Senior Molly Trodd spreads her wisdom of beach volleyball to young boys and girls

By Kelley Sussman

Copy Editor

During the beginning of her sophomore year, senior Molly Trodd started to coach children from the ages of 8-13. She started playing volleyball when she was 10, but started to take it seriously her freshman year in high school. Trodd plays both indoor and beach volleyball and has loads of knowledge about the sport. She is able to pass this knowledge onto young kids who want to learn. 

“I wanted to teach lessons to inspire kids to play beach volleyball throughout elementary and high school like I did,” Trodd said. 

Quarantine allowed Trodd to focus a lot on volleyball. She verbally committed to Tulane University the summer going into her junior year. Many of the kids she coaches look up to her as their mentor. Some kids even want to continue playing volleyball as they grow up, and Trodd acts as an inspiration to them.  

“During the school year, I teach about 2 to 3 lessons per week for one hour each,” Trodd said. “It doesn’t seem like a job to me since I get to hang out at the beach with kids I’ve made a connection with.” 

“If I had more time I would want to spend it teaching,” Trodd said. “Sometimes it gets overwhelming, so that’s why I try to manage my schedule wisely.”

Trodd grew up running down to the beach, passing the ball back and forth with anyone who would. Over the years, she has gained tips and tricks, and they are now being passed down to the next generation. According to Trodd, it is really rewarding to be able to share her knowledge and wisdom with kids because she used to be like them. 

“I teach lessons where I used to take lessons,” Trodd said. “It’s really cool to be on the other side of the sport, which is teaching.” 

Trodd’s goal is to keep teaching as much as possible. Even with her busy schedule, she still loves to teach and she can see herself doing something like this for many years to come. 

“My favorite part is being able to see the kid’s faces light up as they make a great play or even just hit the ball over the net,” Trodd said. “It is very rewarding for me to see.”