Prep Dig Chris Photos, Thoughts, and Feels From GJNC 10-13s
This was a club season of firsts for me. After seven seasons of being 100% Prep Dig, I knew I needed a change. Not with Prep Dig - we're great. I knew I needed a team. I would be entering the world of 12 year old volleyball by helping coach FC Elite 12 Navy - what a great adventure. I was also able to attend my first nationals the past four days in Kansas City for ages 10-13. Here are the highlights, the take aways, the feels, and lessons learned throughout the journey in Kansas City.
The Level Of Play
I underestimated the level of play that I would be seeing. This is across all age groups and divisions in Kansas City. In our 12 Patriot Division, some of the serve receive skills were high school level. The platform awareness of some of these athletes was elite. Across any level, if you can win the serve and serve receive battle, there is always a greater chance of success. At the 12s level, we've all seen at some tournaments where the top server can go on a run of ten points (or even more) as if it's no big deal. Not here. The level of serve receive is impressive. This isn't just from liberos, every team needs multiple athletes who can serve receive at a high level, and be able to bounce back after a shank. This comes from countless repetitions as well as coaches who are training proper technique and attention to detail.
The Siblings!
Shout out to the families who are bringing the younger siblings to the events. Honestly, at older tournaments I don't see many younger siblings or little kids. At a 10-13s tournament like nationals this past week there were plenty of family vacations happening, the tablet time was at an all time high and screen time rules waved. However, I saw a lot of little siblings waving pom poms, doing cheerleading stunts, and wearing shirts for their big sister. For some of these younger siblings, they are just waiting their turn for the chance to play on the big court like their older sister.
Don't Dog The Patriot Division
A lot of times I will hear people say “Oh we didn't qualify - we're in Patriot” or “it's just Patriot Division”. I watched a lot of Patriot Division matches across the 12s and 13s. A lot of these teams are ones who played a rigorous schedule during their qualifier season, didn't get the bid, and went to Patriot. Plenty of these teams have Open and USA level battle scars.
I AM VBC 13 Red out of Cedarburg and FC Elite 13 Navy out of the Appleton area finished among the final four of 13 Patriot. These two teams have been going head to head the past couple seasons and were able to stand atop of the podium today - they even took a picture together representing the Badger Region. Houston Juniors 13 Elite, a perennial open level club won the 13 Patiot division. Others among the final eight were a team from Florida, three from Texas, and two from California. Hat tip to the Midwest kids.
Coaching the Process
I saw so many great coaches this past week and throughout the entire season. I learned so much from my counterpart that I coached with at FC Elite , our opponent's coaches, and others by watching how they teach and communicate with their athletes. The top teams and coaches are praising the process. Volleyball is a game of errors, and at this level coaches are making sure kids are following the right process in their fundamentals. I even thought about the concept of attacking for a 12 year old where they are taking an approach, jumping, trying to hit a ball that is also moving, and when they do hit the ball it needs to land in a certain area. These kids can barely remember to bring their water bottle home from practice so a concept like attacking is really difficult to make all the connections with their mind and body. There will be times where they will hit the ball under the net or the next court over, but the growth comes in praising the process.
The Volleyball World Remains Small
I grew up in rural North Iowa, I didn't even know what club volleyball was. However this past week, my team was able to take on North Iowa Blaze out of Mason City, Iowa. I was so proud to see a North Iowa team compete at a national tournament. Mason City, Iowa is a smidge over 25,000 people and the next nearest club is over 90 miles away. So fun to see some familiar last names from back home and know that volleyball isn't just growing in the metro areas, the rural areas are seeing growth as well!
The Feels
The final day of any season is emotional, but there's just a little bit more when it comes to this one with 10-13 year olds. For many of these athletes, this may have been their first “National Tournament”. They have spent the past seven months together and all of a sudden it's over. There were plenty of tears that had plenty of emotions behind them. There's sadness knowing they won't see the same group of kids a couple times a week, some of these friendships can even last a lifetime. The losses will sting, but the experience together is the value club volleyball can bring to someone. Coming from the high school level, I can so easily get wrapped up in the end result - being part of a 12s team brought me back to being a kid again and finding joy in the daily routine of what is a simple and fun game. The fun cheers, the inside jokes, the dress up theme practices, and everything else outside of the court is really what makes this experience special and brings us all back.
To The FC Elite 12 Navy Athletes
Thank you for bringing a new sense of joy to the game for me. I know I teach you how to serve, help you with your platform angle, and provide an entertaining playlist for practice, but please know the impact is felt on my side from you. The joy, energy, vulnerability, enthusiasm, and authenticity is something that I admire in each of you. We can all use a little bit of 12 year old spark in us!
I look forward to writing about you in years to come (but not until the summer before your freshman year of high school - that's my rule).
Ok Dallas, you're next!
