August 8, 2024
In 2007, Grand Rapids Community College had zero returning players on their women’s volleyball roster. That team included 12 incoming freshmen and a new coach. What do you think happened that season?
The GRCC Raiders won their first-ever regional championship in women’s volleyball.
Eighteen years later, Coach Chip Will is still at the helm, and the team continues to thrive, having won 10 regional championships, nine conference championships and one national championship. What’s his secret?
“I coach with a sense of love,” Will said. “It’s not easy to play competitive sports. There are tough moments and hard conversations. Seasons have their ups and downs. But we stick to our core values of having fun, working hard, and treating people with love and respect. Our players know that this is a genuine, caring team. And they bring their best to it as a result.”
Coach Will grew up watching his dad coach both men’s and women’s basketball in Whitehall.
“I was a gym rat,” Will said. “I hung around my dad’s teams and watched him interact with players. I coached high school and other collegiate teams before coming to GRCC, and I had the chance to learn from some incredible mentors. Over time, I have come to realize that I can have a great impact on student’s lives through sports.”
A great team starts with recruiting
For Coach Will, the work starts with recruiting. He talks to the athlete’s coach and gets a read on the person and their abilities. But for him, the most important part of the process is the family visits. He invites partners to come with their students and watches the interactions.
Not all talented players make the cut.
“I ask myself, ‘Is this someone I want to spend two years with? Is this someone who has respectful conversations with parents and adults? Does she work hard? Would I want her as a role model for my own kids?” Will said. “I’ve passed on good players because they don’t possess the character that has been the foundation of our team since day one.”
Coach Will believes that competitive athletics are an important part of the community college niche.
“I completely support what GRCC stands for academically and philosophically. As a parent, I see the huge impact that an affordable community college can have on a student’s future,” Will said. “I’ve turned down coaching jobs at four-year universities because I don’t like seeing students buried in debt. I enjoy coaching at this level. We compete against some of the best in the country and treat our athletes with many perks that Division 1 athletes receive, like travel, uniforms, and so forth. But more importantly, we also allow them to be kids.”
Developing a family of athletes
Will said it’s important that the athletes he coaches feel important and valued. A large part of his job is trying to help form people who will be better prepared for the next stage of life. He works with his long-time assistant coach David Rawles and the rest of the coaching staff to build a family dynamic, so at the end of the season, players are physically healthy, mentally strong, and still want to play.
That family dynamic matters a great deal to Coach Will.
“Many of our competitors — especially those in the top 10 — recruit foreign athletes and out-of-state athletes,” Will said. “That’s not my philosophy. Most of our athletes come from a two-hour radius around Grand Rapids. I want families to come to our games and cheer for their kids.”
In preparation for the team’s upcoming season, GRCC recently hosted a huge dinner for all the volleyball team members and their parents. They played a corn hole tournament, smiled and laughed together, establishing a family culture to help see the team through the challenges they may face in the coming year.
Coach Will nets it all out to one very simple philosophy.
“If players are the priority, the team does better. I want them to have great mental health. I want them to feel safe about learning and putting themselves out there. I think that’s why our alumni come back,” Will said. “The memories they make matter more than the wins and losses. They have moments that bond them for life. That’s why kids want to play for us. Our actions back up our words.”
To learn more about athletics at GRCC, please visit our Raiders website.
This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.