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As a devoted volleyball player myself, I don't understand why men's volleyball hasn't become a major sport in America. During
my trips to northern Germamny and Italy I learned how to play on sand courts, and the people there gave me tips and taught
me how to play. I loved the sport, and was excited to try out for the school team. In the Bay Area of California, I was schocked
to find out that 4 people tried out for the 7th grade team, when there were 120 or so boys that could have! So, we had to
try and recruit people for the team.
I asked a lot of my friends, and they just shrugged it off and responded instantly, "Isn't volleyball supposed
to be for girls? I don't want to wear spandex!" Part of the fact was that it was the first year that flag football was
offered in our district the fall, and that our cross country season was also during that same season. I'm sure that if one
boy from flag football had decided to switch to volleyball instead, and had reccomended it to his friends, the whole team
would have followed his example. At last I found some friends that decided to play on the team.
After some time, we all got really into the sport. I made some great friends, and during the winter, many players
decided to try some lessons at the YMCA in a co-ed program. Following the successful season, I wanted to learn more about
volleyball at a camp. It took us a very long time to find a camp that was close to where I lived. We tried several club teams
before the summer, but each one either had no men's team, or was too competitive. Being part of a club team is especially
tough, and such a commitment would have sacrificed a large part of our summer together as a family. I was starting to realize
how hard it was to get a good hold of men's volleyball training.
We decided to try out the Stanford men's volleyball camp. The coach for the Stanford team was there, which was very
inspiring. A bunch of great coaches, experienced college players, and a handful of professionals were at the camp as well.
We learned and perfected advanced volleyball skills such as blocking, hitting (spiking), digging, sprawling, and setting,
and I made many friends with the same interests, including one that is currently in my fall-ball team for baseball.
This website is here for the people who decide that they want to learn more about volleyball and find oppertunities and
advice to improve their game!
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