VBcamps volleyball camps in Idaho, Wyoming, Florida and California

Register | Store | At your site | About Us | Reviews | Peak Inspiration | Contact Us
 

Camp Staff 

 

The veteran coaching staff listed below have years of experience leading groups at our camps.  They are the core to the success of our programs!  Read what our participants have said about our staff and camps >>>

Our lead staff:

Mike Welch Jody Garry Kevin Campbell
Diane Welch Kim Lester Lisa Bushman
Mika Robinson Jamie Ivers Rob Holley
    Shaun Kupferberg

Click here for The VBcamps Elite Academy curriculum skill cue words >>>.  This is how we train our skills.  We have a very thorough and organized camp training system for both The VBcamps Elite Academy and the Team Retreat Camp.

If you are interested in applying to be on the prestigious VBcamps staff, click here >>>.  We have a mentor leadership system in place to insure that all VBcamps staff members have consistent training throughout our camp program.

Director and Head Coach 


US Olympic Festival Team with
Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May,
former USA Team Captain Alison
Weston and 6 National Champions
(1995)


USA Youth National Team with
Olympian Logan Tom (1996)


Idaho State University team holds
the best season record since 1989
(20-9 in 2003)


University of North Florida team
was nationally ranked, won the Peach Belt Athletic Conference
regular season championship (for the third consecutive year)
undefeated, won the Peach Belt
Conference Tournament
Championship, advanced to the
NCAA, and had the 3rd highest
team GPA in the nation (1999)


Morehead State University team
won the Ohio Valley Conference
Tournament Championship and
advanced to the NIVC Tournament,
both were the first in the 25 year
history of the program.  The team
also had the #1 highest team GPA
in the nation! (1993)


Helix High School team (from San Diego, CA pictured in Hawaii at the Iolani Classic) won the Grossmont League Championship for the third consecutive year and advanced to the CIF Championship finals.  The team was listed in the USA Today national rankings and had a 31-1 record.  The team highlighted Karrie Downey who was a USA Today High School First Team All-American and went on to play for the USA National Team.  Teammate Jennie Long went on to become a collegiate National Champion and All-American. (1990)
Mike Welch

Mike Welch has extensive camp experience, directing summer camps every year since 1988.  In 1999 Mike developed the popular Team Retreat Camp, a team building camp for high school volleyball teams.  He has been running team building programs at camps ever since.

  • Two-time Head Coach of the USA Youth National Team and Head Coach in the US Olympic Festival, led teams to 1 gold medal and 2 silver medals while coaching players who went on to become an Olympic Gold Medalist, 5 USA National Team members, 5 National Player-of-the-Year honorees, and over 40 All-Americans
  • 6 nationally ranked seasons, 3 conference championships, 2 conference tournament championships, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 1 NIVC Tournament appearance as a collegiate head coach
  • 2 All-American, 17 All-Region, 43 All-Conference, and 84 Academic All-Conference collegiate honorees
  • 5 AVCA Team Academic Awards, including the highest team GPA in the nation out of all NCAA Division I volleyball teams, and two top 3 finishes in NCAA Division II 
  • 267 wins in 17 years as a Division I (11) and Division II (6) Head Coach at Idaho State University, University of North Florida and Morehead State University. Recorded 20 win seasons at all three institutions.
  • 95-22 record and a Top 30 National Ranking at San Diego, CA Helix High School.  One player earned USA Today All-American, while another player went on to become a collegiate All-American and National Champion

As a collegiate head volleyball coach, Mike Welch has led NCAA Division I and II teams to 6 nationally ranked seasons, 5 conference championships, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, and an NIVC appearance.  Add a successful stint as a head coach at the high school level, Mike added 3 more conference championships and another nationally ranked season.  Overall, his career combined record is 362-289.

Mike, 3rd on the all-time Idaho State University coaching wins list, led the volleyball team to qualify for 3 straight Big Sky Championship tournaments in 2005, 2004 and 2003, which is the first time for ISU since the 1989-1991 seasons.  In 2003, the team recorded a 20-9 record, the best winning percentage at Idaho State since 1989, and the 6th best turn around in the country. He earned his 200th career win in 2002 with a victory over Pac-10 Oregon. 

While Head Coach at the University of North Florida, he led the team to 6 straight seasons where the team appeared in the national Top 25.  He is currently 2nd on the all-time wins list at UNF.

At Division I Morehead State University, Mike led the team to its first and only Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship in the history of the program.  The team finished in the top 3 in conference all 3 years.

As a high school coach, Mike had an impressive record of 95-22, while leading Helix High School (San Diego, CA) from 0-16 the year before he arrived to being in the USA Today Top 30 National Rankings with a 31-1 record.  He also had one high school USA Today All-American, while another player went on to become a collegiate All-American and National Champion.

Mike has led teams to receiving the AVCA Team Academic Excellence Awards 5 times, including the highest team GPA in the nation out of all NCAA Division I volleyball teams (1993), and two top 3 finishes in NCAA Division II (1998 and 1999).  He is on the AVCA Division I National Ranking poll (2000 to present), the NCAA Division I Regional Advisory Committee (2004 to 2006), and is a member of the Editorial Board for the AVCA's Coaching Volleyball (1998 to present).

Mike was Head Coach of the USA Youth National Team twice (1996 and 1993), and assistant coach once (1992), as well as Head and Assistant Coach in the US Olympic Festival (1995 and 1994). As a USA coach, Mike has led teams to 1 gold and 2 silver medals.  While coaching in USA programs, worked with players who went on to become an Olympic Gold Medalist, 5 USA National Team members, 5 National Player-of-the-Year honorees, and over 40 All-Americans.

With outdoor volleyball, Mike was the Vice President and on the Board of Directors for the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA), and he earned a AAA rating as a player 2 consecutive years. 

Mike, has a BA degree from California State University, Chico and an AA degree from LA Pierce College.  He played collegiate club volleyball both Cal State Chico and LA Pierce College, and was an All-CIF and West Valley League MVP honoree, and CIF Champion at Chatsworth (CA) High School. Mike has certification as a USA Volleyball CAP Level III High Performance coach and completed training for a National Strength and Conditioning certificate.  He has also completed multiple team building trainer courses from Project Adventure, as well as graduate level courses in human behavior.  Mike has participated in numerous adventure races, mountain bike races, and off road triathlons. 

 

Asst. Director

Diane Welch

Diane Welch is an elementary school teacher at the Pocatello Charter School, an Experiential Learning Outward Bound based school.  She has extensive training in experiential learning and education in adventure.  Diane has completed numerous training seminars in experiential learning by Outward Bound and other programs.  In 2004, she rafted 7 days down the Colorado River with Outward Bound.  In the summer of 2005, Diane climbed the Grand Teton (WY) with with crampons and an ice axe.

Diane has her Masters degree in Educational Leadership from National University, a BA degree from San Diego State University

 

Mika Robinson

Mika Robinson is the Head Volleyball Coach at Berry College in Georgia.  Previously, she was the Associate Head Coach, Assistant Volleyball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Idaho State University for 3 seasons.  Mika came to ISU after serving as the head coach of the Buchholz High School volleyball team where she had led the team to three-straight district championships.  Her team also received the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2004. As a club coach, she led teams to qualify for Junior Olympics with Gainesville Juniors. Mika is actively involved on the AVCA's Assistant Coach committee, and was on the Board of Directors for the AVCA.  

Mika played her collegiate career at Harvard University as team captain on the NCAA Division I Ivy League team.  She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a B.A. in Psychology in 1996.  Mika has also earned her Masters Degree in Athletic Administration from Idaho State University in 2007.

 

 

Jody Garry

Jody is the Head Volleyball Coach at Cal State University Monterey Bay.  Previously, she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Washington State University and served in the same capacity at Idaho State University.  Under her leadership, the Bengal's team finished the 2003 season with a 20-9 record. It was the best season in a over a decade for the ISU volleyball program and earned the squad a third place finish in the Big Sky Conference. While in Pocatello, Jody coached in the USAV Intermountain Volleyball Association working camps and clinics, was the head coach for High Performance sand volleyball clinics, and served as the Co-Director for Idaho Club Vision.  Jody spent one season as head coach at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado in 2001. She left after one season to marry Kirby Garry, an assistant football coach at the University of South Dakota. There, she served as the assistant volleyball coach at South Dakota and helped lead the 2002 squad to a 16-win season, the most wins in 20 years for the USD program.  She spent three seasons at St. Mary's College as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator.  Jody also served as the top assistant at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., where she was a part of their 18th-straight California Junior College Championship.  

Ten years after Camp Director Mike Welch graduated Chatsworth (CA) High School, Jody became an All-CIF and L.A. Valley All-Star MVP at Chatsworth (CA) High School.  Jody and Mike first met as she spent a summer as an intern for USA Volleyball in Colorado Springs and worked with the USA Youth National Team while Mike was Head Coach. Jody was a two-time team captain and earned first team All-North Central Conference honors at University of North Dakota.  An AAA-rated beach volleyball player, Garry spent the summer of 1997 touring professionally in Italy.  She also competed with her playing partner and VBcamps staff member Jamie Ivers in qualifying tournaments for Beach Volleyball America (BVA). She received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology from North Dakota and a Masters degree from St. Mary's College (CA).

Kim Lester

Kim Lester, the Head Volleyball Coach at San Diego Mesa College, has been an Assistant Volleyball Coach at Division I schools University of Oklahoma, Idaho State University, and Nevada-Las Vegas.  In 2004, she led her Mesa College team to finish as Runner Up in the California Junior College Championships.  In 2006, her Mesa College team finished 4th in the California Junior College Championships. Before her arrival, the team had never even advanced to the state tournament.  

Kim has a Masters degree from Azuza Pacific, and a BA degree from San Diego State University.  During her playing days, Kim was the team captain at San Diego State University.  She helped lead her team to the NCAA Sweet 16.

 

 

Jamie Ivers

Jamie Ivers is the Head Coach at Grossmont College in San Diego and a personal trainer at 24 hour fitness.  In 2004, as an assistant coach, she helped guide the San Diego Mesa College team to finish as Runner Up in the California Junior College Championships.  Previously, Jamie was an assistant volleyball coach at Idaho State University.  She helped lead the ISU squad to its first 20 win season in 14 years.  Jamie was also the top assistant at Adams State University.  As a beach player, she won the prestigious Manhattan Open in 2000 and earned her AAA rating.  

Jamie has a BA degree from California State University, Fullerton, where she was also an all-conference performer on the Titan volleyball team.

 

Kevin Campbell

Kevin is the head volleyball coach at the University of North Florida. Previously, she served as an assistant coach at Penn State for two seasons. Kevin has also been an assistant coach at the University of Georgia, UNC-Charlotte, Ohio University, and Winthrop University.

While coaching at Penn State, the team won its fourth consecutive Big Ten title and advanced to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament - finishing with a 32-3 record. Three Penn State players earned AVCA All-America honors as the team finished with a No. 5 national ranking. Campbell was also involved with recruiting, training and administrative duties with the Nittany Lions. Before joining the staff at Penn State, Campbell spent five seasons as an assistant coach at  from 2000-04. She was the 49ers' recruiting coordinator and assisted in all aspects of the program, including training and development, scouting, marketing and promotions, fundraising and summer camps and clinics.

She graduated cum laude from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor's degree in history in 1995 after playing four years as a member of the school's volleyball team. Campbell earned All-North Central Conference honors and was named an AVCA North Central All-Regional team member during her career.

 

Lisa Bushman

Lisa Bushman is an assistant coach at Idaho State University.  She joined the ISU volleyball coaching staff after a successful career as a player at Idaho State. The three-year letter winner played in 82 matches and 272 games for the Bengals from 2003-05. She collected 968 assists, 360 digs, and 36 service aces in her three season career cut short by an injury. While at ISU, Lisa was also successful in the classroom, receiving Big Sky All-Academic honors three times.  A native of Riverside, California, Lisa also had an impressive career as a four-time All-Ivy League selection and All-CIF performer for Riverside Poly (CA) High School. 

Lisa was selected as the 2006 Outstanding Physical Education Major of the Year from Idaho State University by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). Lisa graduated from Idaho State with a bachelor's degree in physical education. She is currently working on a master's degree in athletic administration and a second bachelor's degree in mathematics.

 

Rob Holley

Rob Holley was an Assistant Volleyball Coach at Florida Southern University for two seasons. He served as the Interim Head Volleyball Coach at the University of North Florida, and was the Assistant Volleyball Coach at UNF for two seasons, helping lead the team to 2 Peach Belt Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships, advancing to the NCAA Tournament both years.  Rob also served from 1992-98 as head coach of the University of Kentucky's men's volleyball club, which was nationally ranked all seven years. The team also finished in the Elite Eight at the NIRSA National Championships in 1999, in the top twenty in 1992, 1995, & 1998, and were the SEC Conference Champions in 1993.  

Rob's coaching career began as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned his bachelor's degree.

 

Shaun Kupferberg

Shaun Kupferberg is the Head Coach at NCAA Division I Jacksonville University.  He took over the helm of the Dolphin volleyball program after five successful seasons as the head coach at Northwest University.

In his inaugural year, JU advanced to the A-Sun Tournament finals for only the second time in program history. Kupferberg came to JU with impressive credentials. He had taken a program that had struggled for years at Northwest, turning them into a regional powerhouse - capped by an impressive 28-4 record during his final season. His five-year record at Northwest was 91-52, and led the team to its highest national ranking ever (10th) and to its first-ever regional championship match.  He got his start in coaching as a student at Miami University, working with the men's and women's club programs.

Shaun graduated from Miami University in 2000.

As of March 25, 2008

 

Contact us >>>

Click here to e-mail us, or call toll free!

TM   1999-2008 VBcamps.com, VBcamps Elite Academy, Team Retreat Camp and logos are trademarks of Peak Inspiration