Growing up, he played baseball and only baseball, until one day on the beach in eighth grade.
David Tschakert, the Imperial Beach native, was on the sandy shore with friends when he noticed a group of people playing volleyball. He said it looked like fun, so he asked the group if they’d let him and his friends join.
“The person that let us play, his name is Sean Mathews, and he’s actually one of my volleyball mentors now. I’ve been friends with him for 15 plus years,” Tschakert said. “Sean got me into [the game], and so did my uncle Robert.”
Roughly 15 years later, Tschakert is now the head coach of the boys’ beach and indoor volleyball teams at Coronado High School.
Tschakert played volleyball at Mar Vista High School and was the varsity team’s libero for three years before playing a few years at San Diego City College. Almost immediately after his playing career finished, Tschakert jumped straight into coaching.
He reunited with Mathews when the pair coached together at Mar Vista, where they were able to bring Mar Vista its first boys’ volleyball CIF championship in 2022, competing in Division 4.
Following the championship win, Tschakert felt like he did his part as a coach and decided to leave Mar Vista, thinking his time as a volleyball coach was over. But a few months later, he got a phone call from one of his coworkers at the Coronado Brewing Company. She told him Coronado High was in need of a beach volleyball coach.
“I said, ‘No, I’m O.K., I’m good. I’m done coaching.’ And then I show up for a practice and three years later, I’m still the head coach,” Tschakert said.
As for why he returned to coaching, Tschakert said he had lost his “stoke” in life – something his older brother told him to find and stick with – when he briefly stopped coaching.
“Coaching is what fuels me and makes me happy; it feels good to give back to the kids,” Tschakert added.
Outside of coaching, Tschakert continues to work at the Coronado Brewing Company, where he’s now been for ten years. Tschakert said the community in Coronado is what he enjoys most about the area, and it’s felt both at the brewery and on the volleyball court.
“I always tell the boys, ‘On your jersey, it doesn’t say your last name. It says Coronado. That’s who you play for.’ It’s about a sense of community, and I really try to ingrain that in the boys.”
As for how the boys are doing, the Islanders have been rolling. After a win against Eastlake on March 20, Coronado had a record of 12-5 as they headed into league play with their first matchup against University City on March 25.
Senior middle blocker Jackson McMullen’s presence was felt the entire game, notching multiple important blocks and kills for the Islanders in their 3-1 defeat of the Titans. McMullen didn’t play middle until trying it out a bit last year, and continued to work at the position during the club season.
“He put in a lot of work the last eight months … He’s the best, if not one of the best middles in not just our conference but in Division 2 volleyball right now,” Tschakert stated.
Tschakert also spoke highly of sophomore outside hitter Reese Pagon and his ability to stifle opposing hitters.
“I have him on the right side right now and he’s shutting down other outsides that are seniors … It’s pretty awesome to see Reese Pagon shut down Division 1 and Open Division teams,” Tschakert said.
Regarding what the team needs to get better at, Tschakert pointed out two things: the pass and serve game and playing smarter volleyball.
“They’re teenage boys, so they want to go up there and they want to hit the ball as hard as they can every single time,” Tschakert said. “But in volleyball, you don’t necessarily need that.”
Despite it being his first year as the head indoor coach at Coronado, Tschakert said the transition was easy, mostly due to the relationships he’s made with the players and parents through coaching beach volleyball the last three years.
Though he’s set some smaller goals for Islander players this season – like winning league and being good teammates – Tschakert said the big goal is simple: win CIF and bring a state title to the city of Coronado.
