As spring sports go in Philadelphia, baseball is by far the most popular for the boys. When I proposed playing boys volleyball to the students in my class, most of them raised their eyebrows and, not wanting to offend me, just let that be the end of the conversation. However, a few boys in my class raised the following question, "Miss, they gotta wear those shorts like the girls?" (a.k.a. spandex!) "NOOO" I replied, "we'll wear the basketball uniforms." A few looks of relief were noted but that was it.
A month later after much convincing and getting other teachers to help recruit students, we started practice with 8 players. The above 6 were the strong guys left at the end of the season. Five 6th graders and 1 7th grader - hopefully a good core for the next few years. These guys were full of energy and eager to learn how to play, frequently frustrated because they weren't as "good" as they wished. We started the season with me teaching the absolute basics to guys who had yet to see volleyball outside gym class or family picnics. All a little on the small side and young, they were confronted on many levels throughout the season. They were challenged in height, age, experience, and attitude. On each occasion we rose to some of those challenges, and fell short. Above all, I was extremely proud of how much they improved. The beginning of the season consisted of more balls hitting the gym walls than their forearms. Towards the end of the season, they could serve consistently, as well as pass correctly and a few could even set and hit with pretty good form. We learned a lot, as a team, and I as a coach to middle-school boys! They also learned that they LOVE my mom's rice krispy treats, telling me that if I was going to make treats for them to make something different, because there was "no way" I could make them as good as her! :)
If you're around, come check a game out next year...they love an audience!
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