August 2012 Inside HP: USA Volleyball High Performance Newsletter

Inside hp

August 2012

Impact

Men’s Junior National Team warming up for a scrimmage versus Canada at the Colorado Springs OTC-USA Volleyball

Professional Volleyball: Coming to a City Near You

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Athletes across the national were inspired to pursue their sports dreams after watching the 30th Olympiad. For many, being an Olympian marks the pinnacle of achievement in their sport.

Unfortunately, only a select few achieve Olympic status. What happens to basketball players after college when they don’t make the Olympics? Or to football players who don’t even have an Olympic opportunity? They go pro.

The United States is sports crazy, hosting professional teams in most major cities across the nation.

Professional leagues are nothing new. But until now, no professional volleyball league has taken off in the United States. If volleyball players wished to continue their careers after college, they had two options: make the U.S. National Volleyball Team and train for the Olympics, or join a professional league overseas.

The selectiveness of these two options has pushed many talented players away from the sport. At the conclusion of their col-

With a few of our teams still competing, we are postponing our annual awards issue until the September issue. Be sure to check it out!

(Continued on page 2- Professional Volleyball)

4065 Sinton Road, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 www.usavolleyball.org 719.228.6800 indoorhp@usav.org

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(Continued from page 1- Professional Volleyball)

lege careers, most players resign themselves to entering the professional world.

With the introduction of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) earlier in 2012, volleyball players across the U.S. have a whole new menu of post-collegiate volleyball opportunities. The domestic league provides them with an exciting chance to continue playing the sport they love right here in the U.S. “USA Volleyball has long awaited the day when America’s professional sports market re-awakens to our great indoor game.”

USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal said. “Volleyball has enjoyed incredible growth over the years, along with success at the Olympic Games and other international events. The creation of a professional indoor volleyball league is the last piece of the puzzle in taking the game to the next level. Certainly we believe it is going to be a very positive move, not only for our National Teams, but also for the sport on a worldwide basis.”

USA Volleyball launched the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) earlier in 2012. The PVL is a grassroots professional league involving dozens of USA Volleyball’s 40 regions. In its first season, the league has already started opening doors for many of the nation’s top players. They had the chance to continue their careers at a high level without being abroad for months at a time.

“I suspect if you talk with the many USA players who have gone abroad and played internationally in Europe, Asia, South America, and almost every part of the world they will commonly tell you how frequently they hear from other athletes in other countries the importance of having a professional side of the sport in the United States. “ Beal said. “I think universally it is recognized that because of the position that we occupy not only in the world of volleyball, but also in sport in general, the attention that is paid to the professional sports in the United States, because they are marketed so affectively and have such great tradition and great recognized level of performance, there has to be a USA professional volleyball league.”

The first season ended with the 2012 USA Volleyball Open National Championships in May of 2012. At the conclusion of the event, several new regions expressed interest in getting involved. Next year, the PVL Championships will expand to include both men’s and women’s divisions.

Lindsey Berg, a two-time silver medalist at the Olympics and captain of the 2012 U.S. women’s indoor volleyball squad, feels the time is right for a volleyball league to succeed in the United States.

“A professional league in the United States would create obvious growth and exposure for our sport.” Berg said. “It would allow athletes after college to elect to go overseas or continue their dream of playing volleyball right here in the United States. While some players enjoy the experience of playing overseas and grow as a person, many athletes want to be closer to home, their family and friends. A domestic pro league is a big step for our sport.”

Clay Stanley, a three-time men’s indoor volleyball Olympian, gold-medal winner in 2008 and captain of the 2012 team, believes such as a league can complement growth at the National Team level while bringing added attention to the sport.

“I’m happy to hear that a new professional league is on the horizon in the U.S. and that USA Volleyball is involved.” Stanley said. “A league like that can provide more opportunities for players who want to stay in the U.S. The chance to compete past college can only increase the depth of our National Teams. The long term benefits would be added exposure for our sport, which could draw in more players and fans.”

"I think it's great and long overdue for someone in America to put a men's professional volleyball league in the U.S.” Riley Salmon, a two-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic Games gold medalist, said. “I give them lots of credit for doing it."

While the PVL won’t achieve the hype of professional football overnight, the league is a huge step in the right direction toward growing the sport we love. Volleyball players across the nation can go into training with this new, tangible goal to set their sights on: playing professionally in the U.S. 2

Volleyball in Kenya Steve Hutcheson, Hutch Volleyball and USAV HP Coach Over the past several years, Kenya has had one of the best volleyball programs in Africa but has not been very successful when competing outside of Africa. One of the reasons for the lack of success in international competition outside of Africa is the overall weakness in the technical skills of the players. During the past 10 months, Hutch Volleyball Courtesy of Steve Hutcheson has been working with the Vision 21 Group to conduct volleyball camps for players and a coaches clinic for coaches primarily from Nairobi and the Up Country of Kenya. Vision 21 is a management consulting firm that advises sport organizations, commercial entities, local and national governments in sport ventures.

Courtesy of Steve Hutcheson The purpose of the camps is to teach the players and the coaches, the technical skills necessary to be more competitive in international competition. One of the goals for the camps and the clinics is to educate the coaches and players in the technical aspects of the game. There isn’t a shortage of raw volleyball talent however, there is a lack of technical knowledge that is needed to compete at the higher levels of Courtesy of Steve Hutcheson international competition. In addition, most of these players come from very poor families that cannot afford to pay for a college education. If a program can be developed to improve the overall skills of the players, hopefully, some of these players will be able to attend college in the USA or in Europe on a volleyball scholarship. This is a long-term goal that will take a lot of dedication from the coaches to improve their own knowledge of the game and to become what Daniel Coyle refers to as “Master Coaches” as they teach the young people of Kenya and other parts of Africa.

So far, we have had two players’ camps and one coaches clinic. The most effective way to distribute the technical knowledge to the players is to instruct the coaches through- Courtesy of Steve Hutcheson out Kenya who can then go back to their areas of the country where they can conduct their own camps. There were approximately 20 coaches from Kenya and Cameroon at the Coaches Clinic conducted in May. This past July, the Kenyan Volleyball Federation allowed the 2nd Annual Protégé Hutch Camp to be held at the volleyball court at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. Over 60 players attended the Camp. This indicates that the Federation is recognizing the benefit of the camps and the coaches clinics. Vision 21 and Hutch Volleyball hope to go to other countries in Africa to help with their volleyball infrastructure. The more that the countries of Africa can better their volleyball skills, the more opportunities for players to obtain volleyball scholarships.

While in Nairobi, Vision 21 and Hutch Volleyball also conducted a volleyball camp in the Mathare North slum of Nairobi. We had over 50 kids attend the camp.

If you have any questions about the program, or how to get involved, please contact Hutch at hutch@hutchvolleyball.com.

Courtesy of Steve Hutcheson 3

Boost Your Strength With Water

By Karen Owoc Karen Owoc is a human performance specialist and professional member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the International Society of Sports Nutrition. She has a B.S. degree in Human Biodynamics which integrates exercise physiology with the nutritional and health sciences. Karen created and directed the Pacific Coast Classic men's gymnastics competition and currently promotes health and fitness through various forms of media. www.TheHealthReporter.tv

When you’re working out, sweaty and thirsty, you’re likely to think about drinking some water. But it’s just as important to think about it BEFORE you work out and here’s why.

Exercise and Water Basics When exercising, your muscles contract and generate internal heat. To prevent overheating, the heat must be promptly dissipated via your body’s cooling mechanism (sweating). Sweat cools the surface of the skin and decreases your body temperature.

Maintaining good hydration levels during exercise is critical to regulating body temperature (thermoregulation) and regulating blood pressure. When you’re dehydrated, your body’s mechanism to get rid of heat shuts down which can result in heat exhaustion or worse yet, heat stroke.

Neuromuscular Activity By keeping your body adequately hydrated, you can perform at your optimal level. Without adequate water, neuromuscular activity slows down which affects how fast and how hard your muscles can contract. As a result, you can experience a loss of strength, reduced endurance, and/or slower reaction and response times.

Why Pre-Hydrate Never begin exercising if you’re thirsty. Consuming adequate fluid prior to your workout will improve your athletic performance by increasing your body’s physiological response to exercise. However, if you overcompensate by drinking copious amounts of fluid and/or drink too close to your competition or workout time, frequent trips to the restroom can disrupt your workout as well as your electrolyte balance.

How Much Fluid Four hours before a workout, drink 5-7 ml of fluid per kg body weight. So, if you weigh 130 lbs., you should drink 295- 414 ml (about 10-14 oz). Simply put, the average size person should drink about 1.5 to 2 cups pre-exercise. By doing so, you’ll allow time for your kidneys to process the fluid and excrete any excess.

Hyperhydration Drinking too much fluid can cause your extra- and intracellular spaces to expand. Studies show there is no clear physiological or performance advantage over a normal state of hydration. Excessive fluid intake can result in hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication, and is more common in marathons or other prolonged activities. In this condition, sodium levels in the blood become dangerously diluted and can be fatal.

Hydration Check A good way to monitor whether you’re adequately hydrated is by checking your urine color. It should be light yellow (like lemonade). If your urine is a dark yellow (think apple juice), drink an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fluid.

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Club vs. High School When it comes down to it, club and high school seasons are not created equal. What some parents and players don’t know is that college coaches do almost all of their recruiting in the club season as opposed to during high school. Here are a few of the key differences between the two seasons, and what you should do to be adequately prepared to tackle both to your advantage.

1. Level of Competition What makes club so competitive and crucial to the recruiting process? In club, players will come from miles away to play for a good program, allowing clubs to pick the best players in the region for their teams. Everyone who is playing is paying to be there, so there is a sense of purpose in club: Most people want to go on to play in college. So, when you compete in a national qualifier, or even a regional tournament, you are playing against teams of players who have the same goals.

This is very different from the situation in high school. High school teams are comprised of only the players who live in a specific residential area. In some cases, this leaves a very small amount of players to try out: few of whom play club, due to cost or commitment level to the sport. As you can imagine, the level of play in these games rarely compares to club.

2. Travel Inconvenience College coaches are all about convenience and saving money in their recruiting budget. For that reason, a coach will rarely-if ever-drive or fly to see a high school match being played. The only exceptions can be state championships or a school that is located very near to a high school. Coaches want the biggest bang for their buck, where they can see the most high-level talent and competition at once. So, don’t expect to see a college coach at your high school matches, even if you ask nicely.

3. Coaching and Practice Intensity Unfortunately, there is not as much money to be made in High school sports as there is in club, meaning lower pay for HS coaches. This means that finding an amazing high school coach who can run an intense and motivating practice and conditioning schedule, and help you improve greatly during High School is a definite diamond in the rough. It takes a lot of patience and a positive, proactive attitude to get better during HS season.

How to make High School season work for you with VolleyballRecruits.net VolleyballRecruits.net is a platform that allows players to better present themselves and interact with college programs – every college in the country is a member! A built-in messaging system and the ability to add all of your academic and athletic information, as well as unlimited photo and video content, allows you to make it as simple as possible for a coach to watch you play.

For those who already have a VolleyballRecruits.net membership, High School season is the time to get your affairs in order before club season starts. Take advantage of the rest of the summer as well as the slow beginning of school in order to get coaches interested in seeing you play! The best way to do this is keeping an up-to-date profile with the latest info such as test scores, placing at GJNC’s, making the All-Tournament team, etc.

For new members, check out our pricing options for packages online, and once you purchase, get started on completing your profile this fall. Hint: Adding footage is a must!

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HP ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: TAYLOR TASHIMA Hometown, club and high school: Wilmette, IL, Wildcat Juniors VBC, New Trier High School Position: Setter Height, block touch and jump touch: 6’0”, 9’4.5”, 9’7” Favorite Warm-Up Song: Let It Roll – Flo Rida Scorekeeping or Line Judging? Why?: Line Judging because I feel like I'm closer to the action of the game.

Courtesy of Taylor Tashima

If you could meet any Olympian, who would it be and why? I'd love to meet Lindsey Berg, because I think she would be a great setter mentor and I hope to accomplish as much as she has someday! She’s not only a phenomenal setter, but a born leader who has led the National Team to two silver medals.

When did you start playing volleyball? I started playing when I was 9 years old, and started playing club on a 13s team when I was 10 years old.

Are you from a "volleyball family"? Do any of your family members play collegiate or professional sports? Yes, our whole family plays volleyball except for my mom. She was the captain of her track team back in college, but never saw volleyball played until she met my dad. My dad grew up playing beach volleyball in California and he was one of the top-ranked beach players in the mid-west throughout the early 1990s. My younger brother (11) and sister (14) both play club for Wildcat Juniors VBC as liberos. We are always playing volleyball together, even in the airport!

Who was the most influential person in helping you to develop as a volleyball player? Without a question, it's been my dad. I caught my passion for the game from him. He introduced me to volleyball when I was little, and spent hours every weekend working with me. I really admire the patience he had with me back then and he always made it lots of fun! We still go to the gym together every weekend, whether it be to set or workout. He’s been, and continues to be, an incredible mentor and coach.

What part of your background best prepared you for playing at an elite level? My parents taught me at an early age that nothing worthwhile comes easily - that being the very best you can be in a sport takes hard work, determination and many thousands of hours of practice. Growing up, I was constantly at the gym or practicing setting off my bedroom wall at home. At the elite level with USAV, you quickly realize that there’s always someone who is better than you are and who's training harder than you. It's important to have the inner drive and mental toughness necessary to constantly push yourself to become a better player and not get discouraged. My family has always been there supporting me and cheering me on, and I couldn't have gotten to this point without them.

What USAV HP Programs have you been involved in? Are these different from other programs you have been involved in? If so, what makes them different?

2012 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team (captain)– NORCECA – Tijuana, Mexico – 1st Place *USAV note– Tashima was named the best setter at this tournament 2012 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team (captain) – European Global Challenge – Croatia – 4th Place 2011 USAV HP Girls’ Select A1 Blue Team (captain) – HP Championships – Tucson, Arizona – 3rd Place 2011 USAV HP Select Holiday Camp - Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center (Continued on page 9- Tashima)

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REGION HP SPOTLIGHT: SUN COUNTRY REGION Jim Giacomazzi and Laura Cortazar, Sun Country Region HP Can you tell us a little about Sun Country Region in general? What makes the region different from other regions?

Sun Country includes cities like Amarillo, Albuquerque, El Paso, Lubbock, Midland, Las Cruces. For our region distance is a relative thing. Teams will travel up to 600 miles to get from one part of the region to the other and in between is some very beautiful country. Somewhere in between cities one could find the 2nd grandest canyon near Amarillo or find the world’s longest tram outside of Albuquerque. Going another direction you can find a lot of bats at Carlsbad Caverns with lots of stalactites and stalagmites. Plus, everywhere you will find cattle, corn, wheat, cotton, pecans, chilies and wild critters like elk, deer, mountain sheep, lions, wolves, scorpions, snakes. One thing that is scarce is water. We might have the Rio Grande, and the head waters of the Red River, but in our part of the country they are not much more than a trickle.

Sun Country Region in general is an association which was formed along with 38 other regions in the United States dedicated to the furtherance of play of the sport of volleyball. Our region has the best of 2 states (Texas and New Mexico). Sun Country HP Program is unique because we allow everyone within the age requirements that is interested in our HP Program that belongs to our region with the opportunity to attend tryouts. We have tryouts in 5 different areas of our region (Amarillo, El Paso, Albuquerque, Midland, Lubbock) in which we host major region qualifiers. At tryouts we evaluate all the players based on their volleyball skills and performance. I believe that what is special about our program is that we have a lot of support from our Sun Country Region board and specially all of the tryout host clubs because they provide us with top facilities and court space to have a successful tryouts.

A brief story of Sun Country HP started back in . . .

Sun Country’s first participation with HP was back when Park City was the host. We participated in the Youth division. Former Texas Tech Head Coach Nancy Todd and I took that first team. What I remember most about that group was the team laughing at me as I fell of the bobsled type vehicle at the long slide/bobsled run. Since that time we have participated in every HP Championship. We have had some great success. This success has come with the assistance and the participation of the universities in our region; Texas Tech, New Mexico State, University of Texas El Paso, New Mexico and Wayland Baptist Universities. Their participation has been the key to our region receiving Gold, Silver and Bronze medals over the years. We have had some very talented university coaches assist in the selection and training of the teams. Plus, the players are on their campuses in their dorms and training in their facilities. This has given all most all of the players a greater vision of how they want volleyball to become a greater part of their lives. Since our first tournament all but a handful have continued their play into college. What is really exciting is to see some of the players have that moment when they really understand what the coach has been teaching. Sometimes that moment does not take place until the second match of the tournament and at other times it is not until their high school season. The key to our achievement Courtesy of Sun Country Region is the quality of the coaches teaching the game and the quality of the repetitions. It great having two college coaches with each team.

(Continued on page 8- Sun Country)

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(Continued from page 7- Sun Country)

What is the format of the Sun Country HP Program this year?

The format of the tryouts by Sun Country HP Program this year is that we host HP Tryouts the Friday before each major Region Qualifier which is hosted in 5 different major areas of our region (Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, El Paso, Albuquerque). Hosting tryouts in each of Courtesy of Sun Country Region the major areas of our region allows every athlete from those areas to attend and showcase their skills. The coaching staff for the different age groups attends every tryout to have the opportunity to evaluate the athletes and start selecting their players. After all 5 tryouts, we narrow down the list to the top 20 players in which we have 12 girls that make the "Team" and then we extend the invitation to 8 girls to attend "Camp" those girls have the opportunity to train with the best girls in the region on close environment training. The girls that attend "Camp" are a crucial part of our program as they get instruction from the coaching staff and train with the team as they challenge our players to become the best in our region. Our camp staff consist of your Team Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Camp Coach, and Volunteer coaches for each team; our coach to player ratio is 1:5 which allows for great instruction and successful training Our HP Camp is usually 5 days prior to HPC's. We have the girls stay on dorm campus as if they were there for a "volleyballovernight camp," however at this time the girls are our only focus. We train 2-3 times per day in 2 hour sessions, depending on the need of the training and development of the team. Most times our team is pre-selected prior to camp as parents need to make travel arrangements which helps keep the cost low. We only travel 12 players, Head Coach and Assistant Coach. Once we get to the site of the competition the teams are concentrated in the same hotel and rooming with teammates. Our ultimate goal is that we want to give our players the opportunity to experience and feel what is it like to compete and train at a high competitive level like the best teams/players do.

Is your program making use of any of the available materials through USA Volleyball HP? Over the years the coaches picked up materials and other information from the January HP Clinic. Our region would send up at least one coach each year. Their interaction with the USAV staff and sitting in the classroom and getting out onto the court helped immensely in the beginning. What one receives from the clinic will last years and helps add quality to our regional programs.

What teams did you send the HP Championships?

The teams we send to HP Championships were Girls National Youth and they successfully competed with a 7-1 record and got 3rd Place; Our success with our Youth team was the passion, work ethic, and a very coachable group that always gave 100% every time they step in the court. Everyone on the team got along and a different person would step up at crucial times. Our Girls National Select was a pretty young group who went 2-8. They learned a ton and had a good 1st year experience.

How is the coaching staff chosen?

Each year we are at a different university in our region. The Head coach this year was an assist last year. This year’s assistant coach will be next year’s head coach. Additional staff are available from year to year and they come from the local clubs that have good relationships with the university. This year’s Head Coaches were Jojit Cornel, Select and Amy Gandy, Youth from Texas Tech University. Next, year our Select Head coach will be Julie Allen from University of Texas El Paso and they will be next year’s host university.

Courtesy of Sun Country Region

What is the cost structure for the athletes participation?

This year the region has taken a more active role in participation.

We have 2 different cost structures for . . .

HP Camp - $350; which include fees for dorms, meals, entertainment, practice t-shirts.

(Continued on page 9- Sun Country)

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(Continued from page 8- Sun Country)

HP Team - $750; which includes all camp expenses plus, HPC's hotel, meals, laundry, uniforms, entertainment, essentially all cost except travel for players. Which is one of the reasons why we like to announce our teams right after the completion of all 5 tryouts. Some of the shortfall would be absorbed by the tryout fees. The rest would be paid by the region.

The first 9 years of the program the Sun Country involvement inCourtesy of Sun Country Region cluded paying the entry fee and the coaches stipend. The players had to fund their participation completely. The cost last year was $975 plus, the cost of transportation.

What are some of the biggest benefits of having a Region HP Program?

One of the biggest benefits of having the HP Regional program is that it is a platform where our university and college coaches can participate without the politics of club jealousies. The tryouts give lots of volleyball players a chance to have another coach do a little teaching. So many teams in our region and across the country have good-hearted moms and dads as coaches. In the region program the players get a chance to be coached by professional coaches that are not trying to swoop in to steal a player from a rival club. Once a player is selected and makes either the camp or travel teams they really get to see what volleyball is all about. Those players and parents then go back to their clubs and become ambassadors for the HP program.

What did you enjoy most about the HP Championships being in Iowa this past year?

Our girls enjoyed the team atmosphere and environment that we put together. Everyone got along and our older team was a great example and role models for our younger team on how to behave and constantly compete. The girls said that they enjoyed the opportunity to meet a lot of new players. Since we stayed at the Embassy Suites the girls had the opportunity of socialize and interact with all other international and USAV teams while off the court and during down time at the hotel.

What teams are you planning on sending to HP Championships in Ft. Lauderdale next year?

Our Sun Country Region is planning on sending another 2 competitive teams which will probably be Girls’ National Select and Girls’ National Youth to the HP Championships in Ft. Lauderdale next year.

2010 USAV HP Select Holiday Camp - Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center USAV programs offer a one-of-a-kind experience. The coaching is outstanding, with great technical instruction and lots of reps. I always come home from a USAV program seeing a big improvement in my play, both technically and mentally. In my experience, everything having to do with USAV is well-run, extremely organized, and conducted in a very professional manner. The programs are made up of of high-level players from all over the country who share the same passion for the game that I do. These girls have helped push me to become a better player, and I've made some life-long friendships in the process!

Courtesy of Taylor Tashima

(Continued from page 6- Tashima)

What is the happiest moment in your volleyball career? The happiest moment in my volleyball career was winning gold at NORCECA! I’ll never forget the feeling of holding up the trophy for my team at the awards ceremony as confetti rained down on all of us! We all worked so hard leading up to the championship game vs Dominican Republic, and it definitely paid off. No victory has ever been as satisfying as that one!

Do you want to play volleyball collegiately and/or professionally? Do you strive to represent the USA one day as an Olympian? I verbally committed to Northwestern University at the beginning of my sophomore year, and I couldn’t be more excited! Playing volleyball overseas after college would be amazing, but playing on the US Women's National Team - and potentially on the Olympic Team one day - has always been my ultimate dream. However, right now my focus is on making the Youth National Team again in 2013 so I can represent my country at the World Championships in Thailand. One step at a time!

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HP COACH SPOTLIGHT: ROBYN ROMANSKY Girls’ Youth National Team (at HP Championships), 2004-2010 Assistant Coach at Texas A&M University, 2001-2004 Technical Coordinator for USA Women’s National Team IMPACT certified, CAP III Certified What led you to become a coach? From a very young age, I was interested in competition. My brothers and I raced everywhere. Once old enough to participate in organized sport, my competitiveness only grew. Coaching seemed like a great way to continue to feed that passion. When I began college, I studied math and education and was hoping to become a high school math teacher and a coach.

What is the best thing about being a coach? While I was still coaching full time, I’d say the best thing about being a coach is getting to do what you love everyday and helping young women grow in self-confidence and maturity through their struggles and successes in volleyball.

What has been the biggest influence in your career? I would say there have been two major influences in my career. My time with the USA Women’s Team—seeing volleyball at the highest level for 3.5 years—was great for my volleyball education.

Then, being able to utilize that experience and apply it while working with Laurie and John Corbelli at Texas A&M was perfect.

The Corbelli's both have a great deal of experience in the realm of international volleyball and in the nuances that make volleyball unique to each culture. They fostered my continued growth and appreciation for the sport and were phenomenal examples of the type of coach–player relationship I believe is most successful in sport.

What or who has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? Many individuals have been an inspiration, but my time traveling the world and working with our women’s national team has had a profound impact on me both personally and professionally. I began that position as a naive 22-year-old who’d never been out of the country. Seeing volleyball all over the world through various philosophical and cultural lenses gave me perspective on volleyball and life here in the States.

Toshi Yoshida taught me the value of intense, meticulous training. I learned a great deal about how to instruct individual technique. Toshi’s knowledge and background in training the game has been tremendously instrumental in the formation of my own training style. That style was further influenced by the Corbelli’s and their ability to grow the athlete during her collegiate career. They excel at getting the most from the talent they have and producing competitive teams year after year. I’m excited to see them make a mark in the SEC! What do you do in your free time? Ha…now I spend a lot of my free time making things (sewing, crocheting, and knitting) for my children. I have found that I get some amount of satisfaction out of seeing the fruits of my handiwork. My most recent project was knitting a sweater for my son. I like to be outdoors and have learned to enjoy making chalk racetracks in the driveway and many other projects with the children. I spend a lot of my free time supporting my husband as he is in the final stages of writing his dissertation to complete his doctorate in American History. He, too, was a coach and teacher prior to this endeavor so we have a lot of conversations over sport and teaching.

What is your coaching philosophy? The athletes are individual people first. I know that it is important for each of them to know that I am invested in them and that I care about them. That makes possible the trust that I think we need to make the necessary progress. I’m not really a yeller, but I am demanding. I don’t try to be their friend, but I want to give them glimpses into my life and allow them to know what makes me tick so that they can trust me. Recently, I’ve also begun working with young players. I believe at the early stages, it is really imperative to make them love the game first and sometimes that means scaling back the technical progress. If they are invested in and love the game, they will have the intrinsic motivation to continue making the technical progress and athletic improvement. If we stifle young girls’ love

Courtesy of Robyn Romansky (Continued on page 12- Romansky)

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HP COACH SPOTLIGHT: BILL FERGUSON Head Men’s Volleyball Coach-University of Southern California (USC), 2012 Men’s Junior A2 IMPACT certified, CAP I What led you to become a coach? My former club coach, Mike “Stormin” Normand called me and asked if I would coach a 14’s club team…the rest is history.

What is the best thing about being a coach? Seeing your former players be a successful in life.

What has been the biggest influence in your career? Mike Normand and Gary Sato were huge personal and coaching influences when I was a player and young coach. I would say Gary would be my mentor. Both Marv Dunphy and Al Scates were hugely supportive of me as a young coach as well…I was very fortunate to grow up on the west side, not more than 15-20 minutes of each campus.

What do you do in your free time? What’s that?! Spend time with my wife Brenn, Daughter Blake & our two dogs: Ralph & Gladys…Surf…Attend USC football games (I actually get paid for that!!!!!)

What is your coaching philosophy? I have no idea if this answers the question or not; and some my think it’s corny but my seventh grade English teacher Mrs. Lockart had a saying that she ingrained in us: “Good, Better, Best; Never let it rest; Until your good is better; And your better best.”

What are your personal career goals? Retire as the most successful USC Volleyball Head Coach in history; with the most final four appearances, most national championships.

What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? What day is it tomorrow?

Which is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? Ever raise a kid before?

What are some important lessons learned? You can’t please everyone.

Describe some of your most important career accomplishments. In 6 years as a head coach, we (USC) have been to the Final Four 3 times, 2x AVCA National Coach of the Year, 16x USAV Gold Medal Coach .

What book is a must-read for all coaches? For players? Coaches: Win Forever – Pete Carroll; Talent Code - Daniel Coyle; Five Point Play – Mike Krzyzewski; Do You Love Football?! Winning With Heart, Passion and Not Much Sleep – John Gruden; Sacred Hoops – Phil Jackson; Turning the Thing Around – Jimmy Johnson; Finding a Way to Win – Bill Parcells; Patriot Reign – Michael Holly; The Education of a Coach – David Halberstam; War Room – Michael Holly Players: Total Impact – Ronnie Lott Do you have any advice to offer parents? It’s all about the process and the journey – keep a good perspective. Make sure there’s an element of fun involved. There will be bumps in the road - turn those into teachable moments What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Coach because you love it. Be prepared to sacrifice, but you don’t have to be miserable to be a success. Be yourself. Work your tail off.

How do you define success? Above Reproach: Academically, Athletically & Socially What motivates you? USC’s proud tradition, and the responsibility to carry that on and build upon it. Loving what I do. The fantastic coaches and staff in the USC athletic department.

What is your coaching philosophy? Team, Process, Serve Tough – Get your opponent out of system, Ball control – Control each rally, Run a game-plan offense, Run a game-plan defense, Make the opponent play volleyball

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of this game – a game that can build such a tremendous, healthy love for self and others – then we become part of the problem, not the solution, to the social challenges facing so many young women.

What are your personal career goals? That’s an interesting question at this point in my life. I am, presently, not coaching a collegiate team. I decided to be home with my children exactly 2 years ago. Since then I have begun my own business (OLYMPA Volleyball) running high school volleyball camps and teaching private lessons. I hope to, someday, get back into coaching collegiately.

What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? My business is growing, rapidly. After just one summer, I see the potential and am excited about it as an avenue to help facilitate growth in both volleyball players and coaches.

What is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? Honestly, it was the times I had to leave children (babies) behind for several nights while I left for overnight away matches or recruiting weekends. I can also think of another experience on the court that was difficult, but rewarding. It involved doing the right thing in regard to disciplining an athlete even though it wasn’t the easy thing and didn’t necessarily put the team in the best position to win that match (although, we did).

What are you most proud of as a coach? That’s a really hard question, but I think I’m most proud of each of the individuals I’ve coached and the women they have become. I have small little successes on the court with athletes that are great, but in the end, it really is all about a much larger picture. How they contribute to society as a whole and who they are as people will always “out perform” any on court successes in my mind! Lately, in the course of my private lessons, I’ve taken a lot of pride in learning from parents and athletes about how their working with me and growing in the game has given them more selfconfidence and has led them to performing better in school and being generally happier in their day-to-day lives.

Do you have any pet peeves? Bad attitudes and laziness! I do not care for self-interested players who think they are too good to take instruction and I do not like to see people standing around on the volleyball court.

Do you have any advice to offer parents? Just be certain you’re supporting your daughter to pursue her dreams, not pushing her to fulfill yours. Sport, more specifically volleyball, is a wonderful avenue to grow and learn for life, but I see too many parents spend precious resources on club volleyball solely in hopes of a college scholarship. I, personally, believe that’s wrongheaded. Additionally, I’d say don’t rule out the Division II or III experience although it might cost more financially. I am a product of Division III volleyball—in terms of life balance, integration with the school community, and healthy stress levels—it might be a superior experience to Division I for some athletes.

What motivates you? All my coaching really comes back to my Catholic faith that nurtures the whole person—physically, intellectually, and spiritually. I let that guide how I coach and how I treat players, parents, and colleagues.

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INDOOR HP DIRECTORY Collin Powers Senior Manager Collin.Powers@usav.org

Tom Pingel Senior Director Tom.Pingel@usav.org

Heath Hoke Manager Heath.Hoke@usav.org

Adrienne Edwards Manager Adrienne.Edwards@usav.org

Denise Sheldon Coordinator Denise.Sheldon@usav.org

Monica Sedillo Assistant Monica.Sedillo@usav.org

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