Club Volleyball Holiday Greetings

Five Things on my Xmas List:

1. That all Power League matches will be held between Bothell and Bellevue.
2. That snow does not cause too many practice cancellations this winter.
3. A bag of miscellaneous hair thingies that will always be in the back seat of the car.
4. Success for ITVC Blue!
5. A fun, injury-free year for all the DD's out there.

Practice tonight then a nice holiday weekend. CVD wishes everyone much holiday cheer. Support your local brewpub!

And congrats to coach Danielle, named Head Coach at Edmonds CC!

Club Volleyball: Note from Maddie

Hey everyone, this is Maddie, or club volleyball DD, I guess I could say :)

I just wanted to write a quick note thanking everyone for their support. I just went back and read over all the older entries...I can't believe we've only been live for a year! All the comments, advice, and tips were truly a help and yes, I read them all because anything I didn't read on here would end up in my inbox. The preceding weeks before any tryout, the majority of my email messages are forwards from my dad about advice and information. I also remember the first time I checked out the site. "Who's Kate?" I asked. Now it's been over a year since Kate, Varsity at the junior high, and dreaming of playing for a traveling team. It has been an amazing and rewarding journey so far, and I'm certain that it will continue to be just that. I've had so many amazing influences: coaches, players, and teammates, and I can't express how honored I am to have the privilege of working with/getting coached by/or getting to know them. Thank YOU for reading and happy holidays!!

Also, a BIG thank you to my dad. I consider you my #1 fan because you're always there and supportive no matter what.
"Already booked my room in Spokane."
"Canceled a work trip to San Diego for a tournament."
"Sure, Maddie, we can drive 2 hours to Western to go see a game...for the third weekend in a row."
You're awesome. Love you DAD :)

Indeed, happy holidays to all,
Maddie

Club Volleyball: Slow December

During the dark and rain of December, with practices really just getting underway, Maddie turned her attention to the Huskies wonderful run in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament. And what a run it was! A sweep over Hawaii followed by an amazing win over Nebraska left us playing Cal with a chance to make it to the Final Four, but alas, the Bears had our number 3 times this year and it came to a stop on Saturday night. Maddie went to both weekend games and came away with even more love and respect for Husky setter Jenna Hagglund than ever before. For long time readers of the blog, you'll remember that Jenna   spent a lot of time with Maddie at the UW summer camp and the girls stayed in touch all fall. After Saturday's loss, Maddie wrote Jenna and told her how proud she was of her and how much she looked up to her. This was Jenna's reply:


"Maddie, you are one amazing young woman. Your words mean the world to me. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet you, coach you, and get to know you. Stick with it and keep your positive attitude and you will accomplish so much. Keep me updated with volleyball and life, I hope to see you soon! Love u girl." Jenna


I'd just like to say that Jenna is one classy young woman and a hell of a volleyball player, and I wish her the best in wherever life takes her.


Less than a month to Power League 1!! Happy Holidays all. 

Club Volleyball: The Big Time

It was on December 4th at 6:27 PM that I realized we were not in Volleyball Kansas any more. Was it the realization that Maddie will play in 3 different states this winter? NO, but how cool is that!? Was it the fact that everyone at ITVC is organized and helpful? NO, but that has been awesome! You know what it was? It was when I dropped $200 on required logo stuff! But man, is she gonna look cool!

Club Volleyball: It's Baaack!

20 years I've lived in Seattle and I've been to Mercer Island about 4 times. Now my daughter plays for a team there and I'm sure I'll learn every dive and microbrew proprietor in town during the coming 6 months. Tuesday was that gut wrenching event called Parent Meeting Night. It's a time for parents and DD's to meet the coach and the other girls on the team. The parents all eye each other with a sort of bemused pride; pride because our girls are good volleyball players and are at the beginning of yet another fun journey, but bemused because we all know that we are being separated from our money and smiling like idiots while it happens. But hats off to ITVC who obviously have this down pat. Very organized, rules and schedules printed and handed out, uniforms sized, a website to order gear from - compare that to our club last year where we had to talk the Director into joining Power League and one could not help but come away feeling like we were in good hands.

Busy schedule for our 15 year olds... 5 Power League weekends, a trip to Corvalis, Qualifiers in Spokane and Minneapolis, Presidents Day and MLK tourney's and of course Regionals and a probable invite to the Emerald City Classic ( and of course JO's! right?). 12 weekends of volleyball over a 5 month season and then summer will be here! All kidding aside, I love it, Maddie loves it, and our decision to support her in her love for volleyball is something we'll treasure forever, I'm sure. And she's only a sophomore! The journey is only beginning!

First practice tonight, and surprise, surprise (not really), they want Maddie to set. (Remember she set in Jr. High and at Moxie last year, then switched to Right Side in HS) Maddie's cool with it, mom and dad both think it's a better position for her, and all is well this 2nd night of December. Maddie likes the coach, thinks her teammates are swell and seems happy to be playing VB again after that dreadful month off since high school wrapped up. Looks like the lady Kangs have about half of their varsity team next year playing club this year. Would like to have had a few more girls uber committed like Maddie, but it takes a pretty dedicated girl to want to do this...but you all know that already, don't you, volleyball parents. It's good to be back.

Tryouts Over for Another Year!

I think we can all be thankful that our first snow of the season did not hit yesterday. I'm looking out my window in Kirkland and everything is white. DD went to 4 tryouts this weekend: Blaze - hands down the best tryouts we have been to. The facility is great and Mike and his staff are top notch. They cap each tryout session (we're U16) at 30 girls (x2 so 60 try out), split those into groups of 15 and really run them through skills with staff taking lots of notes on each player. Blaze continually finishes well up in Power League and we seriously considered playing there, but the lack of a 17's and 18's club plus the limited schedule, moved us in a different direction. Eastside Volleyball Academy - a brand new club out of Bellevue started by Andrew McAllister who was previously at NW Juniors and BCC. It was a 15's and 16's combined tryout and poor Andrew was running it by himself so he seemed stretched a bit thin, but I will be rooting for him and EVA because it never hurts to have another option on the East Side. We just felt it was too new to start there as a 16. NW Jr's Elite - Say what you will about NW Jr's, but there was something very comforting about their tryout after having been to EVA's. They had lots of staff and Tony does a fantastic job of going through everything for the parents. They really seem to offer the complete package. Didn't seem like a giant turnout, but maybe that was because the Juanita HS gym is so massive. Last up was ITVC - 80 girls. Big change this year appears to be that the Blue Team is cranking it up a notch. Basically the same tournament schedule and price as ASICS. New coach is Danielle Orong who has a fantastic resume and is a fellow San Jose State alumni, so how could DD go wrong?   A year ago, DD signed with Moxie. Last night, we were excited to receive that 10 PM call and will now call ITVC home. Pretty amazing what a year of nonstop hard work can do. Good luck to all the DDs in 2011!

Club Volleyball: Tryout Sunday

Sunday morning. Tired, sore, brain fried, hungry....and I don't even know how Maddie feels! Saturday is in the books and in a couple of hours i will tear myself away from the NFL to drive the 4 minutes to NW Jr's Elite tryouts and then on to Island Thunder this afternoon. Maddie should know where she'll be playing in roughly 12 hours. Once again, I'd like to tip my hat to the folks at Blaze who hands down run the best tryouts we've been to. The reason is that they cap it at 30 girls per tryout, split them immediately into 2 groups and run them through their drills with 2-3 coaches taking notes etc. Now, they run 2 tryouts, but that means 60 girls. Compare that with Sudden Impact who I heard had about 100 girls trying out. Ridiculous. The highlight of the Blaze tryout is where the coach stands on a box on one side of the net and a single girl stands on the other side while they fire balls at her, dump 'em short, hit 'em deep, and the DD is running and diving all over the place. You could tell Maddie was in shape from HS because she rocked it pretty good.

Our other tryout was at Eastside VBA...brand new club and they did not do a whole lot of publicity; (I think they were trying to avoid a cattle call, so not a bad strategy). It was a bit unorganized and there were not a lot of girls there (maybe 20 15's and 20 16's) so everyone got a good look.

Now on to the rest of the day!

Club Volleyball: Day One Tryouts in the Books

So different from a year ago as I was standing along the wall at Moxie tryouts last night and a mom came up to me and asked "so how does this all work? There are so many girls!" And I, being the now worldly club volleyball dad, did my best to explain. Unlike a year ago, the suspense of making a team was lifted early as they pulled Maddie out about an hour in and asked her to come back to Moxie in 2011. Several other 'incumbents' were approached in the same manner, but only a handful of last years team came back for tryouts tonight, so the coaches really will have an opportunity to start from scratch. One of the JV players at LW also made the team and I was very proud of her because Club does not seem to be a big priority for the young Kangs, which is sad, because if half the team was on a club, those 5 wins might have become 8. Moxie did confirm that they will be playing in Power League this year, so all in all, we're glad we went and glad to have a spot SOMEWHERE going into the weekend of more competitive tryouts. One down, four to go. And kudo's to you, Maddie, for missing the midnight Harry Potter showing that all your friends went to so you could be well rested and mentally alert as you head into some of the biggest tryouts of your volleyball career. I am proud of you.

Happy Birthday, Club Volleyball Blog!

Club Volleyball Dad is a year old now! Lots of changes since those first posts leading up to club tryouts for 2009; but the more things change, the more they stay the same, because here we are 12 months later and we are once again only days away from U16 tryouts. We'll be at Moxie, Blaze, NW Juniors, EVA, and Island Thunder. We had a good experience with Moxie last year, but it took a perfect storm of good coaches and good parents pushing to be part of Power League. When I asked the U16 coaches if they would be joining PL and some open tournies as well this year, they said they didn't know. So for now, we'll head to Moxie on Thursday and treat it more like a warm up for the weekend. Maddie has had an idle 2 weeks to recharge her batteries, but now it's time to go out and make a good club. For all of you with DD's trying out next weekend, good luck! And Maddie: "Don't dream it; be it."

Season Ending Bomb

The High School season sputtered to an end with a completely lackluster performance against Liberty. Some might say losing 2 of the games by 3 points or less mean we were in it; I say it exposes a need for the coaching staff to show the girls how to rise above adversity and become winners.

Time now to get mentally and physically prepared for Club Tryouts in 3 weeks. It will be up to Maddie to stay in shape and figure out a way to make her mark. No one else can help her reach her goal of playing in college at this stage but her.

But it was a fun, if a bit frustrating first year of high school ball and I hope she had a blast.

Playoffs Volleyball Dad

With their 5 victories in KingCo 3A, the Lady Kangs sneak into the first round of the playoffs and pull a very favorable matchup with Liberty, who we beat this year on our home court. This game is at 5:30 on Friday at Sammamish HS and winner moves to the 2nd round plus locks up a spot in the Districts...all very heady stuff for a program that has not won a game in several years. A first round win would be awesome for everyone involved. Cat's crying at the back door as I begin another commute in the dark. Summer disappeared quickly!

Club Volleyball: Parents, Playoffs and IPA

Another fine stretch of days as we began the week at Sammamish HS, which is not ON the Sammamish plateau but instead is down in Bellevue. Funny how you get to know about all these gyms in High Schools you never even knew were tucked away in various  places around the region. I mean, I had never even HEARD of Liberty before this year. Anyway, as we were sitting at Sammamish HS before the game listening to their Senior Night speeches, I realized that it's about so much more than winning. SHS has not won a match all year, something that many of the girls on the Kangs can appreciate. And yet, here were their underclassmen tearfully talking about how much these seniors meant to them and how hard they worked and it made me step back a little and make sure that above and beyond all the stress over making a club and thinking about college, what is most important is that Maddie is learning to compete, work on a team and make lasting friendships.

I looked up into the stands and was also impressed with the parents who are associated with OUR program, from my ex who does all the home game programs and will be team mom next year to the moms who made sure all the girls on the Kangs AND the opposing team had pink hair ribbons for the Breast Cancer Awareness Night to all the other Club Volleyball Dads who come see their DD's play every single game. It hit me that we are all very blessed to have daughters associated with this very cool sport.

So we beat SHS and now have 5 wins on the season heading into Monday's final regular season game with Juanita. That is 5 more wins than this program had the last couple of years COMBINED and the girls were rewarded by learning that not only have they seen success on the court, but they will be representing LWHS at the KingCo Championships next weekend! Congrats, girls! Not just for making the playoffs, but for being winners no matter what your record is.

And to top it all off, Maddie and I drove up to Bellingham in a storm to see her favorite team, the Western Vikings, continue to impress by smacking around the team from Fairbanks. PLUS, dad got to visit yet another cool brewpub, this one being Boundary Bay Brewery where a couple of hoppy IPA's and a lamb burger hit the spot before heading to the game!

Kangs Keep Rolling

Straight from the airport to Bellevue HS where the Kangs continued to make positive strides with a 3-0 victory over the Wolverines. Maddie had some awesome passes and was able to overcome her anger at dad for not taking her to the desert for 4 days. Next up, Sammamish and then a tough one against the Juanita Rebels to wrap up the regular season. Club tryouts are only a month away!

Seattle Eastside Club Volleyball Info

From sunny Palm Springs, bringing you this. (With help from a club volleyball mom in Kirkland) If you have friends, please forward the link to those interested in club, just not to parents with U16 Opposites. :)

Many have asked about Club Volleyball recently, so I thought I'd share some general info with all.  Tryouts for club are held in November, with the regular season running from January through May, although some teams participate in post-season tournaments through July.

Tryouts for club (U15 & over) are scheduled for Weds Nov 17 - Sunday Nov 21 (makeup tryouts are usually held after these dates to fill vacancies based on the club).  Official signings begin on Monday Nov 22 (verbal offers can be made earlier), and players returning to their prior season's club can sign earlier.

Many local gyms offer great programs for tryout prepartion.  Two that run volleyball-specific preparations are Nevillizms (Bellevue, 100% volleyball training) and End Zone (Kirkland, all types of athletics with volleyball-specific programs). I'm sure there are others available as well.  These programs are a great way to keep in volleyball mode and prepare for tryout week.

If you are new to club volleyball, its best to try out for a few different clubs - you never know what any given team/coach is looking for, and you want to have as many choices as possible when it comes to making a selection.  There are many different clubs on the Eastside, each offers something a little different.  Look at their websites, read the philosophy statements, and talk to others who have played for the team/coach.  There are many opinions on club reputations based on individual experiences.  A coach will play a big role in your club experience, so listen carefully to others expereinces & always ask about coach.  You will also get a feel about the club and coach from the parent meetings held during tryouts at each club.  Another area to closely evaluate is practice times/locations and gym space.  Some clubs have dedicated gym space with set practice times, others have alternative arrangements.  Ask questions and make sure you understand the club arrangements!  The region website is governs local affiliated clubs and is a great resource.  I've included a few links below.

Club Tryout Dates:
http://pugetsoundvb.org/index.php?option=com_jevents&view=year&task=year.listevents&Itemid=30

Puget Sound Region Website:
http://pugetsoundvb.org/

Cascade Volleyball Club, Northshore Volleyball Club, Space Needle and Edmonds Volleyball Club are a few more programs to check out as well.  (There are always new clubs popping up, so check out the region website!)
Enjoy!

 
 Girls Club Volleyball

Club Volleyball Tryouts – USA Volleyball, Puget Sound Region www.pugetsoundvb.org

 

Tryout pre-registration is required. Each club website will have details on how to register. Show up at least 30 minutes early so you can settle in and get your volleyball shoes on. Be prepared to pay a $10 - $20 tryout fee. This helps the clubs cover the cost of gym rental to hold tryouts. Please confirm times by visiting the club websites. Do your research. All teams are different, so ask questions and meet the coaches at tryouts. You WILL be a better volleyball player if you play club.   

 

Age Definitions:

 

    U13: Born on or after 9/1/97 (mostly 7th graders)
    U14: Born on or after 9/1/96 (mostly 8th graders)
    U15: Born on or after 9/1/95 (mostly 9th graders)
    U16: Born on or after 9/1/94 (mostly 10th graders)
    U17: Born on or after 9/1/93 (mostly 11^th graders)

 

High Velocity Volleyball Club ($1400-$2000 per season + travel expense)

http://www.highvelocityvb.com / highvelocityvb@gmail.com

Location: Interlake High School

Tryout times not posted yet.

 

Bellevue YMCA – Blaze ($1000 per season, YMCA membership included)

http://www.volleybrain.com

Location: Bellevue Family YMCA

Great practice facility

    U13 - Saturday, Nov. 6 (8-10:30am OR 2:30-5pm)
    U14 - Saturday, Nov. 6 (11:30-2pm OR 6-8:30pm)
    U15 - Saturday, Nov. 20 (8-10:30am OR 2:30-5pm)
    U16 - Saturday, Nov. 20 (11:30-2pm OR 6-8:30pm)
    U17/U18 - Still determining whether we can offer this age group,
    if interested, contact Danielle Pulliam.

 

Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club ($1100 - $1800 per season + travel expense)

http://www.volleyballnw.com / info@volleyballnw.com

Has many teams at all levels including local and national teams.

Locations: Juanita High School / Bellevue Community College/Interlake HS

U12/U13/U14: Sunday, Nov. 7th 12:30-2:30 PM

            U15/U16: Sunday, Nov. 21st 12:30-3:30 PM Juanita HS

U17/U18: Sunday, Nov. 21^st 4:30-7:00 PM Juanita HS

 

Island Thunder Volleyball Club ($1500 per season + travel expense)

http://www.islandthundervbc.com / jessica.papell@gmail.com

Mercer Island Community Center (practices held in gyms on Mercer Island and Bellevue)

Check website or contact Jessica Papell for updated tryout locations for your age group.

Tryout times not posted as of 10/8/10

 

Sudden Impact Volleyball Club ($2250 - $2400 + travel)

http://www.sivbc.org / info@sivbc.org

Tryouts not posted as of 10/8

 

Moxie Juniors ($$800 per season)

http://www.moxiejuniors.com / info@moxiejuniors.com

Location: Jewish Day School-Bellevue

Good program; local only but a great way to break into Club Volleyball

             U13: Thursday, November 4th, 7:30 - 9:30PM
             U14: Friday, November 5th, 7:45 - 9:45PM
             U15: Thursday, November 18th, 6:00 - 8:00PM
             U16: Thursday, November 18th, 8:00 - 10:00PM
             U17 & U18: Tuesday, November 23rd, 7:45 - 9:45PM
 

Rain City (Edmonds/Bothell) – http://www.eteamz.com/raincityvb/

Not a lot of info about this program on the website.  Historically this team has practiced at St. Edwards Park each season.
U -14  November 6th    4pm to 8pm    Cedar Valley Gym
U -15  November 19th  7pm to 10pm   Edmonds CC
U -16  November 19th  7pm to 10pm   Edmonds CC
U -18  November 17th  7pm to 10pm   Edmonds CC

Lynnwood Spike It: http://www.eteamz.com/LynnwoodSpikeIt/

U-14  2:00 pm November 6th 2010 @ Alderwood Middle School
U-15+  2:00 pm November 20th 2010 @ Lynnwood High School

 

Senior Night Smiles

After losing once again to undefeated powerhouse Mt. Si on Monday night, the 2-8 Kangs wrapped up their home schedule with a bit of a stunner, taking 6-4 Liberty to 5 games and emerging victorious. This was a night for the seniors who really raised their level of play. With only 3 games left, we look poised to take the 6th spot in the conference and make it into the King Co. tourney, where sadly, we will probably face Mt. Si again. But first things first. Enjoy the win, Kangs.

Maddie is struggling a bit lately; I'd like to see her get that focus and energy back and practice hard. Get your playing time back and be ready to peak the weekend of Club tryouts!

Dad is off for 4 days of sun and 90 degree weather in Palm Springs, but back on Monday night in Bellevue!

Enjoy your weekends, volleyball folks!

Back from the Abyss

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am over my funk. Sorry for being Debbie Downer. #11 and I are getting ready for a drive up to Bellingham to watch Western take on SPU in a big GNAC game.

And as the name of this blog is CLUB Volleyball Dad, it will warm everyone's heart to hear that the various Puget Sound clubs have begun posting their 2010-2011 tryout dates. Looks like the weekend before Thanksgiving will be a busy one! Alot more angst in the house this time around because we want to catch on with a solid, perhaps traveling, team this year. U16 is a pretty important one. Any feedback or tips on Eastside clubs will be appreciated!

Have a great weekend!

A Dismal Week

Wow. Tough week. I just erased a really long post that ripped into this team, but that won't help. They need to learn how to win. They need to be pissed off. I'll leave it at that. Dad is bummed out.

Fear the Roo

Fear the Roo, a comment from my last post...but not yet. Took a giant hop backwards on WED with a resounding butt kicking by Juanita. I think this team is a year or two away still....next year will be big as 7 seniors graduate, but I think the new blood will be good. That being said, the year is half over and the 2 wins are 2 more than this program has had in the last 2 YEARS, so we're moving in the right direction.

Before each home game the girls get in a big circle and get jiggy wit it; Maddie said that when she would watch the Varsity last year one of the reasons she wanted to make the team was so SHE could be part of that tradition..and I'll have to say, they get into it pretty good.

Time to regroup with a home game against MI on Monday. Hope you all have a good weekend. If you want to find Maddie, look no further than Hec Ed as the Huskies play USC and UCLA back to back. (Just in: Huskies beat #5 USC 3-2! Go Dawgs!)

Extract Heart From Throat

Nothing like starting a Saturday morning with a call from DD: "I hurt my wrist in practice yesterday and the trainer thinks I should go to the doctor." At this point, a million things are zig zagging around my brain; how does a HS trainer know she should go to the doctor? What if she tore a ligament? What kind of doctor do we see on a Saturday? So, profoundly, I say "WHAT?" Thankfully, Maddie's total hatred of anything medical causes her to decide to wait a day and by Sunday, things appear OK. She had it wrapped for today's game and was able to play; starting game 2 in a Kangs 3-1 victory over winless Sammamish....so that's 2 wins over 2 winless teams and all of a sudden we're 2-4 and it feels great to taste victory. For a rebuilding program, a win is a win and the girls know what it feels like to close a match out and go home winners. Pretty good crowd at LW tonight. Because I take lots of pictures and cannot sit still during matches, I usually hang out on the empty side of the gym and my new best friend at the games is the janitor, who I have to admit is pretty enthusiastic about the team. The AD was there too tonight and we're fist bumping and yelling like kids from the sideline with each kill. I hope the program continues to build and we start filling up seats because the girls are gamers and I'm proud of them. Feel good moment of the day was in game 3 where we were down 20-24 and coach subbed Maddie in to serve because she's by far the most consistent server on the team. She got the serve in, and even though they lost that game, she came through under pressure. Good job, #11! Some pics after Wednesday's game; let's keep it going!

In Sickness and in Health

Maddie has been feeling crummy for a couple of weeks now, so the day after a tough loss at Liberty, it was off to the doctor where they confirmed she had strep throat. The good news is that because we waited so long, she is on the way to recovery. (Bad mom and dad for waiting so long) Coach sent her home in a panic from practice yesterday, but I explained that she was no longer communicable and indeed, after 24 hours of antibiotics, she felt better today and suited up against another 0-4 team tonight, Bellevue High. The Kangs took the first 2 and Maddie started game 3 and the gals came from behind to win 25-23 and take their first match. Maddie played with more energy than I've seen this year and there were smiles all around as they got that monkey off their backs. I blew off a team dinner with the CEO at work (funny how your priorities change when you are a club volleyball parent) and I'm glad I did. First match win by LW in 2 years and it was great that the girls tasted victory. This is a good team and I really think they just don't know hOW to win sometimes, so this was step in the right direction. I was especially happy for the seniors who have been losing since they made the team. Good job girls; lets build on this!

Slaughter at the Falls

For those of you who are out of state, I can tell you that the drive from Seattle to the town of Snoqualmie winds through a beautiful rural valley before passing Snoqualmie Falls ( Twin Peaks country) and arriving at the base of Mt. Si, home of the 5th ranked Wildcats. This was the first match where we were just overwhelmed by a bigger, stronger and taller team. They have been to State 3 years running and look like they're on their way again. Maddie started and played OK, but it's tough going up against Juniors and Seniors of that level...but I think it's great for her to see that kind of competition; it will make the U16's in Club look a lot less intimidating.  Four days until the next match so the girls can catch their breaths and get some practice in (they have had one practice in 8 days and 5 matches). Even Club Volleyball Dad can take it easy for a few days and gear up for Monday. Hope all of you have a great weekend, and if you get the chance, go visit Snoqualmie; it's a pretty town. And they have a solid team.

Early Season Ups and Downs

I can't believe how quickly the games are going by! The Kangs made their home debut on Friday and dad was so excited! I wore my #11 Edgar Martinez number, but alas, Maddie was feeling yucky all day and by game time, she had nothing in the tank. Poor girl. She tried to play, but after a couple of points, coach yanked her. We lost a good match to Skyline but the girls won their first game of the year and got that monkey off their backs. Monday rolled around and even though Maddie was pumped full of cold meds, she came off the bench to start the 3rd game and contributed to a solid win against Interlake. She played all of game 4 too, but the Kangs lost another match, 3-1. This team is right on the edge. Two of their middles are hurt, so there has not been much height in front, so everyone is looking forward to their return.

I'm having a good time being the team photographer and have set up a website so all the girls can access the pictures and Maddie says they are all loving the fact they can post their images on Facebook. Good bunch of girls and solid parents. After tomorrow's game at Mt. Si, they will have played 5 matches in 7 days, so there may be a little burnout going on. I think they are all looking forward to catching their collective breaths!

@ Mercer Island

Proud day for Club Volleyball Dad as Maddie was the starting RS Hitter for the Kangs @ Mercer Island in the first game of her high school career. Maddie said her hands were shaking every moment she was in there, but I thought she played really well for her first game and I thought the team played well too, even though we lost 3 straight to a solid MI team. TALL front line blocked the heck out of us! I think it was 20-25, 18-25 and 21-25 so they really stayed in the games the whole time. This is a team that did not win a single match during 2009, so I came away impressed with how well the coach has the team playing. I spent the match as I always do; away from everyone and living and dying with each serve, but I kept busy taking pictures and not fretting too much that I was missing the NFL opener. And how cool that another blog fan was nice enough to introduce herself! I feel like the guy that ratted out Nixon, just substitute "Are you deepthroat?" with "Are you Club Volleyball Dad?" That will be me: the guy in the purple hat taking pictures and popping blood pressure pills every time a serve goes into the net or over the back line. Right back at it tomorrow at our new gym vs. Skyline!

High School Volleyball: Jamboree

The official start to High School Volleyball kicked off yesterday afternoon with the 3A and 4A Jamboree which was held this year at Juanita High. I love Juanita High for 2 reasons: 5 minutes from the house and it's enormous. Four courts with plenty of room so you get no stray balls flying into the court. While the games were fun, the big story of the night was Club Volleyball Dad making his LINE JUDGE debut, flags and all. Maddie had a teammate tell her "Wow, your dad is really into it!" I'm pretty sure I looked darn competent out there and there were no controversial calls that left me looking like an idiot. The most difficult part was tempering my enthusiasm when the Kangs scored.

OK, back to the games! Maddie started on the right side and dad was very proud to see her out there with all the 16 and 17 year olds and she completely held her own. Lost the first match to a strong Mercer Island team but rebounded nicely against Bellevue with a solid win. Lost tough matches to Juanita and Redmond (4A) but then had a solid win against Roosevelt (4A). Finished up with a loss against Woodinville (4A) where we fell behind early, tied it up at 18 but then wilted under a strong service run. So, 2-4 with a couple of the losses against 4A teams. We need some work on passing and strongside hitting, but I thought the girls played with spirit. It may be an up and down year, but this has been a downtrodden program that a new coach is trying to build and I think she's doing a good job.

Opening day at Mercer Island tomorrow, Skyline at home in the new gym on Friday, helping out at the JV Jamboree on Saturday, and games Monday and Wednesday next week. I'm exhausted already. Special thanks to Woodinville Volleyball Mom who came up and introduced herself at the Jamboree. So glad you enjoy following the blog; I wish we could have spoken a bit longer! Go Woodinville!

Happy Labor Day, Club Volleyball Family!

As we head into Labor Day weekend, the first week of school and practices are about done. Maddie is absolutely loving it, practices are going great, and the big Jamboree is on Tuesday afternoon at Juanita HS. Is was supposed to be at Kangaroo High in our nice new gym, but I think the rain this week put things behind schedule because there is still limited parking and just GETTING to the gym is like going through a maze. I was signed up to be a line judge and everything! I guess we will host next year, and heck, JHS is 2 minutes from the house. Here are the schools in our 3A league:

Lake Washington
Bellevue
Liberty
Sammamish
Mt. Si
Mercer Island
Juanita
Interlake

Good group! I'd really be worried if this was football. If you have a DD participating in Jamboree, come find me and hello. I'll be the Kangaroo fan taking pictures and wearing a purple ball cap. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

College Volleyball Marathon

When your DD has the fever, feed it. Begging me to skip the Mariners game and eat $40 worth of tickets (ultimately a good request as the Mariners crawled weakly to a 1-0 defeat) Maddie asked if we could PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE drive the 90 minutes up I-5 to see Western Washington University scrimmage against Fresno Pacific. And when your DD just made varsity, walks around the house holding a volleyball, practices her approach in the parking lot at Safeway, and regularly chats via Facebook with members of both the Vikings and the Huskies, what do you say? You say LET'S GO! WWU does indeed have a beautiful campus, and even though the gym was built about 60 years ago, there's a good vibe there. We enjoyed the scrimmage, Maddie got to spend a couple of minutes with her friend on the team, and she showed dad around the campus (she was there for a camp this summer).

Of course, by this time, dad was famished, so off we went to Skagit Brewing for some wings and a nice IPA on the deck. Maddie had neither wings OR IPA in case you were wondering. And it was there, basking in the glow of fresh hops that Maddie suggested we head straight to UW to catch the 7 pm match against Eastern. My response: LETS GO! So there we were in Section 10 watching the Huskies and Maddie's pal Jenna Haglund dismantle the Eagles in 3 straight. Back across the bridge and home watching preseason games on the DVR by 9. What a day. Good call, DD. Feed the fever.

Reaching Her Goal

Maddie. Starting Right Side Hitter for the Varsity at Kangaroo High. Sounds good! She was all smiles when we showed up for the HS Parents and Sports night. Coach had not named the team until the end of practice tonight. 15 person squad and DD is one of only 3 sophomores to make Varsity. So, all is happy tonight. I think it's a great opportunity for her to work every day with girls older than she is and get some good competition on game days. Really like what our new coach is bringing to the program; lots of parents are going to be involved with different things...I wanted to be the Hair Ribbon Coordinator, but finally offered to help take and coordinate pictures (which I love doing anyway) and even signed up to be a line judge at the big all conference Jamboree on the 7th. She really worked hard all summer to improve her volleyball skills and I'm very gratified that she has learned that hard work often pays off. She says her new goal is to keep that starting position. Looking forward to competition! My Mondays and Wednesdays are booked for the next 2 months. :)

High School Tryouts 2

Thanks to all who post comments! I love reading about what other folks have to say. Keep sharing! Day 2 of tryouts and Maddie is having a great time getting into the whole volleyball thing again. Kangaroo High has a beautiful brand new gym and I'm looking forward to that first real match. Mads is basically switching from setter to opposite so it will be fun to watch her grow in that position. Squads named on Thursday so next post then! Interesting comment about the politics of HS...I can see where being a senior and not making varsity might take the wind out of some girls. Only about 30 girls trying out split evenly among the 3 grades...will be interesting to see if what the coach said at the parents meeting (that the squads will be picked based on tryouts, not grades) will remain true or whether the pressure of making sure lots of seniors make varsity will win out. I don't envy her. They wanted to run 3 teams so no one gets cut, but not sure how that will work without 40 girls trying out, Maybe 15 person teams? Of course, that means lots of girls would sit on game day. Tough choices in the next 48 hours!

High School Volleyball Dad

Boy...the summer flew by! For the next couple of months it's club tryouts practice aka High School Volleyball! I enjoy watching Maddie compete at all levels and have to admit I'm looking forward to watching her as she begins her sophomore year. New coach, new gym and new energy at Kangaroo HS this year and tryouts start Monday! I DO find it amusing that Club teams choose their squads based on on a 2 hour tryout and HS takes 3 DAYS (10+ hours!). I will give it to Maddie; she worked hard this summer and is ready to compete, so to her and all of your DD's getting ready to go through the same thing, I say "go get 'em!"

UW Camp II

Just wrapped up the last day of the camp....well worth the money and time. Kate...oh to heck with Kate, her name is Maddie. Maddie had a wonderful time. They had a great turnout and Jim Mclaughlin (he is the coach of the Huskies) and the staff spent alot of time talking about competing and practicing and making good choices, both on and off the court.

Maddie also enjoyed the week because she was paired up all week with Jenna Hagglund, the All PAC-10 setter from the Huskies and one of Maddie's role models. Maddie got lots of one on one setting time with Jenna:

Today was a half day round robin tourney at Hec Ed so I ditched work to watch. Maddie and Jenna's team won their pool and Maddie was the only setter so she played every point. Every DD, every staff member and every parent I saw there seemed to be having a great time. They gave each girl a new Husky volleyball at the end and Maddie had all the Huskies and Jim sign it...what a cool keepsake for her volleyball shelf!

So now a bit of a break...she mainly set this week but the plan is still to make Varsity at LW as an Opposite this year....next post will probably be around HS tryouts, so everyone have a great summer!

Maddie and Jenna:

UW Camp

Day One of the UW Camp left Kate with lots of smiles. She said she recognized quite a few DD's and that they are showing girls the fundamentals of the Jim Mclaughlin way and that she is loving every second of it. Each group is assigned a Husky player and Kate is in Jenna Hagglund's group. Jenna is the UW setter and Kate has chatted with her via Facebook before and when Kate mentioned her last name she said "You're Katie!" and much happiness ensued. Dad is looking forward to the Thursday afternoon scrimmages.

Change of Position?

Kate traveled up to Bellingham with 14 other girls who will be trying out for her HS team and spent 4 days up there living and breathing volleyball. Except for Kate and another girl, they were all juniors and seniors along with the coach. She had a GREAT time and came back ready to sign up for WWU on the spot! Several of the WWU players were part of the camp and Kate has already started chatting with them via email. I've been really impressed that those young ladies will take the time to offer advice etc.; kind of refreshing that they are so accessible. Kate's HS team has several returning setters and her coach asked her to begin working out as the right side hitter and backup setter...she even played a little middle. Kate is very excited about this new challenge and she seems to have a renewed sense of desire to make varsity as a sophomore. I'm happy too; she's a good athlete and being able to play multiple positions seems like it couldn't hurt moving forward. She has a very good relationship with the coach, who was also her Jr. High coach and accepted the position to coach the new HS team.

This week she will be attending the UW camp and getting in a few optional HS practices before the 'dead' time prior to tryouts....then a tune up with a local club coach and some of her Moxie teammates and then summer will be wrapping up Seemed alot longer when I was a kid! Would love to hear comments about DD's that switched positions; how did it work out?

Club Volleyball: A Busy Summer

It appears summer will finally come to the Northwest this week and Kate is busy busy busy with volleyball.  A new coach at the high school this year has vowed to bring the program up to par with others, so that, coupled with a move to 3A should help us be more competitive. She let the girls know that everyone is starting from scratch so I hope she goes out and competes like mad. There is a reluctance to compete with her friends and even though I've explained that her friends will have no problem competing with her, she seems hesitant to be anything but deferential to the older setters. Only a sophomore next year, but this is a team that failed to win one match last year, so I believe Coach when she says its an open competition. Go earn a starter spot, Kate. From weekly open gym sessions to a week being coached by a local club coach at the house of one of her Moxie friends, she's staying busy. I love that she is now meeting up with girls on the HS team to go play sand volleyball on Lake Washington. This week she also heads to WWU for a team camp, and the UW camp is coming up fast. I'll have to admit that I'm already looking forward to the school season and moving into Club come December...though I'm not in any hurry for the nice weather to disappear. What are YOUR DD's up to this summer?

A Day at the Beach

Lovely day out at Alki Beach yesterday where Northwest Juniors put on a nice clinic for girls wanting to experience beach volleyball. As it rained all day Friday, we were a little nervous, but Saturday dawned bright and blue with huge white clouds piled up at the Olympics. One forgets how beautiful it is over on Alki on a sunny day; the view east to the skyline was great! There were about 50 girls of all ages and they broke them out into groups of 8; Kate got to play with a couple of her club volleyball friends that had signed up too. Alki was bustling and the girls spent the whole day learning the ins and outs of playing on sand while I had some scallops and fries and caught up with some of the moms. I will say that the whole thing was very well run and everyone seemed to have a great day. Kate woke up this morning and said "I'm sore AND sunburned...but if feels good."

Club Volleyball Camp Tryouts

I have to admit that I'm still coming to grips with the end of the Club season. That first Thursday after the last match found Kate and I realizing that we didn't have anyplace to be. Nice. Sad.

We went down to Fife HS on Saturday to try out for a camp. Now, never in my life did I think I would ever be involved in a process where you had to try out to go to a summer camp, but there we were. We didn't go so much because we thought we had a shot to be one of six of the 20+ setters that tried out, we went because for $35 it was a solid 3 hours of volleyball and competition. Kate hadn't played for 3 weeks and half the girls were a year older than she was and it showed, but the coaches must have better minds because it sure didn't look to me like anyone there stood out above anyone else. A little disappointment of not being at that level, but I'm starting to think that Kate is going to be pretty happy just playing, not giving up everything to be the best. And that is very OK.

Next up: a beach VB clinic over at Alki. Pray for sun and dry sand.

Club Volleyball: Wrapping Up Year One

Year one is in the books and it was quite a journey. It literally seems like yesterday that Kate was attending tryouts and deciding what position she wanted to play. In a way, we were lucky to get an offer from our club but even luckier that we had some parents and a coach who was willing to join Power League and sign up for some additional tournaments that they had not historically signed up for. It was a team a bit short on talent but long on enthusiasm and heart. That made for some frustrating matches, and after not winning a single match during day one of the Regionals, things looked bleak. But just like they have done several times this year, they stepped it up, won their Sunday rematch with High Velocity and played Bainbridge to win the Sunday pool. They lost that one but ended up 32nd in Regionals which I'd say was something to be proud of for this club. Some ups and downs from our first year in club volleyball:

Downs: The club does not have strong management. It seemed to be a struggle all year to get us registered for tournaments and there seemed to be a lack of communication on a club level throughout. The website is rarely updated (maybe the same folks that manage our website manage the Puget Sound Region site!) and there was never any news we could follow about the other age groups, etc. There was never a time when the U16 coaches payed attention to the U15 club nor did they come over and say they hoped the girls tried out next year, etc. I really felt like our U15's were on an island within the club. They won't ever be an elite club until they get their act together.

The Club scene: As much as I want Kate to be on a great team and play in college, I'm starting to wonder if the costs outweigh the benefits. We live on the East Side and so our choice of clubs is limited. As good as Kate is, she's not a 6'2" hitter or a left handed setter that puts everything on the hitter's hands. As both of us parents work, we're not going to run her to Kent or Seattle or Everett 3 times a week just to be on a better team. Unless you are on Capital Ice or SI and routinely compete at national tournaments, will your child really stand out to coaches? If Kate wants to play college locally, what is the benefit for spending thousands of dollars to go with a team that plays in Phoenix or Anaheim in June? (These are rhetorical questions; chime in with opinions!) I guess I want Kate to just enjoy her club volleyball experience without the pressure of having to maneuver and scheme and sacrifice everything to get a chance to play at some place like Fresno State. If your DD is elite, she will be recruited. 

Ups: What a great bunch of girls this region has produced. For the most part, I saw happy girls and parents at all the tournaments. There will always be some idiot parents, but for the most part, people were polite, the girls and teams exhibited good sportsmanship and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Our club: Like I said, a little short on talent, but a nicer group of girls and parents you will never find. The tourneys were well attended, the food plentiful, communication was solid...now if we only had some hitters and defense!

Kate's summer is filled with camps (UW, Western HP- if she makes it, High School, Beach and some skills tuneup prior to high school tryouts.) Add in some camping, a week in LA with dad, Oregon with grandma... and the calendar is full!

It's been fun writing in the blog this season and I'll add to it periodically throughout the summer. I hope all your DD's had a fulfilling season.

Club Volleyball: Horror and Pride

It's  just another game in a long day of action and breaks. Some emotions are beginning to percolate as the team has struggled and she's missed some balls. Kate's in the back row and goes low to dig out a serve.  But her knee crumples and she goes down like a rock. I know something's wrong and I begin to move towards her. But the play is still going on and I can only watch from the sideline as she struggles to get up then collapses again in tears. As a parent, you've probably all been there. Time slows down and this focus to comfort your kid takes over. I got to her in seconds and just told her to takes some breaths and sit there for a moment with me. As someone who has seen a lot of athletes go down with a knee injury I see the rest of the season and the summer flash before my eyes for her sake. She is still crying but I know these tears and they're more tears of frustration than pain. I tell her we're going to get up and get over to the sideline, but she pushes me aside and says she's fine. I help her up and she limps to base and growls an "I'm fine" through the tears which continued to flow for the next several minutes. Her teammates were considerate and supportive and she went through the rest of the game in a kind of fog, but soon enough things began to feel normal and by the afternoon pool she was her regular self.

The whole incident lasted less that 10 minutes and I went from the numb horror of seeing my little girl hurt, to the pride of seeing her bounce back. I've always been the dad who says "shake it off" when she gets dinged up. I wanted her to know that athletes have to fight through things when they don't feel well. Today's collapse wasn't something I thought she'd be able to shake off, but she did. In a big way. Something clicked in her today; a tenaciousness and spirit that fully emerged. She started today as a 14 year old who plays volleyball. She left that gym today a warrior.

So Long, Power League, Hello Tulips

The final Power League event was Sunday and will always be remembered fondly for being held at Juanita HS, which isn't the BEST venue for watching, but is only minutes away and therefore my favorite place of all time. :) The girls, minus both the other setter and the number 3 setter, PLUS one of our outside hitters, struggled with serve receive but played gamely. Just too many holes on this squad.

This Sunday will find us up among the tulips in Mt. Vernon in a U16 tournament which will be a real test, to say the least. However, I will take Skagit Brewing over The Ram in Tacoma any day. All tournaments should be judged on the quality of the brewpubs nearby. Just don't tell the DDs!

Final 2010 Power League

I just caught some grief for not commenting about the club's venue for our final Power League matchup: looks like going undefeated in #3 was an answer to prayers because we're at.....JUANITA HS! 2 minutes from the house!

It's been a quiet couple of weeks with spring breaks and all but we're gearing up for PL on Sunday, the Tulip Festival event NEXT Sunday, then Regionals weekend on 5/1-2...then for us, the club volleyball journey ends until UW Camp this summer.

More on Sunday after my looonnng journey to Juanita. :)

Club Volleyball Pizza

NCAA Basketball on the tube, a beautiful spring day in the Northwest...let's hang out in a gym! I always kid my Club Soccer friends about how I'd rather be in a nice cozy gym that outdoors in the rain and mist of Washington, but today the tables were turned. Great day outside as we gathered in Tacoma (do VB tournament directors even know there are gyms NORTH of Tacoma?) for the Domino's U15 event. It was well run and I actually even like the Washington HS/Keithly facility. For an event SPONSORED by Domino's, I was a little confused by the complete lack of anything Domino's there. Where were banners? Where were coupons? Where were Domino's folks selling pizza slices? I think they better rethink who is in charge of their local marketing...oh well.

The team continued its run of wins with a 2-0 morning record to advance to the semi's where we lost a tough one in 3 games. What I wouldn't give for a libero on this team. The lack of any consistent receivers/passers is still our biggest weakness. Solid backcourt serves by the opposition often results in 4 or 5 points dropped just like that. But the team has made great strides since the new coaches have taken over, and the girls and the parents are having fun. 3 more tourney's in the next month and then its all over for this group.

I tend to get worked up during matches which is why I spend most of my time photographing. I've taken more than 300 pics of all the matches and have a team page on Photobucket where the parents can all log in and see their DD's. But when I'm all pictured out I'll attempt to sit with the other parents, who are all great. My ex won't sit anywhere near me and we're actually on excellent terms! I don't yell or openly criticize, but blown passes and first serves into the net raise my blood pressure. I have however found a few kindred spirits and was actually happy when I heard one mom mutter 'SHIT!" when her daughter put a serve into the net. But more often than not, especially lately, the parents are having a good time. I feel a little sorry for the parents of the girls who don't play alot, especially as Kate plays most every minute. But Kate also works her butt off in practice. She gets about 95% of her serves over and can set, hit and block pretty well. I've seen her just break down in practice from being tired or diving for a loose ball, but she bounces back and really has a passion for the game. She'll ask coach if he can come early to work on something and she wants to go to camps and clinics whenever she can. I don't ever see our bench players at the gym early asking the coach to serve 50 balls to them so they can become solid passers. Part of that is this club though...they do not promote themselves as anything other than a fun club team.

I guess I'll get off my soap box now. LOL. Just really proud of Katie this week. She worked hard at practice and played well yesterday.

Club Stands Alone

As Kate's 9th Grade season comes to a sputtering end, I think it will be nice for her to concentrate on Club alone. Time to step it up during practices, focus on setting and conditioning and re-energize. The school play, the school season, being sick for 2 weeks...it all left her pretty exhausted and I'm hoping that she can now focus on grades and volleyball. Club has the Domino's tourney this weekend, Power League #4 on the 11th and the Tulip Festival tourney a week after that...then regionals and for us it will be over until a UW Camp this summer, maybe some Nevillisms and then HS camp and tryouts. Heck, before we know it we'll be trying out for Club again! It really never ends, does it?

Getting It Done in Olympia

This has been an interesting season for our DD's so far. First, with the backing of the coach, I was able to talk the club folks into joining Power League which is something this club has never done. It is considered more of a beginner's club than anything else, not undeserved. That the first 2 league tourney's were a disaster was frustrating because I think we have a good core of athletic girls who just needed to work on developing their skills and sense of 'team'. The coach was well loved by the girls but I wasn't seeing alot of progress. Then 3 weeks ago, the coach left to accept a job out of state and our assistant took over and was paired with a no nonsense ex HS coach who also was coaching the 13's. There was much angst as the girls began practices that were disciplined, focused and tough. Girl's are held accountable. When a serve is missed or a ball drops, the whole team does lines and push ups. The rotations were changed. The coach tells them where to serve. They began to play more under control.

But of course, the proof is in the pudding, and we found ourselves in Power League #3 Flight 7; the bottom of the pile. And the team responded, sweeping through the competition undefeated into the championship game which they won 25-21. They looked focused, they looked disciplined, they hung out together in between matches...they became a team yesterday. Winning showed them that hard work can take them places. Winning showed them that change can be good if they accept it and plan around it. Really proud of Kate (who played the whole day stuffed to the gills with Sudafed) and excited for the team as they will now move up to Flight 6 for the last Power League game in April.

It was our best day in "club volleyball" so far and we are all looking forward to Domino's in 2 weeks!

Toughing it Out

The combination of club volleyball and school volleyball collide full force over the next 3 days as we have a school game at 4 pm tomorrow followed by club practice followed by another game on Friday followed by a long drive to Olympia for Power League #3 on Saturday. Olympia? Really? Is this how they penalize teams in the 6th flight? Oh well. Kate has been sick all week, as have I, but I think we're on the other side of it. Practices at Club are much more intense now with the new coaching regime. I think it's great, but the girls are struggling to come around. For many of them, this is the first time they have had to really 'work' at practice. I am hoping they will win some matches this weekend and understand that this kind of coaching will make them a better team. Kate continues to excel, especially at serving, which is an eternally frustrating skill to master at 14. The other day in a school match, she put 20 of 20 in the far court. That's what wins games! Now, I better get the horses watered for the long trip to Olympia. Is that in Washington?

Ch Ch Ch Changes

Our club volleyball coach announced last night that she has accepted a new job...in California. Lots of tears as she was very well liked by the girls. Our (I think) capable assistant coach will stay on and the club has brought in another coach who coaches a local HS Varsity team in the fall. I did not get a chance to meet her last night, but there is already some grumbling that she is more gruff and direct and is going to shake things up. I asked Kate to not pass judgement, we talked about how change can be hard, and I asked her to be a leader and support the new coach 100%. Kate's a strong young lady; I think things will be fine. We're about 50th out of 58 teams in Power League, so maybe some shaking up and refocusing will be good.

On a different note, her JHS won their first match of the year 3-0, so the season is under way! Kate was named a co-captain and is setting, of course. She fought through being sick but was really thrilled when her soon to be ex-club coach showed up to root her on. Thanks coach; good luck at your new job in California.

A Day Removed

I spoke with several friends and heard from some other volleyball parents and they all I agreed I was kind of being a jerk. Stepping back after a day removed I think I have to reconsider things and agree with the philosophy that this should be a fun year of minimal expectations and a barometer for Kate as to whether she wants to stay on this journey. In retrospect, an ultra competitive team with playing time based only on skill should not be the way to begin the sport. So Kate, I apologize. Have fun this year, enjoy the girls (who truly are wonderful, nice young ladies and are a pleasure to be around), and play hard. If you stick with volleyball, good things will come, I'm sure. I'm behind you one hundred percent!

Good News-Bad News

The good news is that I am home in time to watch the USA-Canada Hockey game. The bad news is that we had Power League #2 today and it was a disaster. We were 1-3 in one of the lowest pools and it's plain that this team is not competitive with the other clubs in this region. I'm very glad now we did not agree to go to Spokane or Yakima or out of region tournaments because it would really be frustrating to spend that much money to see the girls just get slaughtered. I was fuming on the drive home in only a way that a parent can and trying to figure out what's wrong and what can be done to right the ship; of course, when I signed up for club volleyball as the dad, I made a mental note that I would not get confrontational and I will stick with that commitment...but between us parents, the coaching philosophy is starting to irritate like poison oak on flesh. As I was watching the pregame chat for the hockey game, one of the analysts was asked what the Americans needed to do to win. The other one responded "the coach needs to put his best players on the ice and not worry about bruised ego's." And then it struck me that we really need a coach that believes in that philosophy... but it aint gonna happen. The philosophy of this club is 'everyone plays' and that's great if you want the girls to have fun, but not great if you are trying to win. So I'll suck it up and just ride out this year as a learning experience. Kate played great, never missed even a single serve, and was a leader through and through. It was a beautiful day, Highline is not that bad with only 4 courts and we all will live to fight another day.

Club Volleyball: Back to Normal?

Practice was back to normal tonight but I can't seem to shake this feeling that 2 months into this we should be over shanked passes, repeated hits into the net and serves that go deep. I think the coach noticed it last night because it was kind of a 'back to basics' kind of practice. 4 girls missing last night because it was Valentines Day (What?) and I'll bet more tonight because it's President's Day. I wonder how many girls missed practice at SI or KJ because it was Valentines Day.

Anyway, Kate begins Jr. High games tomorrow and has Power League #2 next weekend, so maybe my angst will lift as they get on the court again.

Yuck

Practice sucked tonight. Neither coach was there so we scrimmaged with the U16's. The girls were more excited about eating brownies before practice than they were about playing some games. They had an opportunity to act like winners and they passed. These are defining moments for a team, and no one took charge and led. I'm pretty disappointed in what I saw tonight, so I better just make this a short one. Sigh...

Zombie's Rule the Day

Busy week for Kate as school, 9th grade VB and the school play had her booked about 16 hours a day, but it all came together last night at Zombie Prom, this years Jr. High play. We're missing a Highline tournament today, but Kate has never missed a school production going back to elementary school, so she took this week off from Club. It was very sweet that 3 of her teammates came to the performance last night. She still got her setting in with 9th JH practices at 0600 in the mornings and she is looking forward to getting back to club practices in prep for Power League #2 in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, enjoy some pics from the musical!

One Year Ago

Boy, a lot can sure change in a year. At this time in 2009, club volleyball was just coming onto our radar. Junior High tryouts had just concluded and Kate had never spent much time with the sport. They had about 40 7th-9th graders try out and she was designated as someone who would practice with the 9th graders but play with the JV Team unless a varsity player was out. She was pretty bummed out. I think that's when she realized that nothing is ever handed to you. She resolved then and there to be a real volleyball player. With still only that year of Jr. High ball under her belt, she went to summer camps, helped manage the high school team, and went into club volleyball tryouts this year deciding at the last minute to be a hitter. Bad call. We managed to take hold with Moxie and it was then that she decided SETTER. Good call. She has blossomed. Today she learned she was named to varsity. Now her stated goal is to work at her craft, make HS varsity as a sophomore, and move up in the club scene. Go get 'em, girl!

Tryouts II

How come they can select a club volleyball team after a 2 hour tryout, but it takes 4 DAYS of tryouts to choose one for Junior High?

A Better Sunday

Once the brackets shaped up and the girls played teams more at their level, it was a blast to watch. They won several matches yesterday and those that they lost both went to 3 games and were within a few points. It was a very long day and it was a relief to all that we won our final contest and didn't have to stick around to ref. The team is made up of girls pretty new to the sport, but I was really encouraged at how they came together and experienced success. It's a sport where you can fail and succeed all within the space of 5 minutes. Kate served one into the net at game point in one game and in the next one she reeled off about 7 great serves that fueled a great run.  Really proud of her and really proud of the team. Today was tryouts for the 9th grade team and she was beat but so excited. Is there anything more wonderful than watching your child compete and do well and seeing the bonds that are forming with the other girls. I think not. And on another positive note, I LOVE my new lens. Here are just a couple of the 80 pics I just sent to all the girls. Gotta say...LOVING IT!

A Tough Saturday

It was a tough Saturday at Power League #1; the team struggled and won only one match and that was against a team of 12 year olds who I personally cannot believe were allowed to enter by their parents. This poor team was brutally overmatched by every team they played. I can certainly appreciate a team playing up; heck, we were beat by WVBA's U14's today...but this was sad and cannot be doing anything to help these girls' self esteem or love of the game. Bizarre.

As far as our team, we struggled with serves (which in a 15 point game is very very bad) and with outside hitting. I guess no one wants to hear about all the reasons, so I will only say that I was really proud of Kate and that tomorrow is another day. We need to show up Sunday and get some wins to put us in the middle of the pack.

Pictures and a summary of the weekend tomorrow!

Twenty Twenty Twenty Four Hours To Go...

I wanna be sedated. The Ramones will definitely be cranking as we head down to our first major club volleyball event: Power League #1, which is the only reason I can think of to spend 2 full days in Tacoma. The U17's get Juanita (3 minutes away) and we got Tacoma. Something stinks and it aint the pulp mill.

So Kate has a cold, we have 2 girls out with injuries (should you REALLY go sledding during club volleyball season?) and a number of them missed practice because of finals. And we have a definite lack of height and outside hitters. But I'm hoping the big chunk of teams are kind of like us. These are great girls, but it's not SI or UPVC. I'd like to see us in one of the top 3 tiers on Sunday. I'd also like to see Kate not too burned out. She has 9th Grade tryouts on Monday and Tuesday....

What I need to go do right now is check the spreadsheet to make sure I'm not signed up to bring apples this weekend. Pics and stories to follow this weekend!

Club Volleyball: First Hint of Burnout

For the first time since we started, I noticed a hint of burnout at tonight's practice. Kate is swamped with school and the play and sports; she was sullen and quiet on the way to practice and it showed during her sets. Not completely unexpected, I suppose. She's in a tough stretch right now, but she will power through. The upcoming 3 day weekend will help, I'm sure. Homework, but no classes, no play, just a few practices. We have some girls hurt too; one with a broken arm and one twisted an ankle pretty severely last night. Hang in there, Kate.