Winning one more time for Trauner

Winning one more time for Trauner

After 30 years, Clinton volleyball coach Hermine Trauner is going out with a win. 

On Thursday, May 1, at South Bronx gym, Kennedy coach Iris Bromfield and Alfred E. Smith coach Tracey Peterson stayed behind in the stands after their match to watch Clinton’s Aris Ramon Ducasse slammed a shot down the line to cement a victory over South Bronx in two straight sets, 25-13 and 25-21. 

While the win increased Clinton’s record to 6-4, almost guaranteeing them a spot in the upcoming playoffs, it also marked Trauner’s last regular season game in the PSAL. 

In the summer, Trauner will retire from a career in education, hoping to start a business, but looking forward to maintaining close ties with the students she leaves behind. 

“I love them all,” she said.  “They are the greatest group of kids anyone can have in their lives.  But I need to go.  It’s time for me to move on.”

With her son graduating and going to UMass and her daughter attending graduate school, Trauner is looking to enjoy some alone time. 

“Maybe I will take up golf or tennis,” she jokes.  “But no matter what I do, I will always have kids in my life.  That’s what I loved about being a teacher.  I enjoyed giving back.”

Trauner first started as a girls’ volleyball coach for Lehman High School during the 1978/79 season.  She would also coach softball and then moved on to Grace Dodge before heading to A.P. Randolph, where she coached boys’ volleyball for 13 years. 

She has been with Clinton for the last eight years, watching both the boys and girls teams grow, not just as volleyball players, but also as people. 

“I am really proud of how this team learned to come together,” she said.  “They are really the best team I’ve had in four years. 

“I have taught many students more about life than about volleyball,” she added.  “I believe that kids that play sports will learn more about life, including sportsmanship, companionship, and fair play. That is what I am most proud of achieving during my career.”

While Trauner is unsure of her team’s chances in the playoffs with such powerhouses as Kennedy, Grover Cleveland, Midwood, Bronx Science and Cardoza sure to stand in their way, the proud coach is just happy to end the regular season with a bang. 

“It’s an awesome feeling,” she said.  “What ever happens this season will keep us together long after volleyball is over.”