Clif Norwine - Head Coach 17/18
Clif began playing volleyball in the summer of 1983 both indoors and on the beach. After several years of competing at a high level, he was given the opportunity to try out for UCLA and made the adversary squad where he trained with and competed against a National Championship Men’s team for 2 seasons. Clif said that, “Being coached by one of the greatest minds and strategic thinkers of this game, Al Scates at UCLA who has won 18 NCAA DI Championships, is what inspired me to be a coach!” During this time Clif coached club in LA and played on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour through qualifiers for 4 seasons. Upon returning to Dallas, Clif coached at the High School and collegiate levels and coached club with Texas Heat winning several tournaments with his 16’s team. Then he was asked to coach for one of Dallas’ top clubs, North Dallas Juniors, and took his 17’s team to multiple tournament wins and a 3rd in the Open Division at the Tampa Bay National Qualifier. During this time Clif developed a professional recruiting business for college bound student athletes which included demo videos, athlete/parent counseling, marketing and exposure for club volleyball players. From 1999 until 2010 Clif helped 50+ volleyball players find a collegiate scholarship at DI, DII, and NAIA schools across the country, with a success rate of over 95% of athletes signed! During this time Clif spent 6 years with Kahuna volleyball helping JB Butler create the FIRST Beach Volleyball Juniors program in the Southwest and building a top level product that other clubs have followed. Also during his 6 years at Kahuna, Clif coached 5 different teams to top 10 finishes in the Region all the while winning many tournaments in and out of the region and finishing 5th in the Open division at the Southern California Qualifier with his 17s team. Clif still competes today at the top levels of beach volleyball and travels around the country to compete in tournaments. To date he has competed in over 800 tournaments both on the beach and indoors. Clif has a passion for teaching good players to be great and great players to be smarter! His developmental process in progression based on footwork and technique have garnered visual results very quickly with athletes of all levels. Combine all that with his high enthusiasm and intense love for the game shows in every practice and at every match and brings positive results!
Tiffany Jones - Assistant Coach 16U
Tiffany has been an all around athlete since the age of 3 when her passion for athletics began with rhythmic gymnastics. Born and raised in Henderson, TX, she brings both player and coaching experience. Tiffany has participated in sports like gymnastics, basketball, select softball, cheerleading, soccer, track, and volleyball. She played volleyball her entire high school career but chose to play a different sport in college. While a volleyball player for her high school team, she played both outside hitter and defensive specialist. She also acted as a youth camp coach for Start Caring Wellness, Inc. where she educated young people about the importance of a healthy diet and active life style. With a passion for sports, she hopes to teach young girls to be competitive athletes and team players, two lessons that they can carry with them far in life. Tiffany graduated for the University of North Texas with her Masters of Arts in Communication Studies and currently teaches at two college campus in the DFW area.
Deanna Thele - Head Coach 15U/Assistant Coach 14U
Deanna Thele has been playing competitive volleyball for the past 16 years. In Middle School and the first two years in High School, Deanna’s played the middle position, winning MVP in many tournaments. The last two years in High School, Deanna transitioned to be an Outside Hitter. After High School, Deanna played one year of College Volleyball at Grayson County College. Deanna has continued to play competitive Volleyball in numerous Indoor and Sand Leagues over the past 10 years.
For the past 8 years, Deanna has been a referee in the Whitesboro Parks and Recreation Department Volleyball Leagues for girls in the 3rd-6th grades. During this time, she has helped train many girls one on one with technical skills from passing to jump serving. Deanna also helped in Volleyball Camps in the DFW Area within the past 2 years.
This is Deanna’s second year to coach for SLAM. Her first year was in the 2010-2011 Club Season as an Assistant Coach for the 18’s Slam Volleyball Team. Deanna looks forward to bringing her knowledge of the game and helping young athletes grow on and off the volleyball court.
Lana Odom - Head Coach 14U/Assistant Coach 15U
Lana has been playing volleyball for over ten years. She started her volleyball career at Three Rivers High school as a middle blocker then went on to play at Cisco Junior College as a starting middle blocker. She finished her college volleyball career at the University of Texas at Dallas as a starting middle blocker. After college she played USAV adult volleyball and still plays as a right side/middle
Lana also plays beach volleyball. She competes in many US Open tournaments and travels around the United States to compete, winning the US Open AA division at Huntington beach in 2007. In 2010 she competed in the US Open at Manhattan beach in California where she was sponsored by powered zero!
Lana started her club coaching career in 2003. She has coached ages 12 to 18. She has been coaching for SLAM Volleyball since 2010. In addition to coaching club volleyball, she coached the Jv team at Trinity Christian Academy.