False Alarm

After getting the details on the badminton program, Maddie has decided to opt out. Full speed ahead on finishing high school and preparing for college at Western Washington University.

Badminton Dad Beginning Soon!

Spring will soon be here and with it, this news:

Redmond, Wash. -- As part of the process to move to four-year high schools and to ensure Title IX compliance, Lake Washington School District reviewed sports offerings in its high schools this year. The result of this review is a decision to add girls’ badminton as a sport in the spring of 2013.
“As we near the 40th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, it’s appropriate that we continue to respond to girls’ interests in playing sports,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, deputy superintendent. “We have a history of strong badminton programs at the junior highs in our district, it is an Olympic sport and we believe it will be a popular offering at the high school level.”
Badminton was the top response to a survey question that asked, “Would you participate in the following sport(s) if the opportunity were available to you?” In the interest survey, 166 out of the 782 high school girls who responded indicated they would like to participate. That reflects the strong interest of the 280 girls who played badminton on junior high teams this year.
The district reviewed the feasibility of adding this sport, including the availability of facilities, coaches and competition. Lake Washington School District girls’ badminton teams will compete against each other and against teams from high schools in Bellevue and Mercer Island. More information about the schedules, season and coaches will be available when school begins in the fall.

Maddie will be playing and dad will now learn everything there is to know about the game!

Stay tuned.

Sadly, I sold my indoor sports lens, so we'll have to make due with what we have.

And so it ends...

And so this blog comes to an end. 170+ posts over 3 years. For those of you who have been reading all along, or for those of you who stumble across this in the years to come, thanks for tuning in and I hope you enjoyed it. If you are a parent lucky enough to see your child play sports then count your blessings. Perhaps I'll update things through the years and add a picture now and then, because my daughter is really just your daughter in a different place and time. It's been fun.

Dear Maddie

Dear Maddie,

It just seems like yesterday that I was at Rose Hill watching you start your volleyball journey.

And so it ended in Bellingham.

The joy a parent experiences in watching their child participate and excel in sports is like nothing else. I find joy in every moment I spend with you, but just watching you fly down a soccer field or diving for a ball or making a great set was so beautiful. You won't remember the details of all your volleyball games as you move on to other things, but you'll always have it here now. Because you should be really proud of what you accomplished. To letter for all 3 years in high school, to work as hard as you did on all the summer, fall and winter nights you went to a practice, to make as many sets as you did...well...nice job, dear. Sports, and especially volleyball, has helped shape you into the amazing young woman that you are. Your confidence, your determination, your spirit, your dedication, your hard work; they all go into what and who you are and they all are a part of volleyball. These last 6 years have been so fun for me! You are my daughter, my friend, and the person I would most want to be with when the zombie apocalypse hits. So it's goodbye volleyball for us and hello the rest of your life for you. If you get your serves over, you'll go far. I love you, Maddie.

Bellingham or Bust

Club Volleyball Dad (or in this case, High School Volleyball Dad) gets to see Maddie play at least one more match as round 1 of the 2A District Tournament played out pretty much like I thought it would.

Match 1 was against Burlington-Edison. Only 8 girls, all underclassmen I think, and only one of them under 6 feet (or at least it seemed to me). They weren't 'wow' tall, but they were all athletic, semi-tall girls and they looked like a team, if you know what I mean. There were no unnecessary parts. Even with that, they were vulnerable when served aggressively and when we were able to attack in system. We got behind by 7 or 8 but rallied right back with some great serves and were up 24-22. BE called a timeout, and in a story familiar to everyone, we came out of it staring at game point....and immediately served it long. Went back and forth and of course we lost and that was effectively it. Got smashed in Game 2. Came back and made it close in Game 3, but any momentum we had went up in smoke after the loss in Game 1. I was a little bummed because I think we hung with the defending State Champs, but BE makes very few unforced errors, and I firmly believe that unforced errors are what lose matches, not great hitting, not great setting...it's the team that gets their serves in, the team that spikes the ball IN to the court, the team that doesn't shank a serve-receive out of bounds, that wins. And against teams that don't MAKE those kinds of errors, we struggle.

Cedarcrest (10-2) coming off a loss to Lynden was a team that ALSO makes their share of unforced errors. That, and the shock of losing that first match and then a close Game 1 to us, was too much. Their coach was fuming; I don't think this was a team that was used to falling apart, but that kind of shows the difference in league strength. The Cascade League is just not that strong and a good KingCo team can beat them, 10-2 or not. Kind of like the Northwest League which put 3 ranked teams in this tournament, one of who we now face on Saturday: Sehome. From all I've read, a good team, but they lost to BE and Anacortes and now they play us, a good team (not great) that on any given day can play with anyone. To beat teams like Sehome, we have to play our A game for every match, and of course, that's been our problem. But you still have to play the game, right? And if we can play our best, we play in one final match. Win that, and we sneak into state. So, it's within our grasp; the girls need to step up and take it.

So off to Bellingham for a noon match and we'll either be coming home at the end of Maddie's career, or looking forward to more next Friday.

2012 2A District Brackets

And the bracket is up to date:

http://www.wiaadistrict1.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=657&sport=10&ps_type=1

Tough matchup against Burlington-Edison, but it's not 2011 and we've been playing good 3A teams all year. All I want to say to the girls is that you belong here, so play smart, minimize mistakes, and get the Kangs rolling early!

Kangs are KingCo 2A Champs!

Ok, well, they only had to beat Sammamish as they are the only two 2A teams IN the KingCo league, but a win is a win and we now can prepare for the 2A District Championships on Halloween night. More on our matchup and road to state soon.

Our coaches did things a little backwards tonight by starting a team of mostly backups and when, amazingly, it was tied at 18, they put Maddie in and we reeled off 8 more points to win. More subs in Game 2 but Sophomore setter played well. Our starters played Game 3 for the most part. So, no injuries and we have a week to get ready. Nice job, Kangs. 10-6 overall and 8-6 in league means we would have wrapped up a third place seed if we were still in 3A. Most wins since Maddie started at LW and first winning season. :)

Kang Volleyball: Last League Game

So tonight is Maddie's last league game vs. a poor Sammamish team. Winner goes straight to the 2A District Tourney...heck, I think even if we were to lose we'd be the KingCo 2A winners, but I'd rather not leave it in doubt. So here's my coaching plan, and I'll let you know tomorrow if our coaching staff felt the same way.

5-1. Play your seniors. If you win the first 2 games, sub the starters out. If they win, you're good. If they lose, put the A team back in. Don't mess around with cycling your best setter out. We need to be playoff ready. If you lose with Maddie and the seniors, you lose. If you lose with Maddie on the bench half the time, shame on you.

It's frustrating to have to worry about game plans this late in the season; name one winning team who does not use the 5-1. Anyone?

More tomorrow!

Mystery at Juanita

I've delayed writing this post for 12 hours because I'm so bummed out. We lost 3-0 to a bad Juanita team. Our coaching staff dialed it in, preferring to use a mishmash of offenses and subs to create nothing but bad body language from the team and head shaking among the veteran parents. We had a chance to win 11 games this year and get some momentum going into the playoffs, but with no sense of our program's past or the power of crushing weak opponents, a giant egg was layed, and it stinks. Here's just one example: Maddie has served about 1000 times in all the club and school games she's played in the last 5 years. She's missed maybe 20 serves in all that time. She ran the 5-1 in 2 years of club and played every single point of every single game with much better players around her and much better competition. Any yet this year, she's playing a 6-2 with 2 sophomores who will be good players IN THE FUTURE. And then they told her to switch to a jump serve. Which she has never used IN 1000 SERVES. Really? At the very end of a 98% run of getting her serves in, you have her switch? Of course she missed her second serve of the year. Just clueless coaching. And from what I'm hearing, there is a complete lack of communication as to why the girls are seeing the offenses and substitutions they are seeing. Now, if coach had pulled together the girls before the match and said something like "this is a meaningless game for us. It does not affect our ranking, so I want to try some new things. I want to play our backup libero all match. I want to sit Maddie out of Game 2 and let two sophomores play, I want you to all try some new serves. Let's just have fun and if we lose, we lose, because the game we have to dominate is on Tuesday at Sammamish." If that was the message, I could have bought into it. But that was NOT the message. There WAS no message.

So now I'm worried. I'm worried coaching is going to kill us in the playoffs. We have had a pretty good vibe all year, but it definitely died last night at Juanita. Now the vibe is only negative and it sickens me.

Gonna be a long wait until Tuesday.

Kang Senior Night

After sitting through a half dozen senior nights both home and away over the last few years, it was finally our turn as Maddie played her last game at the packed Kang Dome. Senior Night, as most of you know, consists of a fellow player reading a 'thank you' note to the graduating senior with the parents standing next to their child trying not to cry. This is a ripe target for satirical mayhem, but I have actually found these to be quite heartfelt. The non-seniors write the notes and are actually more nervous than the seniors; this I know because Maddie has written and read three of these. I went to a LW-Sammamish game last year or the year before and the Totems, like always, had not won a game all year, but their underclassmen read notesand talked about how the girls never gave up and were proud to be Totems....and it was actually very touching and nice. As was last night. Sisters reading for sisters, lots of hugs, player-parent hugs, pictures, and tears. And when it was all done, Maddie and the Kangs went out and took care of business, beating Interlake 3-1 and going to 7-5 in league and 9-5 overall. A little sloppy at times, but I will play that off as post Senior Night letdown. This team seems to play to the level of our opponent sometimes. That's how you can go from losing to the #3 ranked team in 3A 25-27 and lose a game 11-25 to Interlake four days later. But they got it together and even though Maddie was on the bench due to that damn 6-2 offense when the last point was scored, she ends her career in her home gym with 22 assists and a nice momentum win. 2 more games; at Juanita and at Sammamish on Tuesday where we should earn a berth as the KingCo 2A seed into the 2A District Championships which will begin on Halloween night. I believe I have the Districts figured out so a longer post next week.

I had some surgery today to fix a simple little vocal cord thing but they said not to talk for 4 days. That is not going to be easy! So I'll be at Juanita tomorrow night scribbling notes to everyone that say stuff like "GET YOUR SERVES IN and MAKE GOOD PASSES!"....ALL WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. Scary indeed. Go Kangs!

Mt. Sigh

There was a certain electricity in the air at the Kang gym on Thursday night. Mt. Si was in town, ranked 3rd in State, but we had taken them for one game at Mt. Si and Maddie said she had a feeling. Up 22-18 in the first game, we were all feeling it....and then it just kind of slipped away. Whether or not the coaches decision to employ the dreaded 6-2 had anything to do with it we'll never know, but taking your Sr. setter out of half the games just doesn't seem like a winning formula, and sure enough, we lost 23-25, 21-25 and 17-25. This match was winnable, and I'm going to have to lay the loss on coaching. Just as coaching adjustments were a big part of the win against Liberty, they were a big part of this loss on Thursday. The 6-2 and no tweaking of a suspect defense continues to prevent us from moving from being a good team to a strong team. I had more than one parent asking me why we used the 6-2 against Mt. Si; wish I had an answer. And Maddie missed her first serve of the year, which did not sit well, believe me. Anyway, time to regroup against Interlake on Tuesday as we begin the home stretch before the State Tourney in November. Maddie and I are PUMPED that Walking Dead is back tonight because we do NOT like zombies. ZOMBIES HATE VOLLEYBALL. Back with more next week.

Kang Volleyball: Taking Liberties

Always fun to trudge down 405 in rush hour traffic to play our friends from East Renton; fun because we've dominated them for 2 years. First we beat them twice last year before linking up in the playoffs and beating them in 5 games to determine some playoff seeding.
http://clubvolleyballdad.blogspot.com/2011/10/kingco-playoff-thriller.html

Last night we completed the sweep THIS year by beating them 3-1, thus securing my dominance over my ex-volleyball dad friends from ITVC (Bellevue and Liberty) by going 3-1 this year AND last year, running my record to a solid 6-2 and earning bragging rights forever. Hanging out pre-game and during the games with those 2 dads has been so fun; one benefit of club volleyball is the close friendships you have the chance to develop (as long as the girls don't play a similar position!) I will miss those guys during volleyball season, and wish nothing but the best for their lovely daughters (Jessica and Megan). I know we'll get together for a few cold ones down the road.

Maddie had a very solid game last night, leading the Kangs in the 3 victorious games. The ref last night was calling double hit setting errors like they were going out of style (but equally for both teams; Maddie said she actually really liked the ref and didn't mind the double hit calls as long as it was fair on both sides, which it was.) Our coach does little things that we lacked last year and I like it. She'll start Maddie Game 1 but let the backup have Game 2 if we won that first game, and if we're 1-1 after those 2 games, she'll have Maddie go the rest of the way. She also had the girls switch to bump sets if Maddie took the dig as it seemed like every girl that wasn't a setter was getting called for those double hits. That was a smart move. I like the way she adjusts "in-game" and isn't afraid to go with a hot hand. We lost one of our setters last night to a sprained ankle but our backup came in and played really well. She had lost some confidence after being moved to backup, but it just goes to show you that a backup role can turn into a starting role very quickly. Practice hard, stay positive, and stay ready. Good things will happen.

So we go to 8-4 overall with a tough Mt. Si game on Thursday and then finish up with 3 key games against Interlake, Juanita and Sammamish.

A Good Volleyball Week

Playing the #1 team in 3A is never a good way to begin a week, and sure enough, the trip to Mercer Island was a lesson in humility. They are so fundamentally sound, it was actually nice to watch. They repel every attack whether through blocking, or a solid pass from their libero to outside hitters that just murder the ball. We never really had a chance. But it was back to our own level when we faced Bellevue at home after losing to them in our second match of the year. We got off to a bit of a slow start and lost Game 1, but rallied with 3 straight wins to take the match 3-1. Maddie played well in what I will call a modified 5-1. Our 6 foot frosh setter would be brought in on occasion to play the front row and she contributed with some nice blocking. Maddie, when she is truly into it, provides some great leadership and hustles on every play to keep the ball alive. 3 years of playing help as she seems to move toward the ball instinctively. They notched their fifth league win and have an important game at Liberty tomorrow night, then round out the week at home vs. Mt. Si. Then we wrap things up against Interlake, Juanita and Sammamish and see how things shake out for the 2A playoffs. I'm starting to sense the end and it's not a good feeling...but no time for melancholy yet; there are still games to be won!

Kang Volleyball: 2012 Halfway Point

We're at the halfway point of the 2012 KingCo 3A/2A Volleyball season, and with a 3-0 victory over Sammamish on Thursday night, the Lake Washington Kangs have moved to 4-3 in league and a 6-3 record overall. Six victories equals the most victories they have had in the 2 years since Maddie has been there, so this will end up being their best season win-wise for sure. Standings look like this:

Mercer Island        7-0
Mt. Si                    6-1
Lake Washington   4-3
Liberty                   4-3
Interlake                 3-4
Bellevue                 3-4
Juanita                    1-6
Sammamish            0-7

Sadly, during the season of our most balanced team, we have dropped down to 2A and where we finish does not matter in terms of our 3A tourney....because we're not IN the 3A tourney. On the other hand, we're a 3A team that gets to play in the 2A tourney, so that can't hurt, right? Does anyone out there know how the 2A post season works? How does a 2A team playing in 3A make it or get seeded?

Off to MI on Tuesday, and then an important game against Bellevue on Thursday.
Go USA! (Ryder Cup reference)

Back at Last

Maddie was back on the court tonight, not at 100%, but much better. Tonight's opponent was Juanita. Two years ago they had Jade Finau and Dana Michaels and a solid core of other players and soundly beat us twice. Last year that core had moved on and it was basically Dana and Jade. They beat us at Juanita but then the wheels fell off the bus with coaching and other issues and by the end of the season, they were losing to us for the first time and getting bounced out of the KingCo playoffs in the first round. Now it's just Jade and they are really struggling. One good player does not a great team make.

Coach gave the nod in Game 1 to our freshman setter who did such a nice job stepping up with both Maddie and Soph setter out last week and she played well. She's a 6 footer and basketball is her game, but she's a good athlete and that added height helps when she's in the front row. Thankfully, we seem to be committed to the 5-1. Won Game 1 and Maddie led the charge in Games 2 and 3 and we went to 5-3 with a 3-0 win. Sammamish (0-8) comes in on Thursday. Maddie should be back to 100% and we can put last week behind us and get ready to make our run through the competition for Maddie's last 6 league games.

Oh, and OUR coach complained that the photographers were too close to the court and we were told to move to the wings. Really, coach? I've taken pictures at about 75 matches in the last 3 years and never been asked to move ever. My suggestion is to worry about winning and not some old guy trying to take pictures for the girls. It feels different without our coach from last year here. I may have questioned some of her coaching decisions, but I never questioned her nice way of taking time to talk at practice and after games. I LIKED our coach. Can't say that about new coach. Like the way she is coaching, but don't like the cold exterior. I'd have a beer with old coach; this coach? Well, I just want to send her to her room.

Fighting Back

Maddie was not able to shake whatever bug that bit her, and didn't play again on Thursday against Interlake. As Sophomore Setter was also gone again, omce again the door was opened to our very capable FRESHMAN setter who led the Kangs to a 3-0 victory. In the NFL, a starter doesn't lose her job due to illness or injury, but who knows in the world of high school volleyball. The door was opened by Maddie not playing all week and the freshman stepped boldly through; we'll see how things look next week as we play both Juanita and Sammamish in our bid to get to 6-3 for the first time I can ever remember. I'm just sorry they don't sell hops in capsule form, because it's a proven fact that the high hop content in IPA prevents illnesses. Hop gel caps would make someone a millionaire. You heard it here first.

Volleyball Cold

Another 3 game week which is draining for the girls. Started out on a good foot in our non-league match against South Whidbey Island. Now, SW came in 0-2 and looked small to me, so rather than worry about them, I let my mind wander back to days of weekend trysts on their fair island, because if you've never visited, South Whidbey Island is very cool and I highly recommend going there for your OWN fun time. Here is some more info: http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/puget/Whidbey/whidbey_island.htm

Anyway....Maddie began her night by putting over 11 unanswered serves and I began making plans to get home in time for the second half of the Monday Night game...when all of a sudden those pesky islanders began playing excellent defense as we lobbed and dinked balls across the net at an alarming rate. No wind 'em up, smash'em hitters on our team...just lots of easy, quiet bloinks and floaters. So they came back, especially as girl after girl served into the net. I believe Maddie was about 30-30 on her serves, but I digress. They lost game 2, but came back to win game 3 and I began breathing a little easier. Then another loss in Game 4. To these scrappy, defense playing visitors! The horror. So on it went to Game 5 with Maddie playing all around in the 5-1 because SS (sophomore setter) was out. Back and forth and by this time my night is wrecked because we should have beat this team 3-0. And it finishes up with a Kang victory (on a well placed dink) and some of the acid beginning to pile up in my gut went away and and I philosophized....a win is a win, a win is a win....right. We looked sloppy and bored and we almost got beat.

Tuesday dawned bright and early with the news that Maddie didn't feel good. That is always worrisome because Maddie is not herself when she's sick. She succumbs to it rather than battle it. As competitive fathers who have grown up watching Michael Jordan score 50 points while he had the flu will do, I tried to impart the wisdom of my years. "SUCK IT UP; THIS DEFINES YOU. YOUR TEAM NEEDS YOU. Yeah. That didn't work. Maddie was a scratch against Mt. Si. I was disappointed. You quit when you break something, not when you have a cold. Times are different than when I grew up, I guess. Now without both varsity setters, they turned to a capable freshman who actually led them to victory in Game 1, and within 2 of a victory in Game 3...but the #1 team in the state (while not playing like it) took us, 3 games to 1. I have visions of Maddie getting Cal Ripkened here. Anyway, hope she's back for Interlake on Thursday.

Busy Week of Volleyball

Throw in a couple of non-league games in back to back weeks and high school volleyball can feel like a long weekend at Regionals! This week it was Bellevue, Redmond, and Liberty on 3 consecutive nights; and it was busy for Club Volleyball Dad too as I linked up with Bellevue CVD on Tuesday for dinner and beers before the match and did the same thing with a Liberty CVD on Thursday. I'm going to do a longer post on the different parent dynamics in club vs. high school, but I have retained a few dad friends from Maddie's ITVC days and we get together before games when possible. So it was nice to see Bellevue dad and 3 of Maddie's club teammates on an improved Bellevue team. Sadly for us, while they have improved early this season, we are struggling to get our rhythm and unforced errored ourselves into oblivion. We lost 3-1 and there were a few meltdowns near the end. The one win was when Maddie ran a 5-1.

So Wednesday, I felt like we needed a win against non-league Redmond, just to get some mojo. And while we generally played down to Redmond's level, we ended up with a 3-0 win, and it was some much needed confidence. No one likes starting the season 0-3 like last year, and we avoided it.

The big test for me was Thursday in a contest with Liberty, who we seem to match up with evenly every year. I think we went 1-1 in 2010, last year we beat them 3 times but they were all close, and last night was no different. After dinner and a few Lucille IPA's with a Liberty CVD AND a Kang CVD, we watched Maddie run the 5-1 to perfection in a game one win. She really came out and took charge of the team. One of the parents even commented that she was out there directing traffic and being more forceful than usual. I loved it. In game 2, SS (sophomore setter) ran the 5-1 and Liberty pulled it out in a close one. Back to Maddie in Game 3 and a 25-18 win. Same offense in Game 4 and a 19-25 loss. At this point, my blood pressure was starting to rise a bit but we three dads settled in to watch Game 5. To my relief, Maddie was out once again in the 5-1 and though it was close, Lake Washington pulled it out 15-12.

I think it may have been Maddie's finest performance in high school. 28 assists (in 3.5 games), good command of her team, and I was really pumped to see her make 3 or 4 point saving hustle plays; very quick and instinctive efforts for a solid player that is not going to set any speed records. She has a pretty good burst and good instincts as to where the ball will be. Oh, and did I mention the 100% serving percentage this year? You have heard this here so many times, but what the hell, I'll say it again: "When you are playing mediocre teams, the goal is not aces, the goal is to put the ball into play and let the other team make the mistake!" Coaches, please use this at your discretion. :)  We put too many balls out of play on serves. Not Maddie though, thank goodness. At one point, she ran off 9 straight points, and she does not have a killer serve. But she has a consistent serve and she can put it where she wants. Target the opponent's weakest link, servers!

I'm not saying we turned a corner or anything last night; we still have hitting and libero issues, but a 3-2 win against an evenly matched team is certainly good for the soul.

So, a fun week visiting with dads and winning a couple of matches. Another busy week coming up with a Monday non-league match against South Whidbey Island HS; they are 0-2 in the Cascade Conference. Then it's off to North Bend on Tuesday for our annual bittersweet trip. Sweet because we get together at Snoqualamie Brewing for some Wildcat IPS's, but bitter because the #3 ranked 3A Team in the state always kicks us brutally to the gym floor. That's followed up on Thursday with match at Interlake.

Anyway, more this weekend on the sometimes uneasy alliance between club and high school parents as they root for the same team and playing time for DD at the same time, and the beauty of friendships that form at the dad level during the volleyball life cycle.

Good weekend, all!

Mercer Island Blues

This won't be a long post. Three years of playing MI and nary a match won. No different tonight; we were quite simply out-manned at every position. I wish more 6 foot plus hitters would move to Kirkland. They seem to have all settled in Mercer Island. Well, it was expected so no panic; at least we were home early. A great team like that exposes our shaky serve receive, lack of blocking, and lack of firepower. Luckily, we only play them one more time. Bellevue on Tuesday and let's hope the girls get in gear!

2012 Jamboree

Finally! Volleyball is back in the schedule as the 2012 season kicked off with the 4A/3A Jamboree over at Juanita. The girls started out against a tough Woodinville team and things were pretty much over before they got started. Final score: Woodinville 25, Kangs 13.

Once we got that out of the way, the girls began to gel. Taking on another 4A team, we had a late lead, but one serve into the net and things went south (doesn't it always work that way?). Final score: Inglemoor 25, Kangs 23

Game 3 is when things finally seemed to click. The coach went to a 5-1 and the girls responded with passes, serves, sets and kills all crisp and confident and I believe we were up 15-4 at one point. Maddie's experience really allows her to take charge. She is constantly moving her teammates to their proper positions, offering encouragement and just playing steady, solid volleyball. She doesn't have a killer serve, and although I would have liked to see her work on this skill more in the past, she became comfortable being able to put it where she wants, and just about 100% of the time. I love a powerful ace just like the next guy, but when an ace is followed by a serve into the net, the net gain on points is zero. I like having someone on the team who you KNOW is going to keep the ball in play, especially late. Teams make enough mistakes on serve receive to justify this approach. Of course, a girl who has a CONSISTENT good serve is a godsend. Anyway, with the 5-1 and Maddie running the show, we beat Bothell 25-17.

Game 4 was another 5-1 with Maddie on the bench and it was a disaster (not necessarily the other setter's fault). The rotations were messed up and no one seemed in charge. That, along with the fact we were playing Skyline, led to a good old fashioned whippin. Skyline 25, Kangs 14.

After that debacle, it was back to a 6-2 and we took out Maddie's mom's old high school, Redmond, 25-19.

Then, it was arch rival Juanita. We started a sophomore and a freshman and ran the 6-2 and the game was extremely entertaining. The Juanita setter is a joy to watch, but they are a little thin after that; the game went back and forth and was the last game going. We would take the lead and give it up. They'd serve one into the net and we'd hit one long....but Lake Washington prevailed and we pulled it out 28-26.

So we went 3-3 against 4A schools and I think the team has some mojo. It still may take some time to click, and unfortunately, we start out with a ranked Mercer Island team on Thursday. Anyway, good to be back in the saddle again. Maddie had a good time tonight, is warming to the coaching staff, and likes her teammates.

Here's to a great 2012 to all of you!

Ready to Roll 2012

Labor Day Weekend and Maddie begins her senior year and last season of volleyball. The teams have been set, the girls are practicing daily and it's GO TIME. Things kick off on Tuesday at The 3A Jamboree at Juanita HS. I have not attended any practices this year but I walked to the gym on Friday at 3:55 and Maddie and S were already taking passes from the coach (ex-setter) and doing their setting drills. I wandered up next to her and just a look told me that she wasn't there to talk; she was at work. Things seem different this year. We have 9 seniors on this team and, 3 transfers, a freshman, 3 Maddie's, 2 Sara's, and 2 sets of sisters, one of them twins. And Maddie seems all business. I would have never seen practice already underway at 3:55 in her last several years. I think we have a couple of things going for us: those 9 seniors, a core group that has been together since last year, a new coach, and it seems, new spirit. Looking forward to next week! Here's to all of your girls beginning their seasons. Get your serves over!

A Pretty Cool 5 Seconds

Sometimes, it only takes 5 seconds for something to become crystal clear.

I wandered in to the last 20 minutes of Day 4 of the LWHS Volleyball tryouts and was immediately struck by the number of girls and the level of activity in our small, but nice gym. 3 courts had the girls packed tight and balls were flying everywhere. The sound of rubber shoes on the gym floor and "mine" echoing throughout. I gave a quick wave to Maddie and stood out of the way near court 1 where she was setting one side and our new Sophomore transfer from KJ was setting the other side. There was no setter depth this year so having this gal tranfer in, even being so young, was a good step. I noticed another dad and introduced myself and it turns out he was the other setters dad. What is is about setter dads that make us want to watch our girls excel? But I digress. When I told him who my daughter was and asked about moving up from Kent, he said that they had looked at houses near several Eastside schools but settled on LW because of the volleyball program and to a large part because of Maddie. That stunned me a bit and I asked Mads about it later. She explained that the family had reached out to our coach who encouraged her to email Maddie's mom (my ex) who is the Team Mom. Mom and Maddie met the Kent family and gave them a tour of the school and the gym and took them out for dinner to their favorite pizza joint and the dad told me that Maddie and Kristin were the clincher. So what a wonderful tribute to both Maddie AND to Kristin who has given hours and hours of her time to help this program. Not much get mentioned in the blog about mom, but she is the glue that has held this program together for 2 years, and the fact that a record 56 girls showed up for tryouts is a testament to her hard work. Maybe 56 girls would be disappointing at other schools in the area, but for a 3 year school that has just transitioned to a 4 year school and is still small (2A) compared to the others in the districts, this is a pretty astounding thing. 2 years ago this team had varsity and JV, last year they added a C Team, and this year there will be TWO Frosh/C Teams. 100% growth in 2 years.

Anyway, back to the point of the post. As the session wore down, I watched Maddie. Girls were approaching her for a word or a hug, some with tears in their eyes (tryouts can be heart wrenching), she would joke with a veteran, help take down the nets (she gets there an hour early every day to make sure the nets are put UP), and then coach called them into a big group to talk, all 56 of them, and when she was done, they raised their fists in the air and from deep within the circle, Maddie's voice rang out: "Here we go. Kangs on three. One, two, three KANGS!" And it was in that 5 seconds, when 55 girls looked to her to bring them together, that I realized my daughter was a leader. And to this dad, that's always what it's been about.  I've watched her serve to advance deep in the playoffs, I've watched her give up her body to save a ball heading out of bounds, I've watched her crumple to the floor in pain only to get back up and play though the tears, but I've never been more proud of her than I was during those 5 seconds. This is your team now, Maddie, lead them. Schedule soon!

I hope all your DD's made it to the team they wanted to play on; share your stories!

2012 Volleyball Tryouts Begin!

The posts should start heating up now that tryouts are underway for the 2012 Kang squad. Not as much angst as in years past with Maddie the clear cut #1 setter, but nothing is for certain with a new coaching staff in place. I will reserve judgement for now, but it has not been the smoothest of transitions. While the previous coach wasn't perfect, the girls knew her and she knew them...and now we have someone running the show who is trying to set things up HER way, and that can lead to some grumbling and alienation among the seniors. I'll be swinging by this week to check things out. I just pray that by laying down new laws, the staff does not kill the chemistry that would have carried over from a pretty good core group of seniors. Here we go!

2012 Pre-Season Tourney: Day One

How fun was it to walk into a gym and see 3 volleyball matches going on? Very fun! Just got home from the spacious Glacier Peak HS gym. You could fit 4 Lake Washington gyms in there, but I digress. We had our 6 returning seniors and 6 up and comers, and all in all, they looked pretty good. I would have liked to see our returning 6 play the entire first game (after all, we have a setter, a RS, an OH, 2 middles and a libero) but new coach and no 5-1 tonight. We have some nice underclassmen coming up. I saw pretty good serve receive and the Maddie to Dana (middle) combo will be fun to watch this year. They lost the first game 23-25 and then struggled in game 2 to lose the first match to Stanwood but turned it up a notch and beat Cascade (Everett) 2-0 in the second match. Not sure how the seeds work for next Monday but already looking forward to it. A fine first effort by everyone!

Summer High School Volleyball

Lots of changes in Maddie's life as she wrapped up her Junior year in June after a spring that did not include club volleyball. We made it over to a few tournaments to see our friends playing for ITVC including the always fun Emerald City Classic but it just wasn't the same without Maddie in there setting. In addition to driving now, she has been getting used to the new coaching regime at Lake Washington HS and playing some beach volleyball over at East Beach Volleyball Center. Last week she got to hang out with some Huskies while there! Her and her fellow Kangs enjoyed 4 days up at Western for the team VB camp, and it is feeling more and more like things are picking up. I want summer to last as long as possible, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to fall!

The lady Kangs are playing in a 3 week tournament at Glacier Peak HS over the next 3 Mondays; here are the pools:

Pool A (south court)

(1)     Jackson 2

(2)     Cedar Park

(3)     Everett

Pool B (middle court)

(1)     Cascade

(2)     Lake Washington

(3)     Stanwood

Pool C (north court)

(1)     Jackson 1

(2)     Roosevelt

(3)     Sedro-Woolley

Pool D (upstairs)

(1)     Glacier Peak

(2)     Shorewood

(3)     Edmonds-Woodway

Sounds like fun and we'll be getting to play teams that we would not normally meet including some friends and ex-teammates from Jackson. You know I'll post an update. Good to be back!

Open Gym and a Mizuno Opportunity

Good to see so many girls at the Kang Open Gym last night. Lots of fun and camaraderie. No sign of the coach, but I suppose they can't coach anyway, right? I'd sure be spending this time of year figuring out who my varsity leaders and up and coming underclassmen were by watching them play, but that's just me, I guess.

Hey, got this passed along by Chris at Social-Ally:

I am reaching out to you on behalf of Mizuno Volleyball about a new campaign that I believe you and the readers of Club Volleyball Dad  would be interested in. It’s called The Journey which is a contest for young competitive volleyball players from 13-18 in the US as we approach the London Summer Games.

Mizuno is offering a volleyball clinic, conducted by a member of the US Volleyball team, to the player who best showcases his or her journey through a video diary, photograph or essay. Here are all the details for you to check out at:

www.thejourneynews.com

I'll be heading over to UW to watch some volleyball at the Emerald City Classic next week. Hope to see some of you there!

http://emeraldcityclassic.us/

Happy setting!

New Coach at LWHS

The new Kangs VB coach was introduced to the team yesterday. Maddie participated in the interview process and had positive things to say as they begin open gyms...it's not much, but a little volleyball is back with spring! It's been a long boring winter without Club, so this is welcome news. Congrats to Stephanie and WELCOME!

Head Coach: Stephanie Wayt

Stephanie was most recently head coach of the Sammamish Totems.  She has over eight years experience coaching 3rd through 12th grade volleyball players and has conducted skills camps.

Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Stephanie had the unique opportunity to develop her passion for physical fitness at an early age.  Along with enjoying outdoor sports such as biking, and hiking, she competed competitively as a figure skater, swimmer, triathlete, and was a member of the American Heart Association's Jump Rope Team in younger years.

As a high school athlete, she excelled in volleyball, and helped lead her team to win State, Regions, and Conference Championships.  Stephanie received many athletic honors such as Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Alaska, and All Tournament teams for State and Regions. As a Junior and Senior, she participated in and won the Ms. Service Bodybuilding competition.

After High School, she went on to receive a full ride athletic scholarship at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID where she received the All- Academic team award and majored in Kinesiology.  Stephanie transferred to Seattle Pacific University after her sophomore year, and received a bachelor’s in Exercise Science.  While in College, she worked as a personal trainer for “In-Home clients”, was a trainer for Acceleration Alaska, ran conditioning camps for volleyball players, and continued to coach. She currently is a Certified Personal Trainer / Lifestyle Coach for Custom Fitness Now.com

Back to Volleyball

It's not Club. Didn't have to fly to Vegas or drive to Spokane. Didn't cost anything. But it was Volleyball. It's been tough getting texts from my Volleyball Dad friends while their DD's continue to play Club, but at least we got a bit of volleyball back last night as LW held their first open gym. Maddie reports that about 20 girls showed up, including the returning Varsity Six and that a fine time was had by all. It will be a challenge this year with a (yet to be hired) new coach and 6 returning seniors. (One complaint from last year was a blind loyalty to upper classmen, which means no sophomores were on the team. This may lead to a separation between the 6 returning seniors and their 6 teammates with no varsity experience whatsoever.) On the other hand, we're dropping down to 2A which will not help during the regular season (still play Juanita, Sammamish, Bellevue, MI, etc) but will help if we make the playoffs. But all in all, on a cold first day of March, Maddie seemed pumped that volleyball was back.

Power League 2012

I rolled out of bed at 0600 on a cold and windy Sunday, threw down a coffee and a power bar and hit the road for Puyallup for the 8 am start. The 45 minute drive was easy on a Sunday morning and the gym was busy as 8 teams prepared for a day of battle. I stood beside my 2 best dad friends from last year until they looked my way and did a double take. Smiles and high fives all around and as the first serve from the ITVC 17's made it's way across the net I was struck with a profound sadness as it sunk in that there would be no Maddie to watch setting this day. I stayed for a couple of matches, but of course it just wasn't the same. The difference between watching a friends daughter and my own was stark. I saw these girls giving a lot up to be part of a team and exercise and play the sport they love and felt let down that we were not part of it any more. Club Volleyball Dad withdrawal has been pretty bad. No Eugene last week. No looking forward to Vegas and Reno and Spokane. No pride in success. No shared disappointment in a loss. I can't help but think this was not Maddie's best decision. But as I drove home, I realized it was her choice to make, not mine. So VB parents, please enjoy seeing your daughters play while you can and don't fret so much about the money or time or inconvenience...because some day you will wake up like me and realize that it's all gone. And you will grieve. It was great seeing my Volleyball Dad friends and I'm sure I'll be at another match down the road.

Lake Washington HS Head Coach Opening

Without going into any details, I just want to bring to everyone's attention that the Head Coach at Lake Washington High School has resigned and Maddie's team is now looking for her replacement. The new coach inherits a solid core group and a great setter. Here is the info. Please pass along to anyone who might be interested.

https://ats4.searchsoft.net/ats/app_login.shtml?COMPANY_ID=00013612

https://ats4.searchsoft.net/ats/img/00013612-4600587201-66668223.docx

Lake Washington to 2A

As mentioned in the comments, LW will be in 2A next year though it does not appear it changes anything in the regular season as we continue to play Interlake (moving to 3A), Bellevue, Sammamish (also dropping to 2A), Juanita, Mt. Si, and Liberty. Not sure how qualifying for post season play works now, but it seems strange to play 3A teams in order to qualify for the 2A tournament. Should be interesting! Full article from the Seattle Times below. More news coming out of LW Volleyball in January. Stay tuned! Maddie is enjoying her spare time by doing some traveling, painting, writing, and Advance Placement History. CVD misses watching practices and bitching about Power League rankings.

Lake Washington moving to Class 2A next year

By Sandy Ringer

Seattle Times staff reporter

 Play where you land.
That's the philosophy administrators at Lake Washington High School believe in, and the reason the Kangaroos will compete as a Class 2A school starting next fall, when a new two-year classification cycle kicks in across the state.
As recently as 2009-10, Lake Washington played as a 4A school despite 3A enrollment numbers. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) gives member schools the opportunity to "opt up" (but not down) to any classification, and that's the direction LW took in the mid-2000s.
The Kirkland school landed in 3A again during the last reclassification cycle, which began in 2010-11, and played there. But with average enrollment down about 100 students to slightly under 1,065 in grades 10-12, the school falls just under the 3A cutoff of 1,086.
Sammamish of Bellevue, which opted up from 2A to 3A in the last cycle, is also making the drop to 2A with an enrollment just under 903. But Liberty, smaller still at just under 870, will remain 3A (enrollment figures are averaged over eight months, with November figures counted twice).
Interlake, meanwhile, is forced by size (nearly 1,207) to move back up from 2A to 3A. All will continue to compete in the KingCo 3A/2A Conference with the other 3A schools — Bellevue, Mercer Island, Mount Si and Juanita, which for the second cycle in a row sits right above the cutoff line at just over 1,096.
But for postseason purposes, LW and Sammamish will be 2A.
Interlake enjoyed success playing where it landed the past two years. The Saints won the 2A state girls soccer title last month, reached the quarterfinals in football and qualified for the state volleyball tournament.
"It changed everything for their sports," said George Crowder, a longtime coach now in his third year as the Lake Washington athletic director. "What I talk about is competitive equity ... What you want to do is give kids the greatest opportunity to compete competitively at their level."
There are few changes elsewhere around the Greater Seattle area. It's status quo in the Metro League, where Franklin and Bainbridge are the only "true" 3A schools in terms of numbers but the other 12 will continue to opt up.
In WesCo, Marysville-Pilchuck and Stanwood are dropping to 3A, while Lynnwood moves up with 4A numbers. Mount Vernon will climb from 3A to 4A and will leave the Northwest Conference for WesCo, which will have 4A and 3A divisions again.
There are no changes in either South Puget Sound League 4A or 3A, but in SPSL 2A Eatonville leaves (joining the Nisqually League as a 1A school) and is replaced by Orting (currently 1A).
The WIAA officially gave schools until Dec. 20 to declare intentions to opt up, but does make exceptions. The classification numbers are not official until approved by the WIAA Executive Board next month.
Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director, said the Executive Board is forming a committee to look into possible changes in the reclassification process regarding the length of the cycles (going to every four years instead of two, for instance) and how to count alternative school students, among other issues.

Club Volleyball: Power League Explained

I wanted to pass along this fine summary of the Puget Sound Region Power League prepared by our friends at KJ Volleyball Club. Thanks, Pirate!

http://blog.kjvbc.com/?page_id=80