Longtime Palmer High volleyball head coach stepping away from position, but not from sport

PALMER — Most seemed fairly surprised to hear the news. Longtime Palmer High School volleyball head coach Steve Reynolds decided to take step down from the position.

Reynolds admitted he was surprised by the reaction.

“Everybody thinks I must be dying,” Reynolds joked recently. “(They think) I wouldn’t quit this job unless I’m dying.”

But rest assured. Reynolds is well. His love for the game has not changed, just his situation. While he loves the sport and the program, he’s stepped down as head coach to allow more time for his day job, said Reynolds, who owns and operates Reynolds Hardwood in Palmer.

After 15 years at the helm, Reynolds said he felt the timing was right.

“I never really intended to put 20 years in. I figured I wanted to do 10 or 12 years, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to do it. I knew I wanted to spend a decent amount of time doing it. I always wanted to go back and coach at my old high school,” said Reynolds, a 1984 graduate of Palmer High.

Reynolds enjoyed a long and successful tenure as the head coach of the Moose volleyball program. In 15 seasons, Reynolds posted a 241-90 overall record. He led the Moose to 14 state tournament appearances, 11 trips to the Northern Lights Conference championship match and six NLC titles. During his teams’ 14 trips to the state tourney, the Moose won at least one match in 10 of those years and finished third five times.

His time as head coach is a highlight among his 25 years of coaching the sport. Reynolds has also coached various club teams in Southcentral Alaska, served as an assistant on the Palmer High staff in the mid-1990s, and was a coach in the Colony Middle School program early in his coaching career.

Reynolds found his love for volleyball while growing up in Palmer. He started by playing during the gymnasium nights hosted by his church. While in high school, Reynolds hosted weekly games at his house.

“We played at my house, a group of kids, every Sunday night all summer long. Outside of that group, I would not play,” Reynolds said. “I was the quintessential high school boy. I just liked to jump really high and hit the ball as hard as I could.”

As a student at Montana State University, Reynolds took a volleyball physical education class. Bill Neville, a longtime coach in the United States National Team men’s volleyball program, was a coach at MSU. The school hosted a match between the U.S. National Team and a men’s team from Japan. Reynolds got to watch the match, and see and meet players such as Karch Kiraly and Steve Timmons, both winners of an Olympic gold medal.

“I was hooked at that point,” Reynolds said. “I came back (to Alaska), wanted to play more, wanted to coach.”

Reynolds said there was something about volleyball that makes the sport stand out. He enjoyed skiing and snowboarding, but didn’t participate in any other team sports.

“I loved playing it, loved everything about it,” Reynolds said.

The longer Reynolds coached, the more his love for the sport grew and expanded.

“I was going in there, mister technical volleyball coach. Then I kind of discovered the other part of it. It was more about establishing better relationships with the kids,” Reynolds said. “It wasn’t just the technical stuff, the other stuff is what kept me going. People started to ask me if I was getting burnt out or tired. For me the opposite was true. The more time I put in, the more I enjoyed the girls and the game. I never got tired of that.”

The team aspect was also important.

“I’m a big team guy. I love team stuff, love the team,” Reynolds said.

His team has also included a loyal group of assistants who have worked with Reynolds throughout the years.

“There were a lot of helpers who came in over the years. Day after day, all the time for nothing. I didn’t get anywhere without them helping out,” Reynolds said. “It’s pretty wonderful.”

Reynolds may have stepped down as head coach. But he’s far from retirement. His commitments at Reynolds Hardwood are not going to allow Reynolds to continue as head coach at PHS, but he’s still coaching. Reynolds has been working with a local winter club team, and hopes to help out with the Palmer High program in the future.

“I’m at my happiest when I’m coaching volleyball,” Reynolds said.