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2009 – 2010 Iowa Heart Coaches (updated 11/24/2009)

12s

Norm Hawkins/LeeAnn Schalinske

Marty Miller/Rachel Burlingame

Coach Norm Hawkins has been coaching volleyball since 1991.  Norm worked as an assistant coach with teams that played in the 14 and under division through the 18 and under division.  Starting in 1997 as a head coach, he has worked with teams in the 12 and under and 13 and under divisions.  Norm has led three 12 and under teams that have qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics including the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  As an assistant, he coached an 18 and under team that was a Flight Champion.  For 11 years, he was program director for the Ames Parks and Recreation Summer Grass Volleyball program.  Norm became an IMPACT certified coach in 1995.  In 1997, he completed the requirements to become CAP I certified.  Norm became CAP II accredited in 2000, recertifying in 2005.  He became an IMPACT instructor in 2006 and retains both CAP II and IMPACT instructor accreditations today.  Norm has been an IGHSAU volleyball referee since 1984.  He has refereed at the State tournament 4 times and has officiated Regional finals matches for 12 consecutive years.  Norm is married with 2 daughters who were part of the founding teams of the IHVA.

Hi Everyone! My name is LeeAnn Schalinske and I am a 2008 graduate of Gilbert High School.  I started varsity sophomore through senior year and was an outside hitter, playing all six rotations.  I earned all-conference recognition, volleyball all-state academic honors, was captain, and also had the once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Iowa at a volleyball tournament in Oahu, Hawaii.  I also played for Iowa Heart Volleyball Club for two years.  Currently I am a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in Kinesiology with an outcome of either Physical Therapy or Personal Training.  This will be my second year with Iowa Heart.  I was Norm Hawkins assistant coach in the 2009 season and learned a great deal about transitioning from a player to a coach.  To top my first year of coaching off, my amazing players qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics.  I can’t wait to make more unforgettable memories in the 2010 season!

Marty Miller (Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Iowa State University) coaches in Ames, Iowa, coaching youth softball and volleyball teams for over 30 years.  Marty is an Iowa Department of Education certified coach, head coach of the 7th grade volleyball program at the Ames Middle School since 1994. He is a registered sport official, officiating softball and volleyball at the middle school and high school levels.  He is the founder (in 1991), Program Director, Board of Directors member, and a coach of the IOWA HEART VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION, INC.  (an USA Volleyball Association/Iowa Region affiliate).  Marty has been the head coach of an Iowa Heart 12 and under team for the past 18 years, taking teams to the USAV Junior Olympics in Orlando. Florida in 1995, Dallas, Texas in 1998 and New Orleans, Louisiana in 1999.  Since 1993 Marty has been the president of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Region USAVolleyball and the YOUTH AND JUNIORS Representative for the Iowa Region.  He serves as a member of the YJOVD Grassroots Committee. He was on the governing board of and the umpire-in-chief of the Ames Girls’ Softball Association for 16 years.  He was co-chair of the Softball Task Force of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport for 5 years.  He is a USAVolleyball IMPACT and CAP 2 coach, has received coaching training and certification from the American Coaching Effectiveness Program, the Amateur Softball Association and at the USA Volleyball National Developmental Volleyball Camp.  Marty established the Iowa State University GAME HELPER program in 1994, elementary school and middle school students who shag and rotate balls to servers at Iowa State’s varsity volleyball matches.  He established and conducted VOLLEYFUN programs for 10 and under low-income children in Ames and Des Moines. Marty planned and arranged junior beach doubles volleyball clinics and tournaments for the Iowa Region since 2004.  He has conducted many IMPACT sessions for the Iowa Region.

Greetings from Rachel Burlingame!  I am currently a secretary in the Sociology Department at Iowa State University.  I started playing volleyball when I was a sophomore at United Community High School back in 1980.  At that time, volleyball was a new sport for our area.  I tried it and loved it!  I have been playing ever since both recreationally and on some competitive Ames Park & Rec teams.  Being a part of the IHVB club since 1996 has been a great experience.  Coaching a 12 & under team each year is a rewarding experience for me.  My certifications include Impact Training and USAVB CAP I accreditation in 2000.  What I find rewarding is having the opportunity to help build a good foundation in volleyball skills and to watch as they grow and develop as players and people.

13s

Jana Van Der Kamp

My volleyball career started in my junior year in Newton as part of the 1986 inaugural Newton High School volleyball program.  When Newton ended their fall softball program; we took a group of fall softball players and tried to turn them into volleyball players. (Yes, that makes me old). I attended Central College but did not play collegiately due to a knee injury from high school. My passion has kept me in several indoor/sand adult leagues for 10 years. I have spent the last 4 years as the Tournament Director for the Des Moines Coed Volleyball Club which hosts a coed 4's & 6's tournament at The Sands Volleyball in Des Moines.  I was a coach for the Johnston volleyball club for 2006/2007 (13's) and the 2007/2008 (14's - 2 teams) season.  I watched the 2009 Men's Nationals tournament in Minneapolis and watched guys in their 70's playing volleyball which just proves you are never too old to play.  I live on the NW side of Ankeny and work in the Des Moines area. Any spare time is filled with softball and snowmobiling.  I'm looking forward to working with the Iowa Heart Volleyball Club and helping players expand their abilities and love of the sport.

Abby Moeller/Thomas Moeller

My name is Abby Moeller. I look forward to working with Iowa Heart again this season, this will be my third year coaching. My first year with Iowa heart I helped coach the 18s team and coached the 12s team with my husband, Thomas, last year. We had a great team last year and I hope I can build a great team this year! When I am not coaching I focus on my school work. Currently, I am a junior at Iowa State University working towards earning a Kinesiology degree. Next year I hope to gain admission into physical therapy school.This season will be a lot of fun and full of learning the fundamentals of volleyball!

My name is Thomas Moeller. I am a recent Iowa State University graduate. I started playing volleyball when I was in middle school and have been hooked ever since. While I was in college, I was on the Iowa State University mens club team. I also enjoy playing sand volleyball when weather permits. I love to coach and show others how much fun volleyball is. I will also be working with 18s team.

14s

Amber Knapp/Carly Chouteau

My name is Amber Knapp and I am originally from Lohrville, Iowa and I currently am a teacher for the Des Moines Public School District. I began my volleyball career when I was in 5th grade playing AAU volleyball and I have been playing ever since. I attended Southern Cal High School, where I played varsity my sophomore-senior years and started as an Outside Hitter my junior and senior years of high school. We made it to the regional semi-finalists all three years and received many awards during my high school career, such as all-conference, all-district, and all-state honors. After high school, I went on to play collegic club volleyball at Iowa State for 4 years, where we played in tournaments around the United States and also attended Nationals every year. After college I have continued to play volleyball for a competitive league in West Des Moines during the fall and early winter months, as well as playing sand volleyball during the summer. My desire, love, passion, for the game now pursues me to take my knowledge of the game and teach it to others. I am looking forward to my first year coaching for Iowa Heart Volleyball!!

My name is Carly Chouteau and I am originally from Davenport, Iowa.  I have a degree from Iowa State in Child, Adult, and Family Services.  I am currently an Administrative Assistant at Praxair Distribution, Inc. in Ankeny.  I started playing volleyball in 6th grade.  I went to Davenport Central High School where I was a backrow specialist and did some setting freshman and sophomore years.  Junior and senior years I played left and right back.  After high school, I went on to play collegiate club volleyball at Iowa State (where I met Amber Knapp!) I played libero all three years I played with the club and greatly enjoyed traveling around the country playing against great competition. As a cabinet member for the club I helped organize try-outs, practices, travel arrangements, etc., which gave me a taste of the extra responsibilities that come along with organizing a team. I currently play sand volleyball over the summer and recently joined an indoor league for the winter.  I love volleyball and look forward to coaching this season!

Lacey Messerschmidt/Chelsy Barber

I am Lacey. I am an elementary education major at Iowa State. I just started my 5th year of school. I've been playing volleyball for almost 12 years now, I started out
playing club and did that all the way through my senior year of high school. I also played in high school as well. I've coached a 3rd and 4th grade team and I just finished up a 6 week program teaching 3-6 graders how to play volleyball. I'm very excited and can't wait to get started!

Hello! I’m Chelsy Barber and I am currently a student at Iowa State University. I have had a love for volleyball my whole life and am very excited to still be involved and helping coach! My volleyball experience includes playing high school volleyball, on rec teams, and 8 years in club volleyball including two regional championships. I truly feel that club volleyball is about having fun, working hard and learning! This will be my first year in helping coach club volleyball, although I have assisted in coaching middle school teams and help fun camps.

Abby Pelton

My name is Abby Hyatt Pelton. I am finishing up at ISU majoring in Kinesiology and Health. I played volleyball in middle and high school, as well as one year of AAU volleyball. I coach 7th grade volleyball at Ames Middle School, and teach for ISU's Swim and Gym. I'm loving working with the girls at AMS and look forward to coaching with Iowa Heart!

15s

Amy Mooney/Melanie Thwing

Amy Mooney: I have been involved in playing and coaching volleyball for over 18 years. I am married (15 yrs.) and have four children. Originally living in Florida we transitioned to Iowa 8 years ago. I have a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and actively teaching in the field at the university level. I began playing volleyball in my middle school years and as time progressed I received numerous awards in both the high school and collegiate level. This includes 1st teams all conference, all state, and MVP's awards at the conference, regional, and Tri state tournaments. I received a full scholarship for my years playing at Johnson County Community College. Due to injury in my second year I was unable to progress on and began coaching. I strive to teach my players in a positive and challenging way, pursuing excellence and achievement. I looking forward to this season and being involved with Iowa Heart Volleyball Association.

Melanie Thwing is a Junior at Iowa State. She is originally from Wisconsin and played club from 13's on. She has always wanted to get back in the circuit

16s

Stacy Johnson/Laura Kautman/Dan Bade

My name is Stacy Johnson. I currently teach at Gilbert Middle School and coach 7th grade volleyball there.  My family relocated to the Gilbert area this past summer due to my husband's job transfer.  We previously lived in Cedar Rapids and I was head volleyball coach at Lisbon High School for six years.  Prior to that, I have held assistant volleyball coaching positions with PCM Schools and Howard-Winneshiek Schools.  We have three children:  Mitchell, Vanessa, and Hank.  I am excited to being a part of Iowa Heart Volleyball!

My name is Laura Kautman. I currently teach  6th grade social studies at Gilbert Middle School.  I began playing volleyball in middle school and continued on into college.  I have 10 years of volleyball coaching experience at the varsity level.  I have held coaching positions in Charition, Iowa, Madison, Wisconsin as well as Boone, Iowa.   I am excited to have been given the opportunity to become involved in the Heart volleyball program and am super excited for the season to begin!

My name is Dan Bade. I have been playing volleyball for five years including being a member of the ISU Men's Volleyball Club for the past two. I attend all of the ISU Woman's Volleyball games.  I officiate high school volleyball in the area and have a wealth of knowledge on the subject. I would like to help young women learn the sport of volleyball as well as help them to become independent, dedicated and hard working ladies.

17s

Sara Anderson/Malory Hicks

Sara Anderson was a setter for Southern Cal High School (3 years Varsity). She played club 5 years: Power Points (1), IPVA (1), Cyclone Cylect (3)
and Collegiate Club at ISU - 3 years. Sara has been with Iowa Heart since 2006 as a coach, clinician, and mentor. Sara is IMPACT certified and has her Iowa Coaching Authorization.

Hi, my name is Malory Hicks and I am a 2005 graduate of Boone High School, where I played middle school and high school volleyball.  I started varsity my junior and senior year where I earned Little Hawkeye Conference recognition, was selected for the Mid-Iowa volleyball  team, and my team was the 2004 Little Hawkeye Conference Champions. I also played AAU volleyball during high school and still play intramural volleyball.  I am currently in my 5th year at Iowa State University finishing up my BA in Elementary Education with endorsements in Reading, Coaching, and Child, Adult, and Family Services. This is my first year joining the Iowa Heart Volleyball Association team and I look forward to the experience and rewards I will gain from this season.  I have a passion for working with youth and instilling hard work, motivation, and leadership within them.  I love the game of volleyball and hope to share that with my team.  See you on the court!

18s

Greta Billerbeck/Thomas Moeller

My name is Greta Billerbeck. I was a 4 sport athlete at Roland-Story after I graduated in '04. I played volleyball and basketball down at Southwestern Community College, after graduating from there I transferred down to Brownsville, Texas and played volleyball at the University of Texas at Brownsville. After that season I transferred back up to Iowa and coached the JV volleyball team at Ames High and assisted the varsity for a year. Now, I am the assistant volleyball coach at DMACC in Boone.

My name is Thomas Moeller. I am a recent Iowa State University graduate. I started playing volleyball when I was in middle school and have been hooked ever since. While I was in college, I was on the Iowa State University mens club team. I also enjoy playing sand volleyball when weather permits. I love to coach and show others how much fun volleyball is. This is my third year with Iowa Heart and my second year with the 18s team. I will also be working with the 12-2 team.

*Coaching assignments and/or staff may change as teams are formed.

IHVA Staff

Ryan Anderson, Sara Anderson, Katie Jerkins, Brandy Lewis, Neomii Rodarte

Club Director

Shannon Zinnel