OCTOBER 2012
Inside hp ’
Social media is a great tool to stay connected with friends, remind you of events and birthdays and post great photos after matches. Lately, social media privileges have been abused with inappropriate content, bully-like activity and negative opinions about specific games, officials, teams and coaches. Below is a list of the Dos and Don’ts of social media for USA Volleyball High Performance participants: athletes, parents, fans and coaches.
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DO post about match results, but DO NOT post negatively about teammates, coaches, officials or the opposing team. Even if your profile is private, there are ways for other people to see posts. So be aware that no matter what is posted on social media, the second you hit send it is visible for the world (and future coaches) to see. DO post photos, but DO NOT post photos with anything less than familyfriendly content. Whether you are planning on getting a job in the future, planning on staying in school or part of the USA Volleyball HP pipeline, inappropriate photos and videos will not be tolerated by many levels of authority. Be careful when checking-in or tagging. Facebook has a great privacy setting that allows people to NOT be able to tag you in photos or status updates and will block your geographical location. When traveling it is important to stay safe so make sure your privacy settings are updated. Remember that you are representing your school, club or country 100 percent of the time. Even if you are not the one posting, be aware that everyone has a phone and 99 percent have a camera and video camera on that phone. Innocent pranks don’t always look so innocent to everyone. In all of your behavior and communication, remember that you are representing your school, club or country even when your jersey is not on. Attend matches, but DO NOT post negative opinions about the match. Even if you are just a spectator, the use of social media should be used for positive feedback only. Tweeting or Facebooking about what you disagree with on the court is not fair to those playing, coaching or reffing. If there is an issue, take care of it like in the “olden days” and bring it up to a coach in an appropriate manner.
By Karen Owoc
Club volleyball season is synonymous with tournament tailgating, and that means lots of careful menu planning and coordination. Since you're without a refrigerator and running water, keeping your team's food safe all day requires safe food handling practices. What to Pack -Lots of clean utensils for preparing and serving safely cooked food. -Insulated coolers to keep food protected and cold. -A food thermometer to be sure meat and poultry are cooked at high enough temperatures to destroy harmful bacteria and foods are reheated to safe-to-eat temperatures. -An appliance thermometer for coolers. -Clean, wet, disposable cloths and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces. -Water for cleaning. Danger Zone for Cold Foods - Above 40ºF -Place an appliance thermometer in your cooler. Be sure your food stays at 40ºF or below. -Cold food should be stored in a well-chilled cooler. Do not leave the food out for more than two hours (one hour if weather is above 90ºF). Keep food in the shade and out of the sun. -Keep perishable, cooked food such as luncheon meat, cooked meat, chicken and potato/pasta salads refrigerator cold. Danger Zones for Hot Foods - Below 140ºF -Do NOT partially cook meat or poultry at home ahead of time, then transport the half-cooked food to the tournament. Doing so allows harmful bacteria to thrive and multiply. -Hot foods like chili, soup and stew need to stay hot (140ºF or above). -Eat hot food within two hours. -To transport and store piping hot foods, use an insulated container like a cooler. -How to prepare a hot insulator: Fill the container with boiling water, let stand for a few minutes, and empty. Line the insulator with thick towels to further insulate and prevent melting the plastic if inserting a hot pot off the stove. Keep the insulated container closed and the food should stay hot (140º or above) for several hours. If you can't keep the food hot while transporting it to the tournament site, cook the food the night before, and cool it in the refrigerator. On the day of the tournament, pack the food in a well-chilled cooler and reheat it on a camping stove to 165ºF. -How to cool large pots of hot food: Food needs to chill quickly to avoid bacteria growth during the cooling process. To do so, separate into smaller containers and set the containers in an ice bath. When cool, refrigerate. Handling Raw Meat, Poultry and Fish -Cooking raw meat is risky unless all food handlers are diligent about keeping utensils, hands and surfaces clean to prevent cross-contamination. -If transporting perishable raw meat (e.g., hamburger patties, sausages, chicken, fish), place it in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs or containers of ice. Wrap it securely to prevent juices from crosscontaminating ready-to-eat food. Ideally, keep these raw foods in a separate cooler. -Use a food thermometer to measure internal cooking temperatures. Safe minimum internal temperatures: poultry (165ºF); ground meats (160ºF); beef, pork, lamb, veal steaks, roasts, and chops (145ºF); leftovers (165ºF). -If cooking marinated raw meat at the tailgate site, be sure not to reuse the marinade unless it's boiled first to destroy harmful bacteria. -Be sure cooked food is placed on a clean platter free of any raw meat juices. 2
Fall is the best time to start preparing for your upcoming club season. The biggest regret I hear from players and parents is "I wish I would have started the recruiting process earlier." While the club season may seem long, there are only a few short months (February, March, April and June if your club participates in an end-of-season tournament like the USAV JNCs) that the majority of college volleyball recruiting occurs. If you wait until March or April to reach out to coaches, you may very well have missed your only opportunity to be seen play in person this season. In other words, start now. Follow the three steps below and you'll be sure to kick off this club season on the right track. 1. Build a Highlight Reel Every player, regardless of talent, will be asked at some point in their recruiting process to provide coaches with video. In my opinion, the best way to generate interest from coaches is by proving them with a short, 3-5 minute highlight reel containing 15-20 of your strongest plays. Obviously, before you can pull together 15-20 good plays, you must first film a few matches. If you don't have video yet, work on getting some ASAP. If you do have video, start combing through it to find 15-20 strong plays. By the way, it is the player’s responsibility, not the parents’, to review match footage to find strong plays. The best footage: is from behind - shoot from behind the player in the middle back (best) or on a 45-degree angle. When the player switches sides, so should the videographer. is steady - the camera is set up on a tripod so the footage is not shaky. is static - the camera does not follow the ball or the player around the court. This is very important. is wide - use a wide angle attachment to capture as much of the court as possible. You want to see the end lines, side lines and refs, if possible. If you need assistance building a highlight reel, VolleyballRecruits.net's team of video experts can take any footage you can get your hands on and build you a highlight reel in about a week and a half. See examples here: http://volleyballrecruits.net/featured-videos.php and contact our staff at 303-929-8587 with questions. 2. Develop a Target List of Schools Once you have a video put together you must decide who to send it to. Therefore, put together a list of 25 - 50 programs you are interested in contacting. You can generate this list based on: Division - ask your coach to give you an honest assessment of your potential. Are you a NCAA Division D I, II, III, NAIA etc player? Size - are you interested in a large school with a big campus feel, or a more intimate setting? Academic Strength - are you looking at top ranked academic institutions or are your standards more lax? Location - would you be comfortable going far away from home, or would you like to stay in your general region? Interest thus far from coaches - are you interested in any programs who have sent you questionnaires, letters, made phone calls (if of age) thus far? One neat feature VolleyballRecruits.net offers its members is a school search feature which allows you to punch in your criteria for a school, and in a few clicks our system will give you a list of every program in the country that is a match. 3. Connect with the coaching community Once you have a highlight reel and your list of schools to contact, it's time to introduce (or follow up) with the coaches at those programs. Your introduction message should be: Short - 3-4 paragraphs tops Fact-based - going on about how passionate you are about volleyball is not as impactful as your graduation year, height, jump-touch, club team and awards you have received. Personal - DO NOT send the same message to your target list of schools. You should mention the school and 3
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coach by name in your message and mention what it is you like about their program. Link to your highlight reel - if you do not link to a video, coaches will read your letter and then forget about you. Video is a must-have, or coaches will not be able to evaluate your ability.
See demo If you start these three steps now, you'll be in a great position when club recruiting arrives. Instead of joining the group of "I wish I has started earlier..." bunch, you'll be ahead of the game!
Thanks to your generous support, USA Volleyball High Performance was able to donate over $9,000 to support breast and prostate cancer groups. It just goes to show what a $5 donation from charitable USA Volleyball members can do if we join together. Through generous donations, we were able to raise $5,520 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2012, up from $4,200 in 2011. We raised $3,690 for donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which the Safeway Foundation matched, bringing the total funds that USAV HP athletes, parents and coaches brought in to $7,380. This is up from a matched $2,835 raised last year. T-shirts were sold at all USA Volleyball HP Programs this past year– Coaches’ Clinic, tryouts and summer programs. We hope to continue raising funds for the respective research areas in the future.
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What led you to become a coach? I fell into coaching during college. I was a toy store manager and decided to go back to college when I was 21 years old. On my college visit to California University of PA, the women’s volleyball team was practicing while the tour went through the gym. A few of the players knew me and approached me. The head coach, Jing Pu, asked me if I knew anything about volleyball. I said, “I did,” and next thing I knew, I was on his staff. I have been a coach ever since. What is the best thing about being a coach? The people in our sport, from the young players we work with at the USA Volleyball Development Camps to our coaching colleagues across the country, to the players and staff at Saint Francis University (Pa.), the volleyball network is like one big family. What has been the biggest influence in your career? It was the help from players and coaches who returned to the gyms to help the next generation of volleyball players grow and develop as players and as people. Thanks to all of you who helped mold me. What or who has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? My Mom and Dad. They taught me the value of helping others through hard work and giving them your time. When someone has the courage to ask for your help, you better help out the person. There is no need for a monetary award, just pleasure of knowing you did the right thing for the right reasons and help another in a time of need. What do you do in your free time? Watch my kids’ sporting events, and I still love to play volleyball. What is your coaching philosophy? I start by recruiting intelligent, athletic players that can play multiple positions. I let these players use their natural athletic ability to do what they do best and make minor adjustments to improve their skills. I believe the most effective teachable moments happen while playing the game of volleyball. For this reason I run more 6 vs. 6 drills in practice and take advantage of teachable moments during the drills as well as from video of the practice session or game. I speak with a calm, confident demeanor and I work hard not to get excited or angry. It is important that the team knows when you’re pleased and when you are disappointed, but always under control. I have learned that it is better to be brutally honest, instead of trying to sugar coat an issue. The players respect you much more when you speak the truth even when the truth hurts. What are your personal career goals? I would love to win an EIVA Championship. After that, I will focus on an NCAA Championship. What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? I really love it here at Saint Francis University. I am probably going to coach here for the rest of my career. What is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? Cutting players that you have grown to love and respect as true friends. Crushing their dreams of playing a game they love as much as I do is truly heartbreaking. What are you most proud of as a coach? My proudest moments come a few years after guys have graduated and seeing what outstanding people they have become. One that comes to memory is: While at Christmas at my in-laws in Buffalo, N.Y., I called one of my former players that lived there to see what he was doing for the Holidays. He told me he would be spending Christmas afternoon feeding the homeless. My wife and I were so inspired that we went and joined him. He did it simply because it was the right thing to do, and it was nice to see that he continued on with the Franciscan values of Saint Francis. As far as on the court, my proudest moments are not during the season with the most wins or with the great teams I have had, it is the small triumphs with less talented teams. In my second or third season at Saint Francis, we went to play at Penn State. Our team was over-matched by a bigger, more athletic squad. We lost the first set 15
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What led you to become a coach? I had a few great coaches when I was young. The first was my track club coach Dave Baron. The way he was able to communicate to us and the amount he cared about each athlete was so amazing. It wasn’t just our performances, but he asked how we were doing. It really had a big impact. The other coach was my high school and club coach Dennis Pomeroy. He saw something in me before I did. I wanted to play JV and he kept asking me, “What if I put you on varsity?” In the end he won out and I played varsity. He was another one that cared about us outside the performances. He offered me a spot on our older club team that had qualified for nationals. I couldn’t afford to make the trip and he offered to pay just to be sure I’d get the experience of going. An act of kindness I still try to pay forward as often as I can. What is the best thing about being a coach? Having a positive and long lasting impact on a kid’s life. Hopefully teaching them life lessons as well as volleyball ones and just giving back to a sport that has given me so many great moments. What has been the biggest influence in your career? My mom’s death. What or who has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? Personally it was my mom. She was a tough lady that taught me very early on to just work with the hand that’s dealt because it could have been a lot worse. Professionally was Julie Morgan. She gave me my start in college coaching. She was first class in everything she did and how she treated everyone from players to support staff. The other later in my coaching was Hugh McCutcheon. I enjoyed studying how he coaches and manages his programs as well as his court demeanor/presence. What do you do in your free time? Watch movies and chill with my cats. What is your coaching philosophy? TEACH What are your personal career goals? Get back into college coaching. I’d love to coach a program with my wife again. To coach with a USA team at a World Championship. What does the future hold for you - any exciting plans, developments? I hope to go watch a former club player of mine play with her pro club team in France this fall. What is the hardest thing you ever had to do as a coach? Coach in our conference championship match hours after being told my mother had died during the night. What are you most proud of as a coach? Two things. That I still have players call me for advice. Reassures me that I’ve done at least a few things correctly as a coach. The second is that I coached an Olympian when they were younger. It’s kind of cool seeing them on the big stage and knowing you knew them when… What are some important lessons learned? Volleyball is just a game. Care for the people and get them to enjoy the journey. That’s where the magic happens. Games are just the cherry on top. How would your players describe you as a coach? A zen philosopher who tries to think on the cutting edge technically. How would your players describe one of your practices? As mentally challenging as it is physically.
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to 2. However, that one set lasted over an hour and 45 minutes, and the scorekeeper had to use three score sheets. What are some important lessons learned? Don’t be afraid to ask other volleyball coaches questions. I have learned more just sitting around and talking to other coaches over lunches than I have picked up during clinics. It is okay to pick up the phone and call a coach just to pick his brain about a problem you might be trying to solve with your team. How would your players describe you as a coach? As a man who is always constructive with a positive attitude. Also, detailed-oriented and very supportive of his players on and off the court. How would your players describe one of your practices? Educational and competitive Do you have any pet peeves? Players kicking the ball across the gym when they just need to roll it off to the side or toward the ball cart. Describe some of your most important career accomplishments. I have 166 wins at Saint Francis University. In 15 seasons, I have only missed the playoffs five times. I have made it to the EIVA Championship match twice. What book is a must-read for all coaches? For players? The Bible and “Playbook For An Uncommon Life” by Tony Dungy What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Find multiple good mentors to get different opinions and learn different coaching styles to help determine your own unique style. How do you define success? I define success in this field by a simple win/loss record, but in addition to that success is how my players contribute to society after they are done here at Saint Francis. Not only do I care about their performance on and off the court here, but I want to see them succeed in whatever they choose to do after college. What motivates you? What motivates me is I love what I’m doing, and I want to do it to the best of my ability.
Do you have any pet peeves? Too many to list. Love the game. You spend too many hours in the gym to not love what you’re doing. It makes everything else easy. Describe some of your most important career accomplishments. Won a national championship in 1985. Was inducted into my hometown’s sports hall of fame in 2001. Won a West German championship in 2002. What book is a must-read for all coaches? For players? I enjoyed “Moneyball.” It reinforced the idea of thinking outside the box and going against the traditional way of doing things. I liked that. I think it’s good for players to research past players that have had an impact on the game. Know who our national team staff is and who the top players are. Do you have any advice to offer parents? Coaches coach and parents parent. Love and support your kids. Do your homework and research. You get fewer surprises that way. What’s the best advice you could give to someone getting into coaching? Don’t assume you’re the only coach, team or club with problems. Every level deals with issues and has their problems. Work to solve the problem, not finding out who’s to blame for it.
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Hometown, club and high school: Scottsdale, Ariz., Arizona Storm Volleyball Club, Xavier College Preparatory Position: Outside Hitter Height, block touch and jump touch: 6-1 Block touch and jump touch– 9-11 Favorite Warm-Up Song: "World’s Greatest" by R. Kelly Scorekeeping or Line Judging? Why? Scorekeeping. Why? I get to sit! I prefer to sit and really watch the match, especially if I am scouting our next opponent. But really there is so much pressure to make the right call and not miss a touch off the block or a close ball on the line if you are line judging. "Gotta Have" snack between matches at a tourney: Strawberries and peanut butter. Sounds strange, but it is actually delicious! If you could meet any Olympian, who would it be and why? Destinee Hooker and Misty May-Treanor / Kerri Walsh-Jennings. Such amazing players to watch! I love indoor and sand volleyball! Other sports/activities/hobbies: I've played them all: soccer, softball, basketball. My newly discovered sport I enjoy is badminton. But I have a passion for volleyball, both indoor and sand. During my down time I like to read books on my Kindle and hang out with my friends. When did you start playing volleyball? I started playing volleyball in eighth grade. I was 13 years old. Are you from a "volleyball family"? Do any of your family members play collegiate or professional sports? My older sister, Kahori, played volleyball. My dad, Bob Lanier, is a Hall of Fame basketball player. He played 10 years with the Detroit Pistons and four years with the Milwaukee Bucks. My mom, Rose, is a trainer/nutritionist. Who was the most influential person in helping you to develop as a volleyball player? My AZ Storm club coach, Terri Spann, was really influential in helping me to develop as a volleyball player. She has taught me mental toughness, hard work and conditioning in practice pays off on the court come game time. She develops me on the court, but also off! And my one-on-one hitting coach, Ben Lee, works with me off season. What part of your background best prepared you for playing at an elite level? My dad has always told me the values of success are come to practice early and stay late, out-work the person next to you and leave everything on the court so you are always better prepared. You have to dare to be great and pay the price for greatness! Incidentally, my dad, Bob Lanier, is a NBA Hall of Famer and I respect his words of wisdom. They have served me well in my short journey thus far. My mom taught me the right things to eat. Nutrition is an important part of being able to compete at an elite level. What USAV HP Programs have you been involved in? Are these different from other programs you have been involved in? If so, what makes them different? I was chosen to play on the first HP Future Select team for the Arizona Region. I also went to the USAV HP Future Select A1 camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and the USAV HP Holiday Camp last year. In 2012, I played in the Select A1 Program. I was selected to play on the Red team, coached by Tom Hogan and Michelle Chapman. I was the team captain and made the all-tournament team for Girls’ International Youth. What is the happiest moment in your volleyball career? Being chosen for the Select A1 Red team, getting to play with such talented girls and meeting new friends. Describe some improvements you want to make in the coming year in the physical or mental side of your game. I’m always looking to improve the physical aspects and the mental toughness of my game. Do you want to play volleyball collegiately and/or professionally? Do you strive to represent the USA one day as an Olympian? I hope to play both collegiately and professionally. My greatest dream is to go to an elite college and one day represent my country in the highest level of volleyball, representing USA in the Olympics! GO USA!
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Hometown and school: Downers Grove, Ill., Lewis University Current Position: OH/OPP Height, Block Touch and Jump Touch: 6-5, 10-7, 11-5 Favorite Warm-Up Song: “You be Tails I'll be Sonic” by A Day to Remember Scorekeeping or Line Judging? Why? Line judging because you don't have to do as much work and then you won't get mad at other people for making bad calls. “Gotta have” snack between matches at a tourney: If I can, peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. If not, then almost whatever I can find to eat. If you could meet any Olympian, who would it be and why? In volleyball, Clay Stanley, just because he is a great player and I have always wanted to talk volleyball with him, haha. Outside volleyball, Jesse Owens because I want to know how he was able to do what he did during that time. Other sports/activities/hobbies: I love to play basketball as well. I always am hanging out with friends just bumming around and playing video games. A new thing that I love to do now is paintballing as well. When did you start playing volleyball? I started playing in seventh grade, but I started club after my freshman year. Are you from a “volleyball family”? No, the only people that have played are my brother, Jay, and myself. Who was the most influential person in helping you to develop as a volleyball player? My brother, no doubt. Just as any other younger brother, I wanted to be just like him and hopefully even better. What USAV HP Programs have you been involved in? I have done the Select A1 program twice, the Youth A2 and the Youth National Team, and I just did the Junior National Team this past summer. What is the happiest moment in your volleyball career? Beating Ohio State to go to the NCAA Championships my freshman year of college and winning the NORCECA gold in Colorado. Thoughts about playing volleyball professionally? I definitely want to play professionally and hope that I can make it to that point. No matter what, I will not stop working to get there. What do you think is critical to being a successful leftside? I think one critical thing is obviously being able to pass and having ball control, along with being able to hit. But the main thing you need is confidence in yourself and being able to let things go. If you have confidence then you will be able to do a lot of things. But, if you can't let past mistakes go, it will destroy your game along with your confidence.
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Tom Pingel Senior Director Tom.Pingel@usav.org
Heath Hoke Manager Heath.Hoke@usav.org
Monica Sedillo Assistant Monica.Sedillo@usav.org
Collin Powers Senior Manager Collin.Powers@usav.org
Denise Sheldon Coordinator Denise.Sheldon@usav.org