Valley Had a Picture-Perfect Season 20 Years Ago

There’s a special black and white, eight by 10-inch framed photo hanging on the wall of Diedra Stark’s office at Valley College.

It depicts a group of young women in volleyball uniforms holding a sign that reads: “If you’re undefeated, you haven’t played Valley.”

Every time Stark looks at it she is reminded of her successful coaching career, which ended 12 years ago so that she could dedicate more time to her family.

The photo is 20 years old and it is one of Stark’s prized possessions. It has been the source of many smiles and fond memories.

Stark coached that 1976 Valley volleyball team to an undefeated season, a Metropolitan Conference title and a state championship.

It was the best women’s volleyball team in school history and Stark was named state coach of the year.

“They had so much spirit,” Stark said as she analyzed the picture. “And they were all such good athletes.

“That was the team that started the winning tradition here and we were the team to beat in volleyball for years after that.”

The large trophy awarded for winning the state championship sits in a glass case at the entrance of the women’s gym at Valley.

It’s an area Stark walks through daily to get to her office.

The trophy is not fancy and it’s worn out, with most of its gold-colored trimmings faded. But it has a lot of meaning for Stark, who also coached basketball and badminton at Valley.

“That ’76 team was awesome,” said Stark, who teaches physical education at Valley. “They were impossible to beat. Their best competition came from their very own junior varsity team.”

Stark says it seems like yesterday and not two decades ago that she enjoyed the finest season in her 12-year coaching career, which began at Valley in 1972.

She occasionally reminisces with members of the ’76 championship team.

“I keep in touch with most of the kids and we were recently talking and they couldn’t believe it’s been 20 years,” Stark said. “They just screamed! So did I, actually.”

The only player from the championship team who still competes is middle blocker Gail Castro (then Gail Wolze), who will represent the U.S. in beach volleyball in the Atlanta Olympics.

Outside hitters Karen Honey and Maya Wolfson are junior high teachers in the Valley; outside hitter Jill Niles is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire division; outside hitter Janet Wattles is a movie production supervisor; outside hitter Kathy Beaumont is a wife and mother and so is setter Margaret Vowels.

Castro, 38, says Stark is a gifted motivator who deserves much of the credit for Valley’s success in volleyball.

“Diedra has been one of the most inspirational people in my life,” said Castro, who competed at Long Beach State and professionally in Italy before joining the women’s pro beach tour. “She is the greatest coach I’ve ever had. She taught me to have fun and play hard.”

Of course, it’s a blast when you dust opponents in match after match.

Stark recently revealed a secret formula she used to make sure her team always played up to its potential. She pumped players up for the weak competition by promising to buy each one a banana split.

Needless to say, she spent a lot of time in the produce and ice cream departments of her local grocery store.

“Other teams couldn’t believe why they were so excited to play,” Stark said. “It was really an incentive.”

Castro recalls eating a lot of banana splits in 1976 because most of the teams Valley played lacked talent.

“It was a great idea,” she said. “She was so smart to do that.”

*

Stark retired from coaching in 1984 to dedicate more time to her son, Scott, 17, and daughter, Amy, 12.

Both are involved in sports, and coaching did not afford her the time to watch them compete.

“Coaching was just too time-consuming, but I really miss it,” Stark said. “There’s no relationship like the relationship you have with a student-athlete.”

Stark, 46, also served as athletic director at Valley for 10 years before going back to just teaching.

A resident of Reseda, Stark was a gymnast and basketball player at North Hollywood High.

In 1968-69 she was a center on Valley’s state champion basketball team. Stark was also an outside hitter on the volleyball team that season.

She completed her physical education degree at Long Beach State and immediately returned to Valley as a physical education teacher and coach.

In 1975 Stark was an assistant women’s basketball coach on Valley’s state championship team.

She has had many good times at Valley, but there have been some sad moments. Through the years she has seen the women’s athletic program at the school fizzle.

When she started coaching, Valley had 12 women’s sports and now there are only four, due in part to budget cuts.

Worst of all is that the school no longer has a women’s volleyball team.

“It really was hard to see it go,” Stark said. “It was very difficult for me.”

It makes Stark remember the good old days even more.