End of an era for North Star senior girls volleyball program
- Ron Giofu
- Jul 8
- 7 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
It’s the end of an era for the North Star Wolves senior girls volleyball program.
Jeff Miller and Mary Ewer will no longer be on the sidelines for the team, as their coaching pursuits have either taken different paths or possibly winding down altogether. They stated it publicly at last month’s North Star High School athletic banquet but their days with the program date back a few decades when they were at General Amherst High School.
Miller spent 20 years as the head coach at General Amherst before the move to North Star, joining the program in the 2002-03 season.
“Overall it was 22 volleyball seasons due to missing one from the COVID year of no high school sports,” he said.
Miller said things naturally come to an end, but the main reason he is stepping away from the program is his own kids.
“I’ve been coaching everyone else’s kids in high school sports and club for well over 20 years so I do not want to miss out on my own kids going through their respective careers,” said Miller. “Both kids are busy with their sports and need rides to and from wherever they are going. It is very tough and demanding to get two kids all over the place as it is, let alone if I’m at school every night to 6 or 7 p.m. and gone on some weekends for tournaments from November to March Break.”
Miller is also the vice president and high performance director of the South County Bandits volleyball club in Windsor-Essex County which is also busy in the winter. “I simply only have so many hours in a day,” he said.
The question of whether it was tough to walk away from the program was met with a “yes and no” answer, with Miller saying it is difficult to leave something that was important to him for many years. That said, he knew it was time to move on and be with his family in the winter months.
“Dad has been a volleyball coach his whole life and naturally his daughter’s play volleyball, so there is now a massive conflict in that winter season,” he said.
Miller said when things change over the years, he might be open to helping out a team “here and there.” He is not committing to taking over a program for the forseeable future as he has five to seven years left in his teaching career. He is still keeping his finger in high school coaching, as he will help train and coach the junior boys volleyball team next school year as that is in the fall and he has fewer commitments that time of year.
His proudest accomplishments are almost too many to discuss, he added.
“We won 14 WECSSAA senior girls championships and qualified for 13 OFSAAs,” he said. “In those 13 appearances we were able to win three championships and nine medals overall. What really set us apart in our spectacular 10-15 year run was how consistent we were every year at these championships. Our teams changed so much over the years but I think we won our pool with a perfect 4-0 record 10 of 13 years. We had a stretch from 2006 to 2013 where we were in the OFSAA gold medal match five of eight years. Our program had an identity and a great culture of working together, relentless defense and toughness. Nobody wanted to play us.”
Outside of volleyball, Miller said he is very proud of how successful their former players have become after they graduated. He stated many had successful post-secondary careers in all the different sports they may have chosen to play and almost all of them have excellent careers and families.
“It is pretty impressive,” he said.
Miller still hope to help out here and there at North Star.
“I am heavily involved with coaching and administration with the Bandits volleyball program which is a job within itself as the popularity of volleyball is exploding. I am still the WECSAA volleyball convener, so I set up and run the high school league and I also sit on the WECSSAA sports executive.”
Miller said he is also a Volleyball Canada coach evaluator so when they have club coaches in the area going through their certification process, he will work with them for the three-month period to complete their respective certifications.
“I also hope to continue to run the Black and Gold Invitational Volleyball Tournaments that we have run here in Amherstburg for the last 20 years,” he said. “It is our main fundraiser for the volleyball program and I would still like to help with the fundraising efforts.”
Miller said he helped established a Monday night house league volleyball program in Amherstburg over the last few years, noting efforts of Mike Essenpreis and Shannon Buchner during that time. That was through the Bandits “where we had 160 participants over our fall/winter sessions.” He said he will “definitely look to keep providing that opportunity in town for kids to get out and play.”
Advice Miller gives to current and future coaches and players is always continue to learn and to keep an open mind.
“When you are young and you have some success, you tend to think you know everything. Things change and evolve. Keep learning,” he said.
Miller said he was fortunate to grow up in a county town and played in some good sports programs.
“It was very important to me to deliver the same types of experiences that I had,” he said. “Yes, we had some great memories and some amazing victories but the time you spend on the road, in hotels and at restaurants with your friends and teammates you will remember for the rest of your life. Those lifelong bonds and friendships are so important. Many of my best friends to this day are the guys I grew up playing sports with as kids, in high school or at university.”
Miller also expressed how thankful he was to have someone like Ewer at his side all these years. He said she was running the program before he was hired at Amherst and he took over from her and she stayed on to help out. After 23 years, they were still coaching together.
“It was a truly amazing friendship,” he said. “The hours we spent over the years on the 401 and other highways solving all the problems of the world was truly remarkable and her competitiveness and toughness left such an imprint on our program and players.”
Miller added he “could not have been any luckier for the parents and families I was blessed to deal with in this community.”
“Being involved in so many youth sports, I deal with so many parental issues and as the convenor I hear what some other coaches have to deal with around our league or in the province,” Miller continued. “We have had such amazing people to deal with over the years which directly shows why their kids have gone on to be as successful as they have. It was truly a pleasure and I am thankful for (then principal) Pat Catton for giving me that opportunity 23 years ago and for our administration over the years for being supportive of our program and seeing the value in what we do.”
Ewer said she started coaching in 1993 so it was 32 years, minus one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she has been considering retiring from coaching for some time, but Miller’s decision to step away made up her mind that this would be her final year.
“It’s funny, I’ve been saying that I was quitting for a few years, especially last year but when Jeff told me this would be his last year, I decided to stay on for one more year so we could go out together!” said Ewer.
Like Miller, Ewer said “yes or no” as to whether it was a tough decision.
“Mostly yes because I have coached so many wonderful girls over the years, some starting when they went to Anderdon and then GAHS and NSHS,” said Ewer. “I have many wonderful friendships with a lot of the parents, many of whom I still see today and some athletes I coached and now coach their daughter. Knowing Jeff wasn’t going to coach again, made this decision a little easier.”
Ewer believes she will be there to help run North Star’s volleyball invitational tournaments or if they need an extra coach at times “but I will for sure be in the stands watching!”
There were many accomplishments she is proud of.
“We were so close to going to OFSSA before 2006 so when we made it there for the first time, it was so exciting but so uncertain,” she said. “Then when we won gold for the first time, it was so unreal, especially with my daughter Jessica on the team.”
Ewer added she also proud they began a domination in senior girls volleyball in this area, winning WECSSAA 14 times, SWOSSAA 11 times, visiting OFSAA 13 times from 2006-2013, 2015, 2019-2020, and 2023-2024.
“We won three gold, two silver, two bronze, two antique bronze, one consolation championship, and lost in the quarterfinals three times. Had it not been for COVID I’m sure we would have been there in 2021-2022,” said Ewer. “There were highs and lows, winning and losing but I was always proud of the young ladies we coached! They represented their high school with such maturity, grace and class! We couldn’t ask for more!”
Ewer has four grandchildren so “you never know” regarding a future in coaching, “but sitting in the stands watching sounds appealing!”
Her advice for both coaches and athletes is to go have fun but to instill fairness and class for a healthy competition.
“I believe you also instill in them to play as hard as they possibly can and leave everything they’ve got on the court with no regrets! Enjoy it while it lasts because it will be over sooner than you know it!” said Ewer.
Ewer added “I can honestly say it’s been an incredible journey coaching with such an excellent coach as Jeff! We’ve traveled all over the province of Ontario, coaching great athletes, seeing some excel playing volleyball at a higher level! While it was great being successful a lot of life lessons were taught and learned. It was a wild ride with Jeff but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!”
End of an era for North Star senior girls volleyball program
By Ron Giofu
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