Add volleyball coach to list of duties for busy Southmoreland AD Boring

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, September 25, 2022 | 4:12 PM

Dan Boring’s life is anything but, well, boring.

The Southmoreland athletic director wears many hats in Scottie Land, and he added another one this fall, leaving people asking, “How does he do it all?”

Boring, who has been the school’s wrestling coach for the last five years and teaches freshman health and gym at the high school, took over the girls volleyball team when the district could not find a qualified candidate.

Former coach Heather Meyer resigned in March, but her replacement could not be found despite the position being advertised several times.

“I knew as the AD that if we didn’t have a coach, I would step in as we did not want to see the program fold this year,” Boring said.

His volleyball knowledge has evolved, albeit methodically, as he leads a Scotties team that is suddenly ranked No. 9 in Class 2A by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.

Boring said he knew the basics when he took over as coach.

“I’ve been learning as I go,” he said. “The girls have been a great asset, and I attribute most of our success to them and less about my coaching. My only job is to put them in position to succeed, which, to this point, I’d say we have done a good job of.”

Junior outside hitter Amarah McCutcheon said Boring has created a fun atmosphere around the volleyball team.

“He has definitely brought a lot of confidence and motivation to our team,” McCutcheon said. “He is also very patient with us, which is a big thing for all of us. Our team respects him a lot and all that he does, especially since he stepped in to be our coach when nobody else would. He believes in us.”

As for his grueling, fast-lane schedule, one where only someone with impeccable time-management skills could survive, Boring half-jokingly said it takes “a can-do attitude and lots of caffeine.”

“But, in all honesty, I have a great support system around me at home and at work,” he said, “which has made it easier to handle an extra responsibility.”

Boring said the most hectic days are those when the Scotties have multiple home and away events. He likes to show his face at games and matches — the ones where he isn’t otherwise coaching — but can be in only one place at a time.

“Between teaching my morning classes at the high school, then preparing for all of the days activities: scheduling, bussing, checks, confirming officials, making sure facilities are ready to go,” Boring said, “Thankfully, I’ve had a lot of support from my assistant AD, Brian Pritts. He has really stepped up this fall to cover other events while I am at volleyball games.”

Girls soccer coach Josh Pajak and football coach Tim Bukowski were complimentary of Boring.

“It’s crazy how many hats he wears,” Bukowski said. “He’s really good to us.”

And, by the way, the 32-year-old Boring also has a young family. He and his wife, Amber, who is his assistant on the volleyball team, have an 11-month-old son, Noah, and they are expecting another child.

“She played volleyball at Yough and also had assistant coaching experience at Charleroi back in 2008,” Boring said of his wife. “I’m very grateful to have her with me. My assistant AD joked around that she only agreed to coach so she could see me more, which may be true, because as the AD I spend most of my awake hours at the school and events.”

Boring could be more qualified than most athletic directors simply because he has been around so many sports.

He also was the Scotties’ baseball coach for two years (2017-18) and served on the football staff in the past as a receivers coach. He has coached middle school football, girls soccer and boys soccer.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Southmoreland