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I'm Here.....
My coming out party. Quite literally. At 6:23 am on this glorious day I was lucky enough to be born to Monica and Steve Vencl in the suburb of Willoughby, Ohio (20 min east of Cleveland) -
Growing up Vencl
Childhood seemed typical. At least in my mind. Do good in school. Mind your manners. Go to church on Sunday. Play outside with your friends and brothers. Do your chores. Don't talk back. Treat others with respect. Wash. Rinse. Repeat -
Still Growing up Vencl....
We were always mixed up in sports. Baseball & Football mostly. In order to be able to participate in everything that we wanted to, we had to pull our own weight. Chores were the norm. Both of our parents worked so being the oldest, the responsibility fell on me. If we wanted to eat, I needed to cook. If chores weren't finished, ultimately I was the one to have to answer. I'd say this is one of the reasons why my brothers and I are so close. We did what had to be done and took care of each other. -
I'm a working man now
Part of growing up was a little more responsibility. At age 15 I somehow landed a job at a local golf course working with the maintenance department.Brutal hours. Dropped off at the crack of dawn by my Dad. Work all day for roughly $4.00/hour doing manual labor. Bike my happy butt home at t he end of the day. This was my first foray into the working world. Funny how many of the earlier lessons learned applied here. Treat others well. Do your best every day. Thank God for the gift of now. -
The Culmination of.....
This was it. The end of an era. What era? It was just High School. I accomplished everything that I set out. Top 10% of my class. Graduate with Honors. National Honor Society. Accepted to college. Little did I know that over the next 4-5 years, these would some of the most trying of my life. The ease at which I moved through High School would really do nothing to prepare me of the FREEDOM of College. -
So this is college?
The University of Toledo. The Rockets. Where I would begin and (eventually) finish my quest for a degree. Fall '97 I joined Kappa Delta Rho and got to "experience" college 1st hand. This fancy new liquid called Alcohol coupled with the fact that there was no one to tell me what to do... recipe for disaster. I was getting by. Barely. I seemed to have forgotten who I was or even what I was trying to do. I was a happy person but I really didn't know what I was doing let alone why I was doing it. -
The Hardest Day of my Life
On June 14th, 2001 my family lost someone very special to us, my Mom, Monica Vencl. She passed away in the morning from Septic Shock. Speaking truthfully, this was a turning point in my life. It was from this moment on that my "Family" would never be the same. -
You want me to help you do WHAT?????
Some time had passed since I had returned to Toledo following my Mom's passing. I was merely going through life at this point in time. One day a good friend, Scott Mattera, asked if I wanted to keep my mind off of things by helping him coach a 16-3 Girls Volleyball team. What the heck did I know about coaching? Nada. Zip. Zilch. This should be interesting.... -
Decisions had to be made...
After Mom's passing, my Dad shared that he could only afford to send one of us to College. John, my middle brother had just completed his Freshman year at UT and Dad was going to help him out. I was left with a tough decision but I chose to drop out of college and try and make money to help both John with school and Bob however I could as he entered his Senior year of High School. This wasn't the way that I had planned on my story going. In all honest, who would write a story like this? -
Searching for an Identity
I'm a social being. I love chatting with people and making people happy. Enter becoming a DJ. DJ Tito (my DJ name) was a perfect mix (pun intended) of everything that I needed in my life. Friends. Pleasing others. Social Environment. I was loving life at the time, but was I truly living my life? During these times, I thought that I was. Looking back on it now.... I was kinda just existing. Life was going on around me as I was in my own head and my own existence. -
I met a girl....
Amidst my searching for something relevant (not that I knew it then) I met a girl. A beautiful girl. She made a better person. She loved volleyball. Who could ask for more? Wanna know how it turns out???? Stay tuned -
Time to be an "Adult"
Adulting. The term used when you do grown up things. After years in the service industry I found myself a job with a friends company doing sales. This was the beginning of something great. This entry level sales job would lead us to 2 other sales jobs in 2 different cities. This entry level sales job led us to start the adventures that we experience even now (14 different locations lived in over the last 13 years, but who's keeping track?) -
Whoa?! We are Married!
On August 4th, 2007 in Vernon Hills, IL I was lucky enough to marry the love of my life, Corrie (Magnus) Vencl. Surrounded by family and friends we said "I Do", took a couple of pictures and threw one hell of a party. This was one of the best days of my life. -
Life Happens....AGAIN
So we find ourselves back in Cleveland, Ohio and I'm working for a great Recruiting Company. I'm fast tracking to a promotion and then the bomb is dropped. The economy has turned in a very bad way. My company started with layoffs. Trimming the fat. Round 1. Round 2. They just kept coming.... Round 7 hits and you guessed it I finally got caught in the crossfire. What the heck was I supposed to do? I have a wife. A brand new house. What was I going to do?!?!?! -
Time to Make A Decision
Fast forward a few months and I was at a crossroads. I was good at sales. I really was. But my heart wasn't in it. I've always loved coaching but I couldn't do that for a living... I didn't have a degree. At the urging of my wife we came up with a plan. I would go back to school, we'd eventually sell the house and move into an apartment. Start chasing the proverbial dream. Whoa! Things just got very crazy and unstable but this is the path we chose. No turning back. -
Step One
While I was back in school (Online at the University of Toledo) I wanted to get my feet wet in college coaching. Enter Coach Vicki Brault and Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Coach Brault allowed me to be their Volunteer Assistant and help out with the program in all areas. This was AMAZING! I was coaching in college...at least I thought so. The opportunity provided to me by Coach Brault was one that I am truly thankful for.... Next stop, Full time college coaching. So I thought. -
Moving in the right direction
Coaches 4 Coaches was this new scholarship designed by the AVCA that would help Students (which I was) who wanted to be college coaches attend the AVCA Coaches Convention. While juggling everything else I compiled my application. Sent it off. Then did lots of praying! Lucky for me, I was named as one of the Inaugural recipients of the C4C Scholarship. I'd get the opportunity to mingle and learn from coaches all the while setting myself up for my 1st coaching job..... -
Goal One
BOOM! I finally did it! I was the 1st of my family to go to college and the 2nd to graduate (dang you John for beating me). I promised my Mom before she passed that I would get my degree. No matter what. You know what?! I did it Mom! I did it. Now I could focus my attention on breaking into the Fraternity of College Coaches. Little did I know that it wouldn't be that easy. A few interviews. No offers. I was left questioning everything that I had just put us through. What do we do next? -
Keep on grinding
Enter another hurdle. I was told that I needed to volunteer at a high level program to prepare. I had a previous connection with the HC at Marquette University and decided this would be my best option. The only problem was how do you move and live while working for free? The answer? Move in with your In-Laws. Drive an hour each day to MU. Oh, and have your new-ish bride stay behind in the city where you just were. Sounds awesome. More like, sounds challenging. No surprise, we made it work. -
Houston, we have a problem!
I'm finally doing it! You know, the thing that I have set out to accomplish. I'M GETTING PAID!!!! But seriously, I accepted a job at the University of Houston following years of doing what I love, For Free. Corrie and I packed up and moved (well Corrie came a few months later. NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN) to hot and humid Houston, TX. We made some good friends, had some great adventures but something was looming right around the corner. This was the first foray into understanding to embrace each day! -
What the heck is a BEARCAT?
This crazy coaching adventure has now led us back to my home state of Ohio to the University of Cincinnati. It's wild to think that in just one year things changed so dramatically. This crazy adventure lasted from February 2012 to February of 2014. I learned a multitude of things in the realm of both volleyball and life. it's always interesting to think back on where you have been. I may not have had all the answers but at this point in time, I sure was doing lots of searching for them. -
Heading to the Dirty South
Good people are in our lives for a reason. Through many connections I was able to find myself on a new staff at Georgia State University with some amazingly respected people in our industry. Time to uproot our family (me, Corrie & Otis) and head to the ATL. This experience would be one in which I would be able to grow as a coach. Learn more about myself all the while, getting to experience another great city. -
Constantly Finding Myself
As time progresses, I find myself doing much more searching. Searching for ways to make myself better. Searching for ways to make others better. In this search I found my way into the realm of Podcasts. So many people out there talking about so many topics. Quickly I found a few that I gravitated toward. More importantly, I found some skills that helped me hone in on me (mindfulness). Around this time I picked up the routines of Meditation and Journaling. Two activities which I hold dear to me. -
Yup....We have made a Human
2016 is the year of the baby, she says. I think that it's time, she says. If we don't throw it out there it can't manifest itself, she says. Fast forward a few weeks and I am greeted at the door with a pair of Baby Nike's and a smile (a scared smile but a smile none the less). October 2016 cannot get here fast enough. We can't wait to say hello to Harper Reese Vencl. -
#ACIP2016
To be continued......
