U18 Monica Postor's Journal
This past tournament was really fun! We finally won some games, and it was really nice weather so it was fun to hang out in the sun as a team. We were all disappointed that Molly wasn't there to play with us. Although we didn't do as good as we could have, I think the whole team was glad that we were able to come through and win a couple of games. There were a couple of games that everyone was just really tired and it showed on the court, but we worked hard to pull through and not just shut down. Our outsides were hitting pretty well for the most part! We got a lot of points on line hits. I think we overall played defense better than we did in the past couple of tournaments, and I am glad to see that our team defense is improving. I felt like, even though it may have taken as a while, we were trying to use a lot of the things we learned in practice this week; our defense seemed to be reading better and we were getting tons of blocks! I hope our team continues to improve so we can WIN regionals!!!!!
SPACE NEEDLE VOLLEYBALL CLINIC FOR GIRLS & BOYS
VOLLEYBALL CLINIC FOR GIRLS & BOYS
at Shoreline Community College 16101 Greenwood Ave. N. Shoreline, WA 98133
HELP OUR TEAMS TO GO TO NATIONALS IN ORLANDO
Clinic #1: April 16th 6-8pm Fee $25 3rd to 12th grade
Clinic #2: April 17th 6-8pm Fee $25 3rd to 12th grade
Clinic #3 April 18th 6-8pm Fee $25 3rd to 12th grade
Clinic #4 April 19th 6-8pm Fee $25 3rd to 12th grade
Two Clinics $40 Three Clinic $60 Four Clinics $80
The following clinic(s) will focus on individual and team work skills which will also cover passing, hitting, blocking, serving and setting. Each clinic has been designed for volleyball players who are interested in improving their volleyball skills. Players will be separated by *ability groups.
Clinic Registration is currently OPEN. Remember, clinic enrollment is limited on a First Come, First Serve basis. The Clinics will fill up quickly. Afterwards, we will generate a *Waiting List* for those individuals who are still interested attending these clinics.
Note: We will have walk up registration. Please be at the gymnasium 15 minutes prior to the start of the clinic, and email us that you are planning to attend.
nsurance: Each clinic participant is responsible for their own medical insurance.
Please make your check payable to Space Needle Volleyball Foundation. Attach your registration and waiver liability release form to 12022 5th Ave. NE Seattle WA 98125
For more information please call
Handout:
SNVF Forms and Contracts
U14 Spikettes Maren Hellum's Journal
The President’s Day tournament I played in was so much fun! I had a really great time on the court, and also cheering for all of my teammates. One of the highlights to this tournament was that I served 14 times in a row! I think that the reason I served so well was because my team was staying positive and we were all cheering a lot. I’m also really lucky to have super nice coaches. I wouldn’t have served so well without their helpful advice. I had such a great time and hope to have this much fun in our upcoming tournament! GO SPIKETTES!!! Woot Woot!
U18 Waves Emily Denham's Journal
This past weekend was an awesome tournament! I’m glad we did so well and played as a team, and not to mention it was Shawna’s birthday! I think we made it a special day for her by bringing her cards, cake and presents, as well as playing some of the best volleyball we’ve played all season. Getting 3rd in the tournament was also a plus because we have been working so hard at it and our goal has been to move up by playing strong defense. Of course we aren’t perfect and will always have to keep working on it, but it was a great way to show we wanted it. Over all I think we did well with defense; a lot of the games we were digging and diving for balls that usually we don’t try for. Although we didn’t beat Northwest Juniors, we played well as a team, we just need to not give up and finish strong. We will beat them!!! During this tournament I had a few favorite moments. One was when we sang to Shawna 3 times and had fun laughing as a team – especially when we sang Happy Birthday in Spanish. Another moment was when I hit the ball so hard at that girl on Northwest Juniors – I felt bad that she got hurt but I was pretty excited at the great set and hit that we had. J
This tournament was a great step forward for our team and shows that we are continuing to get better. We have to keep staying focused and playing as best we can each play.
U14 Spartans Anna Jajewski's Journal
Over the Presidents Day tournament the U14 Spartans fought hard to the
end of our last day and came home with a first place title! Our whole
team played so well over the weekend even when we had three people out
sick. We also had people trying new positions and plays like Ciara
taking control and setting for us and Libby trying out another
position besides Libero. I also tried out jump serving for the first
time and successfully made two over! Our whole team is so encouraging
towards everyone no matter how you play. Our energy was kept high as
we fought to the end. Our whole team had also set a team goal to keep
our energy up so we accomplished that. I love playing with the whole
team and I think we have great coaches who support us all the time. I
also think we will have a great rest of the season!
Thanks,
Anna
Friday, February 24
U15 Crush a Parent's Journal
Presidents Day Tournament
“What was that? What the heck was that?” I thought to myself. Just 25 minutes into day one of three days of volleyball and the first match was in the books. Space Needles 15’s team was, in no uncertain terms, “Crushed”. It wasn’t close. It was a mismatch. An aberration, I decided. Our girls are better than that.
Luckily they played their next match immediately. No time to dwell on the negative. Just lace your shoes a little tighter and let’s get it on. As they warmed up, I was excited. Playing WVBA will be a great measuring stick for us. By the time the match was done, in two quick sets, I was feeling as lost as the girls looked on the court.
What was happening? We were three months into the season, but they looked like they had never met each other. They played as if they were alone on the court. There was no teamwork, no camaraderie; there was no semblance of ‘Team’. Then the unthinkable happened. They quit. They stayed on the court and finished the match, but there can be no doubt, they quit. They quit on each other, they quit on their coach and they quit on themselves.
During the break that followed they managed to regroup enough to put up a battle in their final match of the day but that loss and the earlier losses of that day left parents and players shaking their heads. For a time on Saturday evening, statements of anger and wonderment were tossed about. “Doesn’t it seem like we are going backward?” “Is everybody playing for the same reasons?” “Do they even care?”
I both listened to these statements and actively added comments of my own. There was a high degree of frustration after watching our girls lose three matches; none of which were competitive or ever in doubt. There was talk of a need for a parent, coach and director meeting. Ultimately, we parents packed up our gear and bid each other farewell.
On the drive home I spoke to my daughter about her feelings and I told her how I felt. She, too, was disappointed in their performance. She agreed that the team stopped fighting. We talked about how to avoid that in the future and how to help inspire yourself and your teammates to work hard, regardless of the challenge in front of you. Times of strife can bring accusations, finger pointing and doubt but true greatness results in overcoming adversity.
Sunday’s pool play brought new opportunities to do so. How would they bounce back from such a disappointing day? We found out quickly. The girls that took the court that afternoon were inspired and ready to play for each other. From the first moment, they were a team united. The game they brought was so different from their performance just 24 hours earlier that even though they lost the first match, the same parents left with so many questions the night before, were clapping and telling them great game. I was so proud of them. The previous day had not lingered to affect their performance.
Match two on that afternoon was epic and possibly something that could turn the remainder of their season. After quickly dispatching Ridge Valley in game one, they let game two slip away setting up a third set tiebreaker. We all know that anything can happen in these tiebreakers but none of us were prepared for what did.
After going back and forth early in the game, Crush staked themselves to a 14-10 lead and was serving for the match. They lost that point and five of the next six as Ridge served for the match at 16-15. Playing the most inspired game of the season, Crush fought off that match point as well as five more and ultimately prevailed 25-23. The feeling on the team and amongst the parents was ecstatic. This was why we are all here; to see our kids improve and compete. A little winning sprinkled in always helps but the way these girls fought so hard and played as a team was a reward that even a loss would not have stolen.
The final match of the evening was, admittedly ragged but the teamwork remained, even though their energy had been sapped by the emotions and efforts put forth already that day. While the record for the day was just 1 win and 2 losses, the improvement from Saturday was like going 0 and 16 and then going to the Super Bowl the next year.
When I woke up on Monday, my wife and I had every intention of going to work. But we could not desert Ali and Team Crush. Through their performance on Sunday, I felt they had earned our support for one more day. Let’s finish what we started.
In their first match, they were pitted in a rematch against Ridge Valley and I settled in for what I expected to be another nail biter. I was pleasantly surprised when they dismantled them 25-19 and 25-12. I was, we all were, elated. In what could have been a ‘one and done’ Monday morning, we were moving on. In the semi-final match, with Sudden Impact, it was back and forth but, unfortunately, in a very competitive match, they bested us 25-21 and 25-17 and went on to win our bracket.
Winning is fun. Way more fun than the alternative. But learning is even greater. This weekend’s tournament brought education in many forms for all involved. I saw the girls learn that success takes more than just showing up and they learned the only way to succeed is to work together. Personally, I remembered not to react too quickly and never without processing all the information.
In three short days we went from a ‘whats the use’ and hang ‘em all mentality on Saturday to the euphoric feeling of knowing we have so much success ahead of us on Monday. I am so proud of all us for coming closer when we were challenged. It was way harder to keep fighting but the alternative would have been to quit. We all learned this weekend that we are not quitters and to do so will never be an option.
Thanks to all of Team Crush – Ali, Anna, Danielle, Eliza, Ivy, Kamele, Kelly, Mackie, Nicole, Payton, Shania, Zoey, as well as Olivia and Laura for letting me be a part of your team. I will continue to cheer for you; both in volleyball and life.
U17 Reign Kristina Nielsen's Journal
Last weeks PWL tournament at Washington HS was deffinatly not our best tournament or play but I think we did do a few things that were missing from previous tournaments. The morning started off suprisingly well as far as our energy, thanks to interesting warm ups Dave put together. We set up goals to execute in every game and met most of them, the only disappointment was our serves were no were near our goals and many serves were missed. I think the reason we lost was both our serves and execution of every point. Our main problem in previous tournaments was our energy level dropping throughout the day, and to me it felt like our energy stayed pretty consistent throughout the day. We managed to take away 1 game. I noticed throughout the day a few times we would win the first set and let the other 2 slip. I do not know if it is because we got to comfortable, from now on we have to remind ourselves just because we won the first set does not mean we will win the next the other team is going to come back stronger. Our team bond is slowly becoming stronger and stronger, but I think as a team we have to bond more, even if that means just warming up with somebody different then usual. Our team goal for the season is to Be A Team - this includes communicating on the court and off, trusting each other & playing together as a team and knowing you can rely on your teammate to do their job so you can do yours to the best potential and vice versa. GO REIGN!
Alyssa Deardorff Signed to Play at Oregon
Congratulations to our U17 Waves Alyssa Deardorff! She signed a Letter of Intent to play as a setter at Oregon Institute of Technology in Oregon.
Friday, October 23
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