As of Friday, June 29, 2012
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Rockdale Citizen
Conyers — There’s a good chance that Stephen Sansing is the only one of his kind in the state of Georgia. Sansing, who coaches five teams at Rockdale High School, took each program to the state tournament during the 2011-2012 school year.
It started in the fall with the volleyball team. A year after winning the Region 8-AAAA championship with league player of the year Lauren Aikens and reaching the sweet 16 for the first time in school history, the Bulldogs took it a step further in 2011 despite graduating eight seniors. After repeating as region champions, Rockdale, led by Sansing and assistant coach Gladys King, reached the Elite 8, only to lose to eventual Class AAAA state champion Pope and finished ranked in the top 10 for the first time in the program’s history. And like Aikens the year before, Kendra Lackey, who later signed with Gadsden State Community College, won league player of the year honors.
“The volleyball team played great this year,” Sansing said. “The fact we repeated as area champions is even more amazing when you realize we graduated eight seniors from the year before. We finished ranked in the top ten in the state for the first time, and other coaches are reaching out to schedule Rockdale for the first time. Coach Gladys King is my right-hand woman in volleyball-the girls love her to death but she’ll get in their face when she needs to.”
The success continued in the winter. Both the boy’s and girl’s swim teams reached the state meet for the first time, and the girl’s won the region championship. Though the boy’s finished as runner-up to Flowery Branch, they captured the Rockdale County title.
“The swim team had a great season as well,” Sansing said. “At (the state swim meet at) Georgia Tech, all the kids swam their fastest times (and) we dropped time in every relay.”
In the spring, the Rockdale tennis teams proved the 2010-2011 season wasn’t a fluke, reaching the state tournament for the second consecutive season. Though each fell in the opening round, Sansing and co-head coach Ramona Houston (also a swim coach) helped each tennis team improve, while individually, sophomore stand out Summer Walker continued to move up in the ranks of top girl’s players in the state.
Five-for-five: not a bad six months for Sansing, his players and his coaching staff.
“These kids deserve the credit, I haven’t served a ball or swam one lap all season. I just try to get the best out of them and put them in situations they can succeed,” he said. “Coach Ramona Houston is my left-hand woman in swimming and tennis, we work great as a team and the kids can see she really cares about them. I owe any success we’ve had directly to (King and Houston).”
More like this story
- Sansing pulls off rare feat ( June 30, 2012 )
- Rockdale tennis coaches honored for '11 seasons ( May 31, 2011 )
- Frost signs with Brevard ( May 9, 2012 )
- Rockdale sweeps Clarke Central for area title ( October 9, 2010 )
- Rockdale tennis coaches honored for '11 seasons ( May 31, 2011 )
Comments
ctownslimm 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Great work Sansing. Our community is in your debt.
ctownslimm 11 months, 3 weeks ago
I know Sansing and the public needs to know that this is a phenomenal feat. Let me tell all the other coaches what Sansing's secret is. He is not dependent on the talent of the kids. Many previous coaches at that school have said, "There is nothing to work with here. Very little talent, drive, or discipline." then they pack their bags and leave. Not so with Sansing. He gets outside the box, works hard, and refuses to lay down. I do not know how he inspires kids but he always seems to scrape together a bunch of players with competitive attitudes while other coaches in this county are blaming their losses on demographics. It is true that ticket sales and booster participation for almost all sports have dropped in the past few years primarily to uninvolved parents.But Sansing gets his players to work tirelessly in individual clinics off season while players in other sports don't even want to come to practice during the regular season. I am very thankful that he has come here and blessed our town with his dedication and skills. I wish more people could stay positive and keep working hard and keep their mouth shut like him. He is a treasure.
vbparent 10 months, 3 weeks ago
I can't speak for all of Sansings sports but I can speak for Volleyball. I will start out by saying that he does care and he does go above and beyond..Even spends his own money sometimes. He gives tirelessly to his team. But I don't think he could do volleyball without Coach King.She gives just as much..As it has been for the last 5 to 6 years on the volleyball team, he has a handful of parents that work their butts off for him and the team. He actually has parents that don't expect someone else to take care of their kids needs. they volunteer to bring food to the girls before every game, they work tournaments to raise money for the team,(not all the parents, but a handful) He has girls that play travel ball during the off season and parents that pay thousands of dollars for this..... He is not a miracle worker. This is how he scrapes together a bunch of kids with competitve attitudes. He has girls that are truly athletes!They want to better themselves in their sport. Each girl that has gotten a scholarship.... them along with their parents/grandparents have gone out and gotten it. No highschool coach has done this for them. It is usually done during Travel season. More teams in Rockdale county would acheive this same thing if parents would get involved with their children and not expect the school system (which it doesn't pay or anything except referees and balls) and other parents to pay and take care of their child. Parents also need to teach their children if they want to play beyond highshool it is up to them to work hard and go get it....
This group of parents have helped him and the girls to attain their title.
vbparent 10 months, 3 weeks ago
I would like to start out by saying Sansing does go above and beyond for all of his sports. He even spends his own money sometimes. I can't speak for all of his teams but I can speak for volleyball. The way he "pulls together a bunch of athletes with competitive attitudes" is he has a handful of parents that work their butts off for him and their daughters. When I say handful that's what I mean. Out of about 30 girls you only have a handful of parents that want to do anything. The rest of them think it is up to everyone else. But this handful work tournaments to raise money for their children, supply food before every game, pay thousands of dollars for their daughters/granddaughters to play travel ball so they are the caliber of athlete that wins regions titles. So yes he may not be the best coach around, but he does care and he gives it 100% but so do the girls and the parents that know you have to work hard for things in life. It's not just given to you. He is not and never will be a miralce worker!
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