The Front Row with MARK NELKE October 21, 2010

When Claudia Ebel got into the coaching profession at Lakeland High in 1978, she never envisioned still doing it more than three decades later.

But though she still enjoys the coaching and the players, she has decided the time is right to "do some other things," and that is why she has turned in her resignation as head volleyball coach after 29 seasons at Lakeland, effective at the end of the season. She'll retire as a teacher (she currently teaches Algebra 2) at the end of the school year.

"It's the Rule of 90 - that's the bottom line," she said, referring to the rule in Idaho where, when a teacher's age and their years of teaching add up to 90, they can retire with full benefits. Ebel is in her 33rd year of teaching, and will turn 58 in March.

"I will reach the rule of 90 in June, and that (retiring) has been my plan for a number of years. No other reasons than that, really - other than I believe it's time to do some other things."

Ebel and her husband, John, own a place up at Priest Lake, and they recently bought a home in Surprise, Ariz., in suburban Phoenix, and their plan is to split time between those two places.

EBEL HAS a career record of 389-345, and has guided the Hawks to 10 state tournaments, including a runner-up finish at the state A-2 tourney in 1988.

On Tuesday night, she was honored prior to her final home match, and numerous brothers and nieces and nephews and a grandchild - all from the Spokane area - were on hand.

Ebel graduated from University High in Spokane in 1971, and played volleyball and basketball there back in the days before Title IX, before girls' sports were organized like they are now. She went on to graduate from Washington State, knowing she wanted to coach volleyball and basketball someday.

Ebel was hired as a teacher and JV volleyball coach at Lakeland in 1978, and later she was hired as JV girls basketball coach. She coached both sports until the early 1990s, when she gave up basketball because of the time demands on volleyball.

In 1981 Ebel became co-volleyball coach with Alice Deaver, who started the Lakeland volleyball program in the 1970s, then took over as varsity coach in 1982.

"Back then it was a lot more low-key," she said. "Volleyball players were also basketball players, and they were involved in track. A large number of our athletes were three-sport athletes."

EBEL SAID she thought she would coach 10, maybe 15 years, then get out and concentrate on her teaching duties. In fact, there was a time in the early 1990s, after a difficult season with parents, when she turned in her resignation.

"Obviously it wasn't accepted," she said. "I changed my mind; it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It was parent issues. And that's one of the reasons (I changed my mind). I wasn't going to let that be the decision maker, I didn't want that to determine when I decide to end my coaching career."

But she said that has been the exception at Lakeland.

"I've felt extremely fortunate to begin and end my teaching and coaching career at Lakeland High School," Ebel said. "Lakeland High School has been great to me. Support from the administration has just been exceptional, the student-athletes that I've been fortunate enough to work with have been awesome. Parent support has been good."

Ebel said she's proud of the players she (along with former longtime assistant coach Melissa Taylor, a former Hawk player) have sent on to college, even more proud of the people her players have become after leaving Lakeland.

THE HAWKS have had plenty of outstanding teams over the years, but have also had the misfortune of being in leagues with two of the top teams in the state over the past 30 years.

In her first two decades as coach, Lakeland was in the Intermountain League, battling St. Maries in league and sometimes at state. In fact, the one time Lakeland made it to the state finals, in 1988, its opponent was St. Maries, which was in the midst of winning 10 straight state titles.

"She always got her teams ready to play us," longtime former St. Maries volleyball coach Mitch Santos said. "I thought her teams were defensively solid."

Now that Lakeland has moved up to 4A, the big roadblock has been Sandpoint, a perennial state title contender. If ever a program could have said "Woe is me," it would have been Lakeland. But Ebel and the Hawks have always taken the high road.

"I think that is what made our program, is being in those leagues, and competing against those types of teams," Ebel said. "Those were historic teams, and to be able to compete with them ... it definitely made our program better, because we have been, and are, competing with the best teams in the state."

BEFORE EBEL starts that retirement stuff - which includes taking up golf - there's the 4A Region I tournament in Sandpoint on Saturday and, if the third-seeded Hawks are able to knock off the top two seeds, Sandpoint and Moscow, state next week.

At some point the final point will be scored, and Ebel will shake hands with the other coach, say goodbye to her players, and turn in her whistle for a 7-iron.

"I know it's going to be bittersweet," she said. "I really do enjoy this, and I still am enjoying it. The reason I am retiring from coaching is not because I don't enjoy it. I still enjoy it, I love working with the kids; the kids are great this year. We're going through a challenging year but the attitude is awesome. They're not giving up, they continue to believe ... retiring has nothing to do with me not enjoying it; I just believe it's time."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of the Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at mnelke@cdapress.com.