Day One at the PNQ is Spokane is in the books and I am taking a breather at the lovely Airway Heights Days Inn before meeting up with some dads at Northern Lights Brewing for some IPA's and NCAA basketball this evening. ITVC is playing out at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, a quick drive from Spokane. They have 20 or so courts set up around campus and they have done a nice job. Good viewing areas for the parents, free parking, and lots of good VB action.
Sadly, we lost quite badly to the darn ThunderChickens who had a great little (and I mean little) Libero and a couple of strong middles who could elevate and pound it to empty spots. Our defense, shaky to begin with, simply can't compete at that level. We also lost a closer to match to the Spokane Splash but finished the day by beating Eastside Vollyball out of Issaquah (a team Maddie was asked to play for, but thankfully didn't). Hoping that the seedings will be a little more even tomorrow; the girls look pretty good this weekend, but it's kind of a broken record talking about unforced errors, serves into the net, etc. We seem to be our own worst enemy. Still, a fun first day and looking forward to Saturday!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Northwest Qualifier Time!
Off to Spokane in a couple of hours with a first round matchup at Eastern WA University against the mighty ThunderChickens out of Denver at 8 AM Friday. I hate to admit it, but that name is growing on me. Still, I hope we roast 'em. Hope everyone drives safe!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Let the Recruiting Begin!
Some good motivation by Maddie today as she reached out with an introductory email to Western, Central, Eastern, Montana State-Billings, Portland State, Western Oregon and UC Irvine. We know coaches can't communicate back until September, but we thought it wise to at least introduce Maddie to the programs she is interested in playing for. A more formal resume and some video will be sent starting during the HS season after the summer, and Maddie and I hope to visit some coaches and see some games when college cranks up this fall.
Scary moment the other night after practice. She knocked her elbow diving for a ball and while we were sitting here at home watching 'V' (hate those aliens!) she said in a stressful voice "Dad, look at my elbow!" And indeed, we could see a bump growing in real time and it was pretty scary. I jumped on the Internet and quickly diagnosed bursitis and we followed the RICE protocol of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation and the ping pong ball sized lump went down. By the next day she had a pretty good bruise, and it's still pretty sore, so we may avoid too much setting at practice tomorrow but she'll be fine for Spokane next weekend. Any, Dr. Club Volleyball Dad did a pretty good job considering he works in the library industry. Those docs at Overlake got nuthin on me!
Looking forward to our first Qualifier and I'll provide some updates next weekend for sure.
Scary moment the other night after practice. She knocked her elbow diving for a ball and while we were sitting here at home watching 'V' (hate those aliens!) she said in a stressful voice "Dad, look at my elbow!" And indeed, we could see a bump growing in real time and it was pretty scary. I jumped on the Internet and quickly diagnosed bursitis and we followed the RICE protocol of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation and the ping pong ball sized lump went down. By the next day she had a pretty good bruise, and it's still pretty sore, so we may avoid too much setting at practice tomorrow but she'll be fine for Spokane next weekend. Any, Dr. Club Volleyball Dad did a pretty good job considering he works in the library industry. Those docs at Overlake got nuthin on me!
Looking forward to our first Qualifier and I'll provide some updates next weekend for sure.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Good morning, Bad afternoon
Once again, we took care of business in the morning only to see it land out of bounds in the afternoon. We are developing a very bad habit of getting beat by inferior teams in important games, and some frustration is setting in. I could spend pages discussing what I think is wrong, but then I take a deep breath and know I should be proud of the girls for having a fine overall day and trying their best. Next up, a weekend in Spokane.
Blaze Extinguished
Another match to 3 games but we managed to finish strong and set ourselves up nicely for this afternoon. Next match against Jammin makes a difference in who we play later but our two wins so far mean we will be in the gold bracket with yet another chance to move up a flight. The team looks better than the last tourney and i was happy to see some sloppy play resulted in a mid game benching. We seem to sometimes stick with girls who shank three or four balls in a row. Now I am off to riad team tables; there was chili at the OPVBC table and some sushi at the YMCA spread.
Live from Power League
sunday finds me live from Washington HS in Tacoma where we just beat a feisty Sudden Impact 15 team. trying this from my new Kindle and its kind os slow but startimg to get the hsng of it. Next up will be Blaze and Id like to take them out as Maddie was all set to play for them until ITVC called. More later.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Volleyball: A Good Choice
As Maddie and I were leaving her practice today during a cold and windy downpour, we crossed paths with a coach lugging a bag of soccer balls toward the frozen tundra of THEIR practice facility and I realized how thankful I am that Maddie has chosen volleyball as her sport. I spent 2 hours today in a lawn chair reading a travel magazine on a nice warm court while some poor club soccer dad spent time out freezing his rear end off. Good choice, Maddie! It was good to be back at practice; our first since the President's Day debacle. Some tough love and fundamentals were the order of the day. One thing that kind of bugs me is when we don't have all 12 girls at a practice. Maddie and I wanted to go to Palm Springs over Spring Break, but it would have meant missing a practice before a Power League, so we're not going. I guess I think that if you are going to play at this level, you've made a tacit agreement with your coach and teammates to show up and work hard to be the best at EVERY opportunity. I wonder how many WVBA girls miss practice? Hats off to all the DD's who have never missed a practice.
I got Maddie registered at the NCAA Clearinghouse today and plopped down my $65. Maddie wants to play college volleyball at a Northwest school, and as long as that is her dream and she keeps giving 100% in pursuit of that dream, mom and dad will do their parts, whether it's club or clinics or camps or tutors or campus visits...whatever it takes. Trying to become a college athlete means you are meeting certain academic requirements, continuing to improve, making sacrifices and learning to lead. And if the playing part doesn't pan out, at least you have learned to pursue your goals and become a better person doing it. Next step: reaching out to the schools she is interested in (which include Western, Central, Eastern, Montana State-Billings, Portland State and Western Oregon.) We may add some and we may drop some, but the important thing is to let them know you are there and to that end, Mads will be creating a flyer and mailing a 'Get to Know Me' letter to each of those coaches. The jorney begins.
Next up: Power League on Sunday!
I got Maddie registered at the NCAA Clearinghouse today and plopped down my $65. Maddie wants to play college volleyball at a Northwest school, and as long as that is her dream and she keeps giving 100% in pursuit of that dream, mom and dad will do their parts, whether it's club or clinics or camps or tutors or campus visits...whatever it takes. Trying to become a college athlete means you are meeting certain academic requirements, continuing to improve, making sacrifices and learning to lead. And if the playing part doesn't pan out, at least you have learned to pursue your goals and become a better person doing it. Next step: reaching out to the schools she is interested in (which include Western, Central, Eastern, Montana State-Billings, Portland State and Western Oregon.) We may add some and we may drop some, but the important thing is to let them know you are there and to that end, Mads will be creating a flyer and mailing a 'Get to Know Me' letter to each of those coaches. The jorney begins.
Next up: Power League on Sunday!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Millard Fillmore Volleyball Tournament
On Saturday morning, this was the President's Day Tournament, but the way we played will be remembered in the same way that our 13th President's term will be remembered: forgettable. He co-founded Buffalo University and we moved like a herd of buffalo on a frozen lake. All Presidential joking aside, it was a completely dismal weekend, with the girls going 1-7 and taking the term 'taking a step backwards' to a whole new level. Moxie might have wiped us out. But...it's over now and I guess we just have to refocus and relearn some fundamentals....like passing. We were beat by only one team this weekend; we beat ourselves every other time. Unforced errors on simple serves and free balls, hits out of bounds and into the net, bad serves and a lack of desire and BOOM. 1-7. We're a good team, but there was nothing in the tank. Everyone needs to look in the mirror and decide if they care or not, because it looked like a recreational league, not a club team who wants to be competitive. And this is a good test for our coach who will soon be coaching a Jr College team...how do you motivate? How do you bring out something in a player that ratchets their game up a notch? Do you sit folks? Do you start really looking at stats? Last year with Moxie I think we had a group of girls that were limited in skill but gelled as a team to exceed expectations. This year, at least early, it seems like we have a group of athletic and capable girls who are just underachieving. It's not too late to get back on track by any means, but it's time to shake things up. I don't mind losing. I do mind losing like we lost this weekend. Let's be Lincolns, not Fillmores.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Club Volleyball Dad: Should YOUR DD Play Club?
Happy Valentine's Day!
As we exchanged Valentine's Day greetings this morning, I took a moment to reflect on how much I truly love this DD that shares my life. I can't believe that she has only been playing competitive volleyball for a little more than a year now. And what changes they have brought to her! I remember a year ago with Moxie and they made them run lines and do the plank and it drove her to tears. And now she's in a program called FUEL that is really just an hour where we pay for her to be tortured and she eats it up. And it shows! The girl LOOKS like an athlete. Last week she did her 90 minutes of FUEL and went directly to a scrimmage where they played some crazy game with points only after free balls and girls were running all over and there were no breaks and Maddie (being the setter) was involved in every play. At the end of it all she collapsed on the floor and I marveled at how much she has changed. Club has brought her new friends. It has taught her about competing and responsibility and setting goals. So if you ever wonder, as a parent, if you should make the commitment of time and money to let your daughter play volleyball or soccer or swim, do it. You will watch her change before your eyes. And what better Valentine's Day present is there than the knowledge that your child is learning all these lessons and having a good time to boot.
Now only if we didn't have to face WVBA in our pool in this weekend's President's Day Tourney!
As we exchanged Valentine's Day greetings this morning, I took a moment to reflect on how much I truly love this DD that shares my life. I can't believe that she has only been playing competitive volleyball for a little more than a year now. And what changes they have brought to her! I remember a year ago with Moxie and they made them run lines and do the plank and it drove her to tears. And now she's in a program called FUEL that is really just an hour where we pay for her to be tortured and she eats it up. And it shows! The girl LOOKS like an athlete. Last week she did her 90 minutes of FUEL and went directly to a scrimmage where they played some crazy game with points only after free balls and girls were running all over and there were no breaks and Maddie (being the setter) was involved in every play. At the end of it all she collapsed on the floor and I marveled at how much she has changed. Club has brought her new friends. It has taught her about competing and responsibility and setting goals. So if you ever wonder, as a parent, if you should make the commitment of time and money to let your daughter play volleyball or soccer or swim, do it. You will watch her change before your eyes. And what better Valentine's Day present is there than the knowledge that your child is learning all these lessons and having a good time to boot.
Now only if we didn't have to face WVBA in our pool in this weekend's President's Day Tourney!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Long Volleyball Day at Kentwood HS
For those of you out of the region, I am now going to attempt to explain Power League without taking up too much of your time. Start with 96 U-15 and U-16 teams from Olympia to Mt. Vernon. Start with 2 weekends of pool play and you end up with the 4 best teams off in their own rarified grouping, then break the remaining 92 teams into roughly 12 'flights' of 8 teams each. Hold 3 more day long tournaments with the 2 best teams in each flight moving up and the worst 2 teams moving down and hoping for some parity and good play along the way. It's actually a pretty cool set up and each site where play takes place is run by a Director who manages everything and from what I have seen, do a very good job at it and put in many hours along the way. Which brings us to yesterday's event which found ITVC Blue in Flight 4 and ranked 29th out of the 96 teams.
An 8 team tournament is made up of 2 groups of 4. Each team plays the other 3 teams in their group and the top 2 teams from each group make up the afternoon Upper Bracket and the 2 bottom teams from each group make up the Lower Bracket. In the upper bracket, the top finisher in group A plays the number 2 finisher in Group B and the top finisher in Group B plays the number 2 seed from Group A. Same in the lower group. The 2 winners from the upper group have thus finished 1 and 2 and will move to Flight #3 next Power League. The 2 losers from the Upper Level stay in Flight #4 and play each other in a single game to determine who places 3rd and who places 4th. In the Lower Bracket, the same scenario plays out with the top 2 teams staying in Flight #4 next time and the bottom 2 moving to Flight #5. Got all that? Bottom line is that you want to place first or second and move up, or at minimum place 3rd-6th and stay in your flight next time. Worst thing to do is get bumped to a lower flight.
The beauty and perhaps the curse of PL can be summed up by following along with me as I take you on a journey undertaken by 2 teams: ITVC Blue and Space Needle VBC. Both teams made up part of Group A which also included Jammin and OPVBC 16's. ITVC mowed through all 3 teams, winning each match 2-0 and finishing the 'morning' 3-0 with the other 3 teams finishing 1-2. Space Needle claimed #2 by virtue of tiebreaker rules. In the other group, the OPVBC 15's finished first while High Velocity finished second. I put 'morning' in parentheses because it was not until 6 PM that our 3 matches were concluded. Let me say that again: 3 matches in 8 hours. That is truly ridiculous. I have no recommendations for a solution, but I do know that it was a long day, and we did not wrap things up until 9 PM. Dumb. Anyway, we wrapped up the morning 3-0 after beating Space Needle (we also beat them at the last Power League). And yet there they were beating the #1 seed from Group B (OPVBC 15's) and moving up to Flight 3 next time. Right after that, we matched up with High Velocity and lost the first game before winning the second and forcing a Game 3 which we lost 15-13 in a heartbreaker. And thus, in one fell swoop, the team we beat 2-0 is advancing and we're staying put. and to rub salt in the wound, we lost to OPVBC 15's and ended up 4th. Not a great finish after such a great start.
The girls played well early but succumbed to too many unforced errors in the afternoon....but they have to learn to win the important games. A couple of serves over the net instead of into it, a couple of kill shots into the court instead of over it, a couple of good passes instead of shanks..and this team moves up instead of staying in place...but a nice effort by all the girls yesterday, and a fun, if not overly long, day for dad!
An 8 team tournament is made up of 2 groups of 4. Each team plays the other 3 teams in their group and the top 2 teams from each group make up the afternoon Upper Bracket and the 2 bottom teams from each group make up the Lower Bracket. In the upper bracket, the top finisher in group A plays the number 2 finisher in Group B and the top finisher in Group B plays the number 2 seed from Group A. Same in the lower group. The 2 winners from the upper group have thus finished 1 and 2 and will move to Flight #3 next Power League. The 2 losers from the Upper Level stay in Flight #4 and play each other in a single game to determine who places 3rd and who places 4th. In the Lower Bracket, the same scenario plays out with the top 2 teams staying in Flight #4 next time and the bottom 2 moving to Flight #5. Got all that? Bottom line is that you want to place first or second and move up, or at minimum place 3rd-6th and stay in your flight next time. Worst thing to do is get bumped to a lower flight.
The beauty and perhaps the curse of PL can be summed up by following along with me as I take you on a journey undertaken by 2 teams: ITVC Blue and Space Needle VBC. Both teams made up part of Group A which also included Jammin and OPVBC 16's. ITVC mowed through all 3 teams, winning each match 2-0 and finishing the 'morning' 3-0 with the other 3 teams finishing 1-2. Space Needle claimed #2 by virtue of tiebreaker rules. In the other group, the OPVBC 15's finished first while High Velocity finished second. I put 'morning' in parentheses because it was not until 6 PM that our 3 matches were concluded. Let me say that again: 3 matches in 8 hours. That is truly ridiculous. I have no recommendations for a solution, but I do know that it was a long day, and we did not wrap things up until 9 PM. Dumb. Anyway, we wrapped up the morning 3-0 after beating Space Needle (we also beat them at the last Power League). And yet there they were beating the #1 seed from Group B (OPVBC 15's) and moving up to Flight 3 next time. Right after that, we matched up with High Velocity and lost the first game before winning the second and forcing a Game 3 which we lost 15-13 in a heartbreaker. And thus, in one fell swoop, the team we beat 2-0 is advancing and we're staying put. and to rub salt in the wound, we lost to OPVBC 15's and ended up 4th. Not a great finish after such a great start.
The girls played well early but succumbed to too many unforced errors in the afternoon....but they have to learn to win the important games. A couple of serves over the net instead of into it, a couple of kill shots into the court instead of over it, a couple of good passes instead of shanks..and this team moves up instead of staying in place...but a nice effort by all the girls yesterday, and a fun, if not overly long, day for dad!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Mini Break is OVER!
After 3 weekends in a row, we had a bit of a break but it's right back to it on Saturday for Power League #3. ITVC Blue remains in Flight 4 and is currently ranked 29th out of 96 teams. Good opportunity to move up. Really proud of Maddie as she is already giving back to the sport she has fallen in love with as she will be helping out with the Rose Hill Jr. High volleyball team. A year ago she was playing there and now she's mentoring the younger girls...as if she didn't have enough on her plate already! I showed up a bit early at Jr. High practice to pick her up and it was almost surreal to be back in that gym after all that has happened in the last year. And you can read all about it right here on the blog!
And nice job by the ITVC in hiring the photographer that took the team pictures which are up in http://goitvc.com
Off to a scrimmage with Blaze and more on Sunday!
And nice job by the ITVC in hiring the photographer that took the team pictures which are up in http://goitvc.com
Off to a scrimmage with Blaze and more on Sunday!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
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!)
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!)
Monday, January 17, 2011
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!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, January 10, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, January 7, 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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
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.
"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.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
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!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, November 22, 2010
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!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, November 19, 2010
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.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Happy Birthday, Club Volleyball Blog!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
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
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
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
U-15+ 2:00 pm November 20th 2010 @ Lynnwood High School
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
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 11th 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 11th graders)
High Velocity Volleyball Club ($1400-$2000 per season + travel expense)
Location: Interlake High School
Tryout times not posted yet.
Bellevue YMCA – Blaze ($1000 per season, YMCA membership included)
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.
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)
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. 21st 4:30-7:00 PM Juanita HS
Island Thunder Volleyball Club ($1500 per season + travel expense)
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)
Tryouts not posted as of 10/8
Moxie Juniors ($$800 per season)
Location: Jewish Day School-Bellevue
Good program; local only but a great way to break into Club Volleyball
U13: Thursday, November 4th, 7:30 - 9:30PMU14: 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
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
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.
Friday, October 1, 2010
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!)
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!)
Monday, September 27, 2010
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!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
@ 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!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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. :)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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!
Friday, August 20, 2010
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!"
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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:
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:
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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?
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?
Monday, July 5, 2010
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?
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