Nervous to try out for the volleyball team? Don’t shy away. This community will welcome you with open arms. If there is something that Wilsonville’s Volleyball team stands out in, it must be the outstanding job the leaders on the team do at enforcing a close-knit team. “We really focus on cohesiveness and kind of being graceful to one another because sometimes you know, the pass might be off, the set might be off, or the hit, but there is never any need for animosity, or anger,” states the head coach of the volleyball program.
Throughout the years, the girls’ volleyball program has had a key set of virtues that is the foundation of their program. Scott Thompson, Head coach for Varsity, shares that those values are what make the program so strong, “Our upperclassman, frankly, is the key to our program and the reason for that is we expect them to treat the freshmen and sophomores like little sisters. Really, almost serve them”.
These girls set an example for the incoming freshmen, showing them the culture that they are now a part of. Coming into a new sport, or simply just joining one of the teams, can be awfully nerve-racking, but when older girls share words of encouragement and show you the heartwarming environment you’re walking into, it can really provide a lot of reassurance to these girls.
Karli Vannoy, a current sophomore who’s been on varsity since freshman year shares about her freshman year, “They all offered rides all the time, took me to lunch, bought me food and just welcomed me so much.” she goes more detail about how she believed the upperclassman last year were truly amazing in so many ways by pushing her to be the best player she can be, being a source of positive energy, and just becoming best friends on and off the court. “They were like my big sisters” Karli says.
The captains on the team this year are Senior and Libero Liv Clarke, along with two juniors, Teagan Hamilton and Kenna Crocker. These girls fill a significant role on the team, from the little things, such as a coin toss before starting the game, to being the ones their teammates feel comfortable enough to go to in times of guidance and support.
Scott explains the routine that is responsible for the captains each year and what is looked for, which is a supportive, encouraging teammate that can be looked up to as a role model. They are picked by the team through a vote. “I try to be as supportive and inclusive to everyone on my team as well as being a positive resource”, explains Teagan Hamilton. She takes her role as captain to heart because “being a freshman on varsity when I was, was definitely intimidating and the biggest thing that affects you is that since your young you think you get looked past and think you don’t have as much potential as everyone else”, but that’s why you have a team to lift you up when your feeling down.
The leadership that makes up this program has passed down certain traditions to keep their virtues in practice that are still in effect today. Each team has multiple team bonding’s during the season to help improve the team’s chemistry on the court. For varsity, they have some special traditions as well, that captains and team parents help put together, such as a Player-Parent Beach Volleyball tournament, and a trip to the coast with everyone on the team.
While Varsity has its own individual traditions, the whole program has something special that brings us all together as a program. On the bus ride home after an away game, they always play “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond when they are arriving back at school and sing their hearts out to the song all together.
