Club Volleyball Camp Tryouts

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

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

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

Club Volleyball: Wrapping Up Year One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Club Volleyball: Horror and Pride

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

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

So Long, Power League, Hello Tulips

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

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

Final 2010 Power League

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

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

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

Club Volleyball Pizza

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

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

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

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

Club Stands Alone

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

Getting It Done in Olympia

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

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

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

Toughing it Out

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

Ch Ch Ch Changes

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

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

A Day Removed

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

Good News-Bad News

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

Club Volleyball: Back to Normal?

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

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

Yuck

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

Zombie's Rule the Day

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

One Year Ago

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

Tryouts II

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

A Better Sunday

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

A Tough Saturday

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

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

Pictures and a summary of the weekend tomorrow!

Twenty Twenty Twenty Four Hours To Go...

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

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

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