Dash

2022 Volleyball Junior Nationals

Dash's last stint with Coast.  His Junior year, after the High School Season concludes.

The team was a holdover from the previous Fall.  He was having a hard time breaking into the Outside Hitter rotation (we were stacked). 

Then our second Middle broke a finger (while bumping with Dash).

"Dad, they're going to have me play Middle.  I don't think I can do it..."

 

Two weeks prior to the trip to Orlando, the team was pretty dismal, something like 2-12.  

Then something happened (a 45-minute team talk prior to a practice?).  Something big.

In the Showcase in Anaheim a week before Nationals, we swept the first two days, and then won the first single elimination match on Sunday before exiting with a loss.  Where'd that come from?

Coming into Nationals, they ranked us 1st in our Pool and 5th overall out of 59 teams in 16 Club. (We were all very skeptical).

2022 Junior Nationals in Orlando
One hundred courts of volleyball

Win, win, win... Dash: "I've never been 6-0 before".  Us, "We know!  It's terribly fun, isn't it?"  It was terribly fun.

A tourney is a LOT more fun and emotional when you're kicking butt.

Undefeated through nine games.

Dash serves an ace to get our 10th Match Win.

Celebrating an ace to go 10-0

Gallery

 

A Three Set, back and forth win against Ocean Bay (Tampa) brought us to 11-0.

Louisville Fury, who clearly forged a lot of Birth Certificates, had our number and ended our amazing run. 

 

We take Bronze!  A Great Tourney!

 

Something else that made this even special: the penultimate day was the only time my mother (Dash's grandma) ever got to see him play.  Undefeated. And The Lift!

 

You should be able to right-click to download photos.  I also didn't do much post-processing.  If there is a shot you like, I do have full-resolution .jpgs and RAW (to make better crops).  Let me know.

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2019

<<< Note, details are vague in the early years.  Feel free to provide me some context >>>

2019 was Dash and Trevor's first year of volleyball, starting with beach.  

Not sure where Shahab was this year.

I don't remember much about this season other than it was Dash's first foray outside (overly) competitive basketball.  Pulling up to the courts after practice was over, Coach Brooake and Coach Mark were working with Dash and another player.  Watching the coaches with the boys, I completely lost it.  The last couple of seasons had some really unprofessional coaches.  Dash was relaxed and having a good time - and learning.  I knew immediately and intrinsically that I could trust Brooke and Mark without any reservations whatsoever.  Dash was in good care.  That he and I had no longer had to worry about me placing him in an abusive environment overwhelmed me.  I'll always be grateful.

Dash and Trev as freshman were not factors in the JV competition. I'm not even sure they were partners, though they did play informally together.

Dash and Trevor playing pickup

 I don't remember much about the season other than all the boys seemed to have a good time.

Indoor

In addition to Varsity and JV, 2019 Indoor had a Freshman/Sophomore team.  Ah, the heady lush Pre-Covid days...

By now, both Trevor and Dash had a season of Coast experience (Dash, 14-years old, played on 16u team - all 14-year olds and one 16-year old.   They got consistently destroyed, but unlike basketball, they were not physically battered - thank you, net.).

Note from Feb 27:

Really memorable emotional juxtaposition Tuesday vs. Wednesday.
 
Dash had his first school indoor sixes volleyball match (Freshman/Sophomore team) on Tuesday. Leigh and I were incredulous. In seven years of basketball, we were never much confused about when Dash was on the bench. In the elite leagues and teams, he was often not an elite player.
 
After serving the last five points to close out the SET 1 win, he basically didn't play the remaining two sets in the match loss. Brand new players were making the typical brand new player mistakes - a LOT. Like being unable to get serves in. ???
 
Leigh and I were completely "WTF?!" "What is the coach's criteria here? What is he doing?" There may be a bit of personality conflict there. We don't know, but Dash is very consistent from his Club Season. He is NOT a beginner. We were quite shocked - never felt that way in basketball.
 
YESTERDAY, we set up a net at De Anza Cove, specifically to play some pickup with Dash and whoever would join us. 
 
"Dash, our goal here is to make it inescapable to coach that he can't keep you on the bench. Your game is clearly up-to-speed, we'll make it better. Personalty stuff will work itself out with good attitude and working hard. You got this."

Note from the Feb 29 "Novice Series" pool event:  

"Dash had a good day today. Seven players for the Pool Event. Lots of playing time. Trevor was the best player. Dash was probably second. A much better showing today for all than on Tuesday."

 

 March 6

(I had to majorly edit this post. I was way too frustrated when I posted it at the game).
 
I thought I’d go to hell for wishing opposing 9-year olds miss their free throws. Volleyball is a graver sin as Dash sits on the bench when he's one of the top two players of the nine at the game.
 
Scripps Ranch tonight with the Coach who sat Dash almost all of the first match last Tuesday and the first game tonight.
 
Dash sat game 1. We lost 25-8. Dash only played Game 2 tonight. We lost that one 25-23. Dash played with zero errors, great passes, good hits. The other team basically targeted our weakest player who played both games.
 
Volleyball is a harsh game for the players with less experience and skill. I've certainly been that player. Nothing worse than when the other team figures out you're the weak link and starts attacking you. Service Receives, knowing it's coming to you, sucks. You're on an Island of Shame when it's shank, shank, shank. (Fortunately, I play on a court I belong on now (thanks, friends!), and my passing (except for this Wednesday) has been passable).
 
Bless me, Father, for I have thought ill thoughts about young men trying their hardest and a coach I don't understand...
 
Lord, please start Dash so that my heart may be saved. 🙂
 
 

 March 12, 2020

Decent point here.
 
Frosh team was really flat and error-prone yesterday. Team funk. Lost the two sets 28-26, 25-23.
 
Things felt normal. Dash (#16) played the first set and then subbed in the second. He had a few errors (including two on two-handing over the net (they call them tighter as it was technically a JV game), but was still very solid.

March 13

COVID shuts down the season.

 

March 26 - 2021!!

 

So happy for Dash.  
 
Sports' age cutoff tends to be based on school grade. Back when Dash was 4, we really didn't think much about the sports impact when pre-school said "he knows all he needs to know, get him out of here." Off to kindergarten.
 
The immediate result of him being very young for his grade is that he's playing older kids. For whatever reason, it seems our basketball teams were always playing UP a grade, sometimes two.
 
He was always thin.
 
The emotional result is that he was always getting pummelled and seldom found much glory. Paying dues is fine, but at some point you need some positives to stay motivated.
 
High School Volleyball is attempting a go in face of COVID. UCHS tryouts and practice is experienced juniors and seniors. Trevor is out with a shoulder injury, so he's the only undreclassman.  They're taller than him, and the big difference between a 15 year old and 17 and 18 year olds is MUSCLE. "Dad, they're HUGE!"  So, he's going through another round of being the smaller thin guy.
 
Yesterday after practice, getting in the car his bearing was completely different.  He said "that was fun". ! The gist is that were playing 4's, and his 4 team won the round robin and then when they were picking sixes teams, the big guys pick him 7 out of the 16 guys there (#4 on his team). Validation, not from unqualified parents, but from the older, experienced athletes.
 
We really are so happy for him. Sports should be fun, and getting acknowledged takes so much pressure off.  
 
This day did turn out to be the turning point in his sports career.
 
April 26
To Rule in Hell or To Serve in Heaven? A little of both? It's been an unusual season with COVID, but at least it's going forward.
 
Got a surprise "you're allowed in to watch the match" text tonight. Caught the last two sets of a 3 set JV match against Coronado. UC won both in extra points.
 
Dash is the top dog on the JV team (all very inexperienced players). He doesn't quite lead as strongly as he should. He's very quiet when out in public. His play has been very good (good jump serves, zero service errors). By set three tonight he was Hitting Angry. Really solid. One service return error, but otherwise error-free.
 
Playing with JV is more about leadership practice (he's Captain). Heck, I have zero effectiveness in leading (but you know that already). He is strong willed, but doesn't impose it. Needs to learn how and when to do that.
 
He practices with Varsity quite often, so does get some good up-level practice (though those kids are much bigger and stronger). They respect him, which is very important to him.
(Note: it is very stressful watching beginners. Volleyball really does take some experience to get it to where errors are Forced Errors and you don't see Surprise! regularly on the faces of the players.) Rally-scoring adds to the drama.
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I just received an invite to the Scouting Troop's annual Parents Party.

Yeah, I'm excited about it.

A fresh empty nester now, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the people most responsible for helping our bird thrive outside the nest.

Outside of family and a few teachers and coaches, no one put more talent and effort into uplifting our young teen into becoming a skilled and confident older teen than the parents we met through scouting.  They profoundly influenced my son's development - and my own.

I look forward to seeing them again.  

I realized also that there would be a lot of new parents I have not yet met.  What would I share with them?

 

I knew very little about Scouting; we joined to fill a need for a structured skills program.  We joined the troop with another family, but knew no one in the Troop.

Over a four-year period, these strangers became My People.  

My wife and I, late parents of an only child, were very focused and committed to parenting and thought we were providing a broad range of experiences for our son.  Scouts opened up much, much broader horizons.

While we had fond memories of club sports, the Scouting Culture was far more impressive.  First of all, rather than a coach and small staff teaching a game, it was The Full Village pitching in collectively, continuously, collaboratively, sharing an amazing, impressive range of talents and example.

There was a different attitude here as well.  In competitive sports, there is an underlying, unintentional, unsaid understanding that "your child's success may mean mine sitting on the bench."  The parents knew this, and as the kids got older, they knew this.  There was zero of that here.  Here the attitude, stated aloud and backed up by example, was "part of my success is your success and part of your success is helping other's success.  We ARE together."

So many skilled, talented mentors talking the talk and walking the walk (and swimming the swim:  I was kind of shocked when, for the swim safety training, Fritz jumped right in the (cold) pool without a pause).  Nothing halfway here. 

"We provide an environment where we encourage kids to try and where it's safe to 'fail' (because it's the opposite of 'failing')."  It wasn't just talk, I could see the walk.  So when one of the parents was asking for volunteers and emphasized "no experience necessary", I double-checked. "No experience? Are you sure?  Most of the Tenderfoots are more skilled than me."  "Absolutely.  Jump in."

I jumped, and I'm so thankful I did.  For so many reasons.

  1. It helped the troop, which means it helped the kids. Mine.  All of them.
  2. It helped me.  I learned a LOT.  New skills.  Organizational skills.  Additional lifelong outdoors skills. Applicable skills.
  3. The "Leadership Lab" rubbed off on me.  If nothing else, I showed that I was not afraid as an adult to fail in this very safe environment - perhaps the most important lesson.  Dare to be vulnerable. Walk the Walk.
  4. Working - a lot - with the other parents.  Like many other things in life, diving "all in" is amazingly more enriching than tiptoeing around the shallows. Providing the infrastructure for the scouts to run the troop is a tremendous amount of work.  ScoutMasters essentially have a second full time job.  Committee members can put in many hours a week.  Scout Camping trips take a lot of planning and time.  The leadership of the troop have - not to take anything away from those who contribute in all the other ways - dedicated a great deal of themselves, their talent and their time to the kids.  Character highly committed to deep valuable service - in their "spare time".  These are some of the best people you could meet.  It was a privilege to work with these people and I am honored to count them among my friends.  Outside of the parenting benefits, these relationships are the most meaningful takeaways from my time with Scouting.   I am humbled and enriched.
  5. I participated actively in the collective example of service to my son.  Who knows how "effective" I was/am as a parent?  I did some good things, some things I could have done better.  Unintentional Consequences haven't all presented themselves.  I think he'll be alright.   But I do know that my wife and I were all-in with our time and commitment.  There were clear visible benefits to the effort we put in with the Troop.  All the effort by everyone was supported and recognized by all.  My son's growth wasn't in isolation.  He saw the scouts ahead of him grow, he saw and helped his peers grow, and he led in the growth of the younger scouts.  He saw the parents grow.  He saw the results of our efforts in our growth.  All of this in the context of a large extended family of former strangers.  He saw the benefits of All In.  He knows that we began All In to benefit him because we love him, but he saw all the immediate, personal, and extended benefits permeating all around all of us.  This lesson, this example, is unmatched in my parenthood, and a level of success I could not have imagined.  

 

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing the parents, especially those with a new vacancy in the nest.  As for the newer Scout Parents: "All in, baby, all in.  The water's awesome."

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