Woodward attends national camp

ROYAL CITY — While the rest of the Columbia Basin was entrenched in winter weather and freezing temperatures, Royal junior volleyball player Page Woodward was enjoying the 70-degree temperatures of Southern California.

Woodward was invited to the USA Volleyball High Performance camp at California Polytechnic State University last month.

While at the five-day camp, Woodward trained under USA Volleyball assistant coach Tom Hogan and national team member Stacy Sykora. Hogan helped lead the USA volleyball team to a silver medal performance at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing.

“It was really exciting,” Woodward said when she knew she was invited to participate in the camp. “My mother and I were jumping up and down.”

Woodward’s journey to the USA High Performance camp in December began when she tried out for the USA Volleyball High Performance team last spring.

After a successful performance at the tryouts last March, Woodward said she was one team shy of being a member of the national alternate team.

“I tried out for the team in March,” she said. “They grade you (on your skills) there and I was one team below the alternates.”

Woodward continued to improve and she was invited to the USA Volleyball High Performance camp in Colorado last July.

She completed a successful camp in Colorado and was ultimately invited to the USA Volleyball High Performance camp in Southern California in December.

Woodward said she learned a lot from the coaches at the December camp.

“The coaches were really good,” she said. “Actually, they were amazing. I brought back a lot of knowledge.”

While she attended the camp to improve her skills on the court, Woodward said she enjoyed meeting other volleyball players.

“(My favorite part) was meeting all the girls,” she said.

Woodward — a first-team All-South Central Athletic Conference East Division selection in 2008 — said she enjoys playing volleyball.

“I love it,” she said. “I love the fact that it’s a thinking sport. You have to know where the ball is going and read people.”

After playing volleyball for more than five years, Woodward said she wants to focus on the sport she loves.

“I’m not playing basketball this year to work on school and volleyball,” she said.

Woodward wants to take her volleyball skills to the collegiate level after she graduates from Royal High School next June and is taking the necessary steps now.

“I am going to attend more camps and I want to get good grades so schools will recognize me,” she said. “I know what I want to play volleyball in college.”