Garden Empire Volleyball Association

Balzout (Men's BB)

The 2000 season left the team with high expectations going into this year. After beating Resistentia and losing a close one to Parsippany, at last years regionals, the team was eager to get this season started. Despite struggling through constant line-up changes, and rarely playing with the same core of guys, we finally pulled it together by the season’s end and lost a close final to Brazucca’s, at Powerzone. We started to feel the excitement for Nationals after a disappointing Regionals that we just never got off the starting blocks.

Our first Nationals experience, as a team, turned out to be as exciting as anticipated. After arriving last at the hotel, the guys informed me of our “midnight” curfew and schedule for day 1. We came out on fire, and day 1 left us at 3-0. The talk quickly turned to, “how far could we actually take this.” We ended up 4-1 after day 2 and tied for first place in our pool. Total games placed us 10^th seed overall in the Gold Division. AWESOME! Not able to sit still, the partying cautiously continued, and 8:00 Friday morning couldn’t have come any slower. Warm-up time began much earlier than the previous 2-days, and the guys much more serious. We won our first match in less than 40 minutes, including an opponent injury time-out! One more match and we stay in the Gold. Unfortunately, we ran into a hot team from St. Louis, Enfuego, who caught us totally flat-footed, and knocked us down to the Silver Division. In the second round of Silver, we were eventually ousted, in a heart breaking 3 games, to the winner of the Silver Division, Loco Hombres of Virginia.

Although the guys felt like we let one slip away in the last match, it was obvious to everyone that we left everything out on the court. Our setter pulled a stomach muscle in the first game of the match, and everyone rallied through their aches and pains to compensate. Even though we came up short, it was exciting to be a part of this team, which had not played together as a full unit before Nationals. We stabilized our defense by picking up a solid defensive specialist (“Quando”), whom had never played with us prior to Nationals. Our newest member of the team continued to improve all season and showed how big of a “lefty” he really is at Nationals. The rest of the team played true to our name, catching many incredible digs and hits on video. Even though one of our core players couldn’t make the trip, the team rallied together and made a great run in the tournament.

Congratulations to all the GEVA Teams at Nationals, and our other local team, Lower County, who, after struggling early in the tournament, rallied to win the Copper Division. We appreciated their camaraderie and support during our matches, and had fun cheering them on the rest of the tournament. Thanks to the team for believing and gaining the experience of Nationals, as well as the great memories in Milwaukee. Next season and Dallas is already in everyone’s conversation!

Creole I (Women's A)

It’s hard to believe that we have put behind another Nationals. We had a great tournament overall. It was our first time playing in the AA division and we came out first in our division after pool play. However, we came in short in the second round and lost in the semifinal match of the silver bracket. After the defeat, we were all very sad. I think the main reason for our loss is that we did not pace ourselves in earlier round competition and ran out of stamina towards the end.

I really enjoy playing volleyball with the girls on the team. We have form solid friendships over the years. Competing is a lot of fun, but the partying after tournaments makes it that much more exciting. Congratulations to our teammate, Lynn, who got married to her college sweetheart Steve. All of us attended the wedding and had a great time. Also to Dina, who got engaged over the summer. Oh, welcome to Monica, our newest teammate, who fitted in very comfortably.

Look forward to another great season.

Got Gym/EAC (Women's A)

Greetings from “GOT GYM/EAC”.

Milwaukee was a wonderful experience for the “GOT GYMers”. 45 teams competed in the Women’s A division this year. In our pool the teams were from Alaska, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin and Nevada. The most memorable match was against Las Vegas Nevada’s B&B Touch of Gold. This team came to Milwaukee well prepared. Usually our team is loaded with bench players but B&B Gold made our team look small. This team barreled through the entire pool without a single loss. They were last match of pool play for us and we had already dropped a match to Alaska. B&B Gold won the first game by 2 points, and then we came back and won the second game by 2 points. (Keep in mind that this game decided which team would finish first in pool play) Our teams traded the lead through the entire last game and ultimately GOT GYM/EAC prevailed in a nail biting finish. GOT GYM/EAC finished first in pool play and unfortunately for us, our first match to remain in the gold division was against the sister team of B&B Gold who had watched our match against them the night before; guess they picked up a few pointers by watching. After this loss we were put in the Silver Division where GOT GYM/EAC pulled out all the stops and “JUST BLEEPING PLAYED” to a victory, capturing the Gold Medal in the Silver Division.

As always, our team had a wonderful experience attending Nationals. The tournament, camaraderie, Thai food, pulled pork sandwiches, Mr. Bennihanna (Ughhh!!), $11.00 margaritas, THE CROWNING OF A NEW QUEEN, night-life (?) and the Milwaukee Bucks were more than a team could ask for.

Congratulations to all the GEVA teams who competed this year. We look forward to the new rules, and new season.

Kaboom VBC (Men's BB)

Kaboom was very excited to be in Milwaukee for the National Championship! This was our first trip to "The Tournament," and as expected, will not be our last. We arrived with minimal expectations. We just wanted to experience being there and have as much fun as possible. Our squad was sound fundamentally. I was hoping to bring a little more fire power from the outside. Unfortunately the man I had hoped would be our libero was going to be forced outside. (one of our outside hitters was unable to attend) This really didn't matter, we were there to compete and have fun regardless of squad strength.

Upon arrival and registration we found out that Patrick Dietz (NY SOJU) was a man without a team. Since we hadn't used our available roster additions we quickly picked him up. This solidified out team. We were able to move Chris Powers to Libero, a position that was invented for him. Which in turn freed defensive specialist Mike Abalos to play back row. So as we walk on the court at 9:00 am Wednesday morning to face the X-Men from Chicago we have outside hitters Patrick and Jeremy Rotter, middles-- Drew Pearson and Roy Iggulden, opposite--Donnie Shook and setter--Hector May. Except Hector's flight wasn't arriving until later that morning so I got the opportunity to step in and set the first match. We jumped on them quickly and didn't let them up. (25-15 and 25-20) So we're 2-0 before our setter has even arrived. Hector shows up in time to face the Alaska Squid Punks. The team gels instantly and we romp in the first game 25-16. Alaska came back strong in the 2nd game and beat us 22-25. A seesaw, knock down, drag out battle ensued for the 15 pt. tie breaker, we lost 17-19. We didn't realize it at the time but this was a battle of our pool's strongest. We continued our strong play versus Shock TM from Wisconsin and took them 19 and 12. Then we finished up against Full Tilt from Missouri and Heavy hitters from Nebraska, sweeping both contests. Our only contest that went three games was against Alaska, and when they lost to Full Tilt we garnered First in Pool! And a ticket to the Gold medal round! We were rather excited!!! Perhaps a little too much! Alaska came back and won the right to play us again for the right to advance, they were hitting on all cylinders and for the first time in the tournament we were matched defensively. We got bumped to the Silver and took on the USA Para-Olympic team, This was quite an honor, instead of just watching with amazement at their abilities with disabilities we stuck to our game and emerged victorious. Alas our better than expected run was over when the Bomb Squad from Boston beat us in the quarter finals of the silver bracket. All in all the National experience was, in a word, AWESOME! Team MVP Donnie Shook took his game to a level I did not know he could achieve! The defense and passing of Chris and Mike made us contenders! Wisconsin native and on court captain Roy Iggulden played every point of every game in the middle, his energy drove us! Patrick stepped in and it was as if he had played with us all year. Hector, who can play well at any position on the court, was solid as our setter and spectacular defensively. After bouncing from position to position We were finally able to put Jeremy outside where he belongs. Being 6'6" and a leaper demands the attention of the opponent and even if he wasn't swinging well he would take a blocker or two away from Donnie or Roy. And then when he was swinging well it didn't matter how many guys went up, he just went over them.

Thanks to all the guys for making the trip and thank you GEVA for getting us started!! CANT WAIT FOR DALLAS 2002!!!!!!

Kapow VBC (Women's BB)

Our trip to Milwaukee was one KAPOW VBC would never forget. Half the girls on the team decided to be ROAD WARRIORS, the other half decided to take the easy way…FLY! Our first day in Milwaukee was interesting. Having been up for 24 hours, we decided to check-in and crash (SLEEP TIME was a must). Not prepared for the wonderful weather Milwaukee had to offer, we all scrounged around for the warmest piece of clothing we could find in our luggage. Everyone was very excited to be there, including myself. It was an experience for everyone. We attended the players’ party and had a blast. We also took advantage of some of the local restaurants in the city of Milwaukee. The one that was the best time for all of us was the ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY. There, we met the nicest and friendliest waitresses and they went to college in New York…VASSAR COLLEGE in Poughkeepsie. We also found time to tour the famous Miller Brewery at Plank Rd. We also got to taste some of the Miller beers in one of their tasting pub. All I can say was that we really had a great time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It was great to see other teams from our region there. It was really nice to see LIVINGSTON VBC cheering us on all the time whenever they can. They supported us all the way to the end in winning the COPPER division. A special thanks to Livingston VBC for being there for us, you guys are awesome! It was nice to hear friendly cheers from fellow volleyball players that we usually compete against in GEVA. Winning in the Nationals (COPPER division) was the best. Knowing that we were not coming home empty handed was a great feeling. After winning, KABOOM (our men’s team), handed everyone a shiny PENNY just to remind us that we won the big ABE LINCOLN…COPPER! Now I would like to add some of my teammates’ memorable experiences that they would love to share with you:

“For me it would have to be the level of skill that was there. It was amazing to see such a large number of quality volleyball players. The past week was some of the most exciting volleyball I have watched in a long time. I could go on, but that is what sticks in my head the most”. - Christin Brown

“ The thing that sticks out in my mind is the conglomerate of people that were in the gym. It was an extraordinary feeling to be surrounded by all types of sizes, ages, races, gender, skill levels, etc. And we all shared the same passion…VOLLEYBALL!” - Pamela Scovill

“I guess what I remembered the most was seeing so many people playing their hearts out at every level of play. Despite the times when things didn’t go as well as planned, I also saw moments of brilliance in ourselves, our men’s team, and just about every other team we either played or watched. It was incredibly inspiring to be among such kindred spirits all of us giving it everything we had for the sport we love”. - Christine Fitzgerald

Lastly, “ I think the thing that sticks out the most about playing in the nationals is that it didn’t matter what level you played in or what age group anyone was in or where you were from, everyone seemed to be this one big happy family that supported each other by watching each other’s matches and how much everyone respected each other on and off the court”. - Rochelle Abalos

Livingston BB (Women's BB)

In January the question was posed: “Who wants to go to Nationals?”. Initially I thought it was too early to ask, but Taryn had a good point that some people arrange their vacation schedule at the start of the year. And, if you need additional players, some time is necessary to fill the roster gaps. Fortunately for us, we had all 7 of our consistent players respond positively and our gap to fill was the right side. We could have shifted our line-up to have a gap somewhere else, but for this event it was best to make the least number of changes possible. We were very fortunate again and by March we added our 8th player to the roster. We had a highly veteran group: Vikki, Taryn, Martha, Kris, Ellen, Catherine, Bonnie from Downstate, and myself.

Time seemed to go slow after submitting our entry, however, this time is important. If you’ve added new players to the roster, regardless of how talented you all may be, you simply have to get some playing time together so that you hopefully get comfortable with one another. You also have to get uniforms set and, thanks to Viikki, we were in excellent shape. We each had 2 new shirts and a backup 3rd shirt that we never used. Strangely enough, when I checked-in our uniforms, the guy said, “I don’t understand why BB teams come with so many shirts”. OK, so, I guess 2 is more than enough?

By the time we left for Milwaukee we were all sufficiently healthy. I have no idea of what kind of hopes/expectations everyone else had, but mine were: get there safely (preferably with all our luggage); play well as a team with support for one another; not get anyone perturbed with my line-up decisions; have fun; win; and get home safely with zero injuries. Is that asking too much? It may be too much, but I’m glad to report that it all virtually came true. Of course, we did have some interesting moments…

Several players were delayed in getting to Milwaukee. They sat for hours on the runway due to T-storms in NJ, but eventually arrived safely… with luggage. Catherine (and Doug) had the last flight out, but due to the delays that flight was canceled! They had to get up at 5:30am the next day to get the first flight out on our first day of play. If all went well, Catherine would meet us at court 8 for our 2nd match. Doug wouldn’t miss any games - he had the afternoon session. There they were at court 8! I gave them a big hug and laughed at Doug’s goofy hat (he was having a bad hair day). They handled that well - they’re just those type of people… and it’s a good thing they are so easy going because 2 days later they had a waterfall in their hotel room (a pipe broke on a floor above theirs). Of course, Doug was sleepy and just thought Catherine was in the shower too long.

At the end of 2 days play, we were 4-1 and seeded 8th in the Gold. We felt pretty good, reminisced about avoiding the pigeon ambush (Vik, too funny!), and split up for the rest of the day. Some went to the mall conveniently down the skywalk, others did laundry with our Rochester opponents, and the same few made it to the bars. I must say, it was really nice to have draft beer sold right next to our courts!

Later that night a few of us met for a light dinner at the Italian place across the street from the Hyatt. We split some dinners (Bonnie and Kris made a perfect split… ya had to be there), laughed a lot, and Jacques came over to say hello. I don’t recall saying anything, but I should say now, he looked real nice! I’m so not used to seeing people out of v-ball gear. With the exception of Martha, and her sister Hilliary who provided courtside and barside support after playing the earlier A-session, we all got to bed at a decent time. Actually, I’m not sure Martha got any sleep the entire week!

The next morning we managed to beat the 9th seed in 3 games. Our reward for that win was to next play the 1st seed that was 100% undefeated in pool play. We won the 1st game convincingly, giving them their 1st game loss. In game 2 we had our chances, but fell short. During the 3rd game, they burned us a few times with the tips and this was when Taryn went down with a “tweaked” knee. That word is so unsettling because it’s full of uncertainty. The trainer finally came, checked her out and we continued with an exceptional sub. Not long after that the game was done - we lost.

On to the losers’ bracket of the Gold, we came out fighting and it went to 3 games again. Taryn managed to play front row the last two games - I was thankful she was up on her feet. We left it on the court and that’s what you want to be able to say at the end of the day. We lost the match and play was done. We were quiet for a while. The thoughts run through your head. We know we could have done better - did we start turning it on too late? Were the subs not used to our best advantage? But, I don’t want it to be over… None of us wanted it to be over. So, we did the next best thing: ate, drank, and cheered on the others from our region that continued to play.

That Friday night, four of us went to the NBA playoff game-6 between the Bucks and the 76ers. Thank goodness the Bucks won that game - I would not want to be in that crowd in a losing situation. Our seats, for which Ellen stood in line for 2hrs with native Milwaukians that prior Monday, were higher than nosebleed altitude. The sounds of the crowd helped us distinguish when a basket was made. Someone actually told us there were worse seats! Really? Nonetheless, it was fun to mix with the natives (who told us we had a funny accent) and we appreciated the convenience of the Bradley center being 2 blocks from our hotel. In fact, the entire location was extremely convenient.

The next day we all ended up watching what was left of the women's 30 and over. They were so enjoyable to watch and we were amazed at the talent. We also learned that the 1st seeded team in our women's BB, the team that put us in the losers' bracket, won it all. Although that didn't exactly make us feel better about losing to them, all in all, we had a great finish (8th out of 31 teams) for our first time together at Nationals. "Oh Yah! You Betcha!" Way to go team! Dallas 2002 anyone? Or, is it too early to ask?

Long Island Power 14 (Junior Girls 14-Under)

About two months ago when we first found out that we were going to Utah, we had high expectations of how we would succeed in the 2001 Junior Olympics. We were so excited to come and play other teams from the United States. We knew it would be such a great experience.

The day finally came when we went on the long plane ride to Salt Lake City. During our first day of playing, the competition was immensely challenging. The majority of the players were taller and stronger. We then realized that trying to win would be much harder than we thought. Teams in other states began competitive volleyball at an early age of 8. Once we found this out, most of us had fears of how we would play. Every missed serve, every missed pass cost us more of our confidence. So our Power team tried hard to keep our heads up, although the endings of the matches would come out as a loss.

We had to understand that it would be very hard to actually win a match. However, we were not used to losing game after game. It took more than one day to settle down and have fun. Once we began having fun, we lost track of the score and began worrying about how we could better our own individual game and learn from the athletes that we competed against.

Being here in Utah brought together a group of individuals to a team who feeds off each other. Now only hours till we reach our home in New York and realizing this could be the last time our team plays together made us realize how special this year really was. It is hard to let go of players who have been together for almost a year but we realize that we will meet again sooner or later.

We all had an amazing time.

Long Island Power 16 (Junior Girls 16-Under)

One of the most memorable and exciting moments of my volleyball career was when my team and I realized that we were number one in our region, and that we were going to be participating in the Junior Olympics. We had only just heard about this possibility of our team going just weeks prior to that tournament. We never thought about actually making it, because we didn't want to bring our hopes too high. It would be an incredible experience, which we would never forget.

After months of anticipation, we finally arrived in Utah. It was the first time any of us had been that far across the country, and we were mesmerized by the scenery and all the mountains. Even besides actually playing volleyball, we had an amazing time with each other just being in Utah. When we did arrive at the gym, though, it was very exciting. The first thing we noticed was all the different teams from all across the country. We couldn't believe we would be playing teams from Texas, Alabama, etc. The next thing we noticed was all the college scouts. It became so real and we realized how important this was. When we started playing, we were nervous at first, but as we got into the game, we realized that we really deserved to be at the Junior Olympics, and we just enjoyed ourselves. The rest of the days went by so fast, but I'll never forget how I felt playing with my team during this amazing experience.

For the rest of my life, my experience at the Junior Olympics will be the most memorable to me. It went by so fast, and to this day, I still cannot believe we were actually there. It made the bond between our team even stronger, and from that we could never forget each other.

Long Island Power 17 (Junior Girls 17-Under)

From June 27th to July 8th, the girls of Long Island Power Volleyball Club spent their time competing in the Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The girls of the 14's team, the 16's team, the 17's team and the 18's team, all had the wonderful experience of attending the Junior Olympics in Utah.

The record for the Long Island Power 17's team did not reflect the way they actually played. The 17's team improved a great amount from the beginning of the tournament to the end. Their consistency continued through most of the tournament, which made them able to compete with teams at a high level. The 17's team rarely left without a fight. Most of their matches went to three games and all of their matches were extremely close. Every member of the team contributed a great amount of effort to every game played, which made it possible for their consistency to remain though out the tournament.

The level of play was one of the highest the 17's team had ever competed against. The opportunity for the Long Island Power Club to compete in the Junior Olympics was truly wonderful. This opportunity was an experience that they will never forget. There was much enjoyment and success on and off the court for all of the players.

There were far more lessons learned than winning and losing in the process of tournament play. The members of the team not only learned the importance of hard work, they learned how to put their hard work into action when it is most needed.

Competing in the 2001 USA Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships was an experience that the players and coaches of Long Island Power will always remember.

Long Island Power Boys 18 Blue (Juniors Boy’s 18-under)

The 2001 club year for the Long Island Volleyball Club 18 Blue team has been a year of ups and downs. After a fairly successful day at the GEVA regionals and a good showing at the East Coast Championships, the boys of the LIVBC 18 Blue team were looking forward to a fun filled trip to Phoenix, Arizona. What could be better than 4 days of competitive volleyball games against great teams from all over the USA and areas outside of the United States. For some of the members of the team, it was going to be their first experience attending the Junior Olympics. While for other members, it was to be their second or third time attending the JO's. Led by their coach, Rambod Jamshidian, and Assistant Coach, Jeff Lipton, hopes were high for some success against the various teams they would play. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and the team experienced many problems during the four days that they played. Success eluded them game after game until finally they were finished playing. Not to be overwhelmed by this, the 18 Blue team gathered together to be the best cheerleaders they could be as they sat on the sidelines watching the LIVBC 18 Gold team as they successfully won the Gold Medal in the 18 Club Division. As they chanted “East Coast, East Coast” and “Let’s go Island” they cheered their teammates on to victory. The feeling of pride of each of the LIVBC players was phenomenal. What a thrill to be a member of the Long Island Club as it won its first Gold medal.

“I thought that the whole experience was a lot of fun and very exciting. I enjoyed playing against teams from across the nation. I also enjoyed watching some of the great teams that were there. It was more than what I expected.” These were the feelings expressed to me by Mark Brienza, the Libero for the 18 Blue team who was experiencing JO’s for the first time.

As captain of the blue team, Rob Sturges was disappointed that the team didn’t do as well as they hoped, but stated “ It is great to be part of a team attending the Junior Olympics and to be able to play against the top volleyball players in the nation. The challenge of playing your best game while many eyes are watching you is awesome. But, nothing compares to the excitement of being part of a winning club.”

Long Island Power Boys 18 Gold (Juniors Boys 18-under)

It gives me great pleasure to write this letter to you and to GEVA in regard to the Junior National Championships that were held in Phoenix, AZ in July of this year. This letter will tell the story of the 18 Gold; one of the four teams from LIVBC (Long Island Volleyball Club). They are better known today as the Gold Medal Champions of the 2001 Junior Nationals- Club Division.

To set the scene, let me first tell you that LIVBC is a first year club, formed by the remaining members of two defunct Long Island clubs. The 18 Gold team that we took to Phoenix consisted of only seven young men. They are Craig Berini, Chris Caputo, Jay Karpf, Pat Legge, Mike LaRocco, Mark Nagy and Brian Osipowich. They were coached by Jeff Lipton, who was assisted by Rambod (Ram) Jamshidian. The coaches also served as chaperones, so these guys were together all the time. They played all day and bonded at night, getting to know each other better both on and off the court. The whole club would hang out together in the pool or watch videos. A favorite thing with the team was eating cheeses puffs out of a big plastic barrel. As the team kept winning the chant became, “Behold the power of cheese!”

To bring a group of seven guys out to Junior Nationals and come home with a gold medal is just an incredible feat and an amazing feeling. This team came out to the tournament ranked 29 out of 40 teams. They were underdogs and they just wanted to play some ball, relax and have fun. Well, that they did, and then some. Because of their low seeding, they had to face the powerhouse teams from throughout the country. They faced top teams from California, Arizona, Texas and Guam, to name a few. They sailed through opening day with a perfect match record of 3-0(6-1 game play). On the second day they accomplished the same feat. On the third day, it was an incredible repeat of days 1 and 2. The teams record is now 9-0 match play and 18-3 game play. As one of the players, Mike LaRocco, said to me, “This is awesome, we’re now going into the championship day ranked #3. We are going to bring it back to the Island. There ain’t no stopping us now!” LIVBC now had to face one of the toughest teams there, Club Red from Phoenix. Not only were they going to be a tough team to beat, we had to play them in front of their home crowd.

Well, they were tough, but we were tougher. Club Red met defeat in three close nip and tuck games. Unbelievably, LIVBC 18 Gold was now set to play LAAC from California for the Gold Medal. We had played LAAC earlier in the tournament. They took us lightly then, but they were ready for us this time. LAAC is a proud club and they did not want to lose to a first year club with only seven players from Long Island, New York. They were warming up with fire in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts. LIVBC was steadfast in their warm-ups. They worked hard, but were loose, smiling, relaxed and basically just ready to have some fun.

When the championship match began there were about 200 people watching. There were throngs of people rooting for LAAC (everybody loves California). The only crowd LIVBC had was the people we came out with- a small group of parents and our three other teams (18 Blue, 16 Blue and 16 Gold). We totaled about 60 people, but we somehow managed to be as loud as all those people rooting for LAAC. The first game was close- LIVBC edged out LAAC 25-22. The second game was a whole new story. LAAC was not going down without a fight and they came back and gave us a thorough thrashing, beating us 25-11. This set up an emotional and final third game. This game was for the Gold Medal and all the boys knew it and so did the crowd, which by now had swelled to around 600 people. There were chants of “West Coast” and “East Coast” echoing through the building. The game was close at 6-6 when Craig Berini came up to serve. As Craig said later, “I felt really comfortable with my jump serve.” And comfortable he must have been, because he racked up five points to bring us to an 11-6 lead. The fans from Long Island began to ask themselves, “Dare we dream the dream?” But, LAAC was not done yet. They came back to life and the score was 11-11 when Coach Lipton called his final time-out.

Those of us who had watched these boys all season long and had seen them become disheartened and stop believing in themselves, or even become angry at such a turn of events in other tournaments, watched in proud amazement as our boys took the court with smiles on their faces and the same relaxed attitude they had shown all tournament long. As Brian Osipowich said later, “When we play loose, we win.” Well, the team may have been loose, but the crowd was not. The referees had to admonish the crowd, but when the game resumed LIVBC came on strong and took the next four points and the Gold Medal! The only way I can describe what happened next was pandemonium! LIVBC 18 Gold had upset the country and become the 2001 USA Junior Olympic Boys Volleyball Club Champions. Everybody was jumping on everybody else, and the container of cheese balls was being passed around like the Stanley Cup. After the match, Chris Caputo told me, “ I can’t think of a better way to end my high school career. There is no way to describe this feeling.” The other team members had to agree. There were tears and hugs, not only from other players, but also from parents, friends, and other club members. The joy that was felt that day would be in the hearts and souls of all who played a part in that match forever.

I’d like to share with you some quotes from one of the team members, Mike LaRocco, that I feel embody the joy and pride that this whole team shares. Mike writes, “When the core of this team first got together two years ago in Power Zone for our first ever tournament, we lost every single match. In our very last tournament together we won it all. Not only did we win it all but we won every single match we played. I can’t say that we have been working for that goal the past two years because we have had our share of disappointments and lack of discipline. The only answer to this chapter is pure irony. One of the most interesting points about this team was our ability to let things go. We didn’t dwell on mistakes or on each other. Everyone was into their game and trying to use it to help the team. One of my favorite times with these guys are the moments in the middle of a game where we would just joke around. A comment would be said about one another and everyone just smiled. It kept everything cool and just made the game that much better. Next year I will miss this team. For the first time I realized that there will be no more tournaments to look forward to with them. Our lives will shoot in different directions but I hope we will find ourselves on the court together again soon. I love those guys. They gave me heart and the love for the game.”

In another letter Mike said, “After this year our history has something LIU and Power never had…a national championship team. And we have potential for another championship team in those 16’s! I wonder what Long Island Volleyball would have been like if they merged a long time ago???”

“How cool is this…Long Island Volleyball is made up of 17 or so high school teams. All of which have either one or two decent volleyball players on them. They pooled those guys together and they kicked the crap out of the nation! I’m still excited from Phoenix and I’ve watched the semifinal and final game a million times already. Get this…I was watching the finals and my Mom was watching it with me…on one kill my Mom screamed ‘Yeah!’- She was getting pumped just watching the tapes!!!!! This has truly been an amazing and dreamlike tournament. I mean damn!!!!! I’m going to miss this team and club. Empire’s???? Hell yeah… volleyball is a great sport. I love it.”

I’d like to conclude this letter by thanking GEVA for all their hard work. I know the job you do can be very thankless, but without all your time and effort, there is nothing. The men’s tournament’s (which I never knew about before this year) were great. They taught the young men from our club a lot about the game. They were invaluable. We look forward to working and playing volleyball with you again next year.

Long Island Power 18 (Junior Girls 18-Under)

This season was filled with great volleyball, many memories and an unbelievable eight months that thirteen girls and three coaches got to share together. This was a special team that practiced long hours, many days and nights, and traveled far to commit to this 18-1 Long Island Power team. Our goal that we set at our first team meeting was to qualify for nationals. As the regional championship came closer, we not only wanted to go to the national because it was a great feat but because it would give us the opportunity to spend six more weeks together. We accomplished our goal and six weeks later we were off to Salt Lake City, Utah to play for the national championship.

Nationals was an amazing experience that allowed our relationships to grow stronger. We walked around with smiles on our faces excited to be there and at times with tears in our eyes knowing that this would be the last time we would step on the court with such a special team. With all emotions put aside, from the first day to the last we walked on the court and played our hearts out. The first day we came out strong winning our first two matches which insured us at least a thirty-second place finish. The second day we struggled, however, the third day we bounced back strong winning our two matches. The fourth and final day was single elimination. In our first match we took the first game and in the second game we fell short forcing a third game. In a hard played emotion filled third game Club Elite just barely edged us out in the end. Even though we felt disappointment walking away from a match we felt we could have won we still held our heads high thrilled with our twenty-first place finish. This was the best finish a team in our region has ever had. Utah was an experience that we will never forget and we are proud to have had the opportunity to represent the GEVA region and hopefully to have represented it well.

Parsippany Men's BB (Men's BB)

Wisconsin, Milwaukee was like all the other Nationals we went to, clean city and great convention center to play in. This convention center had a mall attached to it which offered some great shopping and a convenient place to have lunch. The weather wasn't so nice, but we spent most of our time indoors playing. We stayed at the Hyatt which was attached to the convention center so we never had to step out side. The Parsippany Mens BB team played well and had a good time. We had recruited some new players to go this year and they are now hooked with the Nationals bug.

The playing levels have become very true to form ever since they changed the rule that you can only play one level. It seemed players were playing now in their prospective levels. You still can play all week by entering in Age group, coed or reverse coed for the second half. There wasn't as many teams out there as there was in past years due to the fact that National' s became stricter with their deadline, so make sure you get your team in early next year in Texas.

We had good representation from our region again and I anticipate it will be the same next year in Texas. See you all there!

Power Zone - Get Over it (Women’s 30 & Over)

BEING PART OF THE POWERZONE FAMILY

This year at Nationals a very unique thing happened. A strong sense of unity was developed among the New Jersey players represented in Milwaukee. Several of us knew one another from being members of PowerZone or from being frequent users of the facility. Faces were familiar but not for much more than to say hello. We soon went from a passing by wave or a nod of the head to calling each other by name or stopping at the mall across the street and asking how their team was doing. Whatever it was that started conversation or caused someone to stop and say hello the fact of the matter was that there was a unique sense of comraderie that seemed to exist. Conversation evolved from “How’s it going” to “When is your next match” or “What are you guys doing for dinner”? Before we knew it we found ourselves planning our day around the schedule of other teams. Sometimes to the extreme of: “OK, George’s team plays at court 17 at 2:00 p.m. and Parsippany is on court 10. Barb’s game is at 3:00 p.m. and Livingston is on court 13, so after our 1:00 pm game we can catch the beginning of the guys games and then swing over the Women’s 50 and over and the Women’s BB before our 6:00 p.m. game. At the same time other teams were saying to us “As soon as our game ends we will be over to your court to watch your last game”. Before we knew it we had become a small herd that traveled from game to game cheering for old and new friends we had made. We soon found ourselves in the gym more often than expected. All of this seemed to generate from a small seed of familiarity that existed from being at PowerZone. Although our team found our tournament play to be a bit more challenging than expected and there was little we could do to change that situation, it was comforting to look over at the sidelines and see the seats filled with a group of Jersey Boys cheering us on and telling us to hang tough and not to give up.

Off the court we had a blast. I don’t think the Women’s 50 and over every had a cheering crowd quite as loud and rowdy as we were. Whether we were laughing, chanting some crazy cheer or hanging our heads down about our performance, we were not alone and that made the trip an experience to remember. Even within our team we found opportunities to get to know more about each other beyond volleyball (an opportunity we would not have had if we hadn’t been in Milwaukee). On the last day of the tournament most of us met in the morning, found an open court, and played a fun co-ed game, in what we hope will become a Jersey team tradition.

To sum things up:
Our experience on the court………”Better Left Unsaid”
Our experience at Nationals……….”Memorable”

PowerZone Rats (Men’s B)

In the land of cheese heads, bratwurst and Laverne & Shirley, the PowerZone Rats make their first appearance at the national tournament. The PowerZone Rats with Scott Fitzpatrick (#17) and Jason Dennis (#18) Playing Outside, Don Lahotshy (#9) and Walt Valentine (#33) playing Middle, Jonathon Martin (#13) playing Opposite, George Mon (#8) Setting and Doug Horansky (#22) playing libero placed 11th overall out of 35 Teams in Men’s B. For Dennis, Lahotsky, Martin and Mon it was their first national experience while veterans Horansky, Fitzpatrick and Valentine having played for other teams in past years. Some fun facts about Milwaukee! Cheese Heads sell for $24.99 for large and $19.99 for smaller version what a rip-off! Yeah! Don bought one for his nephew.

The Rats played 4 matches the first day undefeated but doing it the hard way 3 of the 4 matches going 3 games. The second day the Rats survived their first defeat and held on to finished first in pool with a 5-1 record. It turned out to be a grueling tournament with just 7 players and many of us found the cement underfloor tough on the knees and back. Other members of the Rats, Tim Johnson, Jack Henriches, Keith Lutz, Pat Ng, Matt Eckert and Uilian Carp, found the tournament less grueling as they sat out nationals at home. (dirty no good stinking rats!) How about some Milwaukee sit-com Trivia? 1) Do you know Laverne & Shirley’s last names on the show? 2) Name the brewery that Laverne and Shirley worked at? 3) Can you name Laverine’s boyfriend on the show? (The answers below) The Rats who finished in the middle of the pack during the season and also did not fair well at the regional tournament saved their best volleyball of the season for nationals. The Rats played hard and inspired but were eliminated in a tough 3 game match on the third day finishing with a 5-3 record. George Mon the teams only setter thought the team ran out of gas down the stretch against the stronger teams towards the end and admits to being tired and pressing. Jon Martin speculates having to go three games in so many matches also took its toll. Scott Fitzpatrick said it perhaps best “We are disappointed but not ashamed.” Don who only spoke once during the entire tournament had no comment.

Walt Valentine fresh from his honeymoon looked a little tired for the tournament (Congratulations to Walt and Heather). The team learned not to let Don navigate as he walked 18 blocks the wrong way looking for a movie theater. Ann-Lee Yuan who served as team manager and coach should not be trusted with the practice balls. On the second day Ann-lee lead half of the team on a search of the convention center for our bag of practice balls thinking we had lost them only to remember after 30 minutes that she had already brought them back to the hotel. Most of the team learned that you can only eat so much bratwurst and cheese but can never have enough beer. The team also found out that middles with migraine headaches and blurred vision have a tough time hitting the ball. Most of the team is still confused why Jason Dennis orders ice cream and cheese cake as an appetizer. The Rats were extremely grateful that fellow players from the GEVA region came to cheer, as was the case throughout the tournament as GEAV teams cheered for fellow players from the region.

Answers to trivia: 1) Laverne Defazio and Shirley Feeney are bottle cappers at 2) Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee. 3) Shirley's on-and-off boyfriend, Carmine Ragusa.

Warren Six Pak 50s

The Championships were fun, as usual. Lot's of volleyball, eating, drinking and some sleeping. It's a little like when we were young and went to camp for the week; you see a lot of the same people, but only once a year-so there's plenty to catch up on.

Our 50?s team was in a somewhat unusual position-we had 11 players. So going in we knew managing all the players and keeping team unity was going to be important. Happily, the unity thing went pretty well and the volleyball wasn't bad either. After pool play we were about where I expected; right in the middle of the pack. We played steadily most of the time, but did manage to lose a very winnable match at the start of the double elimination. The most positive thing to come out of this year's Nationals for us was that we have the basis of a team that could be very competitive and we hope you all will help us find a couple of strong 50's players for next year! The 50's are planning to play a little more frequently together in the 2001/2002 season and expect to improve at next year's Nationals.

Once again many of our fellow GEVA teams were very competitive and it was great to watch them play. Keystone had a 40?s team containing several GEVA legends: Gerry Porr, Doug Emich and Eric Pavels- they played really well and got a 2nd place with Gerry and Doug on the all-tournament team. Another GEVA legend, Bob Jackson, got a 2nd in the 45's with a California team and was on the all-tournament team. So GEVA was well represented this year.

Once again, we encourage all teams to go next year and measure themselves against the best in the country. Thanks to all that made our trip possible, especially George Fetz, Peter Wu of Six-Pak and the entire GEVA staff.

Six Pak Masters (Men’s ?? & Over)

George -

This is just a note to thank you again for allowing Walt Deal and me to play for the “Six-Pack” Team in Milwaukee last week.

I really enjoyed playing with you, the two Johns, Alex and Bob; and I also appreciate all the help and advice I got from all of you - my game is better for it!

You probably would have finished higher in the standings had you had the rest of your “regular” players there instead of us, but from my side, it was probably one of the most enjoyable tournaments I’ve played thanks to you. It’s not too often I get to play with more skillful and experienced players and I know I got more out of that tournament than I was able to put into it. Thanks also for being patient with us.

Have a good summer and here’s hoping we have the opportunity to see each other again in the near future. Please keep in touch!

Regards,
Fred Hamilton.

Hi George,

How’s the retirement going? The summer is just flying by. I’d like to thank you for all the time & effort that you put out organizing the teams for the nationals. I really look forward to it every year. Without your efforts and the sponsors support I don’t know if it would be possible for me to attend.

Thanks George,
Rip Rohrer

Over the past 22 years that I have had the pleasure of competing at the USVBA National Championships I have observed many changes, with the majority being implemented more recently. From my perspective some of these were necessary and some were not, or it's that I don’t fully understand the logic. An example being that there is less emphasis on developing all around players and more on individual specialty positions. Also the new scoring format emphasizes consistency vs. the excitement of the risky or big play. Another issue, is the fact that I feel the overall level of play has been diminished due to the fact that there are no qualifiers for Nationals, just the need to generate more money by letting all teams participate. Yes, it allows many to play, but now there is just too much going on at the same time, at all levels. If separate tournaments were held for these groups it would allow more emphasis on establishing the strongest teams, which would encourage, and hopefully, produce play of the highest skill level and team work, then, truly recognizing a National champion. With this said, the sport of volleyball is still exciting to play and is available to players of all ability and capability. In particular the athletes whom compete minus appendages that you and I probably take for granted. I am always in awe at what they can do. As to the most recent event held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I have to say that the facilities overall, with respect to the central location and consolidation of the courts, was one of the best that I can recall. There proximity to food, lodging, and transportation was extremely convenient. Nationals are not just a venue for competition, but also a forum for socialization. Believe me when I say, these folks party as hard as they play. Nationals is an event that I and many look forward to each year. I hope that the governing body remembers that this is a players event and not one where one could expect to draw large audiences of those not associated with or knowledgeable of volleyball. Keep the sport pure and not political. In conclusion, I would like to say that the recent tournament was well organized, well officiated, and that the medical support (Trainers), and support staff did an outstanding job of accommodating the players needs. I did hear that the playing surface had caused some unusual stress to players’ legs and joints also that the lights created some difficulty in the ability to track the new balls. We have to complain about something so that we can challenge ourselves to make further improvements to our personal game and the sport overall. I want to thank those who do the organizing so that people like myself only have to show up and compete. See you next year, God willing.

Last updated - 15 October 2001