After years of coaching two sports, Countryside's Kaylyn Bayly has decided to concentrate on one, announcing that she has stepped down as volleyball coach after 22 seasons in Pinellas County, including the past 15 with the Cougars,
She will continue to coach softball at Countryside, which has done since 2003.
"It's something that I had been thinking about for awhile," Bayly said. "It was a very difficult decision. I sat down to write the resignation letter this past week, but it was emotional. But I knew it was time."
The demands of coaching two sports became even more difficult for Bayly the past two years with surgeries to replace her hip and screws inserted into her back stemming from a car accident.
"I had some major surgeries, and that was hard," Bayly said. "With two sports, I was pretty much coaching year-round with a slight break in November. There's really no other reason than I'll have some time to do some of the things I enjoy to do, such as going to football games in the fall."
Bayly, a former all-county standout at Lakewood, took over as volleyball coach at her alma mater in 1992 and led the program to the state semifinals in '93 and state championship game in '94. She left in 1999 to take over at Countryside, where she guided that program to state final four berths in 2000 and '04.
"I'm sure it'll be something I will miss," Bayly said. "I just like the time was right to step aside."