A Long Day At Galt

I have never been to Galt, CA. Never heard of it either. But we went there for the Boy's Volleyball Power League tournament #3.

Google Map said it was an hour and 35 minute trip. With some luck, that's about an hour and fifteen trip for me. This meant we had to be up by 5:00am and on the road by 6:00am, in order to make it to the 7:45am call time, with some time to spare. We were on the road at 6:00 alright, but we weren't hoping on the 680 freeway. We still had to get coffee and something to eat. It was 6:35 when we entered 680N. We arrived 7:44.

The drive was uneventful, as in the previous trip to Sacramento 4 weeks earlier, except that there was rain in the forecast. The rain came in spurts and it didn't slow us down. But it poured as we arrived at the venue. Galt is a small town, and it didn't seem like there was much to do there. Volleyball is probably a favorite sport in this town because the tournament venue belongs to a local volleyball club. It has 4 courts and a little food counter.

What I didn't understand was that the facility charged a $4.00 entrance fee (except coaches and players), and you couldn't bring in any outside food or beverage. Since the facility was located in a business complex, the team "stations" had to be erected around the perimeter of the building under the cold rain. Our team's tent was located at the back of the building, right next to the warehouse shipping dock. And I would think that this volleyball club also charged the tournament organizers for using their facility. What a way to make money!!!

Our boys played 3 games and officiated 2 games in their pool. The games were close, but they lost all 3. After a quick lunch, there were 3 more games to play in the bracket. The last 2 games were critical because it determined whether the team stayed in their division or would move down. Although the 4th game was not crucial, a win was a win. It would give the players the needed boost. Unfortunately, they lost another close one. That was 4:00 in the afternoon.

Our club's director was concerned that all the games were behind schedule. With 2 more games to play and 1-2 more games to officiate, we would be up there all night. After some discussions with tournament officials and team coaches, it was agreed that games, goingforward, would be played with one set, to 25 points. For teams whose outcome would determine their eventual standing in the division, they would play best of 3 sets.

Realizing that there was work that needed to be done, the boys went on overdrive. With renewed vigor and energy, they won game #5. It was after 6:00pm. Somehow, there was confusion in the scheduling because the next team we had to play was still officiating. More discussions with tournament organizers resulted in some of our parents volunteering to officiate, so the team we were suppose to play next could warm up and be ready to play sooner than later.

It was after 7:00pm and we started our last game. I guess the long day had taken its toll, particularly for our opponent, that the game ended quite quickly. Our boys won game #6, and stayed within the division. As a matter of fact, they moved up a couple of notches in the standings. It was past 7:30 in the evening.

It surely was a (very) long day, and I didn't even play. And I never expected to be in such a "remote" town this late at night either. By the time we hit the road, it was almost 8:00pm, headed to Lodi for some Moo Moo burger (see related post).