Moses Lake volleyball hosts Lil Mav camp
More than 60 volleyball campers took to the gymnasium at Moses Lake High School for the Lil Mav volleyball camp from Tuesday through Thursday.
Ian Bivona/Columbia Basin Herald
A camper at the Lil Mav volleyball camp rises for a spike during a drill. The camp is based on the typical flow of a practice session for the Moses Lake varsity team.
The camp offered instruction from both Moses Lake High School volleyball coaches and players.
Campers at the Lil Mav volleyball camp participate in a crab walk challenge, where players attempt to keep the ball on top of them while crab walking.
MOSES LAKE — More than 60 volleyball players gathered in the Moses Lake High School gymnasium for the Lil Mav volleyball camp, learning from current Maverick players and coaches over a three-day span.
This is the second year that Moses Lake Head Coach Krystal Trammell and her staff have put on the camp, with many familiar faces returning for a second year.
“They’ve grown, they’ve gotten stronger,” Trammell said. “Their knowledge is so much better.”
Those returning campers allowed the camp to delve into some of the deeper levels of the game, according to Assistant Coach Amy Radder.
“If they were here last year, coming back this year you can see they’ve retained and kept all that knowledge and now they’re wanting more,” she said. “We’ve had to revise plans just to keep challenging these girls, which is fun.”
By participating in the camp, youth volleyball players get the chance to see what it’s like to be a volleyball player for the Mavericks. The camp structure is based on what a typical high school practice is like.
“It’s fabulous, we’re all excited,” Trammell said. “A lot of those eighth-graders last year are now ninth-graders in our program. We’re able to see the future of our program; they’re able to spend time with the coaches and our players to better understand us and what we do.”
Camp sessions begin with players gathering to go over a quote of the day followed by the day's objectives. After warming up, players are divided up into teams with assistant coaches to go over the goal of the day. Fifth- and sixth-graders were in one gym while seventh- and eighth-graders worked in another gym.
“By the time they get to us (in high school) they’re ready to go,” Trammell said.
The youth players learning from current Mav players and coaches can go a long way, but the same effect can be seen on the high schoolers.
“They have to teach it,” Trammell said. “They have to know the process step by step, know who they’re teaching at what level and then demonstrate it. Have patience, use the verbiage that we use. I think it brings the (current players) back to when they were that age and were starting to play, and that love for the game, they see it in the little ones.”
Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
