March 8, 2010.

My letter will be short today. I will try to give you all more details in the next week.

I do think that our tournaments are progressing smoothly. We had to cancel our Jan. 31st tournament due to the snow, but the one we held on Feb. 27th was well attended. I haven't received any complaints (yet), and we suvived the day with only one player being injured in the 14C division. Our 16-1 team played in the 17C division and played very well. They made it to the semifinals before losing. This will increase the points they receive in our region, and it will improve their rating. I want to thank the following people for all their help with our tournament:

The Pierce's, who stepped in for me when I had to leave CAK gym, Philip Bennet and Jason Keeble for helping out at West HS and Heritage Middle, respectively,  and Rhea Scruggs for Austin East High School. Then there are those who, time and time again have helped me with the faciilities: Debby Jones at West, Chris Hames at K2, Cathy Woody and Andrew at Cedar Bluff Middle, and Robert Jones and Kandis Schram at Maryville College. Thanks to our court managers: Caroline Winstel, Jeff White and Ashley Raby. Thanks to all the referees who worked their butts off keeping the games moving along.

THANKS!

I thank all of you who are submitting pictures for me to use, however, many of you have told me that you have sent me pictures, but I have not received them. Please, please, if you don't see any on the website that you may have taken, please let me know. Especially from the 16's! I don't have the pictures that were supposedly sent to me via email. So, please, please, send again.

We have the qualifiers coming up. Please make sure that you go to the links I posted for the qualifiers. They are very helpful links. This year, for the first time, I believe that the Mizuno MEQ in Indianapolis is charging admission to the convention center. The Big South does charge for admission as well and you can buy tickets in advance. Yes, I know you may all think this is really unfair, but, there is nothing our region can do about it. In fact, most tournaments now are charging an admission fee, even our local tournaments. You will see that as the years progress, more and more will be charging admission fees. This is the wave of the future. Everyone will be trying to make money where they can.

This aside, you will find that the qualifiers are a glimpse into the different levels of volleyball that exist all around our nation. I want you to watch some the teams that come from the Mid-West and the Chicago area. There are some fantastic teams! The qualifiers also give your daughter an opportunity to be seen by college coaches who are not only recruiting for this upcoming 2010 volleyball season, but for the later years as well. None of the college coaches present will be able to talk to you or you daughter unless she is a senior, and only after play is completed. So, don't be offended if you try to initiate a conversation from them and they blow you off. They are abiding by their NCAA rules. One additional item: it doesn't matter how long or how short a time your daughter plays. College coaches can see potential and skill in one rotation. That's all they need. If their interest is piqued, then, they will follow up.

One of the goals I set for this season is to have additional days where we can train the girls with footwork drills, agility drills, weightlifting and extra practice sessions where we can work on individual skills. I plan on implementing that this month and carrying through past the season. Everyone can continue doing this until they decide they've had enough or when high school starts. I already have gym facilities that we will have access to all the way through the summer. Be watching the calendar as we will begin to post these extra sessions. Over the summer months, we might have to charge a nominal fee to cover the gym expenses just for those months. However, right now, there is no charge. Philip will be working with me on this as well as Jason and Deidre Keeble. STay tuned for more details.

I also know that many have been getting their invoices right now. I will send a more detailed explanation of the fees in an email. I do not want to post financial remarks on a public website.

As always, please send me your comments or questions, whether they be positive or negative. Also remember that you have a parent rep for your team that will help you out or that can communicate with me. If you don't know who they are, here is list:

12-1: Carmen Pierce

14-1: Teresa Davenport

15-1: Donna Chrimes

16-1: Scherrei Bohnenberger

18-1: Jason Keeble (yes, he's the coach as well, but for right now, he is also the parent rep).

I will be gone most of this week.  I am leaving for SC to help my parents who are both undergoing sugeries (for different reasons) and I believe I need to be there to help my sister with their recoveries. While I am gone, I will still be accessible. I will have both my cell phone and computer with me (I won't turn off my cell phone). If there is anything pressing, I want you to contact Philip Bennett and Jason Keeble for assistance. Their contact info is on this website. 

Thanks! I'll be in touch soon.

Carmen