On December 19, 2021, the boys volleyball program of Upland High School received devastating news regarding the future of the program. It had been announced that our head volleyball coach, Jeff Obi, had been let go. The very man that had reinstated the program 5 years prior, the very man that brought the program to glory in his short time at Upland- gone.

But why? The athletic director and vice principal had a meeting with Coach Jeff regarding the upcoming season, in which he was excited to share the economic progress and promising state that was building. However, due to miscommunications and economic issues, he was let go. But these were not the fault of purely Coach Jeff's, but a shared responsibility between him and the athletic director. He did not "go through the proper channels [for fundraisers] or get the necessary approval to run them". There was also an incident last season of a miscommunication of COVID testing and results where the AD apparently did not receive our tests, but when asked for the records of testing Coach Jeff was completely ghosted. The boys volleyball team of the 2020-2021 season can also attest to the miscommunication between the two, as we were supposedly supposed to be getting only one test per week but were never properly informed by the Upland Athletic department about what to do until weeks later. 

Why so many miscommunications you may ask? Problems originating such as the COVID testing from last season were at the middle of the pandemic where there were no protocols. This was an unprecedented situation in which no one knew how to handle things. On top of this, Coach Jeff is not a teacher at Upland High School, meaning he is more distanced and has less contact with the AD compared to teacher coaches at the school, who are more aware of changes in protocol. With the many responsibilities of the AD with other sports, it is especially difficult to get a hold of the athletic director and many of us knew through conversations with our coach that communication between the two often lagged despite our coach trying to get clear answers. How then, is this the sole responsibility of Coach Jeffs, but not of the Upland Athletic department? Surely they have a role in the miscommunication, and they did not just fire Coach Jeff because he was the SOLE reason that there was no communication? This miscommunication continued to this season's fundraising, where communication was also botched. Was this also the SOLE responsibility of Coach Jeff, or was the Upland Athletic Department also to blame? We believe, that although Coach Jeff may have had a part in the miscommunication between both parties regarding COVID testing and fundraising, the Upland Athletic Department wrongfully fired him and needs to accept the role they played as well in the miscommunication instead of blindly firing him.

This is unjust. Coach Jeff's dedication for the program is insurmountable, one that will not be found anywhere else. He spent over $2,000 of his own money in order to buy new equipment for the team to use. He would buy us breakfast to make sure we ate. He would mold us not only into good volleyball players, but into good citizens of the world. Despite being fired, he still checks up on us to make sure that we're doing okay. On behalf of all boys volleyball players that came from the program, he truly was like a second father to us. He told us that he did not envision a day in which he would leave the program, leaving only when "I had my own sons and they played for me at Upland".

Let us help him see that goal through.