About Get Ahead Stay Ahead

The Philosophy Behind the Name

"Get Ahead Stay Ahead" isn't just a catchy slogan—it's a life philosophy I inherited from my father. Whether it was preparing for a new school year or stepping onto an athletic field, Dad always emphasized the importance of getting out in front and maintaining your advantage. That mindset has guided my approach to coaching, competition, and now, building tools that help other coaches succeed.

My Volleyball Journey

I played in Arizona's first boys' high school volleyball match in 1988, long before the sport gained traction in our state. That early experience sparked a lifelong connection to volleyball, though my coaching career actually began in football. It wasn't until I switched to volleyball that everything changed—not just my career trajectory, but my entire understanding of what strategic coaching could be.

Over the years, I've coached at Canyon del Oro High School (8 seasons as head coach of the "Hitmen"), Ironwood Ridge, Amphitheater, and Flowing Wells High Schools, as well as Club Cactus Juniors and Ridge Volleyball Club. My Canyon del Oro teams produced three straight state kill leaders, including Jack Call in 2017, who led the entire nation with 672 kills. I was honored to be named Region Coach of the Year twice during those years.

Volleyball runs in my family. My daughter, Kianna, played collegiately at Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University, giving me firsthand insight into what it takes to develop players who can compete at the next level.

Today, I serve as the Public Address Announcer for University of Arizona Beach Volleyball, which keeps me connected to the sport I love while I focus on building Get Ahead Stay Ahead.

The Breakthrough: CAP II, 2000

Everything changed at a USA Volleyball CAP II certification seminar in 2000. That's where I learned about the fundamental asymmetry of volleyball—specifically, what happens when you receive serve first in a set.

The concept was eye-opening: volleyball is a race. When you receive first, you need to understand how many "real" points it takes to win, and how to exploit the extra rotations you get as a result of that asymmetry. This wasn't just theory—it was actionable strategy that could change match outcomes.

I became obsessed with tracking these patterns. I started keeping detailed records on an Excel spreadsheet, manually calculating rotation values, extra rotations, and win probabilities. It worked—my teams improved, my tactical decisions became sharper, and I could see patterns that other coaches were missing.

But the Excel approach had limitations. It was time-consuming, required constant manual input, and wasn't something I could easily use in real-time during matches. I knew there had to be a better way.

Building Get Ahead Stay Ahead

GASA was born from a simple frustration: Why should coaches have to guess which rotation gives them the best chance to win?

The data exists. The math exists. The strategy exists. But it was locked away in spreadsheets, or worse, just left to intuition and guesswork. I wanted to create a tool that any coach could use—one that required no statistics degree, no dedicated assistant, and no hours of post-match analysis.

The result is GASA: a one-button-per-play app that tracks rotations in real-time, calculates rotation value automatically, and gives you immediate recommendations before your lineup card is due for the next set.

The Mission

My goal is simple: Help coaches make data-driven decisions instead of guessing.

Every coach deserves access to the same analytics that elite programs use. You shouldn't need a PhD in statistics or a staff of analysts to know which rotation is your strongest. You shouldn't have to wonder if you're starting your team in the right lineup. And you shouldn't have to wait days for insights that could have helped you win today.

GASA levels the playing field. It takes the concepts I learned at CAP II, refined through years of coaching, and puts them in the hands of any coach who wants to win more intelligently.

Why I Do This

I've been fortunate to coach talented athletes, learn from brilliant mentors, and experience volleyball from multiple angles—as a player, coach, parent, and now as a PA announcer watching some of the best athletes in the country compete.

But the thing that drives me isn't nostalgia or credentials. It's knowing that right now, somewhere, a coach is making a lineup decision based on a hunch instead of data. They're guessing which rotation to start, hoping they're right, and potentially giving away points before the first serve.

I built GASA because I've been that coach. And I know we can do better.