Rockets working to honor late coach, mentor

Her athletic and professional careers were quite impressive.
A state volleyball championship, numerous hall of fame inductions, two advanced degrees and a meaningful career as a teacher.
It was all part of Melissa Belcher’s resume as a volleyball player, coach and teacher.
But she’ll also be remembered for the courage she displayed fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, during the final 12 years of her life while being a mother to her two sons, Grant and Aden; a beloved aunt, sister and daughter and a trusted coach/mentor to the Oak Harbor volleyball team.
Belcher, who passed away at age 49 in April, is serving as a continued inspiration for the Rockets, who are playing this season to honor her.
In the second match of the season, a win over Central Catholic, a team Belcher previously coached, both teams honored her.
This year’s Rockets are off to a slow start and find themselves 2-4, but a great deal of that has to do with the fact that they graduated some elite players in Reagan Schultz, Riley Steinbrick, Ryann Steinbrick, Grace Wolf, Jaycee Snyder and Breanna Bowlick. Schultz is playing softball at Kent State University and Wolf is playing volleyball at Siena Heights University in Michigan.
Jackie Gezo, who coaches the Rockets, met Belcher 14 years ago when Gezo was coaching at Oak Harbor Junior High. At the time, Belcher’s niece, Amanda Hetrick, was playing volleyball.
“We would have Melissa come and work with the girls and help with their skill sets. She pushed kids to make them better,” said Gezo. “I believe she was pregnant with Aden at the time.
“Melissa really wanted one of her nieces to play volleyball in high school. Amanda played soccer but Alayna stuck with volleyball over soccer for her aunt,” she said.
As fate would have it, Hetrick graduated with one of the most decorated classes in program history. The class of 2019 — which also included Logan Harris, Peyton Bloomer, Jill Thorbahn and Kaytlynn Sandwisch — had an undefeated regular season, won a league title and the program’s second district championship.
Sandwisch, who is now an assistant with the team, talked about Belcher.
“I think it was nice having her there because we would know if we were doing something right or wrong by her facial expressions. If we made a mistake, her eyes would get really wide. Logan, Peyton, Jill, Alayna and I were super close — we were Alayna’s support system, but Melissa loved us, too,” said Sandwisch. “Alayna got to play for her aunt – she was always there helping and supporting Alayna.
“Alayna just looked up to her so much; she was such a big role model. The Hetrick family was so nice to bring her to the games,” she said. “She was really supportive. It was nice for Alayna to have that support because she loved Melissa so much. For Alayna, we played with her and are really good friends. I know she looked up to Melissa so much and hoped to make her proud.”
Hetrick is now attending the University of Findlay with the hope of becoming a veterinarian.
Gezo says that Belcher started coming to games during Hetrick’s freshman season in 2015.
“She was already in a wheelchair when she started coming to the varsity games, and we saw her a lot. Her presence at the games, her inspiration, it meant so much to us,” said Gezo. “After the girls were announced (during introductions), they would run by Melissa to acknowledge her with a fist bump or a pat on the knee.”
Belcher played volleyball at Fremont Ross High School, graduating in 1990, and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2016. She also won a state championship coaching Central Catholic and was inducted into the Fighting Irish’s Hall of Fame as a coach (2012) and with her team (2016). She also coached at Whitmer and Northview.
Hetrick’s mother, Denise, was Belcher’s sister. She recalls what made her sister so special.
“She was a very friendly person. Just growing up, everything she did, she did well. I can’t remember her not doing anything well, and she’s always been encouraging to her boys and her kids, to teach them to have that drive,” said Hetrick.
“The day she gave up coaching was really, really hard for her. She actually had people surrounding her when she still did coach, and they supported her. It was very hard on her, so she was so happy that Jackie made her part of this team, asked for her advice, and if Alayna had issues or questions, she always went to her aunt. It just gave her a joy and a purpose,” she said.
Hetrick added that Belcher exhibited extreme toughness and drive even while fighting her illness.
“It’s usually two to five years, maximum that you live with ALS, and she was going to be on 13. I truly believe that she was so driven just because she was surrounded by her boys, and she definitely wanted to see them grow up,” said Hetrick. “Unfortunately, she didn’t get to see Aden all the way through school. She arranged all of their rides to games, and she was driven by that and by other kids. Your whole thinking has to change — you can stay in bed and lose hope, or you can choose to fight the good fight, and that’s what she did.
“I would also like to thank the volleyball team and the community. I can tell you every coach at this school always called her ‘Coach.’ We loved seeing her at the games and seeing her smile. Oak Harbor accepted her so kindly,” she said.