Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Tennessee Mountains!

2008 FHSAA Academic State Champs

The FHSAA has just announced that the Venice Volleyball team actually DID win a State Championship this year but it wasn't on the court but in the classroom. Venice HS Volleyball is officially the 2008 Academic State Champions. What a fantastic honor and tribute to the teams hardwork in the gym AND in the classroom. In year's past we have come close to this award but this is a first for the program. Congratulations!!!!!!!

Elite 8

It was an exciting match on Tuesday as Venice played their game plan to perfection against the high flying Lakewood Spartans. Next up is this Saturday against Plant at the TeePee at 2:00. This match always seems to be exciting. In the last 4 years, Plant has knocked vhs out of the playoffs 2x and Vhs has bounced Plant from the playoffs 2x. Plant has an excellent team this year and it will be a tough match for us. See ya on Saturday @ 2:00!!!!

Sweet 16

After the Indians dominated their first round regional opponent, the stakes have gotten higher. St. Petersburg Lakewood comes to town on Tues. This is a very interesting match up as Lakewood boasts one of the best players in the state. Venice and Lakewood are complete opposites. We run a quick and fast paced offense. We use deception and different tempo sets and Lakewood throws it up and lets their athletic players go get it. The Indians will have to be at the top of their game on Tuesday. We hope to see the Venice community come out in droves to help us get the W. Venice's home crowd or otherwise known as the 7th person on the floor is similar to Texas A+M 12th player. Game starts at 7:00 but be there early and wear your green! This should be an exciting match.

District Champs!!!!

District Champs, District Champs, District Champs!!!!!!

Preseason to real season

On Thursday night, the Indians traveled to one of our rival schools, Ft. Myers HS, where it is usually a very difficult atmosphere. The last time we won in there was in '04 to claim the Regional Championship and head off to the final 4. Thursday night did not disappoint as I witnessed one of the best comebacks in a long time out of a Venice squad. Down 2 to 1 in games and down 17-9 in the 4th game, it was all but over except for the VHS players who still believed. They came back to win 25-23. Spirits were high as we entered our 7th fifth game match of the year. Result.......Venice over a stunned Ft. Myers crowd 15-13. Now that everyone in the state has 0 wins and 0 losses, this is when it get really fun! Its called Playoffs. We will play a tough young Charlotte team Monday night at 7:00 in the TeePee. See you there.

Teacher Appreciation Night

No Senior Night because we have no seniors so lets have the next best thing. Teacher Appreciation Night. All teachers from Venice HS , Pineview, Laurel, Venice Middle, and all area elementary schools are invited. We will recognize these people who have impacted our players lives this Wednesday against Perennial powerhouse Berkeley Prep. The game is slated for Wednesday night at 7:00. We don't want to embarass anyone so we will have all teachers stand up in between games 1 and 2. Also, our vhs drumline will be in attendance on Wednesday to give the Buccaneers of Berkeley Prep a little lovin in the TeePee.

Venice VB goes Primetime!

I know that you are probably wondering what to do with yourself on a Friday night since the football team has a BYE week. Yes, its date night at the TeePee as the Indians will square off with the Big dogs from Tampa Prep! It should be a good one as VHS and TP have split this year. So come out and bring that special someone for the 7:00 start against the turtles, oops I mean Terrapins, from Tampa Prep.
Thurs, Oct. 16 is Dairy Queen night for the Venice volleyball team. 10% of all of their proceeds from 5-8 PM go directly to the Spiker Booster Club. Eat at DQ!!!
Lastly, it looks like the "Who is the greatest setter ever at VHS" poll is heating up. The two front runners, '94 Briana Sandburg-Peacock and '07 Nickie Halbert have emerged. This polls will end sometime during our playoff run so keep the votes coming in.

3 C's

Calm, cool, and confident. Do you think that only players learn from their coaches? I want to tell you what I have been learning as a coach over the past couple of weeks. I am learning that this group is willing to do what it takes to be successful and they are proving that to me over and over again. Some days we are very hard on them and others we are not but they are trying and that is all that matters. There has not been one eye roll, shoulder shrug, or question about what or why we are doing something. As of last Wednesday, we had not had ONE day off since the beginning of the season. We felt like for us to just have a chance to compete we had to teach, teach , and teach but you can only go to the well so many times w/out it drying up. After we lost to St. Thomas Aquinas last Wednesday night, I wanted to see what the attitude was the next day. I knew our team was physically and mentally exhausted but they came in the next day willing to do whatever was needed to correct the mistakes from the night before and in my book, attitude is everything! That showed me how special this team has become. Bottom line, we gave the kids off for 4 days and this week they have come back recharged and ready to go. It is a fine line with the difficult schedule we play because we are not going to have the best record that we have ever had but we want to keep their confidence high too. I think our players know that without that schedule, we would not really know where we stand. A team that comes into districts with a 25-0 record doesn't truly know how they will react under pressure. The more times a team is in the pressure cooker, the higher chance that they will get used to it and like it. The players and coaches just need to let the learning process run its course and be calm, cool, and confident.

Expect to Win

It's hard to believe that we have just completed over half of the season. Although the time has gone by quickly, I feel like it has been productive in many different areas. The number of days that we practice are so limited now because of games during the week so we have to utilize every day we can and try to improve and maximize every practice or scrimmage. The volleyball staff has been pleased with the progress of several players and encouraged by the commitment of the team. One player in particular, Autumn Duyn, has been on a tear and she does not even realize yet the impact she has on our opponents.
One of our goals heading into the season was to serve tough to force teams to get out of system so we have an opportunity to compete against the bigger and more experienced teams. With big wins against Aquinas, Tampa Prep, Bucholtz, Manatee, and Jensen Beach, we all have been encouraged by the grit that our team has shown this year. Playing in what I think was the toughest field since I have been around (which is a long time) at the Berkeley Premier, our team is finally realizing that nobody is going to feel sorry for them after a mistake and every point must be played with passion. I feel these next two weeks will be a turning point for the rest of the year. It will give our players an opportunity to work on skills again and regain some rest from the last 3 weekends on the road. Our players understand (i think) that practices must duplicate the atmosphere in the Berkeley gymnasium to compete at that level. The last two practices were full of intensity and enthusiasm as players are happy about this months home stand against Aquinas, Berkeley and Tampa Prep, Winter Springs, and Southeast to clinch the #1 seed in the district tourney.
We appreciate your help and support and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead for this club. As the sign reads, "Expect To Win".

To venture out or stay under covers

That is the question that faces the 2008 team. After an exiting showing in the Gatortown classic, this years team is deciding what will their legacy be? Some teams in the past have shown tremendous offense while other Venice teams were known for their stellar defense, while others would scratch and claw to the finish. Last week, we played Manatee and Leon HS up in Tallahassee. Against Manatee, we destroyed them when we decided to play up but when we played just mediocre, we lost. Luckily, we came out ahead. Same thing happened after the 5 hour drive to Tallahassee. The first game was a 29-27 battle, in the 2nd game we seemed to be cruising at 20-16 then the bad people in our heads seemed to get the best of us as each game would be fought hard until we scored around 20 points. Is this typical of a young team or is it that we did not handle success the week before or is that we think we achieved something and thought we could just cruise the rest of the season? All of these questions were "discussed" after the Leon loss. Why is it that a team celebrates so much after beating a Venice team? The reason is simple...... tradition, pride, and entusiasm. These are the things that explain what our teams are about. Many times, we do not have the best athletes or experience or height that other teams possess but we have something much bigger and better. Venice Volleyball teams have a big heart and Every team that we face knows that the Green team is going to scratch and claw all the way to the finish and that nobody will have an easy road. This is the reason why teams celebrate when they rarely defeat the Green Machine from Venice, FL So the question must go out to this years team that must be answered from their actions and not their words. Will the the 2008 team venture out or stay safe in the shelter?

Gatortown classic

After a tough 5 game loss at Tampa Prep on Thursday night, the Indians went to defend their title in the Gatortown classic in Gainesville. VHS was seeded 7th overall in the 16 team tournamant but the Indians proved in the first day that seeds don't mean a thing. In the first match against Gainesville Santa Fe HS, vhs cleared the bench winning 25-15, 25-15. The second proved to be much tougher beating 4A powerhouse Bishop Kenny 25-23, 26-24. The last game of pool play against St. Thomas Aquinas was for the right to go to the gold division on Saturday. Venice beat Aquinas twice last year in 5 games and the rivalry continued its long tradition on Saturday night as VHS defeated Aquinas 25-23, 25-22. It was a grueling, emotional match as the Indians were down 11-6 in the first and finally took the lead at 23-22 as the defense smothered each powerful hit. Emily Daniels had her break out game with 13 thundering spikes to clinch the win. BTW, it is Aquinas turn to visit the TeePee in early October which will be a doozy!

Tampa Prep

Game starts at 6:30

On the Road Again.....

You probably thought I was singing the Kenny Rogers song but I was talking about next week. After a 2-0 start to the season, the Indians will be on the road this coming week. We will go to North Port on Tuesday, Tampa Prep on Thursday, and Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday. I am sure all of the gyms will be filled with Venice haters which somehow usually sparks an emotional VHS volleyball team. The team will be staying in Tampa on Thursday night and Gainesville on Friday night. We will be sending home an itinerary with the players soon. Parents and fans------ Do you feel out of place w/out a new Venice volleyball T shirt? T shirts are on sale now at all home games. Get them while they last!!!! Students---- Over 250 Wheatley Wacko shirts were sold in the first week. There are only a few left so don't be a nerd in the stands without a shirt. I'm just kidding. Nerds are always welcome at our games.
Take a look at some of our preseason pics with the egg drop. This was a team chemistry game where we split the team up into 3 teams of 4. We gave each team 1 egg and told them that in 10 minutes, we would drop the egg from the top of the football stands and the egg was not to break so they had to think fast, work together, and protect the egg. See pics. I am happy to say that that this was the 1st year where all the teams were successful. Hmmm..... could be a sign of good things to come. War Eagle!

New Era

Preseason is for gaining confidence and finding weakness. That is exactly what happened this past week for the Indians. It was a total success as we competed with 2 of the best teams in the state of Florida. Both matches could have gone either way and our coaching staff is very pleased as we start the regular season on the road at Lakewood Ranch on Tuesday night @ 7 and we will return home on Thursday vs Bayshore HS. Our New Era has begun!!!! As we are not used to losing, Friday and Saturdays practice was extremely focused (and tough). If we had played easy or mediocre teams, we would be going into regular season blind and ignorant. Its not how good you are but how often you are good. Any team can have a good showing once in awhile but it is those teams that stand the test of time who are successful.
Also, veniceindianvolleyball.com will have a new look here in the next few days so keep checking back. I think you will like the new look!

Venice sweeps home opener!!!!!!

Venice def. Ft. Myers in 3 tonight 25-21, 25-23, 25-13. It was a classic Venice win with disciplined defense and passing, aggresive swinging, and a whole lot of guts. Both teams stayed very even the 1st 2 games until about 20 and then the Indians put it into high gear. The Wackos were out in full force which really sparked a lot of energy into the match. Looking forward to seeing a great crowd for the Championship on Thursday night at 7 against Berkeley Prep.

Big Sis/little sis program

To all freshmen and JV players:

Many years ago, Venice Volleyball was the first to launch the Big sister and little sister program. All players on the freshmen and JV teams will get a big sister from the Varsity team. This program is designed so our volleyball athletes support each other and help through the good times and the bad. A big sister is there to help talk through problems or may share in her victories as well. We want all of our athletes to feel part of our program and this is just one way to fulfill it. Not only does it help kids on the freshmen and jv teams but it helps promote leadership from the varsity players because leaders are not born but made. Your big sister will be announced the week of Aug. 25th

Fundraiser Tuesday August 26th

DELICIOUS Gold Rush BBQ Sandwich with 1 side , dessert and a drink
FOR ONLY $7.00
starts at 4:30 Location: Outside cafeteria eating area: next to gym parking lot.

212° - The Xtra Degree

Parent Meeting

There will be a Volleyball meeting for parents and players on Thursday, 8/21 at 7:30 PM. Please plan to attend.

In the news

Many of our fans like to follow our VHS graduates as they excel on their college teams. Here are their college websites: (click on the player)

Lisa Hough

Nickie Halbert

Kaylee Ream

Casie Richards

Julie Howlett

Good luck to all of these girls. VHS is rooting for you! Also, Lisa Hough will be the captain for the Mountaineers this year.

*****After leading her Georgetown Hoyas in kills last year, Dana Dumas has decided to stay at the school but not play due to the fact that she has changed her major to Nursing which demands many hours and the two would just not work out.***********

Practice cancelled!!!

Due to the storm, practice has been cancelled Mon and Tuesday. Stay Safe!

2- A -Days

Tryouts started Monday morning and by Monday afternoon the varsity team was suited in their 2008 practice gear ready for practices, team building exercises, and learning about this years theme. All week, the varsity team practiced 2 times a day with a typical practice lasting about 3 hours and then workouts with Vern followed one of those so as you can imagine, players are definitely fatigued. Most years, we train using part to whole theory starting with the basics and moving towards team drills and strategies towards the end of the 2nd week. This year because of a lot of newcomers, we are training whole to part. We showed them what the final product needs to look like and are going backwards from there. We are taking baby steps and making sure that no rock is left uncovered. It's important, as coaches, to learn from past years to improve the quality of our program and the last couple of years we have had a veteran team and with a veteran team you tend to move as quickly as possible through certain areas of mental preparedness to get to a higher level of play. This week in particular there are 3 things that need to be edged in their mind for us to be successful and we have not deterrred from that at all this week. Those 3 things are coming along and particularly at todays practice we felt like we had some breakthroughs as a team so hopefully we can continue to take some steps forward going into Friday and Saturdays practices. There are a few things that we have done this week that have been pretty beneficial as far as motivating individuals, building team unity, and taping practices. I know that I have not expanded on things in this blog and I will be pretty general throughout the course of the season because there are many opposing coaches who will read this and try to gain info to scout. I know because we get valuable info from other team's websites but lets keep that a secret.
I would like to welcome our new freshmen coach this season, Lori Sandburg. Lori played at VHS and was a freshmen setter on my very 1st team at Venice. She is one of only a handful of players to play all 4 years on the varsity team. As a freshmen, she saw our team win the school's 1st ever District Championship defeating 13 time defending champion, Pt. Charlotte HS who was a powerhouse in the state at that time. Her competiveness continued and as a senior, she set our team to the school's 1st ever berth in the Final 4 and finished State Runner up to undefeated and #3 team in the nation, Clearwater HS, so Lori has seen it all. She went on to gain a volleyball scholarship at Valdosta State Univ. in Georgia as a setter. She is now back and we know that she will do a great job as the Frosh coach. Lori is extremely energetic and always has a smile on her face. She is eager to get started and I know her team will be exciting to watch this season.

JV and Freshmen Teams

JV:

Ashley Keith * Heather Parrish * Bianca Echtler * Abby Carlson
Morgan Henderson * Hannah Revels * Mary Dodge * Lyndsey Cantees
Aubrey Court * Angela Jewett * Brittany Ryan * Julie Cessna
Cassie Wright * Kelsey McNamee

Freshmen:

Naomi Skopec * Caroline Cassidy * Brooke Shipps * MacKenzie Stewart
Catie Pinkerton * Gena Murphy * Sammie Kasmirski * Ciara Schaefer
Sarah Benderson * Julianna Burns * Kelsey Breda



JV has practice tomorrow from 11:00-12:45. Freshmen are practicing from 5:30-7:30.



Congrats!

Varsity Roster

Katie Paschke * Dorothy Rahal * *Jillian Allen * Taylor Capasso
Emily Daniels * Brittany Burrows * Kelly McManus
Whitney Steranko * Jessica Costanzo * Payton Herschberger
Autumn Duyn * Morgan Shattuck

Volleyball Eve

'Twas the Night Before Volleyball by Brian Wheatley (2008)
'Twas the night before Volleyball, when all through the TeePee not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse( well maybe a rat). The Championship banners were hung by the raftors with care,in hopes that a new State Championship would soon would be there.

The coaches and players were nestled all snug in their beds,while visions of the Berkeley Prep Buccaneers were in their heads.And Coach Peters in her pajamas, and Coach Lanham on the couch, and Coach Batt wearing a hat had just settled the offense we would run for a long season's run.

When out on the road there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen weight room, the lustre of midday to objects below,when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,but big yellow buses and volleyball players who were scared of their next defeat.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be our district opponents. More rapid then eagles, each team came to the Tee Pee and the reporters Perry and Tripp have to write in the paper that The Indians had them beat. Their names in sinc shouted by Wheatley's Wackos who called them by name: Now Lakewood Ranch! Now Bayshore Bruins!, Now North Port Bobcats and Charlotte Tarpons! On, Manatee Hurricanes, On Souteast Seminoles, Port Charlotte Pirates and all other teams who have been banned (like Buccholtz). Back to your buses! Back to your school! Now dash away!, Dash away! Dash away all!

As morning grew near and the crowds had gone home, the players were met with an obstacle so they ran to their safe haven called the gym. With the office full of new uniforms (they are sweet looking too) and new equipment await, Vern Gambetta was there telling then that Good was not good enough and there was more to be done.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the gym floor diving and sprawling of each player. As I drew in my head and was turning around,down the floor came alumni carrying a torch to hand it over.

They were dressed all in green, from their head to their feet,and their clothes were all tarnished with wrinkles and spots. A bundle of names that Coach Wheatley had written had flung on his back,and he looked like an Auburn grad just opening his pack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,and the hairs on his chest was as white as the snow.The stump of a whisle he held tight in his teeth,and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.He had a broad face but with a six pack too ,that kinda looked like a wash board and a practice plan all crumpled up .

He was a great looking guy (don't laugh), a right jolly young coach,and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,and filled all the spirit bags, then turned with a jerk.And blowing his whistle,and giving a nod, out the TeePee he rose.

He sprang to his Durango, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Volleyball to all, and to all a good night!" Good luck at Tryouts. New poll will start next week so get the last few votes in quickly.

Alumni make it 4 straight........

Last night, at the annual alumni match, we had yet another nail biter as the VHS alum won 16-14 in the fifth game. The alumni were a little upset with their throw back uniforms and came out smokin to win the first 2 games pretty handidly 25-17, 25-16. The green team came back to tie it up with scores of 25-21 and 25-23 but in the end it came down to Kaylee Ream who hit the right corner to seal the deal. I want to thank the alum who showed their support; Ann Ross '85, Briana Sandburg '95, Lori Sandburg '98, Danielle Durham '05, Kaylee Ream '08, Casie Richards '08, Julie Howlett '08, Shannon Ryan '99, Jackie Ryan '95, Margeaux Sinibaldi '04, Lisa Capasso '81, Chris Burrows '89, Ashley Graf '07, and Natalie Gaudreau '07. Also, I want to thank our line judges, Kurt Durham and Ray sinibaldi, our scorekeeper, Aubrey Court and all of the spectators who came out to observe. Looking forward to another great VHS volleyball season. Tryouts start Monday, Aug. 11. Keep checking back as pictures of the game will soon be uploaded.

USA-USA-USA-USA-USA-USA

In 1984, my parents took me to my first Olympics in Los Angeles. I remember the chant USA over and over in my head. I was hooked! It is where I saw my first real volleyball game and Karch Kiraly with his 42" vertical. We watched Carl Lewis run the 100 in the Coliseum. In 1996, I went back to Atlanta and watched the Dream Team. I remember pulling up to Centennial Park right after the bomb had gone off. Anyways- There are only 10 days left until the '08 Olympics start and I am stoked. Our sport always gets a big boost right after the olympics and I am expecting the same thing this year. You can buy Venice Volleyball gear off our website and the Wackos club will be sporting Neon green shirts this year in the stands as well. All proceeds go straight to the booster club. We finally pulled into Venice after nearly 3 weeks on the road. But we are heading back out for a few days at the end of the week to Paris!!!! Just kidding...... Actually Orlando. I bet you are wondering how the fishing trip ended up...... Day 2 and 3 was awesome. Lots of fish and no near death experiences. We had a blast camping, talking to the locals, and sitting in front of the local gas station debating life. I am reading a great book right now written by Chette Williams called Hard Fighting Soldier. (Yes I read books). He has been the Auburn football Chaplain for the last 8 years. It is basically the story of his life and how Tommy Tuberville was the 1st coach in America to hire a full time Chaplain. Have you heard Kidd Rock's new song with Sweet Home Alabama plaing in the background? Also, I know why Obama will not win the election in November because if you put a G in front of his name, it spells a really bad word........Hey, looking forward to the Alumni game on Monday night. I heard the Fran Valencic will be in the house!

Rocky Top Tennessee

Live from the Smokey mountains of Reliance, Tennessee where the motto here is "if you hear a banjo playing, you better start paddling". Got in late last night with my Auburn buddy, Mike where the plan was to get up early and be on the river for a full day of fly fishing for rainbow trout. How do you do it? Park your car at the top, park a mountain bike at the bottom, get a fly rod with a lot of little fake bugs that the fish eat, put on big heavy waiters, get in a tube and go. Water is about 50 degrees and it gets real hot up here. Let me tell you that half the fun is going through the rapids. Well here is a synopsis (big word) of the day. Not a great day, in fact everything that could go wrong went wrong. Let me tell you about it. Now usually we get a guide the first day so we can scout out hot spots and get the right type of fly at the end of our line but this year we decided to do it on our own. Usually you know what that means!!!

We got up late this morning b/c we were tired, ate some grits at the local shop and bought a snickers for lunch. We forgot the lock for the bike so we decided to hide it in some bushes. (This part of the story comes into play a little later) After parking the car, we put our gear on and got in the freezing river. We didn't know what time the dam was going to release water but we found out pretty quickly as I had a near death experience. My tube was going a little out of control when I hit the log. Rushing white water was pressing against my back as it was squeezing my lungs against the log. I had created quite a commotion that some onlookers watched me slowly die while there was nothing that they could do. Water started to fill my my waiters and I saw myself drowning. I finally decided that my life was more important then the equipment so I lifted myself up onto the log. As I did that, the tube and rod luckily caught a branch and I was able to escape to safety but my float tube broke in the process. Luckily, Mike had brought another one. Dried off, got back in the water and my wet suit had torn and 50 degree water came poring in. I decided to just go with it and finish the day. We both put on many different flys with no luck. Bottom line- No fish caught but hey my motto is a bad day fishing is better then the best day at work unless there is a home vb game at the TeePee that night.

We got out of the river around 6:00 to find out that our bike had been stolen. We walked up the mountain with the gear and some lady picked us up and gave us a ride to the top. Note to kids- Don't hitch hike. Went back to camp to get ready to find some dinner since we were not able to catch it. Got into a little scuffle with some Univ. of Alabama students and then found a place that was called Southern grits. They only served chicken and dumplings but it was frog leg Friday. Oh what a joy! I am proud to say that I ate my first frog tonight for dinner and now I am writing about it listening to the crickets and watching the fire flies. After dinner, we found some guy who will take us in his glider. Not sure I want to do it but will keep you updated. Tomorrow is a new day and in my book, the glass is always half full. Tomorrow we will get at it again and go for the big one or anything that will bite is fine too!

I want to give a shout out to the Shannon and Jackie Ryan, and Amy Sprouse. They emailed me to let me know that they will be at the Alumni game on Aug. 4th. Good night!!

Hough wins Middle Hitter Award!!!

Thanks to Hurricane Dolly, I just got in a few hours of great surfing this morning. Woke up before everyone else around 6:30 and went to the beach with the long board. Surprisingly, there were only a few people out there and there were a lot of clean sets coming in. I must say that surfing is a great workout and really helps clear the mind. It has been quite awhile since I have been able to do that. Lisa has been teasing me lately because I have put on about 10 pounds but I attribute it all to muscle mass as I have been working out pretty consistently over the past 8 weeks. I have never been heavier then my dad but now I am because he has lost over 40 pounds in 6 months. Retired life must rough!! Speaking of rough, Lisa Hough is rough on her opponents as she is the winner of the best ever middle blocker to play at VHS. We had over 800 votes as Dana Dumas and Lisa battled it out. It looked like Dana was going to get the top prize but the Lisa camp made one last push for victory. Lisa was and is an amazing player as she will be going into her senior year to play for the mountaineers at West Virginia Univ. At VHS, She was a 3 year starter and racked up more awards then I can remember. She was also one of the sharpest tools in the shed as she was #1 in her graduating class!!! Lisa was well respected by her teammates and adored by the coaching staff (especially me). Lisa IS the perfect player on a team. She goes at 110% all the time, very positive, extremely coachable, very respectable to her coaches, and plays with passion. Many players think they train hard, Lisa trains harder when nobody is even around. Lisa made herself a Division 1 athlete with her athletic ability but with more perserveance then anything in my opinion. Venice Volleyball has had many great middles over the years and it is a great honor to award Lisa as the greatest middle to ever play at VHS. Make sure you vote on the defensive poll. When that is done, the setters will battle it out.

A word from the airport

Team Camp is finally over and I am catching a flight back up North. I am really looking forward to it as we will be staying at the beach on the Panhandle then it is off to the mntns of North Carolina and Tennessee for a little fishing. Team Camp was a success as I am fairly confident of the path that we need to take for the season as far as training goes. Playing so many different schools makes it fairly obvious what our strengths and weaknesses are and how pre season needs to be approached. Some things we "get" and some things we do not but like I was telling our team after we got ousted from the single elimination tourney on Sunday was that this is the time to "not get it" so from that standpoint, the week was very successful. Plane is leaving. I will write later in the week. PS - I did get the final word on the pranks for the weekend too.

Team Camp- Day 2

Team camp is always pretty exhausting. There are 3 sessions that last about 3 hours each so we basically eat, sleep, and play volleyball for 3 days. I enjoy eating in the cafeteria. Each session has a specific skill that teams work on while competing against each other. For example, yesterday was geared to out of system balls and transition training. Today was more offense and running specific plays. Tonight we started match play where we compete against other schools and we keep records for seeding purposes. Tomorrow night, the camp tournament starts. It is usually very competitive. Five of six last year's state champs are present. In my 14 years, we have only won the Camp Championship one time. (Many 2nd place finishes). Tonight our record was 4-1. We beat Martin county, Jensen Beach, Episcopal from Jacksonville, and Lake Howell. Lost to Timber Creek. We will probably start the 32 team tournament as a 2nd or 3rd seed behind Timber Creek and Buccholtz. Jillian Allen went down with an ankle injury but I think it is minor and should be back tomorrow.
How is the team doing? We are getting a lot of experience playing other varsity squads. Since we lack in that area, it has been good to see them compete. We are working on competing for each point and not taking plays off, talking all of the time b/c that creates intensity, and being in the right spot at the right time. For some, it is starting to click a little. It is a big transition to go from the JV to the Varsity level and games are usually determined by a point or two. At times, we look phenominal and other times, it is hard to watch. As we gain more experience, the phenominal will outweigh the other times. At one point tonight, I told them that I hated mediocrity and our goal was perfection.
Team bonding is another plus at Team Camp. Every year, I usually pull out a couple of college day pranks. This year, they were ready for me. As we ate lunch today, I noticed a lot of texting going on. It turns out that they realized that the key to my dorm room was hanging out of my backpack and they started texting each other on how they were going to get it. Well, they got it w/out me realizing it and after they trashed my dorm room, they were able to put it back in my bag w/out me ever knowing it was missing. When I went back to my room, it was quite a mess. Shaving cream on the mirror and toilet seat, clothes all over and who knows what they did with my tooth brush. I am not really sure if I should be upset b/c it was pretty good team work and planning to pull off a feat like that. It was extremely creative and gutsy whick I like! But I will tell you that at some point my payback will very rewarding! Some of them say that they had nothing to do with it but I think if someone sits in the getaway car during a robbery, they are still going to go to jail.

Dorothy Rahal Commits!!!!

Venice HS has their first 2010 commitment as Dorothy gave a verbal to Marshall University and will receive a full athletic scholarship starting her freshmen year in 2010. She will continue to wear the Forest green and white uniforms with the Thundering Herd. Marshall U. is a Division 1 school that competes in Conference USA. Congrats Dorothy!!!

Auburn's Team Camp

It is a rainy Sunday afternoon in Auburn. Team camp fnished up around noon and some families were suppose to go to the waterslide park this afternoon but it looks like the lightning is going to keep us away so I decided to write a little. On Thursday, it was a one day only beginning team camp. I had a team from the inner city of Montgomery. They had never played volleyball but by the end of the day we were able to get some rallies going. I think the favorite part of the day for the team was the cheers that they had made up. Friday thru Sunday was quite a different story. My team was St. Paul's out of Mobile, Alabama. They are the 2 time defending State Champs. They are a VERY offensive team which suited me fine because I lean toward being a defensive coach. They will have 6 seniors next year and the top player has already committed to Purdue Univ. Catherine is a 6'3" hammer! Their other big gun had a cast on and she will be a junior and is leaning towards Georgia Tech. The other players were extrememly skilled as most of them play club somewhere in Mobile. This team was extremely athletic and loved the play at the net. I decided to take them in a little different direction at the request of their coach and concentrate on passing and defense. The kids were very responsive and we all had a great time. We ended up winning the camp championship as well. They will be at the Tampa Prep tournamnent in the fall and we are talking about them possibly coming a day earlier to the TeePee for a match. I am sure that it would be an extremely entertaining event if it happens and our seven year regular season winning streak would be in jeapardy. The next few days, we will be hanging out and visiting friends before I fly back to Tampa. Did you know During the 1972 Iron Bowl, Auburn blocked two fourth-quarter punts and returned both for touchdowns, giving the Tigers a 17-16 win in a game that's now known simply as "Punt Bama Punt."

Greetings from Auburn!!!

I just woke up after driving a hefty 8 hours to the best college town in America. I don't need to tell you where that is! The Wheatley family will be staying with various college friends over the next week til I fly back to Tampa to work with our amazing 2008 possible varsity players at the University of Tampa camp. After Tampa camp, I fly back up to Pensacola and my family and Wade Banson's family will be renting a place on the beach near Seaside, FL. Ever seen John Carey in the movie, The Truman Show? That is where we will be. Wade is the new head coach at Auburn. And finally after that, I will be ruffing it in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee with one of my best friends, Mike, who never left his college town and is now a lawyer. We fly fish every summer up there where time is not existent, we have no idea what we will eat for dinner if we do not catch fish. (And if you have ever fished with me, you know that is a great possibility.), and we bath in the rivers. I am hoping that Coach Faulkner can join us for a day in NC as he will also be up that way. As we are camping, Lisa and the kids will be visiting with her family in the metropolis of Atmore, AL. If you have nothing else to do, I will keep you updated on our trip but, in about 2 hours I will be working at the Auburn Univ. Team camp. I will also update you the next couple of days on the team that I will be working with and their progress. Did you know that the last time Alabama beat Auburn in football, gas was $1.29 ? War Eagle!!!!

Who is the greatest defensive player to ever play for the venice Indians?

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Who is the greatest middle hitter to ever play at Venice HS?

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Summer Volleyball- week 4

Wow- week 4 has already come and gone. I cannot believe how fast the summer is going. Our players have really made the most of it so far and have gotten a lot better. Our guest speaker, Dana Dumas, came in on Monday to talk with the players. I think it is always great to have former players like Dana come in and talk about their high school volleyball experience and what it meant to them now that they are adults. The players we have in the program have always heard of Dana and they get to look at her picture in the gym but really have never gotten a chance to know what she was about and what made her tick. Dana talked about her junior and senior years and how she was the only senior on the '05 team. She credited a lot of the success her teams had to the rigorous summer schedule. Many people who attend our matches just see the final result come fall. They don't know about players getting to the TeePee at 6:45 each morning while all of their friends are still sleeping at home thinking about what to wear to the beach that day. They can't fathom (big word) the number of arm swing reps our players do each summer morning to get their spike just to where they want it. Our athletes give up so much BUT they gain so much in return like being able to wear a Venice volleyball uniform in front of a packed house on a cool night at the TeePee or the pride they feel as they walk around town and strangers approach them to tell them how proud they are of the team and want to know about our next opponent. Little kids who come to to the games look up to them as role models and want to be just like them when they get to high school or our vhs alumni who still cheer them on to keep up the great tradition and expectations that come with each season. When someone of the high character like Dana speaks, I think it just motivates our current players to give that little extra each day and that is usually the difference in winning and losing. I was at Windflight surf shop just this afternoon and the owner just kept raving about how he loves to watch the volleyball players compete and get better throughout the season. It made me proud to know that I was a small part of the vhs program.
Some other highlights of the week was the introduction of a new game called "Deal or no deal". It was a big success. I was pleasantly surprised with our Wednesdays conditioning session out on the football field. We had kids pushing hard and encouraging others to give it all they had for the benefit of the team. They seemed to keep going when there was nothing left in the tank. (My former players know exactly how they felt). They were rewarded today for their efforts with popsicles after practice. Speaking of tanks, the "Tankity Tank" story seemed to hit a chord with many players. Why is our Venice teams so successful? It is the same reason why the LSU baseball team, USC football, New York Yankees, the San Francisco 49ers of the 80's, and the the Auburn Tigers (just kidding) are so successful year after year. They are not cocky but confident. Everytime they run out to play, they know without a shadow of a doubt that they will defeat the opposing team and the opposing team usually knows that they are in trouble mostly b/c of the way the other team is carrying themselves. It has not always been that way with Venice but the in the last 10 years, we have won a lot of matches just because we have the name "Venice" on the back of our jerseys!
Our middle hitter poll should be completed by next week. There has been a tremendous number of votes casted. In our next poll, we will have one of the most competitive polls to date and that is to find out who was the best defensive player and there have been many over the years. I have a feeling who will win but I wouldn't want to influence any votes.

summer volleyball- week 3

Monday of week 3 started off very slowly. Players were dragging in practice and with Vern's workouts. At the end of the session on Monday, we talked to the players about bringing everything they had to practice and leaving it all on the floor. We have many inexperienced varsity players next season and it was important that they knew that you cannot take plays off at the varsity level and expect to be successful. Each and every play is important because many volleyball games are won and lost by a two and three points. Needless to say, they came back the next day and the rest of this week ready to work hard. One of the nice things about this group is that they are excellent listeners and all we have to do is say things once. I think this trait will come in handy in big matches this season.
We concentrated on ball control this week and being a smart volleyball player. Many coaches just tell their players what to do and don't explain why they are doing it. At Venice, we want our players to know why a ball spins a certain way and what opposing players tend to do in certain situations. I can best explain this with an example. When I was a young gun playing doubles on the beaches of Santa Cruz, the older guys always used to knock us off. They were slower and could not jump that well and they took forever to stretch out before a match (I understand that now). I could never figure out how they did it. They won because they were smarter players. They knew that the young players just wanted to go up and spike it as hard as they could and show everyone how high they could jump so the older guys would situate themselves on defense on how to handle it. But the older players had to use their brain and make different types of cut shots to hit where the other team was not. They also had to have outstanding ball control to make up for their other physical weaknesses. So the question is, how does a team beat another team with more talent? The answer is outstanding ball control, make less mistakes then the other team, work harder, and be smarter more knowledgeable vb players. That is our playing philosophy in a nutshell. It does not matter who knows it or what other teams read this blog but it is a lot harder to do then just talking about it.
For the last 3 weeks, we have been breaking down skills to the smallest detail especially in the early part of each session. Our focus in summer is the individual over team play which consequently (big word) makes team play better. Not that i know how to make a cake but it is like it. You have to have all the ingredients for the cake to turn out right. If one ingredient is missing, then the cake suffers. Players get better in their prospective positions and and when all the players come together, the cake comes out of the oven and you get what you get. Today, we took a peak into the oven to see our defense and offense as we put some things together. I can tell you that things are coming together well and we are very excited to open the season in 61 days. I'll bet that you did not know that I am so philosophical!
On a lighter note, Jay and I brought in 400 water balloons that 2 girls filled up during practice who were on the Injured Reserve today (Thanks Hannah Revels and Aubrey Court!). At the end of practice, we snuck out to the football field and bombed the football players. The only problem was that word must have leaked out because the football players all had eggs and were ready. I will let you imagine how that went. Over and out!

Summer workouts - week 2

Week 2 is now over for the girls of Venice. We had to improvise a little bit because the TeePee was the sight for the Florida Police Olympics volleyball venue on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Police forces come from all over the state to play and the volleyball team keeps score, referees, judges the lines, etc. Some teams are very good and some are not. The police also donates to the Spiker volleyball club as well. It is awesome to see our kids generously donate their time to a good cause.
Monday and Tuesday were normal days like what I spoke about last week . On Wed and Thurs, the older kids went over to the hot, steamy, non airconditioned south gym. You drip sweat one minute after stepping through the doors like maybe some our our older alumni remember. We concentrated soley on defense and blocking. Blocking is a skill that most high schools are not very good at and it is one area that we want to improve in as I think it will be one of our strengths next year because we have a lot of height the next few years that we have not seen in awhile. After the serve, blocking is a team's 1st defense against the attack and a great block usually results in a big momentum swing and for those of you who have been around the sport for awhile knows that momentum swings rule this sport.
Our two strongest blockers, Jillian Allen and Whitney Steranko have been leading the pack for some others who are getting better on a daily basis. Morgan Shattuck has the highest touch on the team at 8'9.5" and is getting better mostly because her confidence is gaining, 6'3 Katie Paschke may be our most improved since last season, and 6'2 incoming freshmen Bianca Echtler has been making some huge strides. Bianca is very coachable as she looks our coaches in the eye everytime and does exactly what we say as we make adjustments to her game. Others are doing well but these folks really stuck out this week and anytime that you are competing for spots on a team, you must "stick out" from the rest of the pack. Our strength trainer, Vern Gambetta, has been focusing on building a solid core for the underclassroom and a lot of jumping exercises for the upper classemen. You can visit his sight at www.gambetta.com . If you are a VHS vb alumni who went through the volleyball program and played as a senior, please register on our site and tell us a little bit about yourself or if you know some of your teammates who have not heard about this site, let them know. Go big green!

Batt wins!!!!!!

Batt wins! If I had a dime for every time that I have heard that statement. You voted for the greatest outside hitter to ever roam the TeePee and the results are in. Batt had 40% of the votes as she edged out two Florida Southern players, Danielle Durham with 30% and Misti Neutzling with 16%.

Batt was and still is an amazing player. In high school, she led her team to the 1st ever State Championship in any sport at VHS. She was the MVP of the 1998 State Final 4, she was the Class 5A Player of the Year, and the only VHS volleyball player to ever win the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year! After receiving a full scholarship to play for the University of Kentucky, she started all four years for the Wild Cats and still holds kill records for the SEC school. Kristen is now not only one of the volleyball assistants for her Alma Mater, she plays on the AVP with Cardinal Mooney rival, Meghan Wallin. You can find their website at www.spikekey.com . BTW- Wallin was the last person to beat the Indians at the TeePee during the regular season (Setember 19, 2001). Batt competed in Huntington Beach, Ca this past weekend. Huntington Beach is one of the legendary AVP tour stops and draws thousands of people along with NBC to cover the tournament.
It was an honor to coach Kristen as she was not only one of the best athletes I have ever coached but one of the most hard working. Her work ethic was second to none and anytime the best player on your team is the hardest worker, usually that team ends up doing something very special. The thing that makes me the proudest while working with Kristen was not her play on the court but the way she ALWAYS gave credit to her teammates and the coaching staff in the her numerous newspaper articles and interviews with tv reporters. She always wanted to take the spotlight off of herself and give it to others. In my opinion, she is the most dominant player since I have been around (1994) in this area to ever wear a volleyball uniform. She hit harder from the backrow then most players hit from the front row and that is why she holds the vhs record for most kills in a seaon with 572. That record will NEVER be broken. It is an honor to have Kristen as one of my assistants now as she is a huge ingredient in the success of the VHS volleyball program. Congrats to Kristen for winning the poll. Now we will see who is the greatest middle hitter to ever play at VHS.

Summer Volleyball - week 1

It has been a great first week of summer volleyball. We have over 40 prospective players working out with us in the gym. The new incoming freshmen have done an excellent job of being on time and working hard to learn about how we do things in the volleyball program. I think they would all say that that we focus on doing the little things right and we try to train harder then any team in the state (the soreness usually goes away after a week or two). Our schedule looks like this; At 6:45 AM, our setters come in and focus on footwork and perform many setting drills til around 7:30. The hitters arrive at 7:00 AM to get the gym ready and begin their warm ups concentrating on good contacts with their hand to the ball then they focus on perfecting their approach through a series of different drills. At 7:30, setters and hitters combine to practice new plays and develop timing much the way a quarterback and his receivers work together. At 8:00, others and incoming freshmen come in and we do some team chemistry things before they start their warm ups. At this time, we all start with whatever we are working on that day til about 9:45 AM. Much of this week has been devoted to volleyball movements without a ball to get a solid foundation in place with new kids and reinforce it with the upper classmen. Monday, we did a lot of ball control and blocking, Tues was devoted to passing and serving and Weddnesday was all defense and floor movements. We don't do a whole lot of offense in the latter part of the day b/c we take care of that stuff in the morning. We also want to make sure that the incoming freshmen learn how develop ball control before offense comes into play. We have implemented quite a few new drills this summer and I think our players are enjoying the variety. At 9:45, Vern Gambetta comes in and works speed, agility, plyometrics for jumping, and the core muscle group. Some of our returners like Jillian Allen, Dorothy Rahal, Witney Steranko, and Taylor Capasso have all stepped up to take leadership positions as they all have different great leadership qualities and know how things are suppose to work. They have been extremely encouraging on and off the court and have led by example on the court. Our 9th and 10th graders seem to be very experienced and are very willing to learn. All in all, it has been an awesome week and all of us coaches including Jay, Stefanie, and Vern cannot get over how far along this group is so early in the summer to prepare for next year's demanding schedule.

Personal thoughts

I have been in a reflective mood today on my last day off before high school summer conditioning starts up next week. What a week we had in youth volleyball at the 15th annual Wild west camp. It was truly amazing to see the way youth volleyball has really exploded in Venice. We had over 80 kids ranging from kindergarten to 8th graders having a great time at camp. It is amazing to look back over the years to see how far ahead some of our younger kids are compared to back then. I remember the 1st annual when we had about 20 kids and went from 8 AM to 4 PM monday through Friday. It was pretty exhausting. I want to thank our camp counselors who made the week a total success. Jillian Allen, Whitney Steranko, Dorothy Rahal, Kaylee Ream, Ashley Graf, Jessica Costanzo, Brittany Burrows, and Kelsey McNamee. Coach Lanham and myself were so impressed with the way they handled themselves throughout the week. They were role models that that our campers looked up to each day. They were extremely positive and energetic. Whitneys wacky wierdo's came up big in the last match against Jessica's Hot Tamales to take the the camp championship While Ashley's Hippies won the spirit award. This camp is all about getting young girls to learn to love to play the sport of volleyball and have a passion for it. It was really cool to watch our counselors keep their teams up and energetic when their team was struggling. I think it was one of our best camps ever because of how well the kids responded to the coaches. To some, it was their first ever experience to be on the other side of the fence (coaching). Our VHS players and those going to the next level will be better volleyball players because of their coaching experience. Dorothy Rahal keeps telling me that after she graduates, she is going to come back to Venice and take my coaching job because I will really be "an old man then". I just keep telling her to watch out for the senior skit!!!! I can't wait to pour my heart into our new team and start Summer Volleyball on Monday!

Greatest outside hitter to ever play at Venice H.S?

VHS Volleyball Alumni marries!!!

Last Sunday, former volleyball standout at VHS, Erin Beebe (class of '03) was married. She recently graduated from Auburn University (WAR EAGLE) and is now attending Optometry school at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. Her husband's name is Sam and he is also a graduate of the best school in the nation and just happens to be one of my fraternity brothers as well so you know he must be a good guy. Our two children, Luke and Brooke, were the ring bearer and flower girl. The reception was held at the Crosley Mansion in Sarasota overlooking the bay. Many former players attended their teammates great day. Class of '02- Jamie Hitt; Class of '03- Margeaux Sinibaldi , Niki Davidson and Elaine Ellis; Class of '04- Danielle Durham, Melissa Whitescarver, Amber Davidson, Lisa Hough; Class of '08- Julie Howlet. Many of these players played on my most talented team in 2004. We all had a blast dancing into the night. Of course, things got a little carried away when Sweet Home Alabama was played. Also, many if not all their parents were there too supporting the Beebe family. We have always tried to create a family atmosphere in the Venice volleyball program and it was very evident Sunday night! These girls poured their heart into competing for VHS. These players and their families totally bought into our program and now it is awesome to see them take different paths in life. I want to thank them for all of the great memories

There are no Cinderellas

Throughout the course of the next 10 weeks, I will be updating on how our summer has been going. We will discuss our training as individuals and as a team. I will let our parents and fans get an inside look at what our players do in the summer time to prepare for the upcoming season. As we end this years club season and our players enter into one of the most important cycles of the year.
Summer is our time when we can really get a lot of individual reps to make our volleyball movements as crisp as possible. We will learn new plays, master the foundation of our training which is ball control and focus on playing above the net through our fantastic strength and conditioning program with Vern. It is also a time where next years leaders are made. Some players take that step into the unknown and learn how to be leaders of a team. We have an exciting team next year that will be athletic, determined, and has TONS of heart! There are no cinderellas in sports. Cinderellas are made in the off season and next years players and parents have bought into our system like no other.

Summer Workout Program begins June 9

Venice Indian Workouts for Varsity, JV, and freshman players interested in playing on our Venice Volleyball Team are from June 9th thru July 10.
Setters will begin @ 6:45. Varsity players @ 7:00 and everyone else from 8-10:30
Sign up through the VHS athletic office. Spots are limited. Thx.