Olympia volleyball coach Laurie Creighton, retiring after 43 years, recognized at final home game
Laurie Creighton tried to coach Olympia’s regular season finale as if it was any other volleyball match.
But few games play out with dozens of a coach’s former players and assistant coaches, dating back to the 1970s, cheering behind her.
Few coaches will ever know the emotions of wrapping up 43 regular seasons as a head coach, all at the same school, with 864 wins and two state championships.
“I tried to bury it,” she said. “I’ve gotten better over the years at compartmentalizing, so I tried to be in the moment.”
When the Bears’ nonleague sweep of crosstown rival Capital, coached by former Olympia assistant Katie Turcotte, concluded Saturday night at Chick Rockey Gym, the celebration was only getting started.
Creighton learned a new award named for her will henceforth be given to a senior athlete at Olympia who demonstrates “coachability, character and commitment.” She watched as her current team, 10-5 headed to next Saturday’s 4A SPSL tournament at Emerald Ridge, unveiled a logo to be painted onto the hardwood of the Bears’ gym renaming the playing surface “Creighton Court.”
Known for reminding her players “you’re a person a lot longer than you’re a volleyball player,” Creighton had a lasting effect on many girls who played for her.
“She empowers women and embodies leadership,” said Mandy McInally-Madill, a former player and assistant coach who graduated in 1996 and is now a dental hygienist and mother of five.
“Laurie created a female-positive sports environment for us,” said Katy Johnson, who was a sophomore on Olympia’s 1997 state championship team and later played at Seattle Pacific University. She’s now a real estate agent in Shelton and mother of three boys. “Everything we did from the retreats to the camps, to the team dinners were all well-planned and thought out. We felt cared for.”
Creighton intentionally crafted her message toward young women.
“I grew into that pretty quickly,” she said. “I was drawn to it because of the women in my life who impacted me. I saw the need and wanted to be a positive influence for other kids.”
Kristen Johnson (no relation to Katy) graduated in 1998 and played for Washington State. She came up from San Diego, where she owns a small business, for the event.
“Laurie’s an outstanding human and coach,” she said. “She invests so much in the lives of her players. It’s an honor to be here and celebrate with her.”
In sports, though, the road to last place can be paved with good intentions. Creighton’s life lessons are taught in a winning program.
Former Puyallup Hall of Fame coach Tony Batinovich rated her among the “best to ever coach any sport in the state” in a video message.
Bob Kickner, who became Olympia’s athletic director late in Creighton’s tenure, agreed.
“You can compare her to a John Wooden, a Mike Krzyzewski or a Pat Summit,” he said. “Laurie Creighton is that in the state of Washington. Her dedication to the kids, to the sport, to the craft of coaching is everything you could want.”
When it was Creighton’s turn to speak, she said she would hold her remarks to 10 minutes, but ultimately had 18 minutes worth of people to thank, from childhood coaches to current players. After playing at Washington State in the early days of Title IX, she began teaching and coaching at nearby Washington Middle School, but moved to Olympia as volleyball coach after a single season and several years later as a teacher.
A constant has been her husband Greg, who was recently called “the other Creighton” in a headline. Laurie begged to differ.
“He’s the original. He was here a long time before I came along,” she said of the former Olympia senior athlete-of-the-year who since has taught, coached baseball, served as athletic director, created the athletic trainer program at the school and, during the last four seasons, been a member of the volleyball coaching staff.
Creighton’s coaching tree is vast and includes Turcotte and Lauren Herseth, The Olympian’s 2011 All Area volleyball player of the year now an assistant at Central Washington University.
“I truly believe there was divine intervention in me coming to Olympia High School,” said an occasionally tearful Turcotte, who has guided Capital to a state championship and two other top three finishes in 3A after spending nine years on Creighton’s staff. “Laurie and I became close enough friends we didn’t always need to say anything, we’d just look at each other and know what we should do next.”
Creighton’s current players understand the monumental nature of their coach’s retirement.
“I got to see my siblings play for Coach Creighton and my mom coach with her, so from when I was little, it was my dream to play for her,” said senior libero Taryn Wilson, whose older sisters Lauren and Camryn played for the Bears and whose mom, Shelly, a 1987 graduate, served as the spokesperson for alumni players Saturday.
Senior setter Kendall McBride added, “after growing up watching this team play it’s really special to be here for her last year. You can tell how much she cares about every player and how hard she works to create a community and a culture.”
Creighton’s ex-players chipped into a travel fund for Greg and her. They plan to use it soon. She isn’t averse to remaining around volleyball in a helpful role but doesn’t want to be a head coach or atop any program’s org chart.
Amanda Solomon, a former assistant coach who spoke in a video message, doubts Creighton can completely shake her persona after all these decades.
“You are a life coach, not just a volleyball coach,” Solomon said. “So, wherever this next step takes you, you are going to be coaching because it’s who you are. You can’t help but do that.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Olympia volleyball coach Laurie Creighton, retiring after 43 years, recognized at final home game."