Volleyball

We had a great summer . . . a great time a camp . . . a great time at Lake Lanier . . . and a great tryout!!!! The only thing that could be next is an AWESOME season . . . and of course, more team pictures, complete with the entire coaching staff and a growing Coach Nik-!

I speak for our entire coaching staff when I say that we are so pleased with this year's tryouts. We saw each of you giving 110% effort with a great attitude 100% of the time. Certainly, this type of effort will help us re-establish the Spartan Volleyball Prorgam as a perennial powerhouse in the A/AA division.

As we have already discussed, our numbers force us into a position where we must keep a small Varsity and JV in order to make sure that both teams have the needed players and positions to be successful. With that being said, we are still very excited about the opportunity for all of our players to gain some Varsity experience this year, and we would like to continue considering the possibility of inviting JV members to join the Varsity in the post-season.

While we are not prepared to make post-season decisions now, we believe that the possibility of continuing into the post-season with the Varsity squad should be a motivational tool to spur each individual towards reaching their potential. I have already scheduled meetings with each 9th grader before week's end to discuss personal goals for the season, role establishment within the program, and to speak personally to each athlete about gaining Varsity experience.

Below is a list of the times for each athlete to meet with Coach Ez and myself. Please come prepared with a list of personal goals for the season and collect your thoughts on what you hope for your role to be within our program:

Wed - 8:00 am (Ansley)
Wed - 11:00 am (Jamella)
Wed - 1:30 pm (Hannah Crane)
Wed - 4:00 pm (Mary)
Wed - 4:15 pm (Sarah Chuboff)
Thurs - 8:00 am (Sara Beisswenger)
Thurs - 11:00 am (Madison - we need to reschedule your time because Coach Ez cannot meet with us)
Thurs - 1:30 (Hannah Hays)
Thurs - 4:00 (Elizabeth)
Fri - 8:00 (Dakota)

Varsity members - please see me tomorrow about scheduling individual meeting times.

Now, for the teams. Please download the following document for a listing of the 2008 Varsity and JV teams.

Download file

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 8:00 PM | Permalink

Please download the following handbook for general information about the Spartan Volleyball Program.

Download file

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 7:59 PM | Permalink

As you all know, the Team Kickoff Party is scheduled for Sunday, August 3rd at 6:30 p.m.

This year, Norma Pylant (Ginny's mom), has graciously volunteered to host the party. We will share dinner together, have some time to hang out, and of course, go over some of the details for the season. Please plan to bring at least one parent, and BRING YOUR CALENDARS!!! I am sure the team moms may want to do some coordination with regard to bringing refreshments and scheduling help at the matches, so knowing your schedule will be helpful for pulling this off. Also, the pool will be open for use, so if you want to bring your suit and jump in, feel free to do so!

The Pylants live in Crystal Hills, which is the neighborhood directly across from Athens Academy. Their address is 1271 Wild Azalea Lane. Travelling from Spartan Lane, you would take a left onto 441 South. Take your first right onto Wild Azalea Lane and travel towards the back of the neighborhood. The Pylant home is on the right. Should you have questions about directions, please email Nikki Chester.

Last but not least, Margaret Liedberg is helping to coordinate the food for Sunday. She is contacting everyone via email with food assignments. If for some reason you do not know what you are scheduled to bring, please be in contact with her via email.

Look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 5:19 PM | Permalink

Tryout Information and Requirements:

2008 Varsity/JV Volleyball Tryouts will be held on Monday, August 4th and Tuesday, August 5th.
Practice times:
August 4th - 8:30 am – 11:00 am
2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.
August 5th - 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
For the morning session on August 5th, we will meet at the Spartan Track for our timed mile.
Teams will be selected by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5th.

A complete practice calendar for the month of August is available for download under Varsity Practice Schedule and JV Practice Schedule. These times are relatively set. There are only a couple of foreseeable changes. First, if the A/C is not installed as scheduled, we may move afternoon practices to evening practices. Second, we do not have the finalized pre-planning schedule. Once it is determined, we may need to change some practice times for the week of August 11th.

You may download the August calendar here as well.
Download file

As was explained at our spring meeting, serious volleyball athletes should be lifting weights 2-3x per week, jump training 3x per week and doing some sort of conditioning (varying short and long distances) 3x per week in preparation for volleyball tryouts and volleyball season workouts.
Examples of Conditioning:
• Long distance running: Each athlete will run a timed mile during tryouts. It should be your goal to make the designated times below:
o JV (9th and 10th graders) – 9:00 minutes
o Varsity (11th and 12th graders) – 8:15 minutes
(FYI – the winner of the GHSA 5A girls track meet in the mile finished with a time of 5:02)
If you do not meet these benchmark goals, it DOES NOT mean that you cannot make the team. At the same time, you should take this timed run seriously. Most people cannot make these times without consistent practice.
• Sprints: Each athlete will run sprints during tryouts. Layout will be as follows:
o 50 Yard Sprints – 3 sets of 8 sprints. 40 seconds will be given for each sprint (for example, it takes 8-10 seconds to run the first 50 yards; the remaining time is for recovery prior to the start of the second sprint). Four minutes of rest are given between sets. Again, this workout is tough unless it is practiced ahead of time. I suggest practicing in the early mornings or late evenings to avoid the heat . . . and have some water on hand as well.
• Abdominal Work: Each of you will be responsible for doing 3 sets of 50 abdominal crunches. It is important to have a strong core to be a great volleyball player.
Attending to the LADY SPARTAN summer workouts will put you on pace to be in great shape.

Remember, establishing a workout regimen at a young age positively affects your exercise patterns for life. Not only will you become your best at volleyball, but you will also maintain healthy hearts, bone density, and muscular strength (muscle burns fat you know). Plus, research repeatedly shows that exercise decreases the likelihood of psychological or emotional problems for women later in life!!!!

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 4:46 PM | Permalink

Please download the following file for the August Varsity Practice Schedule. For the most part, it is the same as the JV Practice Schedule. Please note that all information in BLACK FONT pertains to both Varsity and JV.

All information in GREEN FONT pertains to the Varsity Team ONLY, and all information in SILVER FONT pertains to the JV Team ONLY.

An updated calendar for September will be available later this month. To obtain the Varsity or JV match schedule, please consult the general athletic calendar. If you have questions, please email Nikki Chester.

Download file

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 4:07 PM | Permalink

Please download the following file for the August Varsity Practice Schedule. For the most part, it is the same as the JV Practice Schedule. Please note that all information in BLACK FONT pertains to both Varsity and JV.

All information in GREEN FONT pertains to the Varsity Team ONLY, and all information in SILVER FONT pertains to the JV Team ONLY.

An updated calendar for September will be available later this month. To obtain the Varsity or JV match schedule, please consult the general athletic calendar. If you have questions, please email Nikki Chester.

Download file

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 3:12 PM | Permalink

Well, it is that time already!!!!!

We will be leaving for Emory Volleyball Camp on Monday, July 21, 2008. Please report to the Spartan Center turn-around at 9:15 a.m. to load the travel bus. We will depart at 9:30 a.m. for Atlanta.

We will stop at a Chick-Fil-A close to Emory for lunch prior to camp check-in, so please bring some spending money for lunch and also for any extras you may need at camp.

If you have not paid the balance of your camp monies, you will need to bring a check for $270.00 made payable to Emory Volleyball.

Check-out is around NOON on Thursday, so we will hopefully return to school between 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.

You should have received an email from Jenny McDowell, Emory's Head Volleyball Coach, but I am attaching it here just in case.

Download file

Also, you may download our itinerary for the week as well:

Download file

For additional questions, please contact me via email.

Posted by Mrs. Chester at 9:46 AM | Permalink