Culture, Confidence, and Competition Fuel Wisconsin Badger Team Camp
50 teams from six states, 70 coaches from high school, club, and colleges across the country, all combinations in place to make one amazing experience for all involved in the Wisconsin Badger Team Camp held July 14-16 in Madison.
Being at this camp, it makes complete sense of why volleyball in the Midwest has become the new hotbed of talent behind the education of coaches, along with elite training and work ethic of top players.
Hats off to the staff and players at the University of Wisconsin. Organizing that many athletes in five different gyms, scheduling practice sessions, demos, competition time, and all the logistics of running a first class event is a brainchild in itself. And to do it well – amazing! Teams leave here with a bonding experience, learning new things about each other and where to go from here the rest of the summer, and not only the new volleyball skills, but the mental training off court sessions put on by Coach Kelly Sheffield with his own players being able to contribute to the athlete’s experience as well.
The Set Up
Every team at the camp is given a coach that in most situations is different than their high school coach. Their high school coach may or may not be there, but the practices and drills are run by their camp coach. You may have a former Badger player such Haleigh Nelson coaching West Liberty out of Iowa or Kelli Bates coaching Waterford (WI). There are college coaches as well such as Paul Schlomer out of Edgewood College in Madison coaching Quincy Notre Dame (IL) or Bre Ebenhoe, the head coach at Waldorf University in Iowa coaching Howards Grove (WI). Teams will have a balance of practice and competition drills against other teams the first day and a half with tournament competition seeding matches starting on Saturday night with a full tournament on Sunday.
The Mental Game
Teams at all levels have found that it is beyond the physical tools that are going to get them to accomplish their goals. Every team wants to be conference champion, to have a shot at the state tournament, but what is going to put them over the edge against other teams of their caliber to accomplish those goals.
Coach Sheffield will hold leadership sessions for coaches and then one geared towards the athletes. He will talk to them about communication, leadership, and the emphasis this year was confidence. What makes an athlete confident? How do you build confidence? Hearing players such as Dana Rettke, Mariah Whalen, and Mallory Dixon is so powerful to be able to share their experience of these same things with athletes who look up to them in the highest regard. It was only a couple years ago they were in that same room as an athlete at this camp.
It’s demo team time by @BadgerVB expect an entertaining color commentary by Coach Sheffield pic.twitter.com/Z1awO7HsNe
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) July 15, 2018
The Demos
For a break in between sessions teams would go to the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion (NJP) to watch a team demonstration put on by the current team and even some of the alumni. The sessions will be skill and competition with the Saturday night session being a two set scrimmage with score being kept and Coach Sheffield giving his color commentary.
Former Badger All American, Courtney Thomas, was able to throw on some knee pads and play during the demo. She still has it. Scoring points from the right side, hitting high hands, and has that grit and will to win which was always her signature as a Badger. The best part about that experience was the team she will be coaching this Fall, Quincy Notre Dame out of Quincy, Illinois was in the front row cheering her on.
On Sunday teams are scattered into nine pools with the top teams advancing into various brackets based on their pool record in the morning. Matches were one set to twenty five or twenty five minutes, no room for error which makes for an exciting energy, every point matters.
The top 16 teams played at the Shell Ice Rink which is located next to Camp Randall Stadium. Of the sweet sixteen, five states were represented with teams from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. The final four consisted of Kettle Moraine Lutheran (WI), Omaha Duchense (NE), Champlin Park (MN), and Resurrection College Prep (IL). Champlin Park defeated Omaha Duchense to take the title.