It’s been six seasons of coaching junior volleyball and each year the teams have been determined and play their hearts out.
When people ask how a team is doing they are typically wondering if they’re winning games. I love winning, I don’t know who doesn’t like winning more than losing; but, winning isn’t everything. And yes, depending what article you read, I’m either a Xennial or a whiny Millennial.
However, there is so much more to sport than winning and losing.
Playing a team sport teaches you dedication, responsibility (here are your jerseys if you don’t have them with you, you don’t play – never once has a kid forgotten a jersey), time management, respect, how to work hard for something, and how to be a team player as well as how to be happy for others.
Someone made a comment to me about how I seem to be everywhere when it comes to volleyball in the area… coaching juniors, going to watch when ladies I’ve coached in the past ask me to a tournament, coaching the club teams in Arcola, volunteering to help with Provincials being hosted in Carlyle this year, ref’ing, and playing ladies volleyball too.
I often tell kids how important it is to diversify and “fill different pockets,” as if you fill one pocket too much you can come to be tired and sick of whatever it is you might be doing.
I absolutely love the sport though. I love playing it; but, it’s also one of the sports I enjoy watching… and it’s warmer than sitting in the rink. I’ve gotten to know different families and different kids through coaching and ref’ing over the years, which has actually come to be one of my favourite things is seeing their growth. Whether I’m coaching them or have coached them or they’re simply kids I’ve coached against, it’s fun watching good volleyball and seeing their progression in the sport.
The other day my kids – every season those I’m coaching become my kids – hosted their junior playoffs in Arcola. They played hard and had success throughout the day, finishing first place after the round robin. In one set they won, they had been down by about eight points and managed to turn it around to win that game. It was awesome getting to watch them succeed and use the skills we had been giving them throughout the season.
Pass, set, hit, block, dig, chase – it was epic! They may be in grades seven through nine, but they were playing volleyball and it was so great to watch.
I challenged them fairly early in the season. I told them we were going to run a system and taught them their rotation, the next time on the court was in a game and I gave them the goal of getting their rotations down. I figured it would be a little ugly to start off with, since we had only spent one practice on it, but they were immediately smooth. Just a couple of reminders and they were playing volleyball; no rookie one and over type of ball, real volleyball with the pass, set, hit. All while using something they had just learned. They were determined. They had set a goal and reached it.
Our goal for playoffs was to win it, but second place is extremely commendable and looking back on the season overall the girls were very successful in bettering themselves.
We had underhand servers become overhand servers, kids that will be jump serving in the very near future at only grade 7, blockers making a difference at the net, setters who’s opponent parents were complimenting the setters’ hands, and we were pretty loud – I don’t know if any team is ever loud enough, but they were pretty darn loud.
It was another great season and I feel honoured to have gotten to coach such a wonderful group of young ladies again at Arcola School.
