BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Sept. 26, 2025
When Bethanie Parks says she’s been around volleyball her entire life, that’s not exactly true.
She hasn’t been around the sport since Day 1 — only since Day 4.
Parks, a junior at Holly Grove Christian School, joined her mom, Marlene, the Eagles’ volleyball coach, for a team beach party just four days after entering the world. And she’s remained close to the game pretty much from then on.
Marlene and Bethanie have led the Eagles (6-3) to a good start this fall. They won six of their first seven games before dropping two straight earlier this week. (Thursday’s game at Faith Baptist ended too late for this story.)
“We’re playing pretty well,” Bethanie says. “We have a lot of chemistry.” She says the recent losses “showed us what we can improve on. There’s a lot we can work on.”
This coach-player/mother-daughter relationship began months before Bethanie was born, and it’s probably not what you think. A local woman whose daughter was facing an unplanned pregnancy approached Marlene and Phil Parks — who had already adopted once before — about a possible adoption in early 2009.
After some prayer, Marlene and Phil said yes — and then didn’t hear another word. Assuming that was the end of it, Marlene agreed to coach the Holly Grove volleyball team that fall.
And then the phone rang on Aug. 1. The adoption was on! And the baby — Bethanie — was due in two weeks! But Bethanie, clearly eager to get out into the world, came 10 days early. And four days later, she was on the Assateague Island beach with her mom and the team, enjoying a preseason gathering.
Bethanie doesn’t remember how old she was when she learned about the adoption, but growing up with an older sister — Natalie, who was also adopted — she figured it out at a very young age.
As far as mom and daughter are concerned, the adoption doesn’t come into play so much these days as the coach-player relationship, which Bethanie says is great. Usually.
“It’s definitely interesting,” she says with a chuckle. “I feel like I have to prove that I’m worthy of my time on the court. Because she’s my mom, it’s like I need to do better, you know?”
Bethanie says that both of them want to avoid even the appearance of favoritism, which means that the coach sometimes leans a little harder on the player.
“I get that,” Bethanie says. “If we’re goofing around in practice, she might yell, ‘Bethanie, stop!’ Instead of, ‘Hey guys, let’s reel it in.’ I’ve had times on the court where teammates tell me, ‘It’s just because she’s your mom.’
“It’s nice that people think that, but it’s also like, I’m trying to impress her, too. I’m not only trying to impress my coach. I’m also trying to impress my mom.
“But it’s fun playing for her. She knows my game. She knows the game. She has so much knowledge and can help me become a better player.”
“Coaching your child has its ups and downs,” Marlene says. “I often say it’s unfair to her to have her mom be her coach. Yes, I am usually harder on her than the other players. I never want anyone to think she gets special attention because she’s my daughter. But her drive and passion for the sport are evident, and she has earned her spot on the team.”
Bethanie, who also plays for the FreeState Volleyball travel team in Snow Hill, also suits up for basketball and soccer at Holly Grove. She’s also in the choir, and English is her favorite subject.
When not in school or playing sports, she’s active at her church, Lighthouse Assembly of God, in the family’s hometown of Chincoteague.
Bethanie says her faith drives everything she does.
“Christ has been a constant factor in my life,” she says. “I pray before and after games but don’t really put Him that much in sports. But at the end of the day, sports isn’t who I am. My faith isn’t based on whether I got that match point serve or made that layup. That’s not a part of my identity. I’m God’s child, not just a volleyball player.”
She’s always been both, of course. Well, since Day 4, anyway.
