2010 Team Bonds with Ropes Course

Our first team activity was dinner at my house. That was almost more of a meet-and-greet between the new freshmen (and some family members) and the rest of the team. It's always fun to have that first meeting be an informal one, and any meeting with food is a good one in my book. The next day we had our fitness test, which most people did successfully... NESCAC rules prohibited us from starting practice until Sept. 1, so we had time that afternoon for more team bonding as the rest of the Freshmen class was busy moving in. We decided to make the most of our time with the team before our own Freshmen get too bogged down in Orientation activities. A ropes course seemed the perfect idea! It was brutally hot, but at least being in the shade in the woods was a bit cooler, and being on the giant swing was almost like being in air conditioning. By the end of that day, I think we were all pooped, but we certainly knew eachother much better, which made our first practice the next morning at 6:30 am more enjoyable!

Studwell Has Exciting Summer Abroad

Sarah Studwell had an exciting and adventurous summer abroad. She spent six weeks in Europe in all, but split the trip into two halves. The first three weeks were spent working through the WWOOF Foundation where you work a few hours a day on an organic farm in exchange for housing and meals. Sarah said the following about that experience, "That was a blast, though sometimes we did some pretty hard work."

The next three weeks she backpacked from the Netherlands to Munich, Prague, Cinque Terre (Italy), and ended in Barcelona. What Sarah had to say most about that part of the trip was this, "Barcelona was really fun for me because I got to speak a lot of Spanish, and in both Spain and Germany we got to watch World Cup Games in the country that won. That was very exciting!"

She also reported that in addition to playing a lot of beach volleyball for the remainder of the summer, she will be working a lot to pay for her trip! Sounds like a great summer to me! Thanks for sharing, Stud! :)

Jane Bikes 300 Miles to "Grant a Wish"

This summer Jane had a little help with her workouts. She participated in the Make-a-Wish Foundation Bike Ride. The young boy she sponsored was a 4th grader whose name is Matthew. The "mission" of the organization is: "Our Mission: The Make-a-Wish Foundation of Michigan grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy." She and some of her family participated in the 300 mile bike ride, and then her special friend, Matthew was the one to put her medal around her neck at the end of the ride.

This is some of what Jane had to say about the ride. "I DID IT!! I'm a little bit shocked that I'm still functioning, but it was an amazing experience doing the Make-a-Wish bike ride. There were so many inspirational stories...it was so cool. You sponsor a kid, and then you get to meet them at the end and they give you your medal. I was definitely crying by that time. His name is Matthew and he's only going into 4th grade. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done (both mentally and physically) but it was sooo worth it in the end!"

Great work, Jane. I think it sounds like a win-win for both you and Matthew. And, you got some great exercise out of it, too. We all know cross-training is good, but I certainly never expected a 300 mile bike-ride to be one of your "other fun activities" over the summer. Way to go!

Julia Joined Crew this past Spring

Julia didn't know much about Crew before getting to Middlebury, but thought she'd give it a try. After a winter filled with a lot of training inside in the erg room, and weights and more weights, they finally got to get outside early in the spring, and into the water. She's said that they rowed through Snow, Hail, and all sorts of various Spring weather. All Spring Sports in Vermont have to deal with the weather, but possibly none worse than Crew. This may have been one of our "best" Springs in a long time, but we still had our fair share of downright chilly weather, especially if you're out on the lake in the wee hours of the morning! Here is a link to some pictures of Julia's boat. Way to go, Julia!!

https://www.sportgraphics.com/events/3981/photo_browser?school_id=237&event_leg_id=24536&sculler_id=&commit=Search+Photos

Alums Return for Reunion Weekend

Reunion time at MIDD is always a fun time. I didn't see many volleyball alums, but I did catch up with these two!

Shani is a doctor in Boston (we joked that she's living Grey's Anatomy, and she did hint that there were times when it seemed like that, but not in ALL ways!) She's in the Hospital, and deals with whomever is there, and said that she enjoys it it that way, but does not develop relationships with patients like a Family Practitioner might, but she is constantly challenged by always facing sick patients in need every day in the Hospital.

Hav, aka Heather, is teaching art to our youngsters, and they are the lucky recipients of her talents and enthusiasm! She is also enjoying her job, and has many fun stories to share about crazy kids! Way to go, both of you! So fun to catch up with you both. I got to see Hav this winter at a Basketball Alumni Game, but haven't gotten to see Shani in quite some time. Keep in touch, ladies!

I've also heard from Kellie Jensen recently. She was somewhat recently married to her MIDD boyfriend, Ian. I believe that the wedding was in Germany, where he was stationed briefly during his command with the Army. Stay safe now while you're in Afghanistan! It was great to catch up with Kellie, who is finishing up a Masters in the Business School at the University of Michigan this Spring.

Lindsay Patterson has been in touch, and she's enjoyed being in Aspen for a while. She was still working with the Buddy Program, which is a fantastic organization, and has continued her coaching career again this year with the 5th-6th graders. She reports that it's very fun to work with such an enthusiastic bunch! She's just spent some time recently in NYC interning with a Physical Therapist, and has some fun/work planned out West before starting classes in the Fall for PT/Medical school out in San Francisco. Lindsay, you will be a fantastic PT or Doctor, whichever direction you end up! The Rehab Portion of PT sounds like it's right up your alley, especially with the variety of injuries you've had experience with. :) Any good X-Game Family ought to have a PT in the family! She also caught up with Lexie Fisher and had a fun Girls getaway, which was probably a needed break for the TFA teacher. Lexie continues with that Program in NYC, and Luz Brito Pena is also still teaching in the Big Apple.
I also heard recently from Blair Sly, my Student Assistant Coach in the late 90's. He's doing great in San Francisco. His business is still doing great, which allows him to continue coaching boys volleyball in Oakland, where he's starting to rack up the victories! His team has been League Champs three years running now. I think he's developing a dynasty out there. He's enjoying his work a lot, but would love for the Coaching to keep growing as a bigger and bigger part of his life! He's still coaching JV girls too, and is contemplating coaching a club team? Keep up the great work, Blair! He has not been in touch with a ton of MIDD KIDS, but did mention that he was sorry he'd missed Leslie Edwards wedding recently. Maybe we'll get that scoop from either Leslie or Amy soon?! Thanks for the update, Blair.

I've also been in touch briefly with both Katie Kenney and Evan Kanaly, who were both married in the recent past. Katie is very happy living in MN with Eric, and their adorable dog, and Evan has recently moved into a new home with her hubby Curt. Hope to catch up more soon.

OK, if anyone out there has more news they'd like to share with their MIDD Volleyball family, please let me know! Have a great summer, everyone!

Saying Goodbye to our Seniors

It's hard to believe that our four seniors are leaving already. It sure has gone by fast! Because of our FEB Program, Reisa went to the Senior Athletic Department Awards last year, and Whitney went this year. Reisa graduated on skis this February, and is already back in CA awaiting the start of her new job any day now. Whit will also graduate on skis next February, but both are part of this group of "seniors." Molly had the honor of being selected as one of the two student speakers at the Departmental Awards Ceremony held in Mead Chapel, and she did a fantastic job! Congratulations Molly!!

A couple of days later, graduation was held in the quad below and it was beautiful, as usual. The rain held off, and it was a gorgeous day. A little hot for the graduates, maybe, but there was a nice little breeze for those of us up on the hill a bit. Brian and I managed to catch up with each senior briefly after the celebration during the lunch.

Our seniors had several distinctions that went with their respective degrees, and I'd like to announce them so we all are aware of their academic prowess, in addition to their athletic prowess! So, here were are:

Molly was a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Major, and in addition to the honor of being selected as a speaker at the Department Awards Ceremony, she was also Summa Cum Laude, and appointed Phi Beta Kappa.

Natalie was Cum Laude as a Neuroscience Major.

Mallory received Honors in the History Department, and was also Cum Laude.

We'll miss them all tremendously, but hope to keep in touch with them as now ALUMS of Middlebury College! Congratulations to all of you! Good luck out there in the "real world," but know that we'll always welcome you back home here at MIDD!!

Team Hosts Clinic for Area Youth

 With NO High School Volleyball in the State of Vermont, it's a little tough getting kids excited and interested in a sport that a lot of them have never really seen. Not only that, but there's no place for them to go with their "new" skills, except to come back to our clinic next year!

That didn't stop these kids from signing up for our Free Clinic, and having a ball, literally, in Pepin Gymnasium with our Team. After they warmed up with games like elbow tag, and sharks and minnows, they were introduced to the basic skills of passing, setting and even hitting (sort of...). The team had a great time, and so did the kids.

 We had a trial run last year with a group of Home-schooled children. It went well, so we tried to generate more interest this year by putting flyers at the local elementary schools. It was open to boys and girls in grades 1-6, and we had about 4 kids from last year come out again this year, so we're hoping it'll grow little by little each year. There were lots of laughs, and smiles, and a lot of excitement from our newest fans, I think.

 Just as we do, we started out with a lot of passing. You can never do too much passing!!

Then came the time to HIT! Even at this stage, everyone wants to hit. Not as easy as it looks...even with a low net and a ball that's just sitting there.

Then we had them try to set. Lauren was our resident expert, and got them shaping their hands appropriately into the bowl. I don't think we got to the point where they actually realized what a real "set" is other than another way to pass, but it's a good start!

The group got together at the end to try to put a "game" together. Rotating was a foreign thought, but it was kind of fun to get them out there with the team to try to put a rally together.