During a 40-year coaching career with the Lebanon High field hockey team, Deb Beach established the type of continuity most programs only yearn for. Now one of Beach’s former players will try to help continue the Raiders’ excellence.
Amanda Valliere, a 2006 Lebanon High graduate and former Raiders midfielder, will succeed Beach this fall, Lebanon athletic director Mike Stone announced on Tuesday.
Beach confirmed her retirement in December after 40 seasons with the Raiders, the final 35 as head varsity coach. She led the program to four NHIAA Class I/Division II titles, including three in four years from 2012-15.
More importantly, Beach’s emphasis on communication and fundamentals had a lasting influence on countless players, including Valliere, who went on to a four-year collegiate career as a defender for Division III Hartwick College in upstate New York and coached at Mascoma High from 2011-13.
She currently teaches social studies at Unatego High in Otego, N.Y., and will teach the same subject at Lebanon beginning this fall.
“Deb’s practices were always intense, but she cared a lot about the players and the relationships on the team,” said Valliere, 29. “I remember, at one particular practice my senior year, the team was struggling and I was getting really frustrated because I thought we weren’t taking the game seriously.
“I yelled at one of my teammates, not in a very nice way, and Deb pulled me aside and said, ‘I know you’re into the game, but you have to understand that there are 11 different people on the field, and they’re not all going to have the same mindset as you. You need to not only recognize that, but also do whatever you can to play to their strengths.’
“That’s something that helped carry me through college and later as a teacher and coach.”
Valliere also learned plenty during her first coaching stint, during which she compiled a record of 21-23-3 in three seasons with the Royals, who had a winning record and first-round playoff victory during each of her first two seasons before low numbers contributed to a 2-10-3 mark in 2013.
“The whole time I was a player, I thought my coaches were crazy. Now I see they knew exactly what they were doing,” Valliere said. “It’s a whole different game from the coaching perspective. When you’re a player, you’re only focused on your own job and what you’re doing on the field, and that’s all you should be worrying about.
“When you’re coaching, it’s that times 11. You’re not only thinking about what everyone is doing on the field, but also things like, ‘What’s my substitute situation? How many people do I have out there that can last 60 minutes? Is the game going to overtime? What kind of things am I noticing that we’ll need to go over next practice?’ It’s a whole different process of things to consider.”
Stone, who became Lebanon’s AD last summer, is confident about his newest hire.
“I’m looking forward to working with Amanda because she has a lot of energy,” Stone said. “She’s someone who has worked with Deb, played for her and knows the type of program that she built and sustained for so many years. She knows what to expect and what the expectations are at Lebanon.”
Beach, a longtime Lebanon teacher who retired from the classroom two years ago, called Valliere one of the most versatile players she ever coached.
“She could play anywhere on the field and was a very good leader,” Beach said. “I fully expect those skills to carry over (to coaching).”
Valliere employs a defense-first approach and demands swift ball movement. As for similarities to Beach, Valliere hasn’t forgotten about her mentor’s emphasis on the interpersonal.
“She always stressed communication and trust in your teammates, and that’s something I try to incorporate,” Valliere said. “That and 100 percent effort every time (players) step on the field. That looks different for everyone, like she told me that day at practice, but it can still be given by every player.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.