Lassen College volleyball camp draws in dedicated youth
Emily Garretson, left, Caitlyn Crosby and Taylor Nethery practice running while setting the ball to hone their skills. Photo by Ashley Grogan
Susanville native and returning Cougar volleyball player Zhayantel Elias, right, teaches Paige Henry the right form for setting the ball. Photo by Ashley GroganOn Monday, June 12, the Lassen College Athletic Summer Kids Camp series saw the first on-campus camp gather local youth. Lassen’s volleyball camp drew in young athletes between the ages of sixth and 12th grade.
The camp ran during the afternoons between June 12 and Thursday, June 15 and allowed more than 40 young athletes to learn more about the sport as well as each other as they grew together in the four-day span.
Lassen College volleyball head coach Julie Brown said “It’s a lot of fun watching the younger girls become excited to learn volleyball.”
According to Brown, this year’s camp is full of children more dedicated than ever to understand and enjoy the sport of volleyball.
Brown made sure the camp focused on everything needed to help the campers become the best volleyball player they could.
Throughout the week, campers learned about the fundamentals such as serving, setting, bumping
Jennifer Siekierski jumps to spike the ball during drill stations at the Athletic Summer Kids Volleyball Camp on Thursday, June 15. Photo by Ashley Groganand spiking. In addition, the young athletes worked on their communication with teammates and made lasting memories with laughs and smiles.
The camp had a basic structure of stations before scrimmages, and then the campers played games.
During the station time, incoming Lassen College recruits and two LCC sophomores were able to divide the campers into age groups so each athlete could focus more time on one skill in specific.
The campers would then rotate throughout the stations before playing a few scrimmages to put their recently learned skill to the test.
Brown mentioned that the setup was ideal for the Lady Cougar 2017 volleyball team for multiple reasons.
First, the stations allowed the Lady Cougars to develop a connection with the local youth in a smaller group setting. Brown said it is important that the local children and young athletes are able to remember the Cougar players as the community is the best support a Lassen team could have.
In addition, the camp allowed the incoming LCC freshmen to get to know one another and work together as a team prior to the pre-season practices beginning.
The camp allowed both campers and teaching recruits to grow together, all in the name of a sport mutually adored.
The Lassen Athletic Summer Kids Camps include wrestling and softball for this week. Camps for the week of Monday, June 26 include basketball and soccer.
