Hilo legend When 2003 rolls around, Sharon Peterson won't be making the daily 120-mile round trip from Waimea to Hilo to do the job she's loved for the past 25 years.
Peterson retires
effective Dec. 31
The Vulcans' 25-year volleyball
coach steps down with 511 wins
and 7 national titlesBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comPeterson is stepping down as Hawaii-Hilo volleyball coach. She is one of the main reasons NCAA Division II volleyball flourishes in Hawaii.
"I have nothing planned," said Peterson, who turned 60 last month. "But it's exhilarating being in uncertainty. There's all kinds of opportunities out there. I want to do something with service ... to help people somehow, help the older generation or the hospital or help my husband with his business."
The decision to retire, effective Dec. 31, is Hawaii's loss, according to those who know Peterson best.
"It's a huge loss for Hawaii volleyball," said Hawaii Pacific coach Tita Ahuna, who played under Peterson in the 1985 World University Games.
"It's also a shock. You hear rumors flying around, but you don't pay attention until you hear it from the source. She's a fantastic coach, a great motivator and she's going to be missed. I'll always remember Sharon's teams by the way they're always in high spirits, prepared and ready for every match. They're always cheering and supporting each other on the court and motivated."
A two-time Olympic volleyball player, Peterson was the catalyst behind the Vulcans' rise to national prominence when she took over as coach for the 1978 season. She won seven national titles as Hawaii-Hilo ascended the ranks from the AIAW to the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The last national title came in 1988, and she finished with a 511-251 overall record.
Peterson's nurturing of others is what Hawaii Tribune-Herald sports editor Bill O'Rear will remember most about her.
"She didn't coach athletes, she coached people," O'Rear said. "Those 25 years went by fast, but if you look at the types of kids she coached, many went on to become successful."
Glennie Adams, the Chaminade coach, is a prime example. She played under Peterson before building up the Silverswords' program, and O'Rear thinks she'll be a top candidate to replace Peterson because of her ability to put out a Peterson-like quality product despite having a Hawaii-Hilo-like small budget.
Ahuna's name could surface as a possible replacement as well.
"I love it at HPU," Ahuna said. "But I'm always willing to listen. I'm a good listener."
Vulcans athletic director Kathleen McNally didn't say if she has candidates in mind, but she believes the search will take until at least mid-February.
"We want to get the person with the best credentials who wants to take over the job," McNally said. "We need a recruiter, someone with great networking to get us into the regional level. In the last few years, HPU, BYUH and Chaminade have stepped up their recruiting and we need to catch up."
Kawaileleohi'ilawe (who goes by one name only), an assistant for the last seven years under Peterson, is another possible successor.
McNally and O'Rear hint that the increased demands of coaching in today's ever-competitive world may have led to Peterson's decision.
"She was looking for signs (to retire)," McNally said. "On her last road trip, which we call the road trip to hell, Sharon and four players were left behind in Silver City, N.M., because they had the flu, and it was a really bad sickness. When that happened, Sharon said, 'That's it. Too many signs.' "
Peterson told McNally she was thinking of retiring when McNally was hired two years ago.
"I told her to stick around, give it a shot," McNally said. "And she had an upbeat super year with 18 wins a year ago. This year, everything went wrong. We were 8-18 instead of 18-8 and we had to play most every game on the road because the gym wasn't ready until the last couple of games. There are lot of reasons and excuses, but it just wasn't good.
"I ask a lot of the coaches, and it's demanding on them because I ask them to do a lot more than just coach. It was one more change in her life that maybe she wasn't ready to try adjusting to, and it was her decision to retire."
Said O'Rear: "When you win seven national championships, there are certain expectations. When she first started, BYUH, HPU and Chaminade were way down the ladder. But they've grown and the talent pool split. It used to be you went to Manoa or Hilo, but now you can go anywhere. The knock on her from outsiders is she didn't get many of the Hawaii kids in the last five years.
"Sharon got it going and now that Wilfred (Navalta, BYUH coach), Tita and Glennie have built up their programs, small college volleyball in Hawaii is the best in the U.S."
McNally added that Peterson was under a lot of pressure in the last five or six years and was under scrutiny from the community.
"But there aren't a whole lot of people who can fully appreciate what Sharon meant to the development of women's collegiate athletics. She was successful in three organizations (AIAW, NAIA and NCAA) and she's outlasted two of them. When I tell people she was a pioneer, that word makes them chuckle a little. But she's helped a lot of women, and she's hit a lot of home runs for women in sports."
As long as she's helping people, Peterson doesn't think she'll miss coaching.
"I've got to think out of the box," she said. "I'll remember the players most of all and the opportunity I had to coach them and learn from them. Hopefully, I was able to teach them, too.
"The biggest issue through the years was trying to get more money, but that was part of my growth, being able to make do without it."
She won't miss the commute.
"That's absolutely one of the things I won't miss. I spent at least 15 hours a week on the road, that's two working days. Sometimes I would think about that and get depressed.
"Now I can spend time for myself. Maybe I'll go biking or swimming."
Or just relax after 25 years of single-minded dedication.
UH-Hilo Athletics