Power League Day 2

A Saturday Power League date meant BIG things for Club Volleyball Dad:

1. NFL viewing would be UNIMPACTED as both divisional playoff games will be played Sunday. (Don't get me started on the fact that we have a practice scheduled right at game time on SuperBowl Sunday; luckily, DD is with Club Volleyball MOM that weekend and will therefore not be forced into missing practice. My friend, ex-Club Soccer Dad, used to complain about his DD's soccer practices on SBS by yelling "Are they crazy? Who doesn't watch the Super Bowl? It's like a National Holiday!")

2. PL2 Flight 4 was in Lake Stevens, a decidedly easier drive from Kirkland than say...Kitsap or Olympia.

3. The girls needed to get back on the court after the meltdown at MLK

Alas, the day was inconsistent with early losses to High Velocity and Blaze 15. A rebound against NW Juniors Elite left us in position to make a run, but we fell to an inferior Sabotage team and the DFQ (Dad Frustration Quotient) was rising before we won our one game rematch against HV to salvage the day and (I think) remain in the 4th Flight for PL3.

My pet peeve is service errors. We have a very aggressive-serving team which is all fine and good, but we're averaging 6-7 errors per game. That is like giving the other team a 6-0 lead PLUS it absolutely kills momentum. Is there anything worse to be in 20-20 tie and have consecutive serves go into the net? Instead of possibly being up 22-20 with momentum, you're down 22-21 and the other team is serving. Teams at this level make lots of mistakes. I think you need to just have a consistent serve and give yourself a chance. One of things I am most proud of Maddie for is her consistency on serves. At one point, she got over the first 8 serves of the game and we built an 8-0 lead. She nailed the last 2 serves of the final game to secure the 25-23 win. They weren't aces, but they were in and they gave her team a chance. She's at more than 90% at delivering in bounds serves. I'd like to see us come up with a service PLAN and then work on that consistency. Thanks for listening; I feel better now.

The Lakes VBC training facility is in a light industrial area and has 2 courts separated by a large net. One end of the building had room for the teams to gather and warm up. Seating for spectators is along one side and there always seemed to be room. The club provided many plastic chairs which I thought was a nice touch. There was a good sized room upstairs for the teams to set up food tables which kept everyone warm. 2 individual bathrooms were for the girls, and boys (just like at the Puyallup facility) had to use the porta potty outside, but all in all, it was a nice venue and worked fine for 8 teams. Parking was tight but available. They said there was a Subway nearby but I survived on cheese sticks and a nice Asian Chicken Salad made by one of the moms. I wish I understood how a team in Lake Stevens can afford a 2 court dedicated facility and we can't, but that's why I didn't major in finance or accounting.

A couple of weeks off now until PL3 and finals are over for Maddie, so it will be a good time to re-energize and practice serving (hint!)

MLK Day 2

A bit of a meltdown today as we lost 2 really close matches and got dominated by Puyallup Juniors...but perhaps a good lesson in having to really fight to win those close matches. I think it was funny that I was so excited to be close to home, but I took my chair and when IT wasn't playing, I just read the paper or watched other matches...but I will say the 5 minute drive home was fantastic! Time to put Sunday behind us and get ready to go out and battle on Saturday at Power League #2!

MLK Tournament Day One

OK. I'm pretty smart. I have a college degree and I work with libraries all over the world. I've studied Shakespeare and Hemingway. I've designed ads that have appeared in real magazines and on television! But for the life of me, I cannot figure out how a damn tournament works. Here. YOU look:


ROUND 2 PLAYING SCHEDULE
DIVISION 1  DIVISION 2
TIME  ROUND  PLAYING  REF   ROUND  PLAY CT 5  REF CT 5 PLAY CT 6  REF CT 6
3:00 PM 1 1 VS 3 2  1  FF1 VS GG2 FF3 FF2 VS GG3 GG1
4:00 PM 2 2 VS 4 1  2   FF3 VS GG1 FF1
END OF PLAY FOR SATURDAY:  POOL PLAY RESUMES AT 9:00 AM SUNDAY
TIME  ROUND  PLAYING  REF   ROUND  PLAY CT 5  REF CT 5 PLAY CT 6  REF CT 6
9:00 AM 3 1 VS 4 3  3  FF3 VS GG2 FF1 FF2 VS GG1 GG3
10:00 AM 4 2 VS 3 1  4  FF3 VS GG3 GG2 FF1 VS GG1 FF2
11:00 AM 5 3 VS 4 2  5  FF1 VS GG3 FF3 FF2 VS GG2 GG1

Are you kidding me? I know we got revenge on KJ 15's and took them out. I know we won our pool and our only afternoon game. But do I know who we play on Sunday or how we win the tournament? Uh...no. I am FFing confused.

All I know it was a good day and Maddie and I shared some Crab Ravioli's with friends at Cafe Veloce in Kirkland and then watched the "Social Network" and now she's crashed out and I'm following soon because tomorrow we play someone! And to wrap things up, look at that girl SKY!

MLK Tournament

On the way to see ITVC play a weekend tournament only FIVE MINUTES from the house. Heaven. Lots of time to go to the store to pick up more string cheese AND catch NFL playoffs right from my couch. 2 straight games to begin then the schedule is dependent on how we do. First matchup with those dreaded youngsters from Kent. If yo want to come down at some point this weekend and visit us at Juanita HS, give me a call or email and I'll talk you in. Go Blue!

Club Volleyball: Power League #1 in the Books

My alarm goes off at 5:30 every weekday morning, so when the weekend rolls around, it feels pretty good to wake up WHENEVER....but when that familiar beeping started on a Sunday morning, I leapt out of my warm bed excited to drive to PUYALLUP, and let me tell you, no one is ever excited to be driving to Puyallup. But soon, in the freezing darkness, I was on the road with hot coffee and classic rock and by 7:15 I was in a giant barn that held 4 volleyball courts, sported Wi-Fi, and even had a TV so the football fans could keep track of the playoffs. It was a little cramped with no side viewing (which makes it difficult to take pictures) but I've been in worse venues. Maddie looked pretty cool in her new duds (extra special thanks to my folks for supporting Maddie's Club experience by paying for all the ITVC gear):

The girls, pre-ranked at #43 out of 96 teams, had a tough task by starting right out against the #11 Sudden Impact 16's and the 22nd ranked Kent Juniors 15's. Soon the warm-ups were over and Maddie was ready to make the first serve of the 2011 Club Season:

In those first two matches that only went to 15, the girls just didn't seem to gel and 90 minutes later we were 0-2 and reeling a little...but a break of a couple hours, some food and a pool which included a couple of lower ranked teams, helped us break out of the doldrums and play some pretty good volleyball. By late afternoon, we were on a roll, going undefeated in 6 games to win the pool and play one more game against a struggling (yet 27th ranked) OPVBC 15 team that we killed in game 1. Feeling cocky, us dads were high fiving and breathing a sigh of relief only to be melancholy wrecks 15 minutes later as the girls seemed to wilt after the long day and play like kids on a playground. I think the final was 25-10. Now the dads were nervous wrecks. One game to 15 to make or break the entire day and somehow the girls dug deep and Maddie came out with a 4 point serving run to start the game and we never looked back, winning handily and moving decidedly up from our pre-tournament ranking. Lots of high fiving now! It was a nice drive home and 14 hours after leaving, I was back on the couch.

Maddie played really well. She was the only girl on the team who never came out. In 13 games, she missed one serve. I like this team. They're solid on fundamentals. What they lack in genetic fortune, they make up for with grit, spirit and teamwork. I think it's going to be a fun year. Maddie woke up sore and bruised, but fired up because JUMP and EXPLOSIVENESS training begins tonight with FUEL. The girl wants to be the best. Here's to ya, babe.

Club Volleyball: Let the Games Begin!

'Twas the night before Power League
and all through the region
We all are anticipating
the start of the season.

Come KJ, come Blaze, Rain City and Moxie
Come Skagit and my favorites, the ITVC
Let us all drive to Puyallup and Highline
and with a grin on our face, point to our girls
and say "that one is mine."

Power League U16 begins Sunday! 96 teams, 8 sites, and by the end of the weekend, there will be a more natural order to the rankings. I personally think we got hosed a little on our seeding, but you have to win games, whether it's now or later. We match up right away with Sudden Impact 16's and KJ 15's, so not much room for error...but I think we may surprise a few folks.

Blue will be down at the Five 12 courts in Puyallup, so if your team is down there, find me and say hello. I'll be watching Blue and wearing a blue baseball cap and (most likely) taking pictures.

Maddie is setting and wearing #11.

Good luck girls!

College Volleyball Recruiting

Happy New Year to all the volley folks out there. You know what this means, right? The 2011 Club Volleyball season has officially begun! Maddie got a Molten Medicine VB for Xmas to help with setter training and a new jump rope and begins FUEL training on the 10th...and of course, U16 Power League begins one week from today!

I'm a big fan of The College Volleyball Coach Blog and according to the recruiting timeline there, it's time to make a flyer and send it to schools that Maddie is interested in attending. To that end, dad has created a spreadsheet of about 50 potentials...mostly second tier D1's and some regional D2's (who knows, this time next year we may add those PAC-10 schools!). Maddie knows what her 'plan' is, but options are the name of the game at this stage, I think.

Any parents or college players out there want to share their recruiting stories? Have examples of your DD's flyer? Are Recruiting Services worthwhile? As a sophomore, we're just getting our feet wet, so any advice would be appreciated! Email me!

Not sure where we'll be for PL #1 but I'll post as soon as I know. It would be great to meet more of you during the club season!