By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Shannon Goddard and her family are deeply entrenched in the Martin community.
Just how entrenched, you ask?
Consider this: she’s a fourth-generation Martin High School graduate, making her children—Demetrius (class of 2020), Makala (class of 2024) and Kendra (class of 2026)—fifth-generation MHS grads.
Goddard’s commitment to the Martin community can be seen by the fact that she has been involved as a coach in the high school and middle school volleyball program for the past 13 years.
And now she is taking over the role as head varsity coach.
“I’ve been a part of this program for a long time,” Goddard said. “I’ve had two daughters come through Martin athletics. I’ve seen the importance of great leadership and what it can do for athletes and young woman.
“Makala plays volleyball at Kalamazoo college now and Kendra will be a senior this year. The open position fell into place at a good time for me. I thought I would be winding down, but this opportunity has lit a new and brighter fire for coaching.
“I love volleyball, these athletes and this community. I’m at a point in my coaching career that I think is best fit for varsity. I’ve learned a lot over the years. I feel like now is when I can best help the athletes with the sport and with their personal growth.”
Goddard inherits the team from Logan Malling, who guided the Clippers to several successful seasons during her tenure with the program and leaves the program in good shape.
Goddard hopes to continue those winning ways.
“I want our program to stay competitive throughout the season,” she said. “We’ve been competitive the last five years in the SAC Conference and the postseason. We are focused on building the entire program more.”
That includes making the sport available to Martin students at a younger age.
“We are bringing back our little spikers program for third-through-sixth graders,” Goddard said. “Getting the girls to buy into volleyball at an early age will be important to our continued success at the high school level.”
Goddard, a 1999 Martin High School graduate, was part of the first volleyball team in school history to win a district championship.
She began her coaching career with the Clippers in 2013, when she helped out with the seventh-grade team. She later coached at the JV level for 10 years before coaching the eighth-grade squad a year ago.
She has also coached at Next Level Performance.
That amount of coaching experience at various levels has helped Goddard develop her coaching style.
“I have high expectations of my athletes,” she said. “I love pushing athletes and seeing them grow farther than they thought they could.
“I believe each athlete’s mental, physical and emotional well-being are just as important as their athletic performance. Coaching is so much more than wins and losses.”
And with the start of the 2025 volleyball season drawing ever closer, Goddard hopes the Martin community will come out and support the team.
“Fans can expect an exciting and fun environment,” she said. “They can expect these girls to give it their all every night. They will also get to see the girls building each other up.”
As of now, Martin volleyball is scheduled to open its season on Aug. 26 on the road against Tri-Unity Christian. The first home match is currently scheduled for Sept. 9 against Allegan.
