Another highlight of the awarding ceremony was the awarding of the team sportsmanship award to my son, James, which is given to 8th graders. To avoid any bias or favoritism, I asked my assistant coach, Rich, to make the selection, since he had worked closely with the boys throughout the season.
Below was the speech I delivered during the CYO awards night this evening. Since we were the last team to present, I took the liberty of giving myself a few extra minutes on the podium to deliver my message. It was my last year anyway, so I knew everyone didn't mind.
It was a fun season, and a gratifyingly wild 7 years of CYO as a coach and parent. Now, I step aside and make way for others.
It's time to retire.
----------------------------------------------------
Indoor volleyball is not popular sport for boys, especially within the CYO program. It competes directly with other more popular spring sports, such as baseball, soccer, and even track and field. As a matter of fact, CYO does not have it as part of its program. They do recognize sand volleyball for boys, but not indoor 6-man volleyball. This is why I'd like to acknowledge a couple of dedicated men from the SAC (Southern Alameda Country) league, who have hosted this tournament of sorts for boys volleyball for the past so many years. These gentlemen are Tony Spinnato and Larry of All Saints.
About 7 years ago, when my son, James was only in 2nd grade, Coach Maz retired from coaching the 7/8 boys team, and was looking around for someone to take over. Like all of the CYO coaches here at St. Joe, I volunteered, redefined how the game is played, and transitioned to a competitive team. That first year, we brought home the championship, and the following year, we placed 2nd. On the 3rd year, we had a little scheduling miscue and defaulted in the playoffs. Then, All Saints decided to renovate their gym, and the boys volleyball tournament was put on hold.
In the next 3 years that followed, a few Mission Valley League schools decided to continue with the boys volleyball tournament, but participation came from only 2-3 schools, us included.
This year, the All Saints gym was completed, and they resumed hosting the tournament. At the start of the year, our team had one goal in mind -- to bring home the championship back to St. Joseph. We placed 2nd in the regular season, and undefeated going into the championship. But we lost to St. Clements in double elimination. Very close, but no cigar.
Volleyball is a great and exciting game. The boys volleyball program over the last few years here at St. Joe has produced a number of players that have gone and played varsity in high school, such as Keith Wyngarden who was the starting setter for Bellarmine, as well as outside hitter Jacob McCutcheon and Middle Blocker Michael Hernandez for Moreau. All I can say is, let's continue to propagate the sport of volleyball and always strive for excellence.
Now, for my team. I am proud of this team and its accomplishments. We had our difficult moments -- gym availability and a player leaving. But despite having 9 players and plagued with injuries in the home stretch, we managed to pull off a successful season.
Before I call on the team, I'd like to thank my assistant coach, RICH NONO, for helping me out this season -- in the drills, on the one-on-one coaching, and in motivating the boys, in general. I'd also like to thank our team mom, MICHELE YOUNG, for coordinating all our schedules and activities; AIDA ALHADATE for our warm-up jerseys; FLOR SILVA for looking outside for gym time; to the loudest cheering squad you'll ever see and hear -- these are our PARENTS; and to all our friends and supports who have come out and watched our games. Thank you all.
So, let me introduce to you the members of this team, in alphabetical order, starting with my 7th graders:
> This guy is my secret weapon when it came to serving. I had full confidence in him, and I made sure he knew that I did. And I purposely put him in critical situations because I know he will deliver. He was as cool as a cat during the regular season, but the jitters caught up with him a little bit during the playoffs. My master server -- # 21 BRIAN TRINH.
> This next player was quite the opposite. He was cool and calm under pressure, and delivered when it mattered during the key playoff games. And his serves were deceiving super sharp as they hovered just above the net -- # 1 CHRIS ALHADATE.
> This next one never played competitive volleyball. But he learned quickly and his quick reflexes have developed during the course of the season. If he wants to pursue volleyball, I think we will be very good at it. --- # 3 KOBY SILVA
> Now, for my 8th graders. This player had his share of shining moments during the regular season. Whenever he rotates in front, he manages to engage the opponent on some net play. Unfortunately, we was plagued by an injury during the playoffs. But his heart was still in it, as he sat with the team all throughout the playoffs. Let me call in # 5 ALEX YOUNG.
> This next player gave us the kills we needed, when it mattered. Whenever he got a good set, he made sure the opponent could not return his hit. And his serves were equally hard to return. He loves the jousting at the net, and he certainly used his height advantage to the fullest -- #17 ANDREW CANNIZZARO.
> This next one is another newbie to competitive volleyball. But for someone who has not played competitively, he certainly did not show it. He set, joust, and ran allover the place. And he, too, had a killer serve -- # 16 DEVIN UYEHARA
> This next player was the team's court general. He digged, passed, and was just diving & rolling everywhere. And one of his patented moves was a reverse set pass that threw the opponents off guard -- # 12 JAMES LERMA
> The next player is the other twin tower of the team. He was the other force that made the kills. He loved jousting at the net, and was diving to get the ball. My other big man -- # 40 MATEO BALLESTRINI
> And finally, the most intense player on the team. He his tough on himself and does not settle for anything less. He has excellent control of his serves, and drops the ball wherever I tell him to. He is my reliable setter -- # 26 NICK NGUYEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment