A Season Off
A successful NCAA Division I volleyball coach took a season-long leave of absence as she welcomed her second child into the world.
By Coaching Management Staff
In 1999, Jennifer Petrie became Head Women's Volleyball Coach at the University of San Diego. Over the next six years, she led her team to six consecutive NCAA Division I tournament appearances and added West Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors to her resume. Then in 2006, this coach with a growing reputation for getting things done did something unusual: She handed the reins to her top assistant and took six months off.
Expecting a baby in late June of 2006, Petrie knew taking a standard maternity leave would mean returning to a season just getting underway, and she would feel overwhelmed. So she asked USD administrators for the entire season off. "I had already been through this with our first child, so I knew what it would be like trying to come back quickly," Petrie says. "My husband and I talked about how we could make it work, and we decided I would ask for the leave of absence and see what the response was."
The response, from USD Athletic Director Ky Snyder, was a resounding yes. "One of the biggest issues in college athletics is the challenge women coaches go through in trying to raise a family with the demands we place on them," he says. "We strongly believe in being part of the solution by supporting our female coaches whenever we can."
Before he gave the go-ahead, however, Snyder carefully assessed how Petrie’s season off would affect the volleyball program. "I determined that all the pieces were in place to make this work," he says. "Jen made it easy for me because of the type of program she has built up and all the work she had already done by the time she made her request. She has taken the time to develop her coaching staff and I was confident they would be capable of continuing the same strong program in her absence."
"I did a lot of groundwork before I approached the administration," Petrie agrees. "I talked extensively with my head assistant, Brent Hilliard, about him taking on the head coaching role. It turned out he was starting to consider head coaching jobs elsewhere and we might have lost him. With the offer to be interim head coach, he gave me a commitment to stay through the fall. So the arrangement was a real benefit for him and for the university.
"I also made sure we had finished recruiting and that the schedule and budget were done," Petrie continues. "Covering those bases before making my request put the administration at ease and made them feel confident this would work."
During her season away, Petrie took a paid maternity leave of several weeks, followed by unpaid leave for the remainder of the six months. She attended every game, watching from the stands, and had regular conversations with Hilliard and the rest of the staff. "We talked on the phone after each match and a lot of other times as well," Petrie says. "We discussed how individual players were performing and what they were doing in practice and I gave him some ideas. But the decisions were left up to him, and I supported whatever he did."
The system worked-the team achieved a 26-6 overall record and a program-best NCAA Sweet 16 berth. And Petrie returned in January, more than ready to resume coaching. "It was invaluable to be able to spend six months focusing on taking care of my newborn and my family—to do just one thing at a time and do it well," she says. "I’m totally revitalized. Of all the coaches at our December coaching convention, I think I was the most excited to talk about volleyball. I’d really missed it."
"I think everyone benefited," Snyder says. "For me, granting the six-month leave was the natural thing to do. We’re talking about our employees’ families here, and what could be more important than that?"
Petrie says having the backing of her administration was key. "I wish more administrators understood that it’s really important to create strong female role models in coaching," she says. "In order for that to happen, we need to keep women in the profession throughout the time period when they have young families. And that requires strong support from administrators."
Petrie also believes change will require a new attitude on the part of women head coaches themselves. "I think most female coaches assume they cannot take a step back," she says. "We have such a tight hold on what we’re doing professionally and what we are doing at home, and we want to be the best at both. I think women need to realize that we can take a step back at times and still return and be successful. For me, it was the best thing I could have done. Life is short, and there are certain things you just can’t afford to miss."
