STARS on the court

Aryssah Stankevitsch  

Times Reporter    

 

STARS Volleyball is back for another year, teaching kids the fundamentals of the sport, while having a good time on the court. Coach Pat Fule’s spring season began on March 17 at Wheatland Elementary School, and will continue into May for three groups: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-5, and Grades 6-9.

“They have similar drills, but you can expand them in the third (oldest) session,” Fule said. “There are some drills in the third session that the younger ones couldn’t do – it’s a little bit different.”

All three sessions are taught to hit the same way; however, the younger kids use a bigger, softer ball, and a lower net, typically for badminton. The older kids practice more of the positions within the sport.

“The younger ones, we keep it really simple, but they still learn how to set, and bump, serve, hit and block,” Fule said. “We still keep the badminton courts, so that they can cover the court easier and cover the ball more.”

Once a week, the groups have their hour session – half hour of skills and fun games, followed by the second half hour of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 games.

“The idea is that they’ll get better the more they handle the ball. Sometimes if you’re on a team of six, you may not touch the ball very much at all,” Fule said. 

Helping coach the 20 kids in each group, are students from Strathmore High School and Holy Cross Collegiate.

“They really help to keep the game going along. They’re able to set the kids up to jump for a hit,” Fule said.

Fule is also running a spring break camp beginning April 21, playing two different sports each morning.

“It’s not as much skill – it’s more along the lines of showing them how to play the sport. They’ll do things like kickball, floor hockey, and indoor soccer,” he said.

As for STARS, Fule hopes to inspire his students to gain a love for the sport at a young age.

“I really want them to go away and have enjoyed themselves so much, that they can’t wait for the next session to start up,” he said.