from 1973-77.

At the time, girls sports at Adena were limited, and Smith recalls times of practices being conducted on the blacktop with a net strung between a pole and a basketball hoop.

But her time playing for Seyfang was as strong an introduction as any player might get in high school volleyball. Smith helped the Warriors win back-to-back state titles in 1975 and 1976. She played alongside her long-time assistant coach, Donna Atchison, during that time, and Seyfang instilled in her a love for the game.

"He pushed us and he said 'You can be the first state champion, and nobody will ever beat the first. There will only be one first,'" Smith said. "That's always stuck in my mind. And we did that, and we repeated it again the next year."

It wasn't long before Smith decided to take up her own place as Adena's head coach. She stepped into the role to replace then-coach Becky Ater, and in her first season took the Warriors to a district championship and a 15-10 record overall.

There were ups and downs through the first season. Smith will be the first to admit that. But what mattered was that it provided her the experience necessary to become the coach she is today. Part of it came down to, in her eyes, sticking to her guns and not buckling under pressure. Smith needs her players to follow her wholeheartedly, and that trust they placed in her added up to Adena's success.

"You've got to stick to your guns and you've got to go in hard," Smith said. "You can't go in and be soft or you'll get run over big time."

A matter of trust

Smith works her players hard, but it all comes with a purpose. She wants them to trust her and put their faith in that she'll make the right decision when gametime comes around. Smith always believes in building that trust with both parents and players, so that they can in turn believe in her to make the correct decision.

Even beyond the court, Smith and her staff do what they can to ensure their players know that they are there for them. Building a team that meshes both on and off the court is half the battle.

"In order to find out what makes a player tick, you've got to get to know them and build a relationship with them," Smith said. "That's something I've learned along the way. They need to know that you care about them off the court, not just on the court."

Again, it's not hard to find alumni who appreciate what Smith has done for them both as players and as people. Many look up to her as the reason they've become the adults they are now. Emily Hammond Cooke, who played for Adena during its state runner-up finish in 1993, even catches herself referring to her old coach as "Coach Smith."

"I still view her as my coach," Cooke said. "She's always been there, even through my four years of playing. She was hard on us, but we respected that and developed better because she was hard on us. But we knew that she cared about us. We always wanted to play for her, and my biggest fear was that I never wanted to disappoint her."

Practices were often difficult and many days were filled with bitter work. But it paid off more often than not. Many Adena alumni who played under Smith still look back on her coaching style as the reason they've developed the work ethic and sense of responsibility that carried them so far every year.

"I don't think I appreciated it as much as I do now. " Bethel said. "At the time, it was hard, and I'm sure I complained a lot. But looking back on it now, she helped mold me into a successful adult, a responsible adult. She just knows what works and she goes with it ... Looking back on it now, I truly appreciate how much she impacted my life."

Always improving

A head coach is as good as the mentors that brought them into the coaching world, and Smith never shies away from learning a new angle to improve her teams.

She's sought advice from legendary SVC coaches such as Seyfang and Huntington's Rick Bethel, and she never shies away from signing up for workshops or satellite camps to help her players along. One year she even hosted famed Kentucky coach Kathy DeBoer and current Florida coach Mary Wise for a four-day satellite camp.

"Typically, you didn't get those head coaches, but there they were and I could pick their brains on certain things," Smith said. "I've had a lot of help, basically. I feel like some of it's been pure luck that those people landed in Frankfort. But I've learned if you don't ask, nothing will happen."

A legacy still in the making

Smith has seen plenty in her time at Adena. Few coaches see sustained success on the level she has, and no other coach in Ohio, past or present, has maintained that level of success with the same program.

When she first began coaching, Smith never envisioned staying in the fight as long as she has. But something clicked as the years went on. She found a stride and she realized how much she wanted to learn. She wasn't going to quit until she thought she reached her best.

"When I started out, 'You know, maybe I'll do this for five years and find something else,'" Smith said. "But I like it. I like coaching, I like working with the girls."

Fast forward 38 seasons, and Smith has left a resounding impact on Adena history. She still gets calls from former players looking to catch up or offer their thanks. More often than not, they can trace their development as people and as players back to Frankfort, to a coach that set them on a track for success in every facet of life.

"My four years of playing for her, they were so much fun," Cooke said. "It's something that I'll look back to and be like 'Volleyball is probably my favorite sport,' and I played basketball in college. That's kudos to her. I'm proud of all she's accomplished."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: How Laura Smith became the cornerstone of Adena's volleyball program