Coaching Spotlight- Bev Plocki
Coaching Spotlight- Bev Plocki
Gymnastike recently sat down with head coach of the University of Michigan Women’s Gymnastics Team, Bev Plocki.
Bev Plocki was born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania. Plocki started in gymnastics at the age of 8 when she joined her first team, The Armstrong Evergreens. She graduated high school and received a scholarship from the University of Alabama. In her freshman year, Plocki was an All-American on the balance beam. Plocki realized during her time at Alabama that she wasn’t a “Southern Bell” and she transferred to West Virginia University during her sophomore year. Plocki graduated from WVU and remained with the program to go after a Master’s Degree in Sports Management and Administration. During her two years of doing her Master’s degree, Plocki was coaching. During this time, Plocki applied for coaching positions with five different schools, three assistant coaching and two head coaching positions. The first call she got was from the University of Michigan!
Image Via- Michigan's Facebook
Who were your biggest role models and inspirations throughout your career?
I have learned from every coach that I have had. I have tried to take something from every coach I had and have tried to develop who I am as a coach by taking the things I liked and didn’t like from my coaches. One of my biggest role models was my private club coach for most of my career, Danny Warbutton. He taught me virtually everything about the sport of gymnastics. He taught me how gymnastics works and the nuts and bolts. I learn a lot of how to coach from him, even though I was his gymnast. I also learned a lot during my time at the University of Alabama. I learned a lot about winning and what it takes to win and the sacrifices. I also learned a great deal from Linda Burdette at West Virginia. The greatest thing from coaching that she taught me was to look at the big picture. She taught me that to be a good coach, you need to be a great person and treat the athletes with respect and as adults.
What is the biggest honor you have received?
For me it is a huge honor to have an alumni athlete come back to visit our gym. Any time a former athlete comes back with their husband, kids, family or friends that means a lot to me. At Michigan we talk a lot about the team and family and none of that ends when you graduate. For people to take the time out of their busy lives to stay connected, keep up with our program and come back to catch up, is one of the biggest honors to me.
What win stands out the most to you in your career?
There are so many wins that stick out to me for so many different reasons. Each year and team makes a victory special and incredible for many reasons. But if I have to pick, I would say the first Big Ten Championship we won back in 1992. That would have to be one of the most feel good victories. When I started here at Michigan in 1990,we were at the bottom of the bottom in the Big Ten and we hadn’t had much success. In my first two years at Michigan,I had to teach so much about the culture of Michigan and get them to buy in to our program. So to win that Big Ten Championship in 1992 just validated everything I had preached for two years. To go even further back than that our first competition we went into as the underdogs, and we won that meet. That set the tone for us and was a great stepping stone for our program. Those two meets had a big impact on our program and developing our program into what it is today.
Is there one loss that stands out to you still?
We went to the University of Utah in 2007 and had an absolutely disastrous meet scoring a 193.80, our lowest score in years! After the meet I went into the locker and the girls were just afraid for me to walk in. Yes we had some injuries and what not, but they were trying too hard. They needed to go out, be as good as they were and not try to be superwoman. We talked about why we feel apart and it wasn’t due to lack of preparation, motivation, effort or desire. The girls didn’t need to hear that I was disappointed in them or they let me down. They were already being hard enough on themselves. We learned a lot about pressure and that we need to let that go and be who we were as a team. Although this was a tough loss, it also made a big difference into our program as it was a great learning experience for all of us.
Why Michigan?
When I came to Michigan, I was 23 years old and I knew nothing about Michigan. I knew it was a job at a Division I school that had the resources and I knew I was really lucky to be here. But I am now in my 26th year here and it didn’t take me long to realize what a special place this is and the traditions. I have never seen or experienced the kind of tradition from any other college, and that makes this such a special place. Michigan also does it the right way, from top to bottom- athletic department, deans, professors, coaches, etc. We put student athletes first, with the student coming first to allow each person to be successful and we care about the overall well-being of each student athlete.
Pictured-Scott Sherman- Image Via Michigan's Facebook
What is the role of your assistant coach, Scott Sherman?
Scott is one of the best bar coaches in the country and that is what he specializes in. He is in his 19th year here with me and he has been amazing for our program. Scott has also been very good at managing and individualizing training for each gymnast to limit and recover from injuries. He has learned a lot about that in his time here. He has also grown as a coach, at learning how to deal with female athletes, and to have empathy and understand how they feel, and has definitely earned the respect of our athletes.
Pictured- Dave Kuzara- Image Via Michigan's Facebook
What is the role of your assistant coach, Dave Kuzara?
When I came to Michigan, they asked me to retain a coach that had been here prior, to allow him to help me coach, and during that year my assistant coach had torn his bicep. So I was looking for a coach to help me spot, and a gymnast on the team knew Dave as he was her former coach. Dave at the time was currently out of coaching and was selling shoes at Jacobson’s, so I snagged him out of ladies footwear and had him coach for me. He was here with me as an assistant coach for three years and was offered a head coaching position with the University of Massachusetts. He then went on to coach at several universities as head coach and assistant coach, while staying in contact with me and Michigan Gymnastics. When an assistant coaching position opened up here, he wanted to come back to a program where he could win a national championship. He is now back for his second year and has done a great job. He is mainly our vault and floor coach, and has done a great job!
Stay tuned for more insight into Michigan Gymnastics and their fight for their first National Championship!
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