(ROCKWALL, TX – May 19, 2016) J.E.R. Chilton YMCA Spring Volleyball finished its seven-game season strong with a single elimination tournament.
The 5th-6th grade champions are the Rockwall Volleyball Club, and the 3rd-4th grade champions are the Little Chargers.
RVC Coach Susie Leff said the season was full of fun times and big improvements for all of the girls.
“The season was great,” Leff said. “The coaches had complete patience for our children and it will help them be ready for 7th grade. I loved that they added a tournament because it gave the girls more time to play.”
More girls than ever decided to join a volleyball team this year. J.E.R. Chilton YMCA Sports Director Bill Cadman said participation went up by about 20 percent. Since the goal for some of the older players is to help prepare for middle school, Cadman said volleyball will now open up to 7th graders starting in the fall.
“It’s a youth recreational program, so the girls are getting the very beginner skills of volleyball,” Cadman said. “We want to get them prepared for junior high.”
Leff said her team was created because the girls wanted to have some volleyball background before 7th grade. She said she is glad that her daughter and her whole team had the opportunity to learn the basics and build friendships throughout the course of the program.
“Most of them had never touched a volleyball before,” Leff said. “The girls are not playing to win, they are playing to learn a new sport and spend time with other girls in the community.”
The Little Chargers team is made up entirely of students at Dallas Christian school. Coach Jamie Perkins, who teaches at Dallas Christian, said this makes it easier for the girls to practice right after school. Perkins said she was proud to see her team’s efforts pay off in the tournament and that the girls had lots of fun.
“The season was great; they worked really hard,” Perkins said. “Their chemistry is great and they trust each other. This is a team people need to watch in future years, because they are a force to be reckoned with.”
Perkins said she and her team always feel welcomed by the YMCA staff.
“The Y has been amazing: Bill Cadman has always welcomed my team. The first thing he asks at the end of every season is if we are coming back for the next one. Our girls pray before every game. The atmosphere at the gym allows that to happen.”
Cadman said he wanted to give a big thanks to all-star referee Greg Lamar for doing an excellent job once again this season. This is Lamar’s third year in a row to referee volleyball at the J.E.R. Chilton YMCA.
“He’s a good man.” Cadman said. “He never complains, and he always shows up on time.”
Volleyball may have served to a close for this season, but it will be back and bigger than ever in the fall with a new age group and the same positive atmosphere. Stay tuned for updates at jerchiltonymca.org.
Story Julie Anne White, Blue Ribbon News reporter, photos submitted by Bill Cadman.
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