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Volleyball strife, no end in sight

TAMPA PALMS  Sharp criticism, some say undeserved, rakes Freedom's fifth coach.

Clarification (8/8/08): According to the parents of Natalie Ditmarsen, an assistant principal found Natalie was not at fault, nor did she provoke a brief altercation with a teammate last fall at a Freedom High School volleyball game. Shortly after the incident the other girl left the team. School district officials would not comment but confirmed no disciplinary action was taken against either player. A school district administrator provided the Ditmarsens with a report for the Times showing Natalie has a clean disciplinary record, cited only once for wearing flip-flops to school.

By Amber Mobley Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2007

Freedom High head volleyball coach Lisa Jones, center, gathers her team for a talk in a losing effort during a break in district play at Brandon High on Oct. 23. Freedom fell to Bloomingdale.
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

The latest, Lisa Jones, came as a promise from principal Richard Bartels. At a meeting on Halloween 2006, parents asked Bartels to appoint an experienced coach and give the volleyball program the recognition it deserves.

"He promised a new coach," said Julie Ditmarsen, mother of junior Natalie. "Someone who'd been on a scholarship in college. The girls were thrilled."

The team's season ended Oct. 23 with a playoff loss to Bloomingdale, giving them a record of 6 wins and 7 losses, according to Freedom athletic director Elijah Thomas.

Jones has promised to return. But some wonder if it might be time for a sixth coach.

"It's so darned frustrating," father Scott Ditmarsen said.

Although she sent the Times an e-mail, Jones declined to be interviewed for this article. Bartels would not answer questions either, saying simply that Jones has his full support and is qualified for the job.

The only player available to comment was Abby Kernaghan, who supports the coach.

"She's a great coach and she's one of my favorite coaches," said Kernaghan, who also plays softball. "This whole thing is just being blown out of proportion."

An English teacher, Jones is in her first year as a full-time educator in Hillsborough County schools, according to her personnel records. The student newspaper, the Revolution, indicates she played volleyball in high school and college.

Parents critical of Jones say she has missed practices, but there is disagreement as to why and how many.

In her e-mail, Jones estimated she missed four or five practices all season for emergencies. "I do not feel that in the time frame of 3 months, that 4 or 5 canceled practices is excessive," wrote Jones, who added that she "spent a couple of weeks battling a severe cold that resulted in a trip to an emergency clinic."

Trouble in the volleyball program coincides with a traumatic year for Freedom sports overall.

Freedom athletic director Jose Couret asked for a transfer in September. In the middle of a losing season, the football team faced five player suspensions and more than $1,000 in Florida High School Athletic Association fines for a fight during a game.

Soon after, head football coach Marquel Blackwell was under investigation by the school district's Office of Professional Standards after a verbal argument with another teacher.

While the football controversies have grabbed headlines, the volleyball situation has resulted in a spate of angry e-mails to school officials.

The girls also are divided. Things are so tense that Natalie Ditmarsen got into a fight with another player after a home game and received a game's suspension, according to her mother.

"Chaotic" is the best way to describe it, parent Daryl Anderson said, "but chaos caused by the parents more than anything."

"I'm not saying she's perfect," Anderson said of Jones. "No one's perfect, but she hasn't gotten a chance yet to prove herself."

"I know she's had a very, very tough year and I think that people are being unfair to her," Anderson said. "Get the parents off the court, get her some help and let her do her job and I think it'll be fine."

Amber Mobley can be reached at amobley.com or (813) 269-5311.

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 06:49:44]