Laura “Bird” Kuhn takes her place as the sixth volleyball head coach at Texas A&M University, following a reign of more than 20 years by the former Texas A&M volleyball head coach, Laurie Corbelli.
When this year’s season begins, you won’t hear players or fans call out “Coach Kuhn,” but rather “Bird.” The affectionate nickname comes from her childhood; Bird was born prematurely and had bird legs, she says.
Bird previously coached and recruited at the University of Kansas for seven years. Although she enjoyed her time at Kansas, along with the people she worked with, she felt it was time for a change. Bird says she has always had good experiences with volleyball in both high school and college. The relationships she’s formed along the way are what led her to coaching today.
“The relationships are more valuable and important to me than the actual volleyball,” Bird says. “My ‘why’ is more about the people than the actual sport.”
Throughout Bird’s first year at Texas A&M she says she expects to learn more about the players and the way each of them responds collectively. Overall, Bird says she is excited for the upcoming season and meeting new people. She expects the team to step up this year and have a good season.
“We 100 percent want to be competing for SEC championships and national championships,” says Bird.
Bird says she wants to continue to see development within the team. She has already seen a huge jump in development from January (when she started) to now, but she wants to see continued growth.
Although Bird has many expectations for her new team and anticipates success for the upcoming season, she says she believes there will always be challenges along the way, including team dynamics and different personalities. Instilling positive communication in the team is one way Bird says she will overcome these challenges.
“Communication is key; it’s all about how you respond,” says Bird.
With communication comes connection. Bird says she values her players’ and staff’s ability to connect with people. She sees how they influence and inspire each other every day, which has also been a big inspiration for herself, she says.
Bird wants to be able to leave an impact on her players once she leaves, just as they have impacted her. She achieves part of this is by introducing her new team to the importance of respect for everyone around them.
“They are more than just a volleyball player,” says Bird. “Their personal growth is just as important as volleyball and we’re going to push them in every aspect. It’s because we want them to be the best version of themselves.”
See Bird and the team in action this fall at Reed Arena. The 2018 season kicks off on Aug. 18 at 1pm versus TCU. For tickets and the full schedule, visit www.12thman.com.
