Wednesday, August 21, 2002
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Wednesday, August 21, 2002 |
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Volleyball season starts with jamboree
Getting area high school volleyball teams ready for the upcoming season was the focus of the volleyball jamboree at Starr's Mill High School last Saturday. Starr's Mill head coach Dottie Licciardi and her coaching staff, along with the Starr's Mill Spike-It Booster Club, were hosts for the annual event, attended by nine other high school varsity teams, including Fayette County, McIntosh, Our Lady of Mercy, Sandy Creek, East Coweta, Newnan, Lakeside, Mary Persons and Heritage High School. With a format of two pools of five teams, where each team played a total of four matches throughout the day, players' stamina was tested and coaches got a chance to see what their teams may do under the pressure of competition. Lakeside High School Head Coach Margie Bowen was especially appreciative of the chance to see her players perform in a competitive format prior to the first game of the season. "This is a great organization and we are very grateful to Dottie Licciardi and the Starr's Mill volleyball Booster Club for putting on this wonderful event and inviting us to attend," said Coach Bowen. "Volleyball is so much fun and is a great activity for girls and boys. The level of competition is growing very quickly." Sandy Creek coach Paul Collins also recognized the benefit of the Jamboree. "At an event like this, I try to give everyone a chance to play," said Collins. "I saw some excellent play out of some our team members, and I saw some things we need to work on. Bottom line, this is a great way to get rid of some butterflies." Facing opponents across the net is why coach Kathy Stallings of Newnan High School brought her team to Starr's Mill. "It's good to see your team in opposition with someone else and see how they play in a competitive game situation." Deb Eidson, Community Coach for Newnan High School, added, "This is a great event to get the girls on the floor and working out the kinks before the season. We try girls in new positions and see what they can do." Coach Licciardi was pleased with her team's performance. "I have been impressed with the way our girls push to become better at practice. This is probably the hardest working team that I have had at Starr's Mill," said Licciardi. "They want to be good and realize that it takes a lot of hard work at practice to achieve this goal." Licciardi said she was especially enjoying coaching this group of athletes. They love the game, she explained, have great attitudes and respect each other. "Things can't get any better than that!" On a day when gaining experience and playing together was more important than "wins," every team came away as a winner at this preseason Jamboree. Starr's Mill's volleyball team will play at Heritage Saturday and then will host Landmark Christian and Pope Tuesday at 5 p.m. McIntosh's volleyball team will get a crack at Landmark Christian as well as Lassiter and St. Pius tomorrow at Lassiter at 5 p.m. They will play at Parkview Saturday. Fayette County's volleyball team will play at Newnan High School next Tuesday at 5 p.m.
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