Suzanne Marble's coaching retirement celebrated

La Conner High School volleyball fans were in the mood to celebrate Thursday night.

And that was before the defending state 2B champions knocked off 4A Glacier Peak in straight sets in front of a supportive home crowd at Landy James Gym.

It was a festive mood that filled the arena Oct. 13 as Washington Hall of Fame Coach Suzanne Marble was formally honored courtside on her 30-year career here, a tenure marked by six state titles, three academic state championships, 17 state tournament trophies and much, much more.

Among those in attendance was the retired schools' administrator who hired Marble three decades ago.

"She said 'I'll give you two years,' recalled Peg Seeling, now 70, "I guess, maybe, that her math was wrong."

Seeling and other speakers agreed that Marble has rarely gotten much else wrong here. The 564 career victories – and counting – is but one example of her success, they said.

"Suzanne has grown as a person and as a coach," Seeling stressed, "and she has built a great health and fitness program for which La Conner should be proud."

"Suzanne Marble is the epitome of the ideal volleyball coach," she added, "but that pales when compared to the impact she has had on hundreds of La Conner students. She has taken young girls and turned them into successful women."

The audience included many former players who later gathered at midcourt for a photo op with Marble.

"Every young woman who left this program left not only a better volleyball player but as a better person," said alum Julie Hulbert Marble, who went on to play at Central Washington University and was one of the ceremony's lead organizers.

Mike Schick, on the executive board of the Washington State Coaches Association, into whose hall of fame Marble was inducted in 2015, lauded her as "a great ambassador for the sport of volleyball."

Schick, editor of the WSCA magazine, told the Weekly News that Marble is simultaneously a tireless champion on the court and promoter of the game.

"She is an outstanding representative for volleyball," said Schick, who presented Marble with a commemorative plaque to a loud standing ovation. "She's a great coach and a great person."

Superintendent Will Nelson opened the 15-minute program, praising Marble for having "shaped the hearts and minds of students" since her arrival on the local campus.

"We want to thank her," Nelson said, "for serving our kids and families."

Marble shifted attention from herself to her roster, a team that regularly defeats foes from larger schools, and the volleyball alums seated behind the Lady Braves' bench.

"This isn't about me," Marble insisted. "It's about all the young women here. We love volleyball, but we love the relationships and community we've built here in La Conner."

Seeling echoed that.

"I want you to know," she said, "that if I had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like you."