It took less than a year for longtime Glen Lake softball coach Gary Galla to return to the softball diamond after retiring last year.
This time Galla will be representing the red and white of Suttons Bay as he takes over coaching duties for the Norse.
“I told my wife (Trudy Galla) I still had the itch to coach, I still had the desire and it was as long as I could make a difference and still have that desire. If a job ever came up around the area, I would think about taking it ... and here we are,” Galla said. “It’s going to be a challenge because I’ve always coached at Glen Lake ... The only thing that is different is the school name. I always believe that kids are kids.”
Galla spent nearly 30 years coaching various sports for the Lakers from softball to football. Galla, a 1979 Glen Lake graduate, has accumulated a 342-290 overall record since beginning coaching.
Galla retired at the end of 2022 to enjoy watching his son Sean Galla play his senior year.
Galla takes over for prominent Suttons Bay coach Nicki Hursey, who coached the team only last year after stepping away from the program a few years ago. Hursey came back to the Norse last season because they needed someone to coach the team.
“A lot of it is that my son is still playing college golf, and I want to get a chance to watch him. I wasn’t able to do as much last year, so that was a decision,” Hursey said “I’m super excited and happy with Gary taking over, he brings just an absolute wealth of knowledge. I absolutely love the sport and I’m going to miss it, but I see the girls daily and, plan to be an encouragement to them.”
Hursey is a high school math teacher at Suttons Bay.
“I’m going to miss the excitement of the game, seeing the looks on the girls faces when they realize that all the hard work they put in practice comes to fruition in a game and they hit that ball, they catch that ball that they’ve been working so hard to do,” Hursey said.
Galla will be reunited with his longtime coach and assistant Shannon Bowens, who has assisted for the Norsemen in recent years.
“I believe (coaching) is probably the greatest profession in the world, and by me going to a different school just means it’s a different school. Kids are still the same,” Galla said.
