Cameron High School setter Aly Yates shows campers how to hit Tuesday night.Jaylee Cruickshank works on her passes.

Lady Dragons help future Dragons prep for upcoming 2019 season

With the first official week of practice set to follow next week’s dead week, the members of the Cameron High School volleyball team helped their future predecessors bone up on their skills. 

As part of a camp to raise money for a teammate’s trip to Spain, the Lady Dragons held a three-day camp for kids fourth through eighth-grade and giving them a base to build upon.

“It’s fun. I like teaching them the fundamentals of volleyball,” CHS setter Aly Yates said. “... It was so awesome. Everyone was listening and trying to get better. I’m excited for regular practice and see how all of this comes together.”

Throughout the night players worked alongside former Cameron Middle School volleyball coach Amy McVicker, who focused on coaching club ball in order to raise a family. She said preseason camps are important for developing players. Considering dozens of girls go out of middle and intermediate school volleyball, some coaches a may not have time to provide a one-on-one learning experience for their players and giving them a base to build on before the start of practice maximizes their coach’s time with them.

“I was hoping to get a few more seventh and eighth-graders just because they are going to be starting school ball and I just wanted to give them a refresher before they start,” said McVicker, who is the mother of sophomore standout outside hitter Avery McVicker. “... I coached all of [the high school players] when they were their age. This was just giving them the basics.”

Although helping out their younger peers, the CHS players attending this week’s camp took away a few of the finer points of the game themselves. Yates said teaching often exposes flaws in her own technique. Although typically playing setter for the Lady Dragons, Yates said injuries can often lead to a player playing out of position so it’s important to learn all of the positions and their associated skills. She later added it felt strange being a camp instructor only a few years removed from attending a similar camp and idolizing her Lady Dragon camp instructors.

“I’m a setter, but hitting is something everyone needs to know. Everyone needs to know setting and everyone needs to know everyone’s spot in case they get thrown in ... It’s crazy. Whenever I went to kids camp I would think ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a varsity player. Now, I’m that varsity player.”

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