Isabella Walton
Coach Bella was born in Juneau, Alaska and moved to Sheridan right before starting elementary school. She has three older sisters who are very important to her. She values her family highly and loves being around them because she’s realized, while growing up, that she can’t afford to take any time with them for granted. Her family moved here for work and never left; Bella loves our small town so much!
Volleyball Experience
• Bella started her volleyball career in 7th Grade and she fell in love with the sport the moment she began. She played on the Sheridan Junior High B team both her 7th and 8th grade years.
• “I started club volleyball in 8th grade and my coach was Rachel, who I absolutely loved.” Fun fact: Bella was a member of the first ever Blacktooth team!
• She tells us “Club volleyball really helped me grow as both an athlete and a person, which I am so so grateful for…” When she got to High School, she didn’t know what team to expect to make and she made the JV team her Freshman year!
• Bella made an impact on her teams as a middle until club season her Sophomore year, where was she given the opportunity to play a new position as an outside hitter.
• She recalls “I was put as an outside which was very new to me, but not scary because I was ready for a change to see how it could challenge me. I love playing as an outside and trying new things to make me a better player.”
• This was the year Blacktooth grew from 1 to 10 teams and Bella made our top 16’s team. This team saw so much success, played in big tournaments, traveled far, made lots of memories, and placed first at multiple tournaments, securing their Bid to Nationals! Bella and her team went and competed in Arizona and placed 29th out of 119 teams!
• Her Junior year of High School she made the Varsity team which was an experience she holds dear to her; “it changed my perspective of the game completely along with the competitiveness of the game.”
• Club season her Junior year, she made our top 17’s team and worked her tail off. Rachel was her coach again and says “Bella absolutely blossomed that season. I always knew what she was capable of and seeing her do that, and surpass her own expectations for herself, was special to witness. She’s a phenomenal player and person and I’m so proud of her and excited to have her with our younger athletes this season.”
Why do I coach?
“This year will be my first year coaching and I could not be more excited to pass on my knowledge of volleyball to our younger girls. Being able to have a team I can call my own and watching them succeed is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
What do I look forward to teaching my team?
“I look forward to teaching my team how to not only be better players, but people as well. If you’re going to play on a team, you should play for a cause that is greater than yourself.”
Why the philosophy of coaching "person first, athlete second" is important to me:
“As an athlete, I experienced being coached this way and it made a big impact on my life. As a coach, I plan on doing the same and caring for my athletes with any challenges they face.
Growing as a person and expanding your understanding of volleyball are both important, but I care about you as a person more than an athlete because your character defines who you are.”
Other Tidbits
“I love listening to music and going on drives with friends as well as long boarding and spending time with my dog!”