By LINDA JONES Wayne County Schools
CNHI
8-25-10 — The Wayne County Volleyball season has just begun and the players have already worked hard in hopes of a successful season.
Their goal is to be competitive in the district this year and be a contender for a district title. Their coach, Sandra Baker, who understands what it takes to win, having played on the Wayne County 1999 and 2002 regional championship teams, has taught the girls that they have a lot of work to do in order to be successful. Plus, their assistant coach, Sasha Chaplin, who has worked with the middle school volleyball program for three years, can share her experience having played on the 2006 regional championship team.
In order to make their dreams come true for the season, the girls began conditioning the first week of June. The players worked on cardiovascular endurance, agility, and vertical jumping skills.
July was a busy month for the girls, according to Coach Baker. Some of the players attended individual camps such as Hitters Camp, Setters Camp, and All Skills Camp at the University of Kentucky. On July 12-14, members of the team attended the University of Kentucky Team Camp where they were able to work beside and have coaching from members of the nationally ranked UK Volleyball team.
"I believe the team camp really opened our eyes to how talented our team is and also helped us learn new practice skills and a new rotation that we could take home with us and use as a tool for being successful this season," said Coach Baker.
The team really came together as a unit on August 2 when they attended a customized retreat at the Team Leadership Center where they concentrated on team building.
"We are a young team with different dynamics than most teams in our region," Coach Baker stated. "We have four seniors with three or four years of experience. Our freshman group already has played together for four years and a couple of them have played five years. So, on paper we are extremely young but when it comes down to it we actually have a ton of experience. We just hope that that experience will be enough to compete with teams who have as much experience with their older players. "
The team has had three different coaches in three years, so they started by establishing some team goals for the future.
Their number one goal as a team is to become a close knit family. "Our players understand that teamwork is the most important component to being successful. They understand that no matter the talent, skill, or experience; close knit teams are hard to beat. Another one of our goals is to build great character, not only as a volleyball player on the court but also as a student in the halls of Wayne County High School and as members of this community."
"When you have players with that mentality, you know that they are going to make something of themselves outside the game of volleyball and that is the biggest reward a coach could get," noted Baker.
So, if the team keeps their team goals and individual goals in check the entire season, there is no reason they cannot be a serious contender for the district title. And the chance at possibly winning would be exciting since Wayne County is hosting the district tournament this year.
For more information about the Wayne County High School Volleyball Team go to the school district website at www.wayne.kyschools.us and click on the athletics button on the left hand column. Or, go to a new Facebook page at Wayne Co. Volleyball for extra information.