The Impact of Sabrina Bingham on Youth Volleyball in the Big Country
It takes a special person to see the potential in a child; to speak the words they need to hear to help them believe that they have what it takes. It takes a special person to guide a child to success, understanding it looks different for every person, but that every person is capable. It takes a special person to bring out the best in those around them. Sabrina Bingham is a special person that possesses these gifts and because of them and her God-given talent, she has been instrumental in the growth of youth volleyball in Abilene and the Big Country.
Bingham was born and raised in Alaska where hockey and skiing occupied her time early on. When she was 12, that changed. Bingham was introduced to volleyball by a friend, and she became mesmerized with the sport. There was little or no opportunities for young people to get fundamental training, so Bingham took matters into her own hands, literally, by getting touches on a volleyball every chance she could.
Soon enough, Bingham realized volleyball was something she could do well and she found herself in gyms and on courts learning more about what makes the game so special. The confidence in herself started to grow, and the naturally shy kid found that communication on the court was easy. Volleyball was giving her a platform to speak and use her voice in a way that made a difference.
“I loved that I could be as loud as I wanted to be on the court,” Bingham said. “I would walk off of the court shy and timid, but I was different when I played.”
The sport was shaping Bingham into a leader.
Bingham took the skills she worked so hard to gain and played at the collegiate level at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Team bonding and chemistry was next level, and while the communication piece was her favorite thing early on, the friendship component became her favorite thing during her time in college. To this day, she and her teammates stay in touch.
“Volleyball is unique in that way and has provided me with so many lifelong friendships,” Bingham said.
After graduation, Bingham coached in several capacities in both Alaska and Virginia, but she eventually landed in Abilene to be closer to her family. It wasn’t long before word got out that Bingham was something special and volleyball was her wheelhouse. In 2007, she was named the head coach at Hardin-Simmons University and the legacy of Bingham and volleyball in the Big Country began.
She coached at Hardin-Simmons for 13 years. During that time, the Cowgirls were four-time conference champions from 2010- 2013. She also began working in the community, alongside her team and Jon Smith, the director of Abilene Youth Sports Authority (AYSA), as they helped put on Firm Foundation clinics for the younger generation. It was a full-circle moment for Bingham as she was now offering something she wished she had access to when she first fell in love with the game.
“As I coached young girls, I would see timid ones, just like I was, taking the court,” Bingham said. “I would watch them make mistakes and speak life into those mistakes. My goal was to help them recognize their strengths, their ability to control certain aspects of the game and to grow as people.”
Smith’s daughter, Tucker Smith Rivero, was one of the lucky ones that experienced the influence of Bingham in multiple capacities throughout her life, beginning with the Firm Foundation clinics with her dad and Bingham early on, to eventually landing on the volleyball roster at Hardin-Simmons. The respect and love Rivero has for Bingham runs deep.
“I have always admired Sabrina’s ability to connect and teach volleyball to anyone, from age five to adult,” Rivero said. “She is passionate about what she does, and it is inspiring to watch someone be genuinely motivated because they love what they do. That is Sabrina to a T.”
For Bingham, the friendship she and Smith shared was life altering. It started seemingly small, with Smith convincing Bingham to run the clinics for AYSA, but Smith had a bigger vision for Abilene and AYSA, and he knew the perfect person to handle the volleyball portion of his dream.
Smith planted an image of a building in Bingham’s mind; a haven for kids to be safe, to play and learn to love sports in Abilene. He and the AYSA board pursued this dream relentlessly, but a cancer diagnosis kept Smith from seeing it come to fruition. In 2018, Smith passed away, but shortly after his death, the building was built and the pieces of his vision started to fall into place. AYSA wasn’t just an organization anymore, it now had a home, the Dodge Jones Youth Sports Center.
Brandon Osborne was a board member as the dream came to life and was named the Executive Director of the organization in late 2018. He met Bingham shortly after Smith’s passing as his daughter, Karsyn, was now attending her first Firm Foundation volleyball clinic.
“On the ride home from the clinic, Karsyn kept talking about Coach Sabrina,” Osborne said. “She told me ‘Coach Sabrina said one day I could be one of the best.’”
And that simple encounter changed everything for her. Karsyn fell in love with volleyball and Osborne witnessed one of Bingham’s greatest gifts firsthand, her ability to make young athletes believe in themselves while helping them fall in love with the game.
After that, it didn’t take much to convince Osborne of what Smith already knew and had been pursuing. Bingham had volleyball knowledge and coaching experience to lead incredibly well. Bingham was great with kids. And as Osborne began to know Bingham on a more personal level, it was undeniable that she was exactly what they wanted and needed in the leadership at AYSA.
“What truly sets Sabrina apart is not just her coaching ability; it is her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, her genuine love for people and the way she lives out her values every single day,” Osborne
said. “Sabrina has a unique ability to make everyone feel seen and included and she pushes athletes to reach their full potential without ever compromising their confidence, character or identity.”
Those characteristics were needed, and at the time, Osborne was witnessing it in action. Bingham was feeling a nudge that she was supposed to do more with youth volleyball. In 2020, Bingham stepped out of her role at HSU and into the Volleyball Director position at AYSA, alongside Osborne who was leading the charge.
Osborne and Bingham are a dynamic duo. It was a small beginning interrupted briefly by Covid, but together they have created something huge for Abilene now. AYSA is the place where kids do all things volleyball and basketball. There is now a soccer complex behind the main building to impact even more lives.
Honoring Smith and his vision mattered most to Bingham.
“It’s hard to see everything that AYSA is now and know that Jon never got to see it,” Bingham said. “We are a trusted pillar in the community, and we are committed to putting out a good product.”
Osborne knows the good product they produce reflects the company he keeps.
“Simply put, Sabrina has been instrumental in the growth of volleyball throughout the Big Country, but more importantly she has developed young people of character, confidence and faith,” Osborne said. “Her legacy will not be measured by the players she coached, but by the lives she has influenced along the way.”
And that influence is widespread. What started with 80-90 kids being served through the Firm Foundation clinics, now looks like thousands coming in and out of the doors of AYSA for youth volleyball leagues, tournaments, Firm Foundation clinics and camps. Bingham has done her part, and the Big Country volleyball community is forever changed and better because of her.
By Nicole Fletcher
Photos By Shayli Anne Photography
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