Your future, our focus
BY DAVID DICKEY
Tribune Sports Editor
Flavia Siqueira, head coach of the Northwest College volleyball team, went into this year's camp with several goals in mind. One was to teach individual skills to girls in grades eight through 12. Another key objective was to allow her players, who served as instructors, to develop much-needed chemistry prior to the start of the 2008 season.
Young campers receive instruction, Lady Trappers develop chemistry
According to camp participants and members of the Lady Trappers, both goals were accomplished during the event, which started Sunday and concluded Tuesday. Shelby McIntosh, who will be a sophomore at Powell High School during the 2008-09 school year, was one of several local participants at the camp, which drew 50 players, primarily from Wyoming and Montana.
During the three-day event, McIntosh, like other campers, honed her volleyball skills and increased her knowledge of the game. She also was one of a select group of players chosen for a team award presented to campers who worked the hardest and did the most to help promote team unity. The awards were voted on by the Lady Trappers who helped staff the event.
"I learned a lot, especially about the rules of the game," McIntosh said. "It was a lot of fun, too. It was definitely one of the best camps I've been to."
That's exactly what Siqueira hoped to hear from the campers following the event. She also was happy to learn that her plan of putting the Lady Trappers in a position to work together toward a common goal paid dividends as well. With the majority of NWC's team consistingof players new to the Lady Trappers' program, Siqueira knew the camp would give her squad a chance to interact and begin building team chemistry, a factor that has a huge impact on season.
According to Carol Martin, a sophomore transfer student athlete from the College of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M., the Lady Trappers were able to gain a good start on learning what makes each other tick.
"We know we have good talent, but we have to learn to work as a team," said Martin, who played high school volleyball in Curitiba, Brazil. "To do good in our season, we have to be able to work together. The more we can have fun together and work together as a team, the better chance we have of winning games."
Siqueira said her players, in addition to staffing the camp, have had to endure plenty of conditioning work during their spare time since reporting to campus. They also worked on fundamentals during time away from the camp. Siqueira, a former All-American at the collegiate level, said during her young coaching career she has learned to condition her players before diving into practices that include learning offensive and defensive strategies.
"It's better if they have been through conditioning first," Siqueira said. "It's hard to learn when you are tired. By doing the conditioning first, that's all they have to focus on. When we start practicing, they'll be in better shape and they won't be thinking about how tired they are when they need to be learning what I'm teaching them.
"With the volleyball camp completed, Siqueira said the Lady Trappers will now spend even more time getting to know each other through a number of activities, which include players spending time with their host families and a team camping trip before the brunt of the practice season begins Monday, Aug. 11.
"The camp went really well," Siqueira said. "We had two coaches for every 10 players, and that's a really good number. That allowed for plenty of one-on-one instruction. I think the girls learned a lot and had fun. It's also been good for my players. They've had a chance to spend a lot of time together and they've gotten to know each other better. That's important when you are trying to build a team."
The Lady Trappers are scheduled to begin the season at the Outback Invitational, a two-day tournament hosted by the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. That event is slated for Aug. 22-23.