For the 2020 Fall Sports season, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team welcomed a new coach! 23 year old Jenna Skerritt was eager to start the season with expectations of creating a “positive environment for the girls to have fun, improve their skills and make the most of every moment.” Her top priority is to teach her girls how to grow as individuals as well as members on a team both on and off the court. She states that “winning is never the top priority, instead it comes secondary to the lessons and skills I am trying to teach the girls.” Skerritt recognized that this would not be a traditional season due to the COVID restrictions but that didn’t stop her from getting creative and making the most of every moment.

Her interest in volleyball started with her mom who was a player and coach for many years. Skerritt started playing at about 10 years old as a setter, utility hitter, defensive specialist and serving specialist (but mainly setter) and started competing competitively throughout middle and high school. Eventually she was able to take her skills up to the collegiate level and attended Western Connecticut State University for 4 years. During this time she started her coaching career volunteering her time at camps host by WCSU. She also coached at CSA in New Milford and CT Stars in Danbury for middle school/high school aged players. After coaching at CT Stars Skerritt was able to come in contact with the Norwalk AD and apply for the Head Coaching position of the Varsity Girls Volleyball team at Norwalk High School. When asked why she started coaching Skerritt responded with “Coaching was an outlet that brought me close to the game when I didn’t have the chance to play anymore.” While Skerritt had many positive experiences with coaches as a player, she wanted to take this opportunity to positively impact the volleyball community herself and improve upon the things that could’ve been done differently.

Skerritt might be one of the youngest coaches Norwalk High has ever had, with an age gap of only 5-6 years from her girls. She admitted that there were pros and cons to this but she has found that “being only a couple years older to the girls worked in my advantage of being able to relate to them.” It wasn’t so long ago that she was going through the same experiences (college, high school, jobs, time management etc) and she was willing to help in anyway she could. She voiced the importance of open communication with her and her girls very early on saying “Not only am I a coach, but I worked to be a trusted adult.” However Skerritt did acknowledged that it can be difficult “drawing the line between coach and friend,” due to her age “but the girls and I have a great understanding of respect this season.”

Coach Skerritt is beyond excited for what’s to come and says the best part of coaching is building a strong relationship with her girls and watching them improve individually as well as a team everyday to reach the goals they set at the beginning of the season.