KINGSTON — On the first day of a recent volleyball camp at Kingston Junior High, Olympic College head volleyball coach Tobie Moore served a ball to a group of young athletes.
They stayed rooted in place like trees.
Four days later, the girls did a similar drill, and the difference was dramatic: The athletes were rotating into position, backing up to return the ball and barking out instructions.
At Volleyball by Olympic College, a four-day camp that has been held twice this summer, that’s what the coaches are looking for: progress and fundamentals. And so far, they’ve been pleased with what they’ve seen during the warmer months of the year.
“They’ve learned quite a bit, and they’re doing well,” Moore said Thursday afternoon of the 19 girls in the session for younger athletes.
The camp included girls from 10-13 years old. There was also a four-day session for older girls ages 14-16 which was held in the afternoon and had 23 participants.
“We get a lot of players who have never played before, which is a lot of fun. We get a chance to make sure kids learn fundamentals,” said Olympic College assistant coach Carl Pech.
The four days begin with simple lessons on hand position, footwork and the basic concepts, and soon moves to game situations and body positioning. As the camp progresses, some of the skills become more sophisticated.
“Some of the things we teach here, the kids won’t use until high school — but they’ll know it,” said Moore, adding that lessons are enforced through drills and games.
The girls reported that they were learning plenty of new skills.
“You get to do a lot of stuff and learn a lot of things,” said Kingston’s Amanda Cantwell, who will be at the junior high next year.
“I like how you can learn new things you didn’t know before,” said Kingston’s Anna Finlon.
Not every lesson at the camp was limited to technical play; the girls worked on reflexes as well, including one game where they laid on the floor in a semicircle, tapped the floor with their hands in sequence, then trickily reversed direction — with anyone who missed a beat being eliminated.
Poulsbo’s Catherine Pasculli said she enjoyed the camp’s skills, but appreciated the other benefits as well.
“It teaches you good teamwork,” Pasculli said.
Moore said she was happy with the camp for another reason. After spending several years as a veteran coach of the Kitsap County volleyball scene — including a stint as head coach at KJH — she said she was pleased to see the progress the sport is making in the area.
“Volleyball’s one of the fastest growing sports around,” she explained.
Moore pointed to the expansion of the Kitsap Juniors Volleyball Club, which recently added a 13-and-under team and may add a 12-and-under this year; the competitiveness of the high school programs; and the growth of camps such as the one in Kingston, which has been held for two years now in association with Poulsbo Parks and Recreation.
