We are deep into our second year of club volleyball. I have two daughters – currently ages 13 and 11. Both LOVE volleyball. I mean LOVE it! It helps a little that my 13 year old is almost six foot two inches tall! And she has figured out how amazing it feels to be able to tip that ball right over that net into the other court without much of an effort! The 11 year old has played one year and loves the team aspect and the traveling. I am sure it won’t be long until she is as tall as her sister and able to spike with the best of them!
As a family, we get the honor and privilege of taking the girls to each practice, and each game. Since it is club volleyball – we travel much farther than we would with a school team. This is an opportunity to see places we have not seen before, to play teams from other states and, to watch our girls grow in skill and confidence. We also get to find hotel rooms for the destinations, and pack enough food to fill an elephant. Not to mention keeping our spirits high as we get up way too early for a weekend! Watching the wins, losses, and bad referee calls allow us to teach our children what good sportsmanship really should look like.
It requires a big commitment on everyone’s part. The time spent traveling is good family time! Because of the time together, there are lots of discussions about where we are going and what we are doing while we drive to our next game. As a result of this experience, I believe club volleyball is a great teaching opportunity. If you are on the run to your games like we are, take the time to enjoy this togetherness. It is over way too quickly.
