Young kids these days sit at home on technology and don’t go out to get any exercise — but local volleyball clinics are changing that.
Every Sunday until Oct. 30, these clinics were coached by McDaniel volleyball players at Westminster High School. Jerome Georgiana, the founder of the program, says, “each program is usually two months or eight sessions long.”
Young volleyball players are split into groups of second through fourth grade, fifth through sixth grade, and seventh through twelfth grade.
Of the age groupings, Georgiana says, “I wanted to offer as many girls the chance to learn from these amazing teachers. The best aspect about this league is NO parents are involved.”
The first session for second through fourth grade is 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The second, for fifth and sixth grade, is 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The final session for seventh through twelfth grade is 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Georgiana chose McDaniel volleyball student-athletes as coaches since they have an understanding of the game. Each Sunday session, the coaches go to the high school, set up the volleyball nets and prepare for the upcoming practice. The practices are each two hours long and consist of overview of basic skills and game play.
“I enjoy seeing the kids practicing a sport that they may or may not be familiar with because it allows us as coaches to teach them about volleyball and help them improve their skills,” says freshman, Abigail Hernandez. The coaches make a practice game plan for each session and apply it depending on what the girl’s skill level is that week.
Senior Emme Petti, says, “I’ve always had a passion for coaching and teaching young girls how to play the game. I remember looking up to the coaches I had when I was their age. You want these girls to have the best experience possible. Especially at this age, you can make it or break it for them.”
The girls who attend love the practices and enjoy playing with friends. Gillian Blubaugh, a player in the fifth and sixth grade session, explains why she wanted to start playing volleyball.
“My friends Ruthiea and Emma encouraged me to and I wanted to try something new, and it looked like fun.”
Parents love having their girls participate in an active sport. Margaret Blubaugh, Gillian’s mother, says she loves “seeing [Gillian] get up and take part in something that helps work on being part of a team, and also gets them away from the TV and iPod and moving around.”
The program started in the fall of 2014 and continues to grow each season. Georgiana hopes the program will expand, since it impacts young girls through exercise and helps them develop as athletes. The next session will take place in the spring for another two-month session.
For more information about this program please contact Jerome Georgiana at jdgeorg@carollk12.org
