Chaparral volleyball coach T.R. Ellis, pictured during the 5A state tournament on Saturday. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
DENVER — When the match ended, she sought out each player for a hug, some words, and a smile.
To the end, she more than a coach. Chaparral volleyball’s T.R. Ellis, a legend in the sport, was like a mother to her players. All of them.
Ellis coached her final match on Saturday, a win over Fairview in the Class 5A state tournament. The 36-year veteran is retiring.
“Volleyball is for sure the true team sport,” Ellis said on Saturday morning. “And if you love kids, and you want to coach a sport where everybody has to be involved to be successful, volleyball is the sport to coach. I’ve preached that forever.
“And I’ve been so blessed because I got to go to Chaparral, where athletics is important, it was valued, and we had great players but we also had great fans and great parents and great support. So we got to build this successful program because of all that.”
Ellis’ career — which included two state championships, multiple All-Americans, collegiate players, players-turned-coaches — started at a junior high school in Texas. She then spent eight years at Olathe, seven at Douglas County, and the final 18 at Chaparral, making her the only coach in the Wolverines’ history.
Ellis retired as a teacher prior to last season. During her time in the building at Chaparral, she was instrumental in creating one of the most supportive student sections in the state — for any sport.
Longtime Chaparral volleyball coach T.R. Ellis is retiring. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
“That influence that I had because I taught there, those kids, you build those relationships,” Ellis said. “If you’re just coaching there, you don’t have those. I think the coach needs to be a teacher.”
Ellis announced to her team before the season that this would be her last.
“First of all, I want to get somebody in place. I hope my JV and sophomore coach all just move up,” she said. “But I think it’s important that the girls know (about the retirement), because you don’t spring something like that.”
She called the end “difficult.” But that was mostly the lingering bitter taste from a five-set loss to Rampart on the first day of the 5A tournament, one in which Chaparral surrendered an 11-2 lead in the final set.
It meant Saturday’s win didn’t lead to a semifinal berth as Rampart had already won the pool.
“If Rampart would have just beat us, we’d have said, ‘You know what? They’re just better,'” Ellis said. “But because we had the big lead, and we squirreled it away, and because went down like that, it’s just such a bitter pill. But we came back this morning, and all the girls, as soon as I saw them in the cars, they were bright, they were ready. They knew they were playing for pride, they were playing to have fun with each other because they wanted to play together on the court.
“That’s kind of been their legacy at Chaparral since we had all those great teams, is they really do like each other. And when they like each other, they can play better. That’s what’s so disappointing about yesterday: They feel like if they like each other so much, well how can they lose?
“It was tough,” she continued, “and the best part was playing first (on Saturday) because of all the energy and the music and doing the chicken dance — we love doing that — that’s what the game should be about. So that was really fun. That just got them pumped up. So they were ready.”
Earlier this season, there was a point where Olathe, Douglas County and Chaparral were all ranked by CHSAANow.com. It was like some cosmic message, recognizing where the coach had been, the impact she’d had. She printed those rankings out and hung them on the door to her office at Chaparral.
“I thought, ‘That’s cool,'” Ellis said.
Each year, Chaparral puts out a team program early in the season around the same time. This season, it was a bit delayed.
“I was like, ‘Darn.’ I was so disappointed,” Ellis said. “I wanted it ready.”
Well the delay (it was only a week) had good reason. Chaparral’s booster club president reached out to past booster presidents to ask former players and parents to write words of thanks. The result was four pages of admiration, thank yous and more — all addressed to Ellis.
“It was so, so sweet,” Ellis said. “And you know, that’s the relationship that you build.”
And really, that’s Ellis’ legacy. Yes, she’s won championships, coached stars, but it’s about all the players who are keep coming back. Nicole Dalton, one of those All-Americans who is now playing at Texas, often texts Ellis and current players.
Chaparral volleyball coach T.R. Ellis gathers her team during a timeout on Saturday. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“They’re just so proud to be alums, and so happy for us,” Ellis said. “It’s just a big family. The legacy is that. It’s not, ‘How many times have you won? How many times have you been to state?’ It’s, ‘What kids still come back?’ It’s just neat.”
The volleyball world will miss a coach like Ellis, who had a certain touch about her. At the state tournament, she always made a point to interact with and show genuine interest toward the ball runners, officials, or anyone else who happened by.
“She just made everyone feel so special,” said Bethany Brookens, CHSAA assistant commissioner who oversees volleyball.
Ellis said she’d miss “the highs of when we win,” but not the lows. And she’ll miss practice.
“Practice is fun for us,” Ellis said. “Going to the gym, and being with the kids. I love high school kids. I love them. I love their energy and I love their hearts and I love their humor. I love when they’re happy. I’m going to miss that.
“But I won’t miss all the really hard work. It’s just changed so much. You can’t just coach anymore. You coach 20 percent of the time, and you manage and take care of your social obligations 80 percent.”
As for what’s next?
“I’ve taken up golf. I’m terrible,” she said. “And my husband and I are scuba divers. We love to travel. … I’m a licensed Zumba instructor. That’s really, really fun. We did Zumba for warmup, the girls and I, all this week. They loved it. It’s just so much fun.
“And I’m a step grandma, and my son — he and his beautiful wife have moved to Parker are trying to start their family. So I’m going to just be a super, duper grandma.”