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Show Page B13 D Thursday, November 4, 1993 The Park Record El Section B Marc Laulhere uses experience by LUKE SMITH Record staff writer For Park City High School volleyball coach Marc Laulhere, the first sign it was time to get out of California came during a full moon. Laulhere and his friends in Southern California had a habit of traveling to Lower Trestles, a surf spot just south of San Clcmcnte, and surfing in solitude under the full moon. One evening, the crew arrived on the beach around midnight and found 25 people in the water. "I knew it was time to get out," says Laulhere. So the Southern California beach boy decided to try life in the mountains. He and his future wife Mindy headed north, still along the coast, before turning inland toward Lake Tahoe. Finding mountain life suited them, the couple followed job offers to Park City and, like many others, they "kind of just fell in love with it." That was six years ago. And according to Laulhere, they're not going anywhere. "We're here," he says definitively. "I would never go back there." " i I i w A;,j,s " photo by Luke Smith Marc Laulhere's enthusiasm is contagious and his ability to communicate with his players is a big reason why the Miners play as hard and as well as they do. They also have a lot of fun in the process, a factor Laulhere considers more impottantJUSjap ginning. kf-." But Laulhere traveled a long road before the mountains called. The beach life and all it encompassed had the early hold on the Dana Hill High School student. "I grew up a surfer." He also played volleyball, beginning in the sixth grade. "Instead of baseball, I was playing volleyball and surfing." His ability in volleyball eventually led Laulhere to pursue a collegiate career. He played for two years at Santa Barbara City College and a year at ihe University of California at Santa Kirk City Profile j Barbara. "Played" is apt way to put it, according to Laulhere himself. "My mind was not set for school, let's put it that way." Specifically, Santa Barbara's location on the coast, near some prime surfing spots, made things difficult. Sitting in class and seeing waves breaking out at Campus Point and Devereaux Point were too much temptation for Laulhere. "It's a great place to go school, but not for me." 0 r A 4 t-4 imPWM(DMlML t 'I PRESTIGIOUS AMERICAN FLAG HOME Spacious 4 bedroom with terrific views of the skiers at Deer Valley. Living room has a dramatic cathedral ceiling and features an outstanding rock fireplace. Gourmet kitchen offers top of the line appliances and is bright and open. Tiled entry way with solarium. Many additional features. Chris 'CJ' Johnson Steve Chin $795,000 s . "JV .J 1 Ik SECLUSION WITH SKI ACCESS Your family and friends will enjoy all the amenities, six bedrooms, bed-rooms, five fireplaces, nine bathrooms, elevator, billiards room and more. Prime Deer Valley address. Craig Reece Bill Llgety $2,590,000 As for volleyball, it was his success at Santa Barbara City College that moved Laulhere on to UCSB. But according to Laulhere, "it's real difficult to play as a junior college transfer. I picked pine out of my ass all year." So Laulhere turned to the pro ranks. Spending his summers playing on the beach, Laulhere worked his way up through the kill-or-be-killed world of two-man beach volleyball to reach the AAA level, the equivalent of today's pro tour. This was in the days before the current Association of Volleyball Professionals was firmly established. Money was rarely paid out beyond the top few teams, so as an unsponsored player, times were tough for Laulhere. "You had to travel and I wasn't sponsored," he explains. In order to get sponsored, one had to have a certain amount of points. To get points, a lower player had to play the top seeds in the earliest rounds of a tournament. A catch-22 catch-22 that made the times tougher for Laulhere. Eventually, the growing business side of the game turned Laulhere off. "I literally got fed up with it," says Laulhere. "It professionalism totally changes your whole outlook on the thing." So Laulhere bailed out and took an entire year off from playing volleyball. In a terrible stroke of coincidence, the big money started flowing into beach volleyball right about that time. Laulhere calls his sabbatical "the biggest mistake I've ever done. I should've stuck it out, but I can't second-guess my decision." The irony is that the big names on the toui aow are people Laulhere played against ever since his early days in Dana Point. Laulhere's rival high school, Laguna Beach, now boasts five guys playing on the pro beach tour and one on the U. S. National Team. "I grew up playing with all of them." Laulhere returned to competition in 1989, playing on a i .'" QUALITY TOP TO BOTTOM Spectacular Park Meadows contemporary home with unobstructed unob-structed views. 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Though he adds that with regard to the AVP he "couldn't go back," he does plan on increasing his playing time in the next year. "Next summer I plan on travelling a lot and playing." Tour events arc planned for Arizona, Oregon and Aspen, among others. As coach of the Park City High School team, Laulhere has found his niche. "I enjoy it," he says. "I've been fortunate to come into this program." What makes the program so great is the people, according to Laulhere. "In the last three years, there have been some gre ' great athletes in the program," he says. . "They're really into it. Their work ethic is really good. They're a neat group of individuals." "They're really good people." Laulhere's coaching philsophy comes out of his own experience. He expresses a refreshing blend of desire to win and yet, a proper balance of priorities. , - I ---T- mm m m m m r m a mm m k a m mm m m m m b ml- x i . w It I 2J7 - i I rir r .... , t v ' & - t Marc Laulhere, with his wife "I'm not hung up on winning. What concerns me most is how the girls act. What I do goes way beyond volleyball." Laulhere cites letters he has received from past members of his team, many of whom have not gone on to "I'm not hung up on winning. What I do goes way beyond volleyball. I'd love to win State someday. But that's not why I'm coaching' said Laulhere. collegiate volleyball, that state while he was teaching volleyball what they learned was a lot more. "I wish I'd gotten that from my coach," he says. Laulhere states with pride, "Every one of my girls plays totally honestly." 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Laulhere is currently working on finishing his degree at the University of Utah, and he'll graduate this year with a major in geography anil a minor in history. He is also working on his teaching certificate and hopes to be student teaching next year in Park City. He's hopeful to add classroom teaching to what he's teaching on the volleyball court. In the meantime, Laulhere makes his living in the restaurant business here in Park City. He and his wife Mindy have a daughter named Kyla who turned two this past June. Marc called parenthood wonderful, saying Kyla is "my pride and joy. She's the best -that could ever have hapj . neci tu me, by far." But to Marc Laulhere on his old stomping ground, the volleyball court, winning a game isn't nearly as important as helping a Park City High School student win in the long run. "I'd love to win State someday. But that's not why I'm coaching." Wm mo; wm |