Director of Volleyball, Mr Eric Smith has spent the past 20 years at Toowoomba Grammar School not only shaping the minds of the young men in his science classroom but also working tirelessly on improving his capacity to coach volleyball to the highest level.
Starting at the School in 2003, Eric quickly rediscovered his passion for volleyball, something he had not experienced since playing for Ipswich Grammar School during the ‘90s.
“I felt completely at home back on the volleyball court and transferring my passion onto the athletes in my charge”.
It was the very next year that he took over the program as the Master-in-Charge (MIC) from 2004 – 2012.
“They were exciting times for the sport. It was really getting a great footing in the GPS community and our team numbers effectively doubled in these few short years,” said Eric.
Coach education was never far from his mind, completing his Level 1 and Level 2 in 2004, and his Level 3 in 2007.
“Completing my Level 3 back then really enabled me to guide the growth and impact of the TGS Volleyball program on our athletes. It gave me greater understanding of the psychology behind the game and the methods for tracking key statistical data from every match at 1st VI level,” Eric stated.
During the ensuing years, Eric coached a number of teams for TGS, including the 1st VI, 8A and 9A teams and externally with the Darling Downs U15 Boys and Queensland U15 Boys. In 2018 when the opportunity for the Director of Volleyball role became available, he knew what was needed.
“A Director role is greatly different to an MIC – you have more command of the direction of the sport and greater capacity in engaging with the wider community,” said Eric.
“I was now in a position to improve the teaching and learning of all of our coaching staff, adding to their volleyball knowledge and we could extend our players to the high-performance realm.”
The past four years has seen the greatest number of TGS athletes not only attend state team trials but also be selected across both volleyball disciplines, indoor and beach.
“There has been the occasional player to represent Queensland in the past, the likes of Cameron Weber, Alex Kerridge, David Marsh and William Cavaye, but the sheer volume of quality volleyball athletes we are producing today is not only a credit to the program but to all the coaching staff who have had an impact on those athletes to strive for the highest level.”
The icing on the cake for Eric was to have one of his players invited to the Australian Volleyball Academy in 2021.
“Ben Hood is an exceptional athlete and once he knew volleyball was going to be his pathway to success, he has never looked back. I am immensely proud that we have been able to produce an athlete like Ben who represents Australia.”
In July, the first ever Australian-based opportunity to obtain a FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) qualification was jumped on by Eric as another opportunity to extend his coaching knowledge. The five-day course involved both theory and practical work with the 29 participants really put through their paces.
“This qualification is a ticket to coaching at the elite level throughout the world,” Eric stated.
“You needed to not only know your stuff but be able to execute it practically.”
Participants included former national Australian and Serbian players and high-performance coaches at the Australian Volleyball Academy. Unfortunately, not all participants passed the testing but still learnt so much about the game and methods of coaching that their clubs and schools will benefit from their new knowledge.
Eric’s focus for the next six months is to engage within the TGS community to develop our most junior players to their potential and to push our new 1st VI to a level they have never been.
“Achieving this accreditation gives me a sense of personal pride that I can match it as a coach at any level,” said Eric.
Further education of the TGS coaches and the wider Darling Downs volleyball coaches will ensue in time.
Latest Blog
The Boarding Journey
Every parent will have a unique journey with their son whilst he is boarding at Toowoomba Grammar School. I’m Kym Wright, mother of Clancy, who is in Year 12 and this is my journey…. From my very first experience with Toowoomba Grammar School Boarding ten years ago, I had a good feeling straight away that TGS would be the perfect fit for my son. I was picking up my nephew for lunch. He had started boarding at TGS just six weeks prior. It was pouring rain and there were boys enthusiastically…
Building Self-Confidence and Resilience in Year 7s
As your child enters the new and unknown world of secondary school, it is a very important time to nurture the confidence and self-esteem of your son. Adolescence can also be a time of bewildering physical changes and strong emotions, opinions and increasing independence. Nurturing their confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness will go a long way to helping them to have the self-belief to tackle difficult new academic challenges, to developing new friendships and social skills, and…
Introducing our new Head of Year 7 - Jodi Blades
My family moved from Brisbane to Toowoomba when I was ten years of age. I’ve lived here for most of my life, other than to study and begin my teaching career in Brisbane. I lived and worked in London for 18 months before returning to Toowoomba in 2001. With over 20 years’ experience teaching and leading pastoral care programs within independent day and boarding schools, I am dedicated to developing students holistically; the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and physical development of…
Holiday Reading Recommendations
Here is a snapshot; three titles from each year level, and from Head of Library and Information Services, Mr Dan Crook to inspire your choices for holiday reading: Year 7: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The last Ronin. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen Billy Slaters autobiography - Billy Slater Year 8: The dead of the night (Tomorrow series) - James Marsden Rangers Apprentice The ruins of Gorlan - John Flannagan The Hunger games. -Suzanne Collins Year 9: Back to the Pillaga - Tony Parsons Deadpool Samurai…
Life After School
As children grow and develop, they participate in a range of new experiences, with the “journey” from birth to adulthood being shaped by several awaited and expected transitions. These transitions occur across a range of context and help us to evolve in new environments. It is important to note that transition is associated with a change, which is something that happens for all of us. The concept of transition involves how we process, manage, and respond to the change. As adults, we work hard…
TGS Artist in Residence - Ben Tupas
I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years. After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice. With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable…
The Transition to Secondary School
Research shows us that the move from a primary school to a secondary school is one of the most significant life changes that our young men will face. You can help make the transition to Senior School smoother by ensuring that the boys attend the orientation days, practice packing their bags and getting their sports, music, and activities equipment ready. When asked about tips for the boys coming into Year 7, current Year 7 dayboy, Ollie Wells suggests boys should “Be organised. Pack the night…
Nothing is Impossible
Toowoomba Grammar School's Year 7C English has been studying 'Cool Runnings' to learn about how stories or movies based on real life aren't always completely true. Extremely fascinated by the topic, young student Harry Ryan took it upon himself to message (via LinkedIn) the bobsled driver, Mr Dudley Stokes - he responded! After a little communication between the two, Harry asked Mr Stokes if he could FaceTime him during an English lesson, to 'meet' his teacher Mr Paul Irwin and classmates…
Simple Acts of Kindness
Giving back to the community is an important value that Toowoomba Grammar School endeavours to instill in our boys. Year 12 student, Tumoana Strugnell is a shining example of how it costs nothing but our time to help others, especially as we move into the Festive season and the challenges of life seem heightened. I first became involved in community service when I was in Year 6, through my local primary school’s involvement on ANZAC Day and my parent’s involvement in local community events. I’m…
