Directors Blog
2007 Director's
Blog
Archive
Recent Entries:
Many thanks to parents and players who have already contacted us.
This comes, in part, from your inquiries. Though the idea of a
Practice Squad may be new to some, we have been discussing this
concept among ourselves for years and actually ran a weekly
clinic prior to Great Bay’s existence. Also, several other clubs
currently have successful Practice or Shuttle Squads in place.
In any case, please see below:
This is an important announcement about this year’s “Practice
Squad” that we think everyone should be aware of.
This is a bona fide opportunity to improve general and specific
skill sets while also improving Volleyball IQ. We hope it
will improve each player’s chance of making a team now or in
the future; whether it be for this club, their high school
team or any other club. Any player interested in learning
will be welcomed regardless of their level of knowledge or
skill.
The practice squad will be run primarily by Mike McDonnell and Dan
Brodeur. The Practice squad is not age dependent and we
will make every effort to be inclusive of all but divide by
appropriate skill level when safety and common sense are at
issue. We are working on the details of grouping now. All
Practice Squad players will be eligible for spots on Great
Bay teams should the need arise. Coaches may move players
between teams (any teams) at any point during the season
within the rules of the league and for any of the following
reasons (included but not limited to): injury, illness,
scheduling conflicts, etc. A coach may also bring a player
up if he or she feels a player on the squad has improved to
the point where that player will benefit his or her team.
Last year, we did start a practice squad and, as it so happened,
everyone on the squad was in the 16 age group. That
practice squad actually became a team and with their
commitment we decided to compete. As it turned out, they
not only competed but they won a tournament. What a success
story! While we cannot guarantee a team will come from this
year's practice squad, we are in serious discussions with
other clubs about the possibility of forming competitions
for our respective squads. It looks very promising on our
end with the current level of interest in our practice squad
and we feel certain that at least one other club is on
board.
Initially coach Mike and coach Dan will be helping with the Gold
Medal fundamental training for both teams. Ideally, we will
do some shared or stationed drills at the beginning of
practice and then split into groups after that. If the
balance of players is correct we can also scrimmage at the
end of practices. We are also planning on having “guest
coaches” come in and run some practices for the Practice
Squad when they are available (Steve, Jenn, Rick, Laurie,
Kristie, Katie etc…) This will be a great opportunity for
all our coaches and players to continue to learn from each
other. Remember that we welcome coaches (and players) from
other GB teams at any time in our gyms. In fact it is
mandatory for each Great Bay coach to visit another Great
Bay coach’s practice at least twice during the season (see
our “Policies and Procedures” handbook).
Please consider this carefully. We are not taking this lightly.
This is not an attempt to placate players and parents. This is
an official and important learning opportunity offered by Great
Bay.
If you are at all interested in attending the Practice Squad
please contact
Coach Mike to confirm your spot. If we do not hear from you
soon, we will move to open enrollment. Spots will fill fast. We
hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.
Thank you.
Great Bay Board of Directors.
2009 Registration
[Special Update: Anyone playing for
Great Bay (or any club in New England) MUST STILL REGISTER
ONLINE with NERVA, regardless of whether you submitted a
paper form or not. Please Keep in mind,
Pre-Registration for Great Bay is not the same as your NERVA
online registration. Please see below for details.
Thanks!]
Hello all,
I wanted to explain the
difference between the “Great Bay Pre-Registration” and the
USAV/NERVA Online registration.
On our
pre-registration page you
can pre-register for Great Bay Tryouts. This is not a
commitment to Great Bay nor does it guarantee a spot on a
team, it simply allows us to plan properly. You can
pre-register even if you are trying out for multiple clubs.
Over the last two years, we have had nearly 100%
pre-registration and it has helped us tremendously in our
planning. Thank you to everyone who took the time.
Last year, NERVA moved
to an online registration process. If you played for Great
Bay (or any club) last year, you were registered online.
This year, all you should have to do is login to the website
and renew your membership. If you are trying out for more
than one club, you should choose “undecided” in the club
selection area. In this case, you should print out and sign
the “Waiver and Liability” and bring it with you to
each tryout. If you are only trying out for Great Bay, you
simply need to renew online and you only need to bring a
checks to tryouts; 1 for $35.00 and 1 for $25.00 (covering
your membership fee, a T-shirt and the court time for
tryouts).
Please use this
important link for NERVA'S
FULL REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS
"TOP
of PAGE"
Mid Season Blog 2008
Hello to all of you!
Though you often
receive information from me, It has been a while since I
have shared some of the real heart of our program. I want
to first tell you how immensely proud I am to be involved
with all of you. Though I do not get a chance to meet
everyone; everyone I have met has been wonderful and
supportive. We founded Great Bay with the hopes that we
could provide more opportunities for young volleyball
players and to make volleyball “fun,
competitive and rewarding”. After completing our
first year and having some pretty nice success
stories to talk about at the end, we were all very excited
about following up in year two!
I wonder if we all
agree on what our success is like at Great Bay. We have had
the privilege of coaching some very talented players in both
the 2007 & 2008 seasons. As a club we are trying to define
success by how much progress a team or player makes, no
matter what level they start at. The journey is far more
important than the destination in this case. So let’s take
a look at “fun” “competitive” and “rewarding”.
FUN: I have a pretty persuasive argument that some
of our girls are having fun. Simply take a look at the
photo page on the Great Bay Website and you be the judge
about whether or not there was some FUN taking place. The
smiles alone are enough to convince me. I have been to many
of our practices and feel confident that the teams are truly
enjoying the process of learning and playing. Personally I
was blessed with a group of girls who happen to have the
best collective sense of humor on the planet. I can’t speak
for them but I have had a blast this year so thanks to the
16 Barracudas for that!
COMPETITIVE: One of the key elements of our
philosophy is to embrace the competitive nature of the
sport. We fully acknowledge that the goal of each team is
to win tournaments. Said another way: Of course we want to
win!! You should see the Sharks,
Stingrays and Barracudas scrimmage or the
16’s, 17’s and 18’s go at it in
a tri-scrimmage… believe me; they are competitive. While
it may be our goal, our focus as a club has nothing to do
with “winning”. Our focus is on improving each and every
player and team by providing them with a level of competence
that forever increases their confidence on the court. We
hope that winning is a byproduct of that focus and in many
cases it has certainly turned out that way.
REWARDING: Only you can be the judge about whether
your experience with Great Bay is rewarding. I can only
speak for myself when I say this is one of THE most
rewarding things I have ever been involved with. I hope you
all share in the love and joy of the sport and the lifelong
lessons we all learn on the court an in the gym. I hope
all of our coaches passion for teaching, came through in
just the right way. If that’s not the case, I hope you will
let us know how we can make it better. We will be sending
important information about our Year End Survey very soon.
I hope we are all dedicated to helping our players become
the absolute best they can be. Your feedback to us is very
important in helping to shape the future for our players.
So the question is have
we been successful this year? I SAY YES!! I have
heard from so many of you about your individual successes.
I am never happier then when a parent or player writes or
tells me how they have (or their daughter has)
improved. This year, I have heard that story from players
and parents on multiple teams. While we certainly focus on
improvement, we are also very proud of our performance.
Many of our teams have improved beyond their current level
compared to their counterparts in the league. Let’s not
forget to congratulate all of our players, coaches and
parents for their achievements so far this year:
Current 2008 Ranking
|
8 of 88 |
Great Bay 17 Barracuda Wave |
|
25 of 88 |
Great Bay 18 Rip Tide |
|
4 of 93 |
Great Bay 16 Barracuda Splash |
|
9 of 93 |
Great Bay 16 Stingrays |
|
41 of 93 |
Great Bay 16 Sharks |
|
77 of 93 |
Great Bay 16 Piranhas (and missed the first
tournament!) |
|
6 of 51 |
Great Bay 14 Dolphins |
|
30 of 51 |
Great Bay 14 Hurricanes |
|
47 of 51 |
Great Bay 14 Tsunami (with 3 12’s!!!!!)
|
(all the tournament results can be
found
here)
I wish you all the best
of “successes” at your tournaments. I am proud to be part
of Great Bay and I hope you are too. Please share your
smiling pictures with me and I will do my best to get them
on the website. My hats off to all the coaches who
essentially volunteer their time and to the parents who
support their daughters. Let’s work hard the last few weeks
and prove our motto is working: “Competence Builds
Confidence”
Coach M.
"TOP
of PAGE"
17 & 18 Qualifier Report:
Well the
17 Barracuda Wave and the 18
Rip Tide attended the MARATHON 2 day 18 Qualifier.
The Last match on Saturday started at 7:10 PM just to give
you an idea of how late some teams were there.
Both teams Started out
very well as I mentioned earlier. Sunday’s competition
proved a lot stronger and both teams fought hard to stay in
contention. All the matches were very competitive and both
teams qualified for the Open Division. The
Barracuda’s finished 3rd
in their final pool and qualified 4th overall in
the Open Division Silver while the Rip
Tide, despite their excellent finish on Saturday,
somehow have a 4 seed in Open Division Copper.
Coach Jenn
tells me “ there were moments of
Brilliance on Sunday and Saturday was amazing! They have
what it takes.” While Coach
Steve says “ the competition was incredible this
year. We are excited to be up at the top with this caliber
of play.” Personally, I think that good competition
will only make us, and the entire Region better! We are
growing fast and gaining strength. NH is growing especially
fast and that should increase opportunities for young
players!
All teams are eligible,
based on their finish at tournaments, to move up or down in
one division. The top two finishers move up and the bottom
two move down.
All in all, Great Bay
had very successful back to back tournaments with all teams
attending earning spots in the Open Division.
Congratulations and thanks to the players, coaches, and
parents who gave up so much time to be involved!
"TOP
of PAGE"
16 Qualifier Report:
What a great weekend! The
Stingrays and
Barracuda Splash kicked things
off this weekend at the 2 Day 16 Open Qualifier in Derry,
NH.
A qualifying tournament is
not won or lost but rather attempts to place teams in
appropriate divisions. This year, the Open League (formerly
“Power League”) is made up of two Flights of 8 teams each
and are called Gold and Silver. Those teams that did not
qualify for open were seeded in Club (formerly “local”) AA
and Club A levels. The entire results will be released soon
and I will link them on the website.
Both teams played
extremely well and managed to qualify for the Open
Division. The Stingrays will play in Open Level
Silver as the 6th seed (14th overall)
and the Barracudas
will play in Open Gold as the 3
seed in New England.
Coaches Dan and Katie
were very pleased with the outing.
Coach Dan writes:
“for the 16 Stingrays, the weekend [had a lot] of ups and
downs, but nonetheless was exciting in our chase for an Open
Gold or Silver seeding...” I would say more ups than
downs Dan! Great job getting ready for an Open Level
tournament in such a short amount of time!
The
Barracudas along with
Coach Shelly and I had a ton of fun!
Having fun was made much easier because we had a winning
weekend. We went undefeated for the tournament (7-0:16-1)
and had a very exciting match on Sunday Morning. I am sure
we will see Metrowest again soon and they will be anxious
for revenge! We welcome the challenge.
I am very proud of both
teams. They were great representatives of the Club,
respectful of officials and administrators and excellent
work teams. We think those are some of the small but
important things that make us stand out. Congratulations to
all the players on a great weekend.
Go Great Bay!
Go Pats
Coach M.
"TOP
of PAGE"
Congratulations to the following Great Bay Players Voted
to the "Fosters Daily Democrat Dream Team"
PLAYER OF
THE YEAR:
Julia
Cerniauskas
(17
Barracuda Wave)
DREAM
TEAM:
Hillary
Zabkar
(17 Barracuda Wave)
Cynthia
Hanson
(Former Stingray)
Meagan
Strodel
(18
Riptide)
Caitlin
Wilson
(17
Barracuda Wave)
Maria
Kuehl
(16
Barracuda Splash)
Brianna
Datti
(16
Barracuda Splash)
Erin
Bailey
(Former
Stingray)
HIGH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Aleta
Johnson
(18
Riptide)
Hannah
Olstad
(16
Barracuda Splash)
Leah
Thomas
(16
Barracuda Splash)
HONORABLE
MENTION:
Katrina
Michaud
(Former Stingray)
Cailin
Bean
(18
Riptide)
Chelsea
Hafner
(17
Barracuda Wave)
Katie
Veno
(17
Barracuda Wave)
Ashley
Studer
(17
Barracuda Wave)
Jillian
Casey
(16 Barracuda Splash)
Erica
Avery
(17
Barracuda Wave)
Kim Roy
(16
Barracuda Splash)
"TOP
of PAGE"
Hello all:
Many thanks to parents
or players who have already contacted us. This comes, in
part, from your inquiries. Though the idea of a Practice
Squad may be new to some, we have been discussing this
concept among ourselves for years and have actually run a
weekly clinic prior to Great Bay’s existence. Also, several
other clubs currently have successful Practice or Shuttle
Squads in place. In any case, please see below:
This is an important
announcement about this year’s “Practice Squad” that we
think everyone should be aware of.
This is a bona fide
opportunity to improve general and specific skill sets while
also improving Volleyball IQ. We hope it will improve each
player’s chance of making a team now or in the future;
whether it be for this club, their high school team or any
other club. Any player interested in learning will be
welcomed regardless of their level of knowledge or skill.
The practice squad
will be run primarily by Mike McDonnell and Dan Brodeur. We
will be practicing right alongside Coach Cassy's team
(listed on the website).
As it stands right now, there are
at least two open spots on that team and players from the
Practice Squad will be chosen to fill out the roster.
Everyone listed on the practice squad is currently in the
16's group (see website as of 11-28-07). We have one or two
18's that may attend and 2 or 3 14's that may also attend.
We are working on those details now. All Practice Squad
players will be eligible for spots on Great Bay teams should
the need arise. Coaches may move players between teams (any
teams) at any point during the season within the rules of
the league and for any of the following reasons (included
but not limited to): injury, illness, scheduling conflicts,
etc. A coach may also bring a player up if he or she feels a
player on the squad has improved to the point where that
player will benefit his or her team.
Further; the plan is
for coach Dan and Coach Mike to practice at the same
location and time as Coach Cassy’s team so that they can be
there for the practice squad while offering support for
Coach Cassy’s team.
Initially coach Mike
and coach Dan will be helping with the Gold Medal
fundamental training for both teams. Ideally, we will do
some shared or stationed drills at the beginning of practice
and then split into groups after that. If the balance of
players is correct we can also scrimmage at the end of
practices. We are also planning on having “guest coaches”
come in and run some practices for the Practice Squad when
they are available (Steve, Jenn, Rick, Laurie, etc…) This
will be a great opportunity for all our coaches and players
to continue to learn from each other. Remember that we
welcome coaches (and players) from other GB teams anytime in
our gyms. In fact it is mandatory for each Great Bay coach
to visit another Great Bay coach’s practice at least twice
during the season (see our “Policies and Procedures”
handbook).
Please consider this
carefully. We are not taking this lightly. This is not an
attempt to placate players and parents. This is an official
and important learning opportunity offered by Great Bay.
If you are listed on
the practice squad or Coach Cassy’s team, please contact
Coach Mike to confirm your spot. If we do not hear from you
soon, we will move to open enrollment. Spots will fill fast.
We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.
Thank you.
Great Bay Board of
Directors.
"TOP
of PAGE"
We want to publicly
congratulate the following Great Bay Players (and Coaches)
for their individual and team accomplishments during their
respective High School seasons. Beyond the All State Honors
below, congratulations to the dozens of Great Bay players
from: Portsmouth Christian Academy, Oyster River and
Pinkerton who made the FINAL FOUR this year, Spaulding and Portsmouth players who made it to the
finals and players from Nute who won their
second championship in a row!
Congratulations
to the following Great Bay Players
for being voted
New Hampshire All State!
Division I:
Hillary Zabkar - Spaulding
Leah Thomas - Spaulding
Trina Carroll - Winnacunnet
Division II:
Cynthia Hanson - Oyster River
Sam Varrell - Portsmouth
Erin Bailey - Portsmouth
Ashley Studer - Portsmouth
Alexandra Kamakas - Portsmouth
Division III:
Maria Kuehl - Farmington
Caitlin Wilson - Nute
Julia Cerniauskas - Nute
Meagan Strodel - Portsmouth Christian Academy
And also to our
Great Bay Coaches:
Coach of the Year - Division III
Rick Veno - Portsmouth Christian Academy
Coach of the Year - Division I
Steve McEntire - Spaulding High School
"TOP
of PAGE"
Hi There!!
It will be a big help
to us and a big time saver for all of you if players can
bring “completed”
forms with them when they come. By now, you should have
already signed up online with NERVA and have the “Waiver and
Liability” signed by both player and parent.
You will also need to
bring a completed medical release form attached here and on
the web at:
http://www.greatbayvolleyball.com/GBforms.htm
under the column, “2008
NERVA forms” everyone can fill out the “Medical release for
Club” form.
Please
remember, we cannot let anyone under the age of 18 tryout
without a parent’s signature on both documents. Thanks!
Coach Mike
"TOP
of PAGE"
A notice of new policy
to all Great Bay members:
Great Bay
Volleyball was founded on the belief that volleyball should
be fun, competitive and rewarding. Our goal was to provide
additional opportunities for players in our area and to
support the overwhelming demand in Southern New Hampshire
(in the year prior to our existence our closest competitor
cut nearly 90 players from their program). We have stayed
strong and true to our course and our mission. We have
never advocated against any program but rather only for
ours. While doing so, we have been clear that if a player
should choose another club, we are thrilled that they will
be playing volleyball.
Since our
inception, we have had a verbal policy in place that those
coaches holding high school positions should not discourage
anyone from playing for another club. More importantly, we
have had a verbal policy for coaches holding high school
positions that a player’s choice of club during the winter
has ABSOLUTELY no bearing on their high school team.
Unfortunately we have become aware that some of our players
may have had pressure put on them to play (or not to play)
for a particular club. With this knowledge, we have decided
this policy can no longer be verbal. Furthermore, we
encourage every club in NH to adopt their own “Club
Affiliation” policy.
Today, we
are going on record. A Great Bay coach who also holds a
high school coaching position (referred to herein after as a
“dual duty coach”) shall not discourage any player from
freely choosing a club to play for. Further, such a coach
may not discourage players from choosing NOT to play at all
during the winter season. A player who plays multiple
sports at his or her high school should never be encouraged
to abandon that endeavor for the sake of club sports but
rather only if it is an attainable goal of the athlete to do
both. For those athletes interested in club sports, a dual
duty coach is required to make them aware of neighboring
clubs* by providing contact information (website addresses,
phone numbers or emails) for those clubs. The Director of
Great Bay Volleyball shall provide this information to all
current dual duty coaches. No coach in the Great Bay family
shall discriminate** in any way against a player from
another club while coaching for a high school program.
Similarly, as club coaches we will embrace players from any high school program regardless of the club
affiliation of its coaches. If it is suspected that a coach
is in violation of this policy, we strongly encourage you to
report the offending coach to both the director of their
club and the athletic director of the school he or she
coaches for; no matter what their club affiliation.
We must make sure we understand
the difference between a high school coach making a
legitimate coaching decision and discrimination against a
player because of club affiliation. We realize that all
coaches are under pressure to make decisions based on many
factors including but not limited to; skill level, effort,
coachability, enthusiasm and dedication. Because of this,
benefit of the doubt will often go to the coach. Unless a
coach is blatantly discriminatory about club affiliation it
will be difficult to prove. However, derogatory or
degrading remarks about other coaches or clubs should be
reported as a conflict of interest, un-sportsmanship like
and unprofessional. It is important to note that our
paramount concern is how we conduct ourselves. We intend to
set the benchmark for accountability. It is with that in
mind that we are encouraging you to report any Great Bay
dual duty coach who you suspect is disparaging or degrading
another program or mistreating a player based on club
affiliation. How we establish ourselves now will shape the
future of our program.
This
language (edited for readability) will be added to the 2008
Policies and Procedures manual. We will also add it
prominently to the Great Bay website. Additionally, a copy
of this open letter has been sent to the NERVA Juniors
Commissioner. Please join us in establishing a higher
standard when it comes to Junior Olympic Volleyball. It is
our hope that the integrity and spirit of all youth sports
is honored and respected by everyone involved with Great Bay
Volleyball.
*A neighboring club is
defined as a club close enough in proximity to a school
or township that it may be reasonably attended by a
player.
**Discrimination based on
club affiliation is defined as (but not limited to);
refusing to fairly include a player in team activities
(including sanctioned competition) based on club
affiliation, disparaging or degrading a player or the club
he or she plays for, limiting a players ability to
contribute to his or her team based on club affiliation,
threatening a player with penalty or sanction of any kind
based on the their past, current or future choice of club.
Thank you,
The Great Bay Board of Directors
"TOP
of PAGE"
NERVA ONLINE REGISTRATION
PROCESS
Not to be confused with Great
Bay's online PRE-Registration
here
Hello all,
As mentioned in an earlier post, this year, NERVA is moving to a
new online registration process. We are asking in advance for
your patience and understanding since there will likely be some
“bugs” to work out. The system is active now for the 2008
season. Please read the following in its entirety. Thanks!!
Here are a couple of things you should know:
1.
Enter your name
the same way you did last year.
For instance, if you used Kate instead of Katie or
Jillian instead of Jill, please enter names
accordingly.
2.
Your name is tied
to your birth date and if they don’t match, you will likely get
an error. Please inform us immediately if you have this
problem.
3.
Once you complete the online registration process,
PLAYERS AND PARENTS MUST PRINT AND
SIGN
the online form labeled “Waiver
and Release of Liability” and bring it to tryouts with
you. Both Parent and Player should sign on the bottom of
the page even if you don’t see a place for a signature.
4.
You will make checks payable to “Great Bay Volleyball”
for $55.00 and we will send your collective fees into the
region.
5.
Please have patience as we ALL try to get through this
new process. In the future, the benefits will include:
a.
Reduced paperwork
b.
Ability to pay online directly
c.
Lower administration costs for the region and for clubs.
d.
More extensive and accurate player information available
directly to players, parents, clubs and potentially; recruiting
coaches.
e.
Simplified tournament roster management.
f.
More efficient tournament entry and communication at the
national level.
To register please follow
these instructions from NERVA (modified for our club) .
1.
If you were a member in New England last year, your info
may be on the system (this is somewhat random). To check, log in
to:
https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp15/IntraLock/Login.asp
Ask for a login id;
if you are in the system, it will send you an e-mail with a
login id and password. Log in, and go to 3.
2.
If you are not in the system, go to the web address
below:
https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp/memberships/join.asp?mbr_ChapterID=25971
Membership Information
page will come up.
3.
Fill out all fields marked with an * (required fields),
and others you want.
HINT: For playing
level, select R, which means "Region assigned."
4.
Next page will be the membership Option page.
Choose “Great Bay
Volleyball” for club affiliation.
5.
The next page is a summary to check if the information is
correct. If something needs to be corrected, use the back button
in the browser.
6.
At the bottom of the page, there are 3 boxes to check.
You need to look at the waiver and code of conduct. OPEN AND
PRINT THE WAIVER. This will be what you Bring to Tryouts
along with your payment of $55.00 made out to Great Bay
Volleyball. Then type in any number in the box asking for
license id. This is a test for accepting electronic signatures
and payments in the future, so you can type in any number you
want. Then, submit the application
7.
The next page will state "Your Membership APPLICATION has
been successfully submitted".
If you followed
directions, you have the printed waiver. Otherwise, print the
current page, which contains the waiver. Sign and date the
waiver. You will receive via email an "Application
Confirmation".
Once the Region office
receives your signed forms and the membership fee, the Region
registrar will mark you paid, and you will receive another
"Membership Confirmation" e-mail that includes your membership
number.
8.
To update any of your personal information later, login
at:
https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp15/IntraLock/Login.asp
Then click on "My
Information" and update your information. Change login,
password, print a membership card, etc.
That's it!
Thanks,
Coach Mike
"TOP
of PAGE"
Believe it or Not
Hello Great Bay Family!
If you can believe it,
Tryouts are 30 days away! With the high school season well into
the second half, we need to start thinking about
pre-registration for the 2008 Great Bay season.
There will be quite a
few changes at the Regional Level this year and, as always, we
will keep you informed as new information is released. One
thing you should be watching for is a new “online” registration
process for NERVA. They are testing the system nationally now
and it will be a part of this year’s registration process.
We have made a few
changes to our web site as well. We have migrated to a new
hosting solution which should provide better functionality and
security and hopefully we can provide better services to the
Great Bay family. Please let us know if you have any issues
with the site. You can also tell us you Love the Site!!!!! And
what you would like to see more of… J
We can’t wait to get
underway in year 2! Good luck to all with the remainder of
their high school season.
Pre-Registration is
open. Please go to the
Pre-Registration Page
Coach M.
"TOP
of PAGE"
The Last Summer Blog, I Swear!
August 3, 2007
Great Bay Runs New Heights/ Portsmouth Clinic
Hello All,
Before I get going with the latest Great Bay
news, I want to wish everyone the greatest success as the
High School season approaches. We would love to hear from you
and you never know, you might make the Directors blog so please
email in and let us know how your season is going. Many of our
Great Bay coaches are also HS coaches so we will see many of you
as the season unfolds. Good Luck!!
On to the news:
I want to let you know that today Great Bay
ran a clinic for the New Heights organization and the Portsmouth
area middle school systems.
Myself, Coaches’
Dan Brodeur (Stingrays, Epping) and
Jenn Kuehl (Hurricanes, Farmington) and players:
Trina Carroll (Rip Tide, Winnacunnet),
Shannon Mitchell (Riptide, Portsmouth) and
Ashley Studer (Barracuda’s, Portsmouth) all pitched in
to run the clinic. Because of a slight mix up in
scheduling at New Heights, everyone showed up on relatively
short notice so I want to thank all the coaches and players for
sacrificing their time.
The clinic was a LOT OF FUN!!! We had
fun teaching and running drills with the middle school girls in
attendance. I can’t tell you how proud I was of our 3
player/coaches (Ashley, Shannon and Trina). They were
great role models, excellent at demonstrations and most
importantly they helped all the campers have a lot of fun! Dan,
Jenn and I just ran a camp together so we enjoyed the
opportunity to get together again on the court. I
certainly like working with them!!
I have to tell you that I have so much pride
when I get together with Great Bay people! It’s amazing what
happens when you combine good attitudes, a little humor and a
focused set of instructions. Nearly every camper made a
point of coming up to me to say how much they enjoyed the day.
High praise to all!
Great job everyone!
"TOP
of PAGE"
Summer Blog II!
July 9, 2007
News from the deep south (Worcester that is...)
This past
weekend several Great Bay coaches attended the Gold Medal
Squared Coaching Clinic at Assumption College in Worcester Ma.
Personally, I have been to several types of clinics all over the
country and, by far, GM2 is the Best! Besides renewing our
Gold Medal Club Certification, we also had
the opportunity to meet several coaches from New England along
with coaches who traveled to the clinic from; Tennessee,
Georgia, California, New York, etc. It was a great
opportunity for all of us to reinforce the GM2 methods and to
bond as a team of Great Bay Coaches. Carl McGown and Chris
McGown are great teachers and I think I speak for all when I say
it was a great weekend of learning, playing and getting to know
one another better. I am convinced we will be a stronger
club because of this effort! Thanks to all coaches for
giving up their Fourth of July weekend to be better coaches:
2007 Attendees (number of times attending GM2
Clinics):
George Pendleton (10++ /GM2
assistant)
Steve McEntire (7)
Mike McDonnell (5)
John Sasien(3)
Jamie Sasien (3)
Dan Brodeur (2)
Rick Veno (2)
Lorie Garand (1)
Jenn Kuehl (1)
Kristie Marquis (1)
Summer Blog!
June 19, 2007
Hello my Great Bay Friends!!!
Last night, we attended the Semi Annual Board of Directors
meeting in Marlborough, MA.
Up until this meeting, all decisions for the entire NERVA
Girl’s Juniors Division were made in 2 meetings each year.
We have outgrown that scenario with nearly
300 teams in the Region
and new clubs coming in every year.
Last night
a new governmental structure
was passed (we were very involved in the Re-Structure committee)
and a new
Commissioner was elected
(congratulations to Dave
Peixoto). The
new structure provides for an
Executive Committee
with the ability to make decisions on day-to-day operations
during the season.
This should allow for
better accountability and
better representation
of clubs in the region.
It passed unanimously.
There were also some
changes made to the league structure
and some of the league nomenclature that you should be aware of:
There are no more “Power League” “Regional” or “Local” levels.
The board voted to rename PL and Regional to the
“Open”
Division and Local is now called the
“Club”
division. There can
be “flights” (levels) within each division.
This matches up better with USAV designations and
simplifies the structure for all concerned.
Here are the dates for next years NERVA tournaments:
R
Open Qualifier: January 26-27 (two days)
R
Club I: February 24th
Open I: March 2nd
R
Club II: March 9th
Open II: March 16th
R
Open/Club III: April 6th
R
Open/Club IV: April 20th
R
Championships: May 4th
Other important issues:
R
A Committee was formed to evaluate/restructure the current Ranking
system. We have
volunteered for that Committee.
R
No movement between levels will take place after the last regular
season tournament
R
The two-day Open qualifier will continue
R
The probability of a two-day championship is very high.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact
us.
For the Great Bay Staff:
Coach M.
"TOP of PAGE"
Great Bay is
Involved!
Hello Great Bay,
We wanted to let you know that we continue to work in the
off-season to make Great Bay a better club. In the past
months, we have participated (had a voice) on the
Re-Structure committee.
It was a unique opportunity (especially for a new club) to be
involved in this process. The Committee came up with a
governmental structure that should provide for a more organized
and efficient NERVA organization. If you have any
questions about the Re-structure of NERVA, please feel free to
contact me directly.
This Proposal will be voted on at the June 18th Board
of Directors meeting.
Secondly, we were also actively involved on the
Power League Committee
this year. Over the past several weeks since the season
ended, we have worked to consolidate information about this
year’s Power League and the Committee will present its year-end
report and recommendations by its members at the Board of
Directors meeting in June.
Finally,
Great Bay Coaches
are in the final stages of registering for this year’s
Gold Medal Squared Coaching Clinic
being held in Worcester, MA at Assumption College.
As you may know, we are proud to hold a
Gold Medal Squared Club Certification.
Many thanks to those
coaches willing to continue their coaching education and commit
to off season training. As part of our
overall philosophy, we believe the learning process never ends
for players or coaches.
“One who learns from one who is learning, drinks from a running
stream”
Old Indian Proverb – Seletz Tribe
Happy Graduation/End of year/Summer !
From all the Great Bay Coaches.
"TOP
of PAGE"
Until we meet again...
Quick programming note: a reminder that the second
Annual Great Bay Open grass fours tournament will take place on
June 9th with a rain date of June 16th.
There will be two divisions: Adult and High School.
More details will follow soon; here and on the web.
On to the
good stuff!
Great Bay concluded
its first year of competition last Sunday at the NERVA
championships. I
hearken back to a time just before tryouts when some of us were
discussing what to expect from a first year club.
Personally, I thought we would have, at most, 40 or 50
players show up for tryouts.
I was sure the first year would see our teams struggle as
all first year clubs do.
Wow! Was I
wrong! 107 players
at tryouts, 7 teams and countless success stories later, we have
the players, parents and coaches to thank for starting something
we can all be proud of!
Let’s start with the
Dolphins!
Winners of the first ever 14 Power League
Championships!!! In
a very exciting final against our neighbors, the Dolphins won a
3 set decision to clinch the championship.
From what I heard of the event it was a real thriller!
Coach Jamie wrote: “Amazing is all I can
say about this fantastic team… …Needless to say I am very
proud…”
Congratulations to the Dolphins:
14 Dolphins
Coach: Jamie Sasien
Ast. John Sasien
Corinne Baita
Maria Blougouras
Emily Burton
Meghan DiGenova-Curtin
Shannon Douglas
Elizabeth Groover
Devyn Harris
Mary Nelson
Ashley Puffer
How about those
Hurricanes?
What a great way to end their season.
They improved all year and they really had to travel for
all their “local” tournaments.
Coach Jenn tells us “Well,
the phrase 'save the best for last' would accurately
describe our final tournament.” “The girls have shown such
tremendous improvement...we are so proud of them!”
Well Jenn, we are proud of you and the Hurricanes too!
The girls battled into their first final in the
championship bracket!
Though they lost a hard fought match against a talented
CRVBC team, they showed great heart and courage and the ability
to play under pressure!
Congratulations Hurricanes:
14 Hurricanes
Coach: Jenn Kuehl
Ast. Nikki Robichaud
Emily Clark
Laura Egan
Kayla Gaskell
Shadai Gosselin
Sydney Harris
Sara Higgins
Lauren McCabe
Kyla McCabe-Corrow
Katherine Nadeau
Abigail Taylor
On to the
Sharks!
What a run!
The Sharks gave themselves a great opportunity by being steadily
involved all year among the top teams in New England.
They quietly amassed enough points to bolt them into the
Power League Championships.
Coach Rick was thrilled with the opportunity to play the
best in New England!
The Sharks battled into the finals of the Silver Bracket losing
a close decision. Of
their finish Coach writes: “It was a good day for
the Sharks, because with this finish, we have a good chance of
being seeded in the top 10 for the 16's division. …in my opinion
[that] is a successful year. There are 97 16’s teams.”
Successful
Indeed Rick!
16 Sharks
Coach: Rick Veno
Ast. Laurie Veno
Erica Avery
Kelsey Burrill
Leigh Cronin
Julie Doiron
Kortney Dorow
Kate Driscoll
Chelsea Hafner
Aleta Johnson
Alexa Piekarski
Katie Veno
Rip Tide
Pride! As I said to
my kids after the last point, “It was NEVER boring!”. The Tide
played in the 18AA championship this year.
Their Coach (that’s me!) was very hopeful given the level
of improvement taking place on the practice court and a very
good showing at the LIBA tournament in New York.
In my Tournament report I wrote: “I had a
really great time coaching these girls.”
And Indeed, I enjoyed every minute.
We had some incredible performances and great improvement
all around. We
finished tied for 3rd at the tournament after loosing
a heartbreaking game in the semi final match.
We were down 24 – 17 and came back to tie the match only
to loose in overtime 27-25.
Congratulations Rip Tide:
18 Rip Tide
Coach: Mike McDonnell
Cailin Bean
Amy Boardman
Trina Carroll
Shannon Mitchell
Cassaundra St. Laurent
Meagan Strodel
Samantha Varrell
Kristin Wilson
Katie Winchell
The
Stingrays
were awesome this year.
They were constantly giving teams fits at tournaments.
By the end of the year, I am sure other coach’s were no
longer underestimating the Stingrays!
They beat some of the best teams in the league this year.
Coach Dan writes: “[We] were very pleased
with how well this team has performed this season… …They played
with heart and their heads to keep us in the Regional level as
the season wrapped up… …Thanks to everyone for making this a
great inaugural season!!!”
Thank you coach Dan for giving us the Stingrays!
Congratulations:
18 Stingrays
Coach: Dan Brodeur
Ast. Kristie Marquis
Erin Bailey
Cynthia Hanson
Stacia Hogle
Nicole Loring
Katrina Michaud
Sarah Murray
Alicia Papandrea
Marissa Tremblay
Who would have thunk it???
The tale of the team that was not supposed to be… The
Tsunamis.
Can you imagine Great Bay with out these wonderful athletes on
the roster? What a
remarkable season winning two tournaments and going all the way
from C level to A Level.
Coach G. Writes in to tell us
“This has
been an amazing experience for me with a great group of very
talented young ladies.”
Every time I talk to her she tells me what a great season
it has been. The
Tsunamis had the home court for championships.
It wasn’t the best day they had all year but that can’t
take away from an Amazing season! Congratulations to:
16 Tsunami
Coach: Lorie Garand
Ast. Megan Turner
Kelsey Abrams
Meghan Brown
Allison Cherry
Alexis Cupp
Anna Genestreti
Chelsea Michaud
Meghan Ordway
Danielle Race
Sarah Swible
And finally the incredible
season by the
Barracudas!
They thrilled us all year with their unbeatable streak of
wins! They won a
Qualifier and 4 tournaments in a row.
They are ranked #1 in the entire New England Region!
Coach Steve is quick to point out “We
couldn't have accomplished this without the support of the Club,
the parents, Coach Pendleton and the pride of New England 16's
Volleyball, the amazing Barracudas:”
The Barracudas
will Represent Great Bay at the AAU Junior National tournament
in Orlando, Florida this June where over 500 teams will compete.
Good luck to the Barracudas:
16 Barracudas
Coach: Steve McEntire
Ast. George Pendleton
Jillian Casey
Julia Cerniauskas
Bridget Hart
Alexandra Kamakas
Maria Kuehl
Amanda Studer
Ashley Studer
Leah Thomas
Caitlin Wilson
Hillary Zabkar
Well now, if you have sacrificed the time to read this entire
email you are a true Great Bay Fan!
Thank you.
I want to personally
thank the all the coaches who sacrifice time away from family,
friends and in many cases work that pays the bills!!! I know you
all worked hard to fulfill our philosophy and creed.
I also want to send out
special thanks to the parents who agreed to be official
chaperones and tournament directors.
I hope I don’t miss anyone:
George Swible, Molly Wilson, Sheila Kuehl, Laura Nelson, Janet Mitchell,
Theresa and Bob St. Laurent.
I also want to say thank you to
Lisa
Winchell who helped us all year with gym space! Most
importantly, I want to say thanks to all the
parents for your support. I
know for a fact there are a bunch of team mom’s and dad’s who
were not official but did so much work to help all the teams. To
all the Great Bay Players:
Thank you, Thank you!
Have a great summer and a fantastic HS season!
Congratulations on a tremendous year.
See you all in 2008!
Coach M.
"TOP
of PAGE"
|
