Last modified on 09-26-2008.
Juniors: 2008 USAV Junior Olympics -- From Our Teams' Perspective
The following articles were submitted by various GEVA teams that participated at the 2008 Junior Olympics.More information on the Junior Olympics is available at http://usavolleyball.org/Juniors/juniors_indoor_main.asp.
[2008 Adult Nationals Perspectives]
The team included players from around the region. Nicole Petrillo, Westlake HS in New York, was the setter. Caitlyn Marrero, Nutley High School, was opposite, along with Ashley Kopacki from Mt Olive HS. Ariel Scott, who played in high school for Immaculate Heart Academy, and Megan Bollerman, from Mahwah, were the middle hitters. Outside hitters were Megan Knott from West Caldwell, and Casey Tepper from Livingston HS. Laura Reinhart, from Newton, was an outside hitter/middle. Defensive specialists on the team were Emily Hines, Mt Olive HS, and Deborah Hong, Rutherford. Kori Riegle from Morristown and Jackie Bible from Mendham, were practice players who worked with the team at PowerZone and helped them prepare for tournaments.
Going to the USA Junior Olympics in Dallas, Texas was an eye opening experience for the group.
We played and watched teams from all across the country and although every team worked hard to get there, there were obvious differences in style. One team we played was from Denver, Colorado. They ran a very quick offense - low passes, low sets, and very aggressive hitting. We also played Cincy Classics who made it to the finals of 16 National Gold. Their strong point was their defense. They made slight adjustments when necessary, had skilled blockers, and when a hit did get through, it was picked up by a very talented back row.
We also saw very different coaching styles - the screamers, the encouragers, and the silent ones. But, no matter the style, the teams played consistent, very good volleyball throughout the whole game.
The team was very disappointed as we went through both Round 1 and Round 2 with no wins, losing to teams from Colorado, Utah and Minnesota.. Finally in Round 3 we beat Kaepa NKJV from Northern Kentucky. We followed that up the next day with a win against CT Juniors from Connecticut. Although we ended the tournament with a loss, the team was glad that we walked away from Dallas with a couple of wins.
The team really enjoyed the experience of visiting Texas. Dallas is hot in July, but we found plenty to do in our down time. There was great food, including tex-mex and barbecue restaurants. We rode a train to the convention center each day, but the streets were also safe and walkable. And the citizens of Dallas were very friendly despite the fact that hundreds of volleyball players took over there city for more than a week.
Getting to play against some of the best girls in the country was a privilege and an experience we will not soon forget.
Jenna - i loved going to the rodeo in texas and six flags! it was a blast. ive made great friends being on this team, and learned alot about volleyball and have gotten so so much better at the sport. i hope to go to nationals again! i loved the competition, and playing and watching some amazing volleyball!!!!
Gina - Nationals was alot of fun and a great experience. At first I didn't think it would be worth it to go all the way to texas to a tournament with lots of teams that were better than us. BUt by the end it was one of the best trips i've been on. Being with my team was alot of fun and it was a great way to end the season, to get to spend so much time with everyone, especially at six flags. Even though the competition was amazing and I think we could have played better at times, the games that we did win and being competitive with the other teams were a good experience. If I'm on a team next year that gets the chance to go to nationals next year, i would more excited this time around knowing how much fun it was.
Meredith - Nationals was amazing. Although our team had its ups and downs, we played pretty well. The teams there were so intense and it felt like a privilage to watch them. When we weren't playing, we had a blast! Six Flags and the rodeo were awesome! Nationals deffinatly wasn't what I expected it to be, I thought it was better!
Tess - This year's experience at nationals was a once in a life time experience. I never thought our team would have made it this far. From the plane ride to Dallas to getting a flat tire on the way home, i loved it all. The extracurricular activities that we did added to the essence of our trip. The rodeo was shockingly different than I had pictured but that didn't take away from the first experience of the trip. Six Flags pumped us up to play with the adrenaline rush that was hard to get rid of. However my favorite part of this trip by far was getting together with everyone on the court and representing 15 SMACK!
Katrina - I thought Texas was a great experience and team bonding. I know that for myself I definitely got closer with most of the girls. I had so much fun on and off the court and especially liked when we went to the rodeo and swimming at Joel’s mom's house. It was really fun to see that many other regions in the nation have such strong teams, such as Texas. The other teams showed how much effort that they had put into every practice by their amazing skill. Hopefully, one year another one of my teams will make it to nationals again.
One of the most unique parts of the Junior Olympics is trading jerseys. After everyone is done playing, players from teams exchange jerseys with other players from different teams. Some players set up stations where they put all their jerseys on display while other players offer their jerseys to them. While trading jerseys, you get to meet some of the players that you once played. For example, Pace was a team that we most interested in. When trading jerseys, our team talked with them about their team. Some players from our team still talk to Pace players online and they are starting a friendly rivalry.
Overall, the Junior Olympics were a very fun experience. There was a very high level of competition and we met many people that play volleyball from across the country. We even got to speak to some of the best volleyball players in my age group. We hope to go back and compete with them next year.
Year Two has allowed us to revisit the people and places that were new to us last year. I find it somewhat amazing that by the JO’s I recognize players and parents from all over the USA. We’ve even have more than a nodding relationship with folks we’ve played against from Chicago, Orange County, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. My son’s Facebook Friends list is full of players and they discuss (in IM’s and such) the upcoming seasons, their High School seasons and…I don’t ask further than that. I do know that guys from our favorite Upstate New York foes text message each other before, during and after the season. At the start of last season, the coach for Lakeside let me know before our first match of the season that her son had already briefed her on our new Middles. No surprises there.
It should be said that the players we meet are generally great kids too. They are at tournaments or ultimately at the JO’s because they have committed themselves to pursuing a sport and becoming national caliber athletes in that sport. These kids do not tend to have the issues of youngsters who have less direction or goal orientation to keep them out of the thorny thickets so many teenagers find themselves in.
My son has also learned that an athlete has to be concerned about nutrition. Our head coach, Jeff Lipton, preaches the Lipton Diet, explaining to the young men how proper eating habits will benefit them on and off the court. One cannot overlook the physical benefits that come from two hour practices two or three times a week with plenty of conditioning mixed in with the scrimmaging. There is no childhood obesity problem at LIVBC.
So, two years of participation behind us, we are very glad we found and joined LIVBC, GEVA, and USA Volleyball. It has been an all-round success for our family and we look forward to starting year three in November.