Silsbee Bee story about Silsbee High's mother-daughter coaches

[gdickert]

Silsbee High School volleyball coach Dana Thornton, faced off against her daughter Megan

(Thornton) O'Quinn, the new Kountze High School volleyball coach, for the first time.

Click here for a slideshow of photos from that game ...

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[shadow=red,left]Mom, daughter face off for

first time on volleyball court[/shadow]

By GERRY L. DICKERT

The Bee

     There have been many emotional moments on the volleyball court for Silsbee coach Dana Thornton.

     Friday’s moment nearly brought her to tears.

     Thornton and her Lady Tigers teed it up against the Kountze Lionettes this past Friday night in a game that pitted the mother against her daughter, Kountze coach Megan (Thornton) O’Quinn.

     â€œAs a mother, I was proud,†said Thornton. “As a coach, I was proud, too.â€

     The Lady Tigers took care of business in three games, defeating the Lionettes 25-17, 25-15, 25-12. But the impact this game had on both of its coaches will be more important than a non-district final score.

     â€œIt’s going to be interesting,†said Megan prior to the game. “I had never really thought about playing against my Mom until now. It’s kind of weird.â€

Just prior to the match, the two women shared a few words and posed for photos. After warmups, the two sat on opposite benches for the first time.

     â€œYou have to remember, I’m not just a mother,†said Coach Thornton. “It feels good to know that as a coach, I helped her become someone she wanted to be.

“I have such pride for her and what’s she been able to do,†she said. “It really made me want to cry.â€

     Megan, along with her little sister Miranda, played for their mother at Silsbee High School, both earning top honors during their volleyball careers.

     Megan just recently finished her degree at Lamar University in Beaumont and coached freshmen for a year at West Hardin High School before winning the varsity coaching job at Kountze this year.

     â€œEverything I know about coaching, she taught me,†said Coach O’Quinn of her mother. “She taught me about goals, about keeping everything together, about hard work and about winning.â€

     And while winning is important in the overall scheme of a coach’s career, Coach Thornton explained that her real concern for Megan is that she keep her personal life in perspective as she dedicates herself to her new career.

     â€œWhen she played for me, she learned that volleyball is over when you go home,†she said. “A coaching career can consume you if you’re not careful ... it does anyway.

     â€œSometimes people are really hard on you. I think that most coaches would like to be liked, but you’re not always liked ... and that’s tough.â€

While Coach Thornton hopes her daughter can control her career, rather than the other way around, she also knows there are some aspects of her job that cannot be controlled at all.

     â€œShe’ll find herself fighting for her program,†said Thornton. “You have to stand up for what you believe in and you’re going to fight people. You really don’t like battling all the time, but sometimes the battle is constant.

     â€œNow that I see her heading into those battles, I guess when it’s your kid, you start worrying about how she’s going to face those things.

     â€œIt’s such a rewarding profession, I would never tell her not to do it.â€

With two different teams on the court Friday, there were two styles of play, each fashioned especially for the talent available on each squad.

     But there were still similarities, some which weren’t lost on Thornton as she watched her daughter coach.

     â€œThings that she said, I can hear myself saying those same words,†Thornton said. “She told me that she’s already had officials tell her ‘Sit down, Dana,’ so I know she’s got some of my fire.

     â€œYeah, I think she’ll be OK.â€

[mactiger]

Great article!  We are all proud of Megan and the job she is doing. 

[gdickert]

Thanks ...

It's a real pleasure to deal with Dana and Megan has a lot of her Mom's media savvy ...

I'm leaving right now to head to Beaumont to take pictures of the Lionettes in the YMBL tournament ... They played at 10:30 and will play again at 1:30 and 2:30 ...

Gerry

[mactiger]

Tell the Lionettes Good Luck from the Lady Tigers!!