Erich Hinterstocker's strength as a volleyball coach ended up being his weakness.
The intensity and passion he poured into the North Dakota State volleyball program for the last five years produced two conference championships, an amazing 42-match league winning streak plus a berth into an NCAA tournament.
That same intensity cost him his job, which is why he was nowhere to be seen at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse during Friday night's Bison match with Western Illinois.
Too intense, too demanding - verbally and physically. It became so repetitive women's athletic director Lynn Dorn monitored and documented his behavior for the last three years.
Hinterstocker himself recognized the problem, prompting him to hand in his resignation.
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"The way that I chose to do it was all-consuming," Hinterstocker said. "I recognized that I needed to step back."
Hinterstocker basically crossed the line - a very fine line that is difficult to define. Just when does a coach go too far?
We've all seen coaches display intensity - a trait that is somewhat accepted as common practice in the athletic world. It's a trait that, according to many, is needed in order to succeed.
"Erich was very, very intense ... but that's what made him a very, very good coach," said fellow Summit League coach Kelley Hartley Hutton of Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne.
Hartley Hutton was well aware of the demands Hinterstocker placed on his players. But, when interviewed earlier this week, she was not aware of the continual verbal and physical mistreatment of players.
"I'm not one who subscribes to the notion that we should be soft on our student-athletes today," Hartley Hutton said. "If you are demanding, they will rise to the occasion. You can't do what Erich accomplished and not be demanding. That can be a good characteristic."
But when relied upon as your primary means of motivation, it can be a bad characteristic. When the sport you are coaching consumes your life, that intensity is magnified.
"It is all I know," Hinterstocker said about volleyball. "It's all my family knows. I just realized now that it wasn't for me."
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The age-old proverb "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" could very well be "all work and no play makes Jack an intense boy." It's a lesson we could all heed ... from the dad coaching a fifth-grade basketball team to the college coach striving for an NCAA tournament appearance.
"Work hard," my dad - with a stern look - would tell me before one of my high school basketball games.
"And," he added with a smile. "Have fun."
When you think about it, one should not go without the other. It's hard to experience the fun of championships if you don't work hard. Then again, all that hard work is hardly worth it if you don't have fun.
As passionate as he was about volleyball, I think the sport stopped being fun for Hinterstocker.
Readers can reach Forum Sports Editor
Kevin Schnepf at (701) 241-5549
or at kschnepf@forumcomm.com
