Kristin Retterath
Coach Kristin was born and raised in Thompson, ND. She and her husband Brady, and their three kids Cooper, Callie & Caisley moved to Sheridan in May of 2022 for Brady's job with MDU. They just finished building their home here just on the outskirts of town. Kristin founded Gathering Health in 2019 where she is a Personal Trainer and Health & Nutrition Coach.
Volleyball Experience
• Kristin was a 4 year starter and 2 year captain at Thompson High School in Thompson, ND.
• 3 time All district. District 3 and Region 2 Senior Athlete of the Year. Miss Volleyball Candidate and All-State Team selection.
• ND Class A & B Optimist All Star Team.
• She led her team in blocks & kills for 3 years and had a 47% career kill efficiency. “I could hit hard, but I focused on being SMART and knowing where to place the ball.”
• She started as a freshman on the outside and moved to middle her sophomore year. “Prided myself on being an all around player, passing being as important to me as hitting.”
• Played 4 years of 16's club volleyball. Played for the top 16's team for North Valley Juniors for 3 seasons going undefeated in Gold Brackets of all Minneapolis, MN tourneys.
• “Tore my right ACL my Junior year and my left ACL my Senior year. I worked my tail off in therapy and sports acceleration to be able to still play my Senior year and on a college scholarship. While on the sidelines with injuries I coached our High School club team both springs.”
• Kristin went on to play for Mayville State University for one year before her knee injuries ended her college career and she transitioned to coaching at the high school level.
• Freshman year of college Academic All American. Finished college with a Master's degree in Special Education and minors in Coaching; graduating with a 4.0.
• Kristin went on to assistant coach at Valley City High School where they beat Fargo South for the first time in school history and made it to the second round of playoffs, something VC had never done before.
Why do I coach?
“Volleyball was my first love growing up. It helped me to learn to love some of the qualities I felt insecure about (being tall & bigger than other girls) and I learned to use it as my super power on the court. I coach to help young women realize their power, their ability to do hard things, their strength both physically and mentally, but most importantly to teach them the impact a TEAM and hard work can have on their life.”
What do I look forward to teaching my team?
“So much of Volleyball is mindset. I'm really excited to help them learn how to push beyond what they believe they are capable of and to learn to trust their team and their ability. I want them to see they can accomplish anything through hard work, determination and discipline. I was naturally athletic but because of injuries I had to work 10x harder than anyone else. That hard work has taught me so many lessons that I've carried forward in my life today.”
Why the philosophy of coaching "person first, athlete second" is important to me:
“At the end of the day, each one of these athletes are here because they love the game. But one day their volleyball career will be over and we are left with the lessons we learn while on the court. Focusing on person first allows us to keep the focus on our teammates and treating each other with kindness and respect while working toward the common goal of improvement, commitment to the team and hard work.”
Other Tidbits
Coach Kristin loves volleyball, lifting/working out, hunting, cooking and DIY projects.