Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana
Ragin' Cajuns Greatest Fan Ever
Re: J. Newman-Gonchar named assistant VB Coach
Mom, Im sure that icon will be changed soon enough..Originally Posted by cajunvbmom
All of us appreciate how hard the Volleyball team works!
Keep us updated on the goings on, if you can...
Former UL basketball star, T. Lyles keeps us updated on womens tennis....his daughter plays...I believe we have all become bigger fans because of his postings
Look forward to hearing from you in the near future!
Z.
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New VB coach brings West Coast ‘tude
"I take personal pride in error, detection and prevention from the standpoint of a teacher and the subject is volleyball. My role as a coach is to teach lessons that extend far beyond the gym.”
These were the words of Jonathan Newman-Gonchar, the new assistant coach for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball team.
The 23-year-old Claremont, Calif., native takes his job seriously, acting more as a teacher than a volleyball coach. “I approach the game from the standpoint of a teacher, and the players are my students. With every opportunity, I coach from the standpoint that I am a personal instructor of volleyball,” Newman-Gonchar said.
Newman-Gonchar, whose office is adorned with Ragin’ Cajun colors and pride, makes it his goal to ensure that every student he coaches graduates and takes the lessons they learn on the court on with them in life.
“I take personal pride in that every student-athlete that plays for me graduates, and with that I take even more pride in the fact that they will want to give back to, and support, the sport that helped make them into the people they have become,” he said.
Newman-Gonchar also said he practically jumped at the opportunity to coach Division-I volleyball, and after having a “great conversation” with head coach Amy Kraljev, he knew he would be a perfect fit. Kraljev said she knew Newman-Gonchar was the perfect addition to help her team be successful before they even met. “I knew he was the right one just by talking on the phone,” Kraljev said. “We had many of the same goals and the same coaching philosophies that would help achieve those goals.”
Newman-Gonchar said that he cannot wait for volleyball season to start and is excited about his team’s work ethic and desire to win a tournament title.
“This team has not made it to the Sun Belt Conference tournament in three years, and with that brings a sense of determination from the players that can only come from desperately wanting to achieve a goal with every fiber in your body,” he said. “When you have players with that focus, coaching becomes a truly enjoyable experience!” Originally from Southern California, Newman-Gonchar’s dark features, tanned skin and tousled curls make him look like he would be found on a Pacific beach rather than in a volleyball gym. Still, Newman-Gonchar has begun to make Lafayette his home.
“Lafayette is a wonderful city full of diversity, great food, great music and most importantly, great people. I love it!” Newman-Gonchar exclaimed. “The Cajun lifestyle is unique and takes a little getting used to, yet I am finding that I enjoy it more and more every day.” Newman-Gonchar graduated cum laude from Northern Arizona University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences.
Newman-Gonchar has held positions as an assistant coach at numerous universities and high schools, including his most recent stint as first assistant coach of the men’s volleyball team at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Growing up, Newman-Gonchar played various sports, including baseball and volleyball. He even spent a year on the wrestling team at Claremont High School. In the end, he found his passion in volleyball, which he still plays whenever he gets the chance.
“I still play beach and grass [volleyball] tournaments as much as possible,” Newman-Gonchar explained. Newman-Gonchar said he is glad he could bring his love and passion of volleyball to the players at UL Lafayette. He said he feels at home in Lafayette and knows this is the university where he belongs.
“The university atmosphere is very laid-back, whether it is the way I see students interacting or from the fact that there are alligators in a pond in the middle of campus,” he quipped. “It seemed like this university was a great place for a Southern Californian!”
The rest of the story
Heather L Warren
Louisiana Fan
Geaux Cajuns
Re: New VB coach brings West Coast ‘tude
Dearest Heather Warren,
Are you brain dead? Wasnt there a vote a few months ago determining that the students, by an overwhelming margin, preferred to known as UL or Louisiana?
This paper was pretty decent way back when C Debaillion and Paul Angelle ran that muthu.
what a comedown....
Ronnie
Louisiana Fan
Ragin' Cajuns #1 Fan
Re: J. Newman-Gonchar named assistant VB Coach
Hey I keep everyone on tap of the men's tennis team. No luv for a brutha!!!!!
Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana
Ragin' Cajuns Fan for Sure
Re: New VB coach brings West Coast ‘tude
Ronnie,
The sad part about it is that the Daily Sadvertiser does a better job of promoting us as UL than the Vermilion does. It's a ____ shame because you'd figure of all publications, the Vermilion would support the name change. Why? Well first of all, IT'S THE FREAKING PUBLICATION OF UL!!!! WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T IT SUPPORT THIS? Second of all, media is (stereo)typically liberal, and always fighting for the small guy. Well, UL is the small guy while aLm is the big nasty fat cat. Why a liberal media outlet would NOT support the small guy, especially considering that this "small guy" pays the bills for the Verm, is beyond my comprehension.
God Bless
GEAUX UL!!!!!!!!
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