Tonya Johnson, now the second-year head coach at her alma mater, LSU, came up with the idea while she was the coach at Georgia Tech. Women volleyball coaches needed to get together to brainstorm, get to know each other, help each other, learn and simply hang out.
“I was just trying to figure out ways to connect with other coaches, connect with younger coaches,” said Johnson, also the longtime Texas assistant coach.
She came up with SOAR: An intimate network of female coaches removing barriers through Support, Openness, Advocacy, and Renewal.
SOAR has happened four times, previously at Texas, LSU and Georgia Tech, and this past January in Arizona, where 46 coaches gathered. We talked all about how it got started, what it is, and how well the gatherings have gone with tremendous benefits for all involved:
