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Show New girls' high school coach has infectious enthusiasm Kelly Walker is happy. Teaching? She loves it. Coaching? It's great. The move from Salt Lake City to Park City? Her No. 1 passion is skiing. Yes, Park City High School's multipurpose coach of girls' sports-volleyball, sports-volleyball, basketball and gymnasticshas gymnas-ticshas found a home in Park City. And while she has no past record on which to project what might be expected, if she could be graded on enthusiasm she would pass a review with flying colors. "I knew I wanted to teach when I was in high school," the 23-year-old Burley, Idaho native said. "I just enjoyed sports and wanted to stay in sports. I thought coaching would be the best way." She never taught volleyball, but she played for her high school team and Southern Utah State College (SUSC). Walker honed her organizational organiza-tional skills while at SUSC, serving as intramural director during her sophomore year, when she was responsible for setting team schedules, sche-dules, arranging for referees, providing equipment and handling emergencies as they arose. Before coming to Park City, Walker led a busy life instructing weight training at Fitness America, a Salt Lake City spa. When not teaching at the spa, she found time to do substitute teaching and in the winter was a ski instructor at ParkW est Resort. "I like to ski a lot and I was hoping that by moving here I'd be able to get a lot of skiing in," Walker said. "However, instead of a lot of skiing, it looks like I'll have to settle lor getting some in lolw en games." The volleyball season begins Sept.' 5 with an away game against Wasatch and runs until Oct. 16; This gives Walker a little time to get in some practices before the girl's basketball season, which ends sometime in February. And, of course, the basketball season ends just in time to begin the gymnastics season. Volleyball tryouts were held earlier this month and as of last week, Walker had pared her roster down to 18 players. It is a young team dominated by sophomores, with only one senior included. Five starters graduated last year. "We have talent. We just need experience. Our varsity team will be competitive because we have some players with some sense," Walker said. "But there is a lot of learning that will have to be done. "We'll have to consider this a rebuilding year," she added. "But with all these sophomores we can look to be tough for the next two years." 1 Walker said so far she has had a good rapport with the girls, partially because she is young. She said while substitute teaching in Salt Lake City she was often mistaken for a student. She enjoys competing and wants to pass on the desire to her students. "Through athletics, the girls will learn how to get in shape and stay in shape," Walker said. "Instead of being on the sidelines watching the guys have all the fun, they can be a part of it and not be afraid of being competitive." I ' . . : f-J - V 1 f Walker "just enjoys sports." |