Dear Prep Dig, But….It’s Homecoming
Homecoming week. For some teams, it seems like the stars align with maybe one match on a Tuesday or Thursday and no tournaments on Saturday – the Gods of Homecoming and Volleyball are playing nice. In other cases, its a week with two matches, a tournament on a Friday night or Saturday (all day), plus a long bus ride home which will cut into getting ready, possibly dinner and a quick rush to the dance. I know this is thin ice here, but maybe a neutral perspective can help ease the tensions between players, coaches, and parents come homecoming week.
Dear Prep Dig,
But….it’s Homecoming.
……………………………………….
When schedules come out, the football game the whole town looks to is Homecoming. There are always plenty of factors that go into planning the homecoming game, but most likely seeing what volleyball tournament is on Saturday is not one of them. There are going to be the things that coaches worry about such as a player having a bum ankle from powder puff football, a homecoming date gone wrong which ends in tears, or a group of angry players that are kind of there mentally for the Saturday tournament.
Coaches, telling players that it’s just high school and it’s really no big deal is definitely not the way to go. In their world, this IS a huge deal. Avoid making a mountain out of a molehill with the words chosen when talking about this. Ask them about some of their plans for homecoming, embrace the dress up days, if one of your players is on court – celebrate that!
Players, understand for coaches the worst-case scenarios are flaring up with injuries, distractions, and other events that could eventually impact the rest of the season. There is a way to meet in the middle. Again, have fun, be active, be smart, but also be transparent with your coaches. Secretly playing powderpuff football when coaches tell you not to might dig up a much bigger issue.
For all parties involved? Embrace it! Here are a few success stories from Homecoming that are true and not made up scenarios 🙂
Kasson-Mantorville will host Lakeville South for our 3rd Annual homecoming volleyball match today at 1pm in Home Federal Arena at the KM High School!!
Looking forward to some awesome volleyball in an amazing atmosphere!! Free Admission. BE THERE!!! @KM_Activities @LSHS_VB pic.twitter.com/3wzNRUeAgM— KoMet Volleyball (@KoMetVolleyball) September 27, 2019
Kasson-Mantorville High School near Rochester, Minnesota. They have embraced it and then added fireworks to homecoming week. What started two years ago is now an event that all look forward to when the volleyball team plays a match the afternoon of Homecoming Friday. The student section is in full force (understatement), the pep band is there, and the energy is through the roof! This is the ultimate community event and allows the volleyball team to be more involved in the festivities. This year they will be playing Lakeville South, a top team in the largest class for Minnesota, while K-M is a top team in their own class as well. This isn’t just a special atmosphere for the athletes from K-M, but for Lakeville South to have the experience to play in front of a raucous crowd is quite the way to prepare for the postseason and will be a match they will never forget.
WOW! Video from Kasson-Mantorville’s fantastic Home Federal Arena. Komets vs. Byron volleyball, with all 9-12 students in the gym. #mshsl pic.twitter.com/na52bB7RsE
— John Millea (@MSHSLjohn) October 6, 2017
My first year of coaching as an assistant we were faced with one of those worst-case scenarios Saturday tournaments before the homecoming dance. A two and a half hour bus ride didn’t help matters with players having to get up incredibly early knowing they would be getting back a little later than they obviously would have liked.
Members of the 2015 Appleton North Volleyball Team – Using the bus as a salon for homecoming after a tournament that propelled them to a state tournament.
From parents to coaches to players, we made it work. Since it was a long trip along with homecoming, we were able to get a charter bus that had….outlets! We were able to make an agreement with another team to ref the matches after ours were completed. What I love about the volleyball world is that people are willing to help others because it will for sure come back full circle.
We had food ready to go on the bus ride and the ride home turned into a salon. With outlets there were straighteners, curling irons, and whatever else they needed. We even had a sister and former player join the team to help with makeup, accessories, and everything else possible to transform these gritty volleyball players into Cinderellas. The joke was that as coaches we are so used to seeing them with the hair up, knee pads, elbow pads, and the battle scars volleyball tends to offer. To see these high school kids be so excited for an event and to make this situation into something positive was something where parents, athletes, and coaches could all smile about.
Happy Homecoming everyone! Good Luck with your matches, be smart, have fun, and embrace what can be a really powerful experience for all!