Andy Halaz's 13-year association with St. Louis-area volleyball club began as a junior player
Webmaster of the Week: June 26-July 2
NAME:
Andy Halaz
SITE:
High Performance - STL Volleyball Club
POSITION:
Public relations director
USE OF PLATFORM:
Branded mobile, PowerPay, Registration, Sitebuilder
BACKGROUND:
Halaz was a volleyball player growing up in the St. Louis area, and he got his introduction to high-level instruction and competition as a junior player in the St. Louis High Performance Volleyball Club. A 2008 merger with Team St. Louis Volleyball Club formed what is now the High Performance – STL Volleyball Club. By whatever name, Halaz’s presence with the organization has been a near-constant. His 13-year involvement with the club has included stints as a coach for several teams (he’s coaching the 16-year-old girls team this summer) and most recently has taken on the public relations director duties. Halaz played boys’ volleyball at St. Louis University High School, where he was named team captain for his junior and senior seasons and won a state championship in 2003. He attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City, where he got his start coaching as a student assistant. He earned a Masters degree in theology from St. Louis University in 2012. Halaz spent three years as an assistant coach at Georgetown University – the only break in his coaching run (2005-10, 2013-present) at High Performance – STL Volleyball Club. “It makes me feel kind of old when I’m coaching a team of kids who weren’t even born when I started with the organization,” said Halaz, who said there are about 300 boys and about 500 girls participating in the club.
WHAT HE DOES:
Halaz writes regular updates from club team’s tournament performances and also previews upcoming events. He also keeps the content flowing in the club’s social media channels. Halaz’s experience as a college coach and recruiter has made him keenly aware of the type of content that should be posted on player pages, and he’s set them up to include physical, academic and high school information. “It is a great one-stop shop for a college coach that wants to know about our athletes,” said Halaz, who gives access to players so they can plug information such as GPA, class rank and ACT and SAT scores.
MAKING HIS MARK:
Halaz produces a monthly two-page newsletter that he sends by email to club members and posts in the website’s news section.
FUN FACT:
As detailed in the May newsletter, Nolan Francis Halaz, the son of Andy and wife Danielle (she’s also a club coach) was born on May 23. Nolan weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 22 inches.
