Prep Dig Resolution Kicks Off 2021 With What We “Get To” Do
I “HAVE” to go to practice.
I “HAVE” to wake up early.
I “HAVE” to….
This weekend, we “Get To”.
I wrote so many paragraphs in 2020 with cliche paragraphs relating to everything going on with 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, despite all those cliches that started the written piece with a damper, our team at Prep Dig is so excited to start the 2021 club season as one of the first events to kick off the new year.
Ok volleyball parents….you ready?!? pic.twitter.com/Sl0jAgMqwI
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) January 4, 2020
Whether it was something you saw on social media or maybe it was part of mental training, but for 2021 we can replace the phrase “Have To”, with “Get To”. This weekend, we “Get To” play volleyball, we “Get To” coach, we “Get To….whatever it may be, 2020 has taught us that those things we have to do are very much a privilege of what we get to do. Our border neighbors? Minnesota? Gyms are still shut down. Illinois? They are still in small groups, no events. Michigan? They are still trying to finish their high school state tournament. This weekend will look different, schedules are different, tickets are different, but at the end of the day? We “Get To” have volleyball!
Looking back at 2020, I’d like to say we found silver lining through adversity that everyone faced. On June 20, we ran a small event at the Community First Champion Center with our initial protocols in place, a test run as to how we could run an event in the Covid era as well as give teams one last time to compete together to end their 2020 club season.
Through the summer, with traditional summer leagues and camps canceled we were able to run multiple events for high school teams. Athletes put on a mask and played, doing whatever they could to play the game they love. Parents stepped up as coaches, director of operations, and transportation coordinators to get their kids to the gym from all over Wisconsin. We had kids traveling anywhere from four to six hours or more to play in our events because playing in their home gym wasn’t an option.
And we’re off at the #PDResolution pic.twitter.com/8nphYndNvE
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) January 4, 2020
This fall was where things looked different for everyone. Some teams playing the traditional fall season under various Covid guidelines and others opted for the spring alternate season based on school, city, and county guidelines. We were able to host the Prep Dig Fall League as well as four other Saturday events for those without a high school season. Our state made volleyball happen. It may have looked a little different, but we found a way to make it work. We “Got” to do it.
What is exciting about this weekend is that for the first time since March we are all “together”. Club is happening. Volleyball is happening. For some athletes, this will be the first time for them to wear an official jersey since March. There will be nerves – from everyone (parents included). This is something we have all been waiting for.
Final round of pool play for 15s and 17/18s beginning #PDResolution pic.twitter.com/PoXZz7EYRA
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) January 4, 2020
Everyone will be in a mask, we are monitoring how many spectators are in each wave, but when planning an event, such as the Prep Dig Resolution, I think about the athlete’s experience. Ready for a full day of whistles. These 12-18 year olds have been waiting for this for so long. To play, celebrate, to do what they do. There are plenty of extra items outside of the court that we cannot control, but once that first whistle begins play on Saturday at 8 AM, there will be a sense of excitement, relief, and hope as we head into 2021.
From the team at Prep Dig, I want to say thank you to parents, coaches, and athletes for working with us through all of the peaks and valleys of the last 7 months. Another cliche I have been happy to use because there is so much truth behind the phrase of “It takes a village”. The “Volleyball Village” has come together once again and will do so heading into 2021. Let’s do this!