Last modified on 01-19-2007.
Adults: 2003 USAV Nationals -- From Our Teams' Perspective
The following articles were submitted by various GEVA teams that participated at the 2003 Open National Volleyball Championships in Minneapolis, MN.
Results are available for the adults and juniors on the USAV web site.
Last updated - 28 July 2003
From the top of our 70-story hotel you could see just about everything Atlanta had to offer. At night you saw the city lit up, and if you looked in the right direction you were sure to see the Olympic rings of Centennial Olympic Park. A brilliant sensation remains from the 1996 Olympics, which left a positive and inspirational influence on all the Volleyball girls. The beauty of the city was breath taking. The MARTA carried us all over the city to the exciting activities from the Gay Pride festival, to Atlanta Underground, to the AWESOME VOLLEYBALL. We saw it all!!!
Before we walked in the gym our coach told us to remember one thing. He said "Every girl in that gym is here to play." He was right, every girl worked hard all season to make it to the same spot we were. At that moment I realized all the preparation and all the hard work was for this very day. There was no turning back, all we could do was play our hardest, and do what we came to do, play the game we all love. When we stepped onto the court we could have sworn we saw a bird! a plane! or maybe it was just the other teams outside hitter blasting a ball cross-court. We knew we were in for something incredible, some of the best volleyball we would experience all year.
So it was our first day, and we were fired up to get out there and play. We knew what lay before us: the hard work, the beautiful sets, the tough spikes, the awesome digs, and not to mention the bumps and bruises we would all suffer with at the end of the day. Our first game only gave us a little taste of what we would see the rest of the tournament. We played OVA, Orlando Volleyball Academy, in only a 2 game match, but quite the eye opener. The first game of the match ended at 30-28, OVA won but it was obviously well fought. The second game of the match was COMPLETELY different; ending at 25-10. How is that for a 9:00 am wakeup call? Feeling a little dejected after such a hot first came, we went cold and dropped two straight to California's Hotshots 18-1's, but we regrouped and went in to play our third match with a glimpse of hope. Boy, that glimpse of hope went a long way as we battled the Austin Juniors in a 3 game match to finally come out on top. We placed third in our pool, and with one win under our belt we were confident for Day Two!
I can't say it was so easy to wake up the next morning, because any volleyball player could tell you that waking up is the most dreadful part of the day! If I called our second day of pool play "evenly matched," well it would be an understatement. Each and every match went to 3 games, as we all sought that 1st place finish. In our first match against Borderline we were on the ropes, but pulled it out winning 15-13 in the third game. Washington State's WVBA Mizuno wasn't exactly easier; we ended up losing in three. Finally it came down to the last match in our pool. We played Tulsa Volleyball Club, last year's National Club Champions, and obviously we HAD to win, if we wanted any chance at placing 1st. The first game was 25-21 Tulsa won, talk about a let down. We didn't give up though, and came back to win the second game, and once again prevailed with a 15-13 third game victory. We were ecstatic! Last year we had to be proud of our ONE win throughout the tournament, and this year, crazy enough, we already had 3 wins! The day's drama wasn't finished yet however, because just when it was time to go home and take a nice long shower and a nap we found out there was a 3-way tie. They had to go all the way to point percentage to break the tie. Well unfortunately not EVERYTHING can go your way. Good thing for us though, that day it did! We placed first in our pool, and walked home pretty beaten up, but with out heads held high!
The 3rd day of pool play was just the same as the previous. We lost to a tough California team, San Gabriel, in a three game match. It was nothing to be mad over though, as it was a well-played match. In our second game we played Court Masters, but unlike San Gabriel we didn't QUITE take them to three. Our first game ended at 25-19, and we knew we had to push for this next game. Well we definitely pushed. The next game ended at 31-29, and we wouldn't be as fortunate as we were the day before. We placed third in our pool, but looked forward to the play-off's, and what flight 2 had to offer.
On our last day we lost in three in our first match to Austin Juniors. It was the second time we faced them, but we didn't seem to be as lucky as the first time. We finished a little disappointed, but at the same time a little proud. Because if you look back at our journey of ups and downs, each game was so close, but in the end we fell just a bit short of victory. We belonged there, we could play with any of those teams, and who knows, on our best day the results could have been a little different. Maybe it wasn't our best day, but it was definitely an incredibly awesome day for volleyball.
We packed up our stuff and reflected on our week as we waited patiently to get on our plane back to New Jersey. We found a lot of satisfaction in what we had done in only three years of our club's existence, that being we have made it to Nationals twice so far. Some great finishes in other out-of-region tournaments also contributed to that satisfaction. We were proud of what our team had accomplished this past year. We went further then we have ever gone before, we played tougher competition than we had ever played before, and most importantly we grew together as a team, played hard, and left with some hilarious memories. Atlanta was a perfect ending to a wonderful season: we lost some, won some more, and in the end we just plain had a lot of fun!
Nationals is the biggest and toughest tournament of the year. It is the event that we train for all year long. We look forward to tournaments in general, especially big ones such as The Maryland Extravaganza, Pop Idell and George Fetz's money tourney. But, there is no tournament we look forward to more than the Nationals. We love to watch other levels compete especially the Open Division. Unfortunately this year Open took place during the first half of the week and our division AA competed in the second half.
The sport of volleyball has given all of us an extended family. Our team is a very tight knit group who loves to hang out together. Nationals therefore becomes a vacation with your closest friends playing volleyball, a sport we love. We couldn't ask for much more.
For the details of the 2003 Nationals in Minneapolis, here it goes. We started pool play off losing our first match in 3 games to Team Milwaukee, who later came in 3rd place in the tournament. We then won the rest of our matches, finished off pool play beating Whomp, a team we played many times during the year. Our seeding after pool play was very high, 5th out of 24, putting us in the gold medal round. This year, different from past years, making into the gold medal bracket kept you there. I the years past losing your first match in the second round dropped your team to the silver bracket. Our high seeding didn't serve us well because we lost our first match in a 3rd game nail biter. That put us in the position of playing Creole II. The loser of the match would go home. We unfortunately lost and worse than that we played poorly, we beat ourselves.
With the summer winding down, it's that time of the year to recap our past 2003 indoor season. Our team went through some ups and downs this year, but we did well for the most part, winning a couple of GEVA tournaments and was a finalist in the challenging Pop Idell tourney, losing to the tough Temple University Team.
We faced even more competitions at the Nationals in Minneapolis. Teams were very strong and experienced. We played very hard and got out of pool play second place and earned the 8th seed overall in the gold medal bracket. After winning the first match in the second round, our confidence was building up. But that didn't last too long, as we lost the next match to Team Milwaukee, a team from Creole 1's pool. We just did not play well at all in that game. The loss knocked us down to the losers' bracket. Our next match was against Creole 1. We won and had to play again soon. This time we faced Team Powerhouse. We played well and won the first game 25-22. Unfortunately we lost the next two. Although we didn't win, we were satisfied with the way we played our last match of the season, and we gave our opponent a lot of challenge. By the way, Team Powerhouse went to the final and lost to XUSD.
The impact of a first experience is tremendous. Volleyball is a part of our lives; it is woven into our days as a necessity, and breeds more passion than thought possible. Since our volleyball dedication has extended from a fall school sport to an all-year commitment, our DIGS Caliente team has grown accustomed to taking these experiences further than the court.
The Junior Olympics was a first experience for all team members. We entered this national tournament with open minds and eager hearts, and Atlanta exceeded our every expectation. We competed with the strongest teams in the nation, we befriended girls from Hawaii and Kentucky, and most importantly, we learned what it means to achieve a goal. As we stepped on a Junior Olympic court for the first time, the desire to compete and to prove our ability radiated from one team member to the next. As we held our own against the best teams in the nation, we showed strength and determination and confirmed to ourselves and to the people watching that DIGS Caliente would be a tough competitor in every match. Throughout times of trial and times of triumph, we were reminded of the hard work it takes to become a champion. Although the competition was something we were not used to, our team welcomed the experience and we took advantage of the incredible opportunity to compete against these top teams.
The atmosphere and southern comfort of Atlanta continued to make this trip unforgettable. We enjoyed all Atlanta had to offer. We visited the Coca Cola Factory, the CNN Center, and the Underground to get a well rounded feel of the city. However, we got a true taste of Georgia with famous Georgia peaches that are as delicious as their reputation claims. Adding to the excitement of our trip, we saw the bands Matchbox 20 and Sugar Ray stroll through our hotel, and we decided that our fun wouldn't end there. So, we saw their concert at the Philips Arena to start the trip on a good note.
In true Caliente fashion, we indulged in the great food the city of Atlanta offered. We sang and danced at Joe's Crab Shack, ate lunch in the southern atmosphere of Mick's, and rocked with other volleyball teams at The Hard Rock Café. Occasional rain could not stop our team from having a great time.
The Junior Olympic Tournament was an unforgettable experience, for it was a first experience for all of us. The impact of the volleyball, the people, and the sights and sounds of Atlanta was tremendous. This trip would not have been successful without the undying support of our coaches James Foo and Scotty Mose, and our families and friends that continue to pull through with care and enthusiasm. A trip to the Junior Olympics was an amazing first experience, but it will not be our last.
Walleye, James Page, Skywalks, MOA - all words that became synonymous with our trip to the Twin Cities for the USVBA Nationals in 2003. Our group of guys ranging from 23 through 41 , with the rest of us somewhere in between, were simply excited to get away from NY due to the bad weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend. The Hilton Minneapolis was our home for 4 days, while it seemed the Minneapolis Convention Center was our home for 4 nights. Our first two matches were against Combusto (Great Lakes) and Dog Pound (North Country). We beat both of them pretty easily . After the second match, we had a 3+ hour break until an 8:50 pm match against Pain Factory (Southern), which we lost in two straight games . Our Saturday night out ended up at Brit's Pub with Pucci being called the "Fashion Police" by one of the servers because he half-heartedly poked fun of his outfit.
Though some of us began the second day with a trip to the famed Mall of America, attracting more visitors annually than Disney World, Graceland and the Grand Canyon combined. We went on the roller coaster, log flume and battle axe rides, which were entertaining. Gary and Ahmed were still sleeping when we left near 11 a.m, and continued to sleep till we returned at 2pm. The second day of volleyball began and ended like the first. Our first match was against High Velocity, the work team who screwed us at the end of the first day. We beat them bad (16 & 14) and justice was served. Our next match against The Bar (Badger) went equally well. Our last match of the evening at 8:50 p.m. (again) was against Harpoon IPA (New England) with their band of hecklers. These hecklers were a fun bunch of fans that left the bright lights and big city of Boston to enjoy the moderate winters of the Midwest. It seemed to me that Jon spent more time heckling them after getting a kill. It was funny. Unfortunately, we gave up a 24-19 lead in the second game and lost the match in two straight games.
Day 3 started with a Challenge bracket game at 8 am!! We won in 2 games, which is surprising considering it was so early...We were off until 3pm, till we played the #2 seed Granite State Volleyball (NE). We split the first two games and went into the third game riding high after winning the second game, then proceeded to make the switch at 1-8 and lost. Our Loser's bracket game that evening was against Chicago South. At this point, Steve was in dire need of an IV from running all over the court (due to Pucci's unimpressive passing). Also, most of us were tired of hearing him say, "just wait till you get to be my age." My father says phrases like that and he is 55. We lost two close games and our volleyball experience at the Nationals was over.
All in all, DYS-functional Tendencies had a good time on and off the court. Why we traveled half way across the country to play volleyball and have drinks with the guys from Deuce, Kaboom and Theo's remains a mystery. But of course, we'll see you again next year!
Rochelle Abalos, Sherrie Diehl, Cara Birk, Trish Beneway, Ada Wood, Karen McCord, Jen Morgan, Debra Girardi, and Lauren Price (from Rally Smackdown)
Coach: Mike Claridades
Asst. Coach: John Lombardo
Another season for Kapow and another year at Nationals and it was a blast. This year, Kapow had another successful season, unfortunately losing in the semi-final round at Regionals and playing great. We had some new players this year and some of the old players were back. We did miss our middle hitters, however, we had a great crew that were able to step up and play any position they were put in.
Our long awaited trip to Minneapolis came so fast and the excitement of just going was just overwhelming. Nationals this year, was a blast. Minneapolis was great, especially the MALL OF AMERICA. For some of us big time shoppers, it was a piece of cake. The team played great and it was a challenge at first, since we didn't have a big middle presence, but we overcame every challenge we were faced with. I think everyone put on their game faces and faced each team with the best that they had. It was still such a nice feeling to see all GEVA teams come together and cheer each other on. It was also nice to meet new people along the way and get to see awesome volleyball being played throughout the tournament.
The trip was very exciting and it was loads of fun. From the airplane ride, the shuttle to the hotel, it was never ending fun! There were a total of 14 of us that traveled together and that was an experience in itself. I do want to comment on the way our team played and I think that we all played together as a team and in some cases we had some times that we were hesitant about things, but we managed to fix all these by discussing everything and having to listen to our coach. I couldn't ask for a better team to play with and I look forward to more volleyball in the upcoming 2003-2004 GEVA season. I am sure that everyone shares the great pride that I feel to be part of the Kapow volleyball club. To all my teammates, I am proud of us and I hope to see Kapow grow more closely as a team and as a great competitor in the game of volleyball.
The Elite Volleyball Club from Long Island would be making one last trip to the Nationals. My teammates had been there in previous years but this time would be even more special since it would be the last time this group of 18 year-olds would be competing together. I only joined the team this past January but I quickly picked up on their unwavering focus: The USA Volleyball's Junior Olympic Championships in Phoenix, Arizona. The team had already established a great reputation during the year finishing near the top in each competition it entered including a win at the Regional event in Hoboken, New Jersey despite being depleted by injuries. Now they could really test their skills one last time against the best in the country.
Throughout my volleyball career, I was always told that playing club would be beneficial to my skills, and that I would have a chance to perform with the best of the best. As I stepped onto the airplane bound for Phoenix, I began to understand better just what they meant. I began to meet players from all over the nation, almost on a sort of pilgrimage to the Mecca of volleyball; the Phoenix Civic Center. There were players that I recognized from events we had competed in throughout the year that were right on my own plane and there were many more to be found in the airport at Phoenix. As I waited on line in the Civic Center lobby to receive my entry pass for the week, I could hear the sounds of the crowds beyond the double doors as they roared in approval of another great spike or the groan after a missed block. I finally got to step through those doors into the arena and it was like stepping into a different world. It seemed that the courts went on forever and it was immediately apparent to me that the talent on this floor was of a different level. The sight of what seemed like hundreds of new Molten volleyballs in the air and the sound of them being hit reminded me of popcorn in a microwave, every second there was a pop somewhere in this big concrete bag.
As the days went on the games became more intense and my teammates and I became more serious and focused on our goal. With each defeat, we knew we were getting one step closer to never playing on the same side of the net as one again. With that in our minds, we pushed on, playing hard and picking up steam each day. As we got further and further into the pool, the games grew closer, and no longer could we spot the opponents a few points here and there. Every game became a dogfight to keep in the hunt for the gold. Our backs were against the wall by the time we reached Friday. After losing a close one to Cincinnati, our only way of advancing was a straight sweep of the strong and skillful Houston Volleyball Academy. Led by clutch play from veteran outside hitters Glenn DeHaven and Dave Yolinsky, we managed to overcome their speed and size as we went on to a 2-0 victory. Stellar teamwork and support all the way around pushed us head on into the Elite Eight Saturday morning.
As we arrived at the building early Saturday morning we found ourselves racing to look at the day's brackets. We were matched up against an old rival, the Beantown Minutemen. After they delivered us a sounding defeat at the Albany Tourney in March, we pledged that we would play better the next time we met and revenge that loss. But, the magic seemed to have run its course, as our level of play could not match that of the Minutemen. Beantown had played at their best and once again narrowly defeated us in a loud and hard fought 26-24, 25-22 match.
While listening to my CD player on the plane en route back to Long Island, I began to think of what a great experience this all was. Not only did we come in 5th place overall, a fantastic finish, but I also began to think of the times the team had spent together when we weren't competing. Each day upon returning from the competition, we would meet, along with our families, for some relaxing time at the pool. There we were able to talk, share stories and plan our strategy for the next day. With each day we all grew closer as we learned more and more about each others lives off the court. Sometimes each family would venture off on their own to shop or to visit a local attraction. Some of us even got to visit the town of Tempe for the incredible fireworks display held there on July 4th. For many of us that had never been to the Southwest the sightseeing added another great part to this exciting trip to the 2003 Nationals. And for me one of the best parts was to be able to play with players from my home county of Suffolk, players that I had looked up to in my younger years, the players that I had always heard about, and feared facing, were now my teammates and more importantly, my friends.
This was Livingston Mad Gab's third consecutive year at nationals. We had 7 players this year: Ellen, Catherine, Rachel, Linda, Taryn, Martha, and Vikki. We crossed our fingers so that no one would get hurt during the tournament since we only had 1 sub. Fortunately we all stayed healthy and had a great time at nationals.
On the court we played well as a team even though we didn't have as many wins as we would have liked. We finished up somewhere in the Copper division, and we were satisfied with that. We were hoping to win enough so that we would play on day 4, but we lost our last match on day 3 and were out of the tournament.
Off the court we had a great time. Several trips to Target, dancing at a local club with made-up names, cheering loudly for all of the other GEVA teams, and toasting everything and everyone in the hotel bar after we were eliminated from the tournament were some of the highlights of the trip. All in all it was a great week for the Mad Gabbers.
Looking forward to Atlanta in 2004!
Here is what the rest of the team had to say about nationals:
I liked the location...clean city, nice convention center, OK food choices (but not so good service!), hotel was very nice, couldn't have asked for better weather. About our playing...took a long time to gel, felt like we were intimidated by bigger, stronger teams, especially missing our two biggest players, Kris & Kris...but when we did finally gel, we played very well and it felt good. Nice to have the support of other GEVA teams too. -Taryn Tanis
This was my first time at Nationals and I think it was a rewarding experience. It was great to see so many hundreds of people from around the Nation that are as insane as I am. I say we are insane only because we all paid to fly to Minnesota to play, watch and talk volleyball for four days straight. And it was especially nice to see teams from our region cheering for each other. At times, other teams' fans got rude and heckled players from our region and gladly I didn't see people from our region sink to that level. Lastly, I am proud to say that our team pulled together on and off the court for this trip and we returned home still speaking to one another. -Rachel Conway
We may not have fared as well in the won-lost column as previous nationals but we fared much better as a team this time around both on and off the court. We communicated well, supported each other, didn't get down (well at least not for long) and never gave up. We truly believed we could find a way to win each match we played. Off the court we shared delicious meals and drinks, enjoyed the sunny 70-degree weather and shared lots of laughs! Although downtown Minneapolis was virtually empty except for volleyball players, businesses greeted us warmly and provided top service. One thing that didn't change from past Nationals was the support provided by other GEVA teams. What a difference it makes to have loud hootin' and hollerin' in your favor! Thanks to all the GEVA supporters. Also many thanks to our team reps/captains who took care of all the little and big things so the rest of us could just play and have fun! -Ellen Axelson
Trying to recall Minnesota.... nationals experience.... I don't know, the things that stuck out in my mind are stupid, like those stinkin buffalo chicken wings were the meal deal of the afternoon/eve vball session... the morning waiter for buffet breakfast was pathetic and frightened of Ellen who apparently had spear eyes when he only poured her 4 ounces of coffee... liquor before beer, beer before liquor, whatever, they need better quality beer off the court - that yellow stuff socks and it really does take 12 of them before you forget how bad it tastes... And what about that Diane from Limelight FLYING across the baseline getting a touch on a ball that she had no business touching.... how the heck she got to it, no clue, amazing... loved the food at the Irish Pub and Target, Target, Targetttttt, just can't get enough of Target....
Did we play? I can't remember a thing of it... -Linda Lehr
On the court, I know WEAVE SCENE BED HERD HAZE, but all in all I think we had a very positive experience at this AN YOU WOOLY VENT. We got to CAT CHUM SEAS because we mostly played the late shift and got EIGHT HAT WHO on our arms to make us look tough, and found better clubbin' than HEAVEN ICED HEY Café over and over again, and nobody had to take US HOPE RYE YET DETEST, and we got good deals at the HAVE PRY SAIL at THUS WHO VENEER cage! What fun! Thanks to DEEP INN QUINNS and the other GEVA teams for supporting each other. Well, I think you get the idea of what a MAD GAB is now! HOE PEW HEAVEN ICE HUMMER! See you on the court! -Vikki Zorilla
I have been to Nationals every year for the last several years, since they were last in Kansas City, with various teams and living in Albany and New Jersey. Here are my thoughts on this year's tournament.
First of all, an astonishing thing happened: I didn't miss any planes, there were no thunderstorms, and I actually managed to be on the court for the first game of the first match, without any desperate calls to my team captain saying, "I will be there as soon as possible!" No, I calmly took the plane with Martha and we arrived on Friday afternoon at a very sensible time. We immediately explored the area; I was happy to see lots of restaurants close by: my second most favorite activity (after volleyball, of course!) is eating - well, no, perhaps eating comes first. There seemed to be a large number of Irish and British pubs - the strong link between Minneapolis and the mother country somehow escapes me, but the teams at Nationals took full advantage of the connection. We had four rooms in a row at our hotel, and I kept forgetting whose rooms was whose, but later in the week so did other nameless members of my team, who went randomly knocking on people's doors to find various volleyball players. But let's not get into that incident, at the risk of incriminating myself and others.
At the captain's meeting that evening, I was particularly excited to hear that next year there will be a short person's tournament, seeing as I am woefully too small (5 feet tall!) to be a volleyball player in the first place; I should have been a jockey. Then Martha and I realized that every person on our team would probably make it onto the short team, probably women's BB wouldn't look much different at all!
We started playing on Saturday in the afternoon. For the first year, we had our whole team (Martha, Vicki, Linda, Ellen, Taryn, Rachel, and me) and no other players. Kris Kenez had gotten injured earlier in the year and had been unable to play with us - too bad! (She wouldn't make it on the short team.) I thought all in all we played fairly consistently but faced some very tough teams. The competition was the toughest I had seen yet at Nationals, at the BB level. All of the teams in our pool were difficult to beat, we managed it a few times and played good defense, but didn't quite make it to the top of our game, in my opinion. We ended up in the bronze division and won our first match but then lost our next one. We were disappointed about the single elimination format of our division.
However, that loss gave us all a chance to sit on the bench between two Jersey games and to spill beer on everyone's volleyball bags, and cheer loudly every time something of significance happened on either court (although we got a bit confused whipping our heads back and forth - hence the beer spilling incidents.) It is a lot of fun to be rivals with teams all year around and then to come to Nationals and feel a lot of pride when a team from our region does well.
Off the court, my team was fantastic. I have rarely met such a group of intelligent, interesting, and competitive women as the Mad Gabbers! We spent all our time after the games doing things together and yelling loudly at passers by at the bars, and just generally enjoying each other's company. Thank you for such a good time, Mad Gab! -Catherine Beneteau
After losing some key players at the end of our season due to injury and other commitments, the 2003 USAV Nationals was more about enjoying ourselves and trying to be as competitive as we could be. It was fun to pick up some new players as well as some Northshore players from years past. Even though we were not as successful on the court as we would have liked, the experience was great because of the mix of personalities and players that made the trip.
I would like to thank all of our team members who played any and all roles that were asked of them. Our middles played opposite, our outside hitter played libero and our libero did a great job filling in as our most effective outside hitter. Northshore once again displayed the true meaning of teamwork. Thanks guys!
Going to Atlanta to represent NYC was the most affecting of my experiences with GEVA. It was an honor to be able to go, and having the knowledge that Avalanche was good enough is something that I am still proud of. Having worked toward nationals all season, achieving our goal as a team was a reward in and of itself. However, I believe that the experience of being at nationals was priceless to each and every person on the team as a volleyball player, whether playing or not.
Because I was injured near the beginning of nationals and was consequently unable to play, I was given more of a chance to watch other teams than my teammates were. The first thing I noticed was the caliber of the players there. This, I felt sure, was volleyball. I had never seen anything like it. I could not believe that girls my own age were so good at my chosen sport. It awed me to see that girls still in high school were playing at college level, and some possibly even higher. I was struck by the potential for beauty in this sport, the potential it has to be a seamless blend of strength, agility, speed, skill, accuracy, and endurance. But, most of all, I was hit with a realization of the amount of work it must take to get to the level most of these girls are at.
My coaches have always told me that in order to be the best player I can be, I have to work hard. I understood this, on some level, and applied it to the best of my ability. However, at nationals, a complete understanding of what working hard really is was driven home: these girls live, breath, eat and sleep volleyball. I don't think any other experience could have shown this as clearly as going to nationals did. For all the hard work, I respect these girls more than I can say. All I can hope is that I may come somewhere close to the level many of them are on. It gives me something to work towards; it gives me something to strive for.
Because of all the hard work put in, competition at nationals was fierce. The teams we played were good, many much better than us. However, the fact that we were even at nationals was extremely heartening and it showed that although we were not as good as the teams we played against, we did belong, our hard work had paid off, and we got the chance to compete on a level that otherwise would not have been open to us.
For the first time, I was on the bench without any hope at all of going into the game. This was a freeing experience for me, of sorts. Instead of half-waiting out the game hoping to go in, as most girls do, I was simply caught up in supporting my team. I was given the job of giving pep talks in between games, before the coaches, and I kept telling the girls how proud I was of them. I was proud, more so than ever before, because for the first time, I saw in my team the real determination to win. Even though the girls kept getting beaten, they came back for more, saying, Ok. This one we will win. We can do it!. I also saw my team play, in some instances, better than ever. Even though I was unable to play, I still felt so much a part of Avalanche. The experience showed me that being on a team is about more than just playing a sport. Its about supporting each other, about being happy for one another no matter what your own circumstances are; its about trusting each other to do her personal best, and trusting each other that personal best is accepted and nothing more is asked. And if personal best happens to be sitting on the sidelines, cheering, and providing the psychological support, so be it. All that really matters is that each girl tries her hardest, and works as hard as she can.
The cliche its not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game was finally driven home for me.
This year the USA Volleyball Nationals were held in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of June. When our team qualified for nationals, we were all thrilled that we would be going to Georgia to play. We flew out of La Guardia airport on Tuesday, June 24th, the day before we had to play. Wednesday was our first day and we played through Saturday morning.
When we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, we unpacked and grabbed a bite since we weren’t playing. The hotel we were staying in was about a twenty minute walk from the Atlanta Convention Center where we played every morning.
Wednesday arrived, and we woke up bright and early to allow time to eat and walk over to the convention center and warm up. The center was a huge space. The fifteen’s alone (both open and club) were using thirty two courts. We played in the fifteen’s club division, which had sixty four teams from all over the U.S. At the start of each game, we received small gifts from the other teams as a sort of “good luck” token, a tradition we wish we had known about.
Over the next four days, we played teams from Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and many other states. We only won one match, but knew on arrival that the competition would be tough and we had fun just playing the best we could. While we weren’t playing in the gym, we watched some of the other teams from our pool. All of them were very good teams, who played well together and seemed to enjoy what they were doing and made their games very exciting to watch.
After playing, our team was usually pretty exhausted and we all headed back to the hotel for showers. There was a lot to do in Atlanta, bout our main focus was volleyball, so we didn’t spend a lot of time sightseeing. A couple of nights we went out to dinner. One night we went to a Chinese restaurant, one night we went to a diner near the hotel. A few people went shopping. There was a pool in the hotel, so some of us went swimming in the afternoons. One night we stayed in entirely, just watching TV and ordering room service and hanging out in our rooms.
We flew back to New York on Saturday evening. It was obvious that many people had put a lot of time and effort into organizing the national tournament, and we appreciate all their hard work. We were glad we had a chance to go this year and hope we get to do it again in the future.
Family. There are many definitions that attempt to articulate the emotions that revolve around the word family. One definition offered by Merriam-Webster is "a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation." For PowerZone Limelight II, our team is at the center of our volleyball family. But our family branches out to include Limelight I (our sister team), several other PowerZone teams, and a myriad of GEVA teams as well. During Nationals this year, there was a very familial feel to the competition. At one point during a Rats' match, there were four women's teams from GEVA cheering them. This scene was repeated over and over again as various GEVA teams competed. While each team wished to be competitive in its own right, it also wanted to see the Region do well overall. At Regionals, Ensemble Jazz beat us for the title in a tense match. It was our turn at Nationals and we won the emotionally charged quarter-final match against them. Yet the very next day, Ensemble was courtside cheering during our semi-final match. That camaraderie is the foundation of our volleyball family.
For our immediate volleyball family, Nationals was an incredible experience that brought us closer. Throughout the season, Ann-Lee continually made changes in an attempt to find our best line-up, which served us well at Nationals. A key player becoming injured is every team's worst nightmare. For us, that happened when Ann-Lee hurt her knee. Maggie stepped in to set and the team stepped up to play our 2nd best match of the tournament. (The best match was against Ensemble.) We then did something new for us, ran a 6-2, and were able to adjust. Our support of each other, both on and off the court, strengthens our bond. Even when we were not playing our best those first two days, we continued to have fun and support each other. Eventually, we found our rhythm again without any intra-team snits. One moment that everyone agrees she will never forget is playing with the "wrong ball" during our semi-final match. After a 20-minute rule check, the point had to be replayed. Whoever knew that it was vitally important to the integrity of the game to keep the same ball? We just laughed it off, stuck together and won the game.
Whether playing our most aggressive match of the season (which happened at Nationals), exploring new places (like Minneapolis), or learning new things about each other, we always remember to have fun. We went on the trip excited and highly anticipating all that was to come. We returned with wonderful memories (and, unfortunately in some cases, pictures good for blackmail). Most of our memories don't come from playing, but from the time we spent bonding off the court. As Cindy L. said while watching a match, "if you can't win, at least you can enjoy beer and hot dogs together." Condensing these memories into short sentences will not do them justice, but to save time and space, alas, it must be done. A morning shopping trip to the Mall of America produced a picture of several players with a giant Trix rabbit as well as a ride on the indoor rollercoaster at Camp Snoopy. While Mei and Nina enjoyed the unique shopping cart escalator at Target. Linda fell on her morning run, rolled, and hopped right back up to keep going while hoping no one had seen her. Yet she proceeded to tell us all about it and got some good-natured teasing at her expense! At the same time, Linda will never forget Cindie M-P's sumo hairstyle. During our nice, dressy meal, Linda's "Ultimate Cosmo" took up copious amount of table space but we were more impressed by the fact that she finished the drink. After dinner we did a team run in dresses and high heels fourteen blocks back to the Convention Center to catch a Limelight I match. Cindy L. continued to bring alcohol into the mix at Dave's Place while eating ribs by deciding that everyone needed to do Tequila shots and then tried to claim exemption from the second shot! (Is it obvious that food and alcohol are important to us?) And Angela's red dress for the players' party? Well, that's all that needs to be said about that.
There are three events that will forever remain special to each of us. First, was a very luxuriously long family brunch at our hotel. Neither the food nor the service was all that special but it was time for all of us to sit back, relax, BS, and enjoy each other's company. Second, was the players' party and all that it encompassed. And, that's all that needs to be said about THAT. Third, was spontaneously hanging out as a team on the lawn in front of the convention center one beautiful late afternoon, not necessarily doing anything, not even talking, just simply being together. Butt (intentionally misspelled) then, there was Cindie M-P's military-style crawl for a picture of Nick stalking a rabbit and Tullia's chase to take a picture of that...and the rest of us laughing.
A couple of special notes: To our extended family: Thank you for your support. Extra special thanks to the Rats and Limelight I. Having a constant presence at our matches was truly wonderful. To George and Scott, we appreciate your encouragement and guidance. Also to Diane for always managing to wear the most lime outfit in the Convention Center and Carrine for your boisterous cheering. To Tullia and Nina, from Maggie: Thank you for letting Pat stay in our room. He enjoyed baby-sitting, Alivia that is, not us and had a great time overall being with the team! To Ann-Lee: A special thanks for being a wonderful captain and coordinating everything from our first tournament to Nationals to parties!
Our time at Nationals was spent enjoying good friends, good food, and (for the most part) good volleyball. As poet Robert Frost wrote "Nothing gold can stay." And while our family's golden time at Nationals this year has ended, we are all looking forward to next year!
Some of New Jersey's best volleyball players tested their skills against the best from around the country in Phoenix early in July and returned knowing they are also among the nation's best.
The Warren Volleyball Association/SixPak Volleygear junior program sent three teams to the 2003 USA Junior Olympic Boys Volleyball Championships in Phoenix, joining over 300 other teams from around the country. Warren's 17-under team returned with a third-place finish in the 17-under club division, which featured 38 teams. Warren's 16-under team finished 33rd out of 75 teams in their age group, while the 18-under team was 21st out of 32 teams in the 18 club division.
Tony Yates and Greg Hunter, both from East Brunswick, were selected to the 17 club all-tournament team. Josh Batts, Marlboro (St. Josephs high school, Metuchen), Brian Wilhelm, Sayreville (St. Josephs), Scott Miccio, Whitehouse Station (Hunterdon Central), Brendan Whitford, Lyndhurst (St. Peter's Prep, Jersey City) and Josh Coffing, Bayonne also played for the SixPak 17-under team, which compiled a 7-3 record in matches and 16-10 record in games (the team went to a deciding third game in almost every best-of-three match). Warren beat Players 17 from California 25-20, 27-29, 15-10 in the 17 Club Gold Bracket playoff quarterfinals, but lost 25-19, 25-23 to Tool City of Pennsylvania in the semifinals.
Warren's 16-under team included Ryan Fredrickson, Manahawkin (Southern Regional), Doug Thorn, Farmingdale (Colts Neck High School), Chris Allen and Devin Zolnowski, both from Bridgewater, Dan Sempkowski, East Brunswick, Michael Bertucci and Larry Chatman, both Voorhees (Eastern High School), C.J. DiGiacomo, Nutley (St. Peter's Prep), and Doug Staudenmaier, Long Island. They went 1-6 in matches and 7-12 in games to finish 33rd.
Warren's 18-under team included Ryan Tierney, Jackson, Christian Kazsas, Brant Beach (Southern Regional), Mike Genchi and Christian Siddayao, both from Clifton, Jordan Roldan, Jersey City (St. Peter's Prep), Jay Sawicki, Wayne (Wayne Hills High School), and Tim Becker, Branchville. They went 5-5 in matches and 11-12 in games to earn their finish.
Three of the players on the 18-under team ... Tierney, Kazsas and Becker ...are juniors and will combine with the returning 17-under players to form a team next year.
REFLECTIONS AND AFTERTHOUGHTS FROM THE WARREN SIXPACK 60s
A funny thing happened on the way to the Minneapolis Convention Center - or at least it seems that way now that I look back on it! Not having been in Minneapolis for several years, and not knowing exactly where our motel was located, I figured the quickest way to get there would be to catch a taxi from the airport. After what seemed like about a two-hour ride, I finally made it to the motel - along with a $37.00 fare! (I soon learned about the Super Shuttle for the return trip.)
After a five-hour flight and that long cab ride, the good news was that our first match on Saturday morning was not until 10:20. Had it been 8:00 a.m., our team likely would have been one man short!
Saturday morning at the Convention Center saw the team straggle in led by the East Coast volleyball legend, "Giant George" Fetz, and followed by "Big John" Tokash, "Blockin' Bob" Annen, "Awesome Alex" Valow, Jim "Bone Doc" Markworth, Rich "Shoes" Yatchyshyn, "Mehran from Tehran" Vadji, John "Two Shirts" Sents, Mike "Golden Hands" Sardella, and Fred "Florida Freddie" Hamilton (who was allowed to carry the ball bag.) What a fine looking group we were! Of course, Rich Yatchyshyn's selection of purple footwear is still being debated as the probable cause of our first day's losses as most of us couldn't concentrate on the game with all that color flashing around us.
Fate also dealt us a cruel blow when "Giant George" went down with a sprained ankle in that first match. But, as "Big John " said, " George always has a good tournament when he gets one block, one kill, and gets injured. This year he had an outstanding performance by getting all three in the first match!" Thank goodness the "Bone Doc" was there to tape him up every day. (Unfortunately, we couldn't bribe Dr. Jim enough to just keep on taping him up like a mummy!)
As perhaps the newest member of the Sixpack team, I've still got a lot to learn about how the other team members play. For example, this year I learned not to step in front of "Big John" to receive a serve, and to keep my arms in as an outside blocker when "Blockin' Bob" was the middle blocker. Both could be a little painful! However, the most difficult problem I had was dealing with the fact that these guys don't eat lunch! Six-thirty breakfasts and eight-thirty dinners with nothing in between except snacks just doesn't cut it with me. I guess my bones aren't buried as deep as some of theirs. And, by the way, did anyone eat in a restaurant in Minneapolis that gave you a spoon as part of your regular place setting of dinnerware? (Since we did not do all that well in the tournament, things like that stick in my mind.) One night it took five requests to get one. Don't the Scandinavians know what a spoon is? How do they eat soup? But, I digress.
Sunday's play was somewhat better. "Shoes" Yatchyshyn showed up for our first match wearing a bright red pair, which was almost as distracting as the purple ones, but we did manage to win two matches. (I think our opponents were more distracted than we were.) We figured that if we could survive pool play with all that distraction, there couldn't be anything worse he could wear. How wrong we were!
For dinner that night, (no lunch, of course) someone suggested the Cattlemen's Steakhouse and Saloon - an old-time western theme restaurant. "Bone Doc", "Golden Hands", and "Shoes" went in one car, the rest of us in another. When we arrived, the three "rhinestone cowboys" hopped out of the car wearing what would pass for cowboy hats only at a Glen Campbell concert! The rest of us were too embarrassed to walk in to the restaurant with them.
After dinner, we cleared off the table and had a team strategy session using salt and pepper shakers and other utensils (no spoons) as "players" on the table "court". Would you believe there were a half a dozen different views on how we should be running our offense and defense going into the tournament round? We almost closed up the restaurant "discussing" our individual viewpoints, and I don't think anyone changed his mind after all was said and done. One thing for sure, we certainly didn't lack for leadership! Although, perhaps having a few more "followers" would have helped our cause.
Monday's schedule began at eight o'clock (God, I hate those!) and even though some of our eyes weren't fully open, that didn't last long as "Shoes" stepped out on to the court wearing one red and one purple shoe. Despite the old joke that he had another pair at home just like them, he continued to dazzle us with his fancy foot wear. Even the referees were distracted this time!
The most efficient use of equipment award, if there were one, would have to go to John "Two Shirts" Sents who wore both his shirts, and in the correct order, so he could play either the regular rotation or libero. (Actually, we think the bottom one was a little "gamey" and he needed to cover it up with the other.)
Unfortunately, our day was rather short, as we were sent to the sidelines early by Molten VBC and the MiamiValley Masters. But, we will be back stronger than ever next year!
As all good things must come to an end, a final look back on our trip recalls some of the more memorable moments, such as, seeing old friends (and they are getting older) from across the country once again whom we've played with and against over the years; meeting new people, like Dave, the General Manager of the Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant and Microbrewery in downtown Minneapolis, who not only supports USA Volleyball directly by having sponsored a team entry in the Men's A Division, but who also sponsors neighborhood programs for youth and minorities in a concentrated effort to give something back to the community for his success. We need more people like him to get involved!
Other memories have to include the phenomenal Mall of America, story-telling about volleyball tournaments and character players of years past (that's what old guys do, I guess); cigars and "beverages" on the "veranda" of the motel: and, on a lighter side, the ongoing frustration of "Mehran from Tehran" in trying to get "Giant George" to pronounce his name correctly after several years of butchering it up! (He finally gave up and said, "just call me Mike!")
Finally, it was time for us to pack up our stuff and head for home. The long flights and the long drives were something none of us was particularly looking forward to. Again, as "Big John" said, " there are two things I hate about these tournaments - the trip here and the trip back!"
On a more serious note, all of us want to thank the Garden Empire Region and staff for helping to sponsor our team and for their support; George Fetz for handling all the tournament arrangements, providing sponsors, up-fronting the tournament entry fee and other expenses, and making motel reservations for those of us who wanted it. Thanks also to Dr. Jim Markworth,and to George, again, for chauffeuring the rest of us back and forth from the motel to the Convention Center. And, last, but certainly not least, a big thanks to George "Coach" Vishesonov for all his support and advice from the bench (even if he did lose "Big John's" water bottle!).
Oh, and one more thing. Understandably, while the majority of our on-court and off-court conversations were dominated by things volleyball, (well, except for our trip to Hooters) it should be pointed out that we aren't just a bunch of aging one-dimensional jocks, and we can discuss topics of major scientific interest as illustrated below.
At a meal, a certain unnamed player (whom we shall refer to as, "George", in an effort to protect his real identity) ordered a drink consisting of a glass of Diet Coke with about an inch or so of Dr. Pepper poured in on top. When the waiter brought him his drink, he was asked if he had followed the instructions about putting the Dr. Pepper on top of the Diet Coke. He admitted he got it backwards and poured the Dr. Pepper in first, whereupon "George" (remember, not his real name) while chastising the waiter, vigorously stirred up the mixture and drank it. On the next round, the waiter, not wanting to incur "George's" wrath again, brought the glass of Diet Coke and a separate "chaser" of Dr. Pepper for "George" to pour in himself. In no uncertain terms, the waiter was told that if the Dr. Pepper was not poured on top at the bar, the Dr. Pepper would not have the opportunity to "ooze" down into the Diet Coke by the time it was served and, thus, would not have the proper taste. "George" then proceeded to pour the chaser of Dr. Pepper into his glass and, again, stirred up the mixture and drank it down.
Now, as one might imagine, after downing two of those potent concoctions, "George's" reasoning became somewhat irrational. When asked what difference it made to have the Dr. Pepper put on the top when he stirred it up anyway before he drank it, he replied the taste was different depending whether the Dr. Pepper was on the top or the bottom. At this point, some of the more outspoken of us (and, for the record, the more knowledgeable) at the table pointed out that as long as he stirred the mixture up before he drank it, no matter which was on the top or bottom, the taste would be the same! A spirited discussion (read argument) on the matter carried on for several more days, with "George" (remember, not his real name) refusing to admit he was wrong, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, expert testimony, and the relevant laws of physics and chemistry, all of which being contrary to his position.
As a footnote to this exciting intellectual joust, upon returning home, one of the "knowledgeable ones" conducted an exhaustive, randomly selected, non-biased survey of almost five respondents, who were moderately sober enough to comprehend the complexities of the survey questions, to determine what the general public's viewpoint on this issue was. One was disqualified, as she threw up at the very thought of drinking Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper, but the other responses attracted the attention of the prestigious Journal of American Mixology which has asked us to prepare a scholarly research paper on our findings for future publication and presentation to the scientific community.
If you would like to have your opinions included in our research, please e-mail your comments to GFETZVB@COMCAST.NET, where they will be summarized for publication and highly appreciated by George Fetz, who has graciously agreed to compile the results of your e-mailed comments and opinions on the matter and forward them to the proper receptacle. The Warren Six Pak Men's 60's team faced stiff competition this year at the USAV Nationals in Minneapolis. That, coupled with our Captain's injury and some spotty play at times, led to one of our worst performances - "two and out" in the playoffs! So we finished in a three-way tie for ninth place out of 12 teams. Team regulars Geroge Fetz, Alex Valow, John Tokash, Bob Annen, Mehran Vajdi, Fred Hamilton and John Sents were joined by newcomers: Mike Sardella, Jim Markworth and Rich Yatchyshyn.
Except for our performance, most everything else about the tournament was memorable. The facility was fine; weather was great; city atmosphere, especially Nicollet Mall and the outdoor Pubs, was clean, friendly, laid-back and interesting; bus service was excellent (only 50 cents for seniors from the airport to downtown); and, the early morning sessions allowed time to relax in the afternoon and eat a good dinner.
We are looking forward to competing together again next year in Atlanta.
We threw together a reverse coed team for nationals this year. I think it was everyone's first time playing reverse at nationals. The team consisted of Martha Walz, Vikki Zorilla, Hilary Clark (Martha's sister), George Mon, Jon Martin, Jacques Benoit, and Quan Nguyen. We didn't all know each other until we got out to Minnesota, and we didn't really have a game plan until the morning of our first match. So we just got on the court and made it up as we went along.
Wheel Beet Ewe did extremely well for our first time playing together in reverse. We went 2-2 on day 1, good enough for 3rd (out of 5) in our pool. Every member of the team had already played 3-4 days of volleyball immediately before the reverse tournament in the B and BB club championships, so we were pretty tired. The guys got some semblance of rest in that they couldn't really jump to hit the ball, so the girls had to do all of the hard (and fun) work of hitting. Day 1 was a lot of fun, figuring out how to play and actually winning some matches.
Day 2 saw teams re-seeded into 3-team pools. Each team played 1 match against each of the other teams in the pool, and the team that ended up in 1st place would go to the Gold bracket. We won our first match in 2 games, and our second match would determine who would go onto the Gold bracket. We played a tough match, but ended up losing the match in 3 games, losing game 3 by two points (darn "Guy has to hit the ball if there is more than 1 contact" rule!)
Those of us who didn't have to fly back home immediately stuck around to watch the rest of the reverse co-ed tournament. We got to know a lot of the other reverse co-ed teams and enjoyed drinking beer and watching the remainder of the tournament.
Thanks to Quan's teammates for hanging out and cheering for us during the tournament! Playing reverse was great fun and I look forward to doing it again next year!