Before his fifth season as Medicine Hat College men’s volleyball coach, Mark Porter knew he didn’t have the energy to keep going with it.
Instead of finishing off the campaign, the 53-year-old decided to quit mid-way through.
“I hate bailing on them,” said Porter, hired in 2015 and leaving both his post as coach and organizing the Rattlers’ community involvement. “I told them I’ve never quit on anything in my life, but for their best interests and probably my long-term health this is in the best interests of everybody.”
College sport and wellness director Terry Ballard said via text message that a variety of staff will pitch in to fill Porter’s roles. Women’s volleyball coach Kim Stonehouse will assist the men’s team and Kristina Segall will take the lead on volunteer work, though a decision on finding a new coach has not started.
“We will put plans in place to look for a permanent replacement when the time is appropriate so we can find the right coach and person to lead this program,” texted Ballard.
Porter admitted his timing wasn’t great – he alluded to being convinced to come back to start the season. But he doesn’t need the salary and was worn out from the countless hours both jobs entailed.
“We discussed about coming back and I felt obligated to come back,” he said. “When you’re bringing in recruits you make a commitment to kids, a commitment to parents. I came back even though I was hesitant and to be honest with you, it’s exhausting for a guy my age to be putting in the time.”
His teams had plenty of success, making the playoffs every year but this last one. In 2017 they got to the Alberta conference final and earned a trip to nationals, where they had a great run and wound up third.
But it’s what those players did afterwards that Porter considers more important.
“Every kid who moves out of our program and moves on to a college or university to get a degree or finds a job, that’s the most rewarding part of it,” he said, adding that the community engagement side of his job was arguably even more rewarding by the end of his tenure. “For me the single most important thing in my time there is talking to people in the community about the positive change and the things the student-athletes have done as volunteers.”
The men’s team is currently 1-5 and has a pair of games with Lethbridge this weekend, including Saturday on home court.
Ballard isn’t exactly jumping for joy at the situation but is confident the Rattlers will overcome the substantial hurdle.
“Certainly not great timing, but respect the decision and wish Mark the best,” he wrote. “We will do what’s best for the team and our student athletes going forward.
Porter knows there will be blowback on his timing, but joked self-deprecatingly that not everyone would be upset.
“I think some of the athletes are disappointed and rightfully so, and some of them are probably happy I’m gone.”
