Good Day, Irene Matlock!

My hat goes off to a former colleague this morning. Yesterday, volleyball coach extraordinaire Irene Matlock was one of six sports figures inducted into the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame. Congrats to a very deserving Irene.

The statistics reflecting her time as a high school and college volleyball coach are impressive enough. The intangibles are also. As a coach, Irene was an institution in herself. As a coach, she made demands of players but combined those demands with rewards dealing with several other aspects of their lives.

Anyone who played for Irene Matlock learned that dedication and devotion to volleyball were a must. At Sandpoint High, during Irene's tenure as coach, we had Ohana. It's a Hawaiian term for extended family. There's a sense of cooperation associated with it also. Irene's volleyball teams lived the Ohana theme, and did they ever win.

If I recall correctly, Pat Smith started volleyball at Sandpoint High in the '70s. Later, Pam Parks came along and later, Irene. The program developed over the years into an Idaho powerhouse. Eventually for Sandpoint to lose at a state tournament would be reason for headlines, as winning became an annual expectation.

In the midst of all this Irene also taught English, and that is how we became friends. Her sense of humor was incomparable, and the two of us began our own little version of commenting on the daily craziness that goes along with trying to succeed at educating young minds.

We treated our older minds to many, many hysterical moments through our "As the Bells Ring" segments. Readership was most often limited to two. For us to include anyone else in our quirky observations on life at Sandpoint High could have meant extinction for both of us. So, we kept a low profile on our soap operatic thoughts.

Irene left Sandpoint High and eventually ended up in the community college system in Spokane. We've kept in touch somewhat erratically over the years. And, of course, I could keep track of Irene by reading the Spokesman-Review sports section as her teams continued to excel.

Once again, this morning, there was Irene in a photograph with the 2009 class of inductees and featured in a story by Jim Meehan. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/14/cream-of-the-crop/

Yup, it was a good day for Irene yesterday, and, like hundreds of others who have benefitted from her good works and friendship, I salute her for this wonderful achievement.

Speaking of sports, the Boise State Broncos are playing again tonight. They're ranked No. 5 in the nation, and they'll be playing tough Tulsa team at 5 p.m. PDT on ESPN. So, we'll be tuned in. The college football season for Idaho folks is gradually turning into one big dilemma.

Who do we support when Idaho 5-1 and Boise State square off? I know there's a fierce rivalry because of the responses I received on this blog back when Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Folks had their opinions, and they were strong.

Here at this house, it's a tough one. With three members of the family being BSU grads and my U of I Vandal background, it's going to be hard to decide. But then again, it should be easy: pull for both in the spirit of Idaho pride. It's not often that our state 4-year college sports teams put us in such a position, so we might as well enjoy it.

For now, however, I'll sign off with GO BRONCOS!