Reach for the Stars Tournament Photos!

A big thanks to Patti Dawson for providing some photos from the Reach for the Stars tournament hosted by Muskego Stars last weekend.

West Allis Lightning 12s - Gold Champions

West Bend Power 13 Black - Second place

Midwest Penguins 13-2s - Silver Champions

Muskego Stars 14 Blue - 15 Champions

Milton Aces 15 Elite - Second place

Congratulations to all of the teams!!

If you'd like to see your team here, email an update or photo to colleen@badgervolleyball.org or jarmsondyer@badgervolleyball.org and we'll get it posted!

Badger Power League 14's & 16's Championship Weekend-Feb 25/26

On Saturday play went long at both the 14's & 16's levels because plain and simply each team spent the day playing opponents of like abilities. That makes for a long day-- like it or not. 49/92 matches went to 3 sets and with-in those sets there were numerous times when scores were going 25-23 or 26-24. If you are a true volleyball enthusiast would you want it any other way?

Sunday’s pools, as expected were also very evenly matched.

At the 16's level, the final field of eight was extremely strong as was witnessed by the crowd during the quarter and semi-final matches. Both teams that arrived in the finals did it in different fashions. The Championship went to Muskego Stars 16 Blue who proved that they were a contender right from the start as they only dropped two matches during all of league play (4 dates). On the other hand, Fox Valley Thunder 16-1 proved that even a team that found themselves on the losing end of eight matches during league play, could still fight for that Gold medal on the final day because they won the matches that were important along the way. The Stars team was quite enjoyable to watch throughout the weekend as they are a team with few weaknesses. Their serving game is better than most but it's their exciting style of defense that keeps rally's going just long enough until their offense has a chance to shine.

At the 14's level Southwest Milwaukee 14-1 & Midwest Penguins 14-1 earned the 1 & 2 seeds going into the final Gold bracket on Sunday. Southwest made it to the finals by defeating Trailblazers 14-2 & East Troy Heat 14 Red along the way. Penguins had a strong 1st match and defeated a very scrappy Fox Valley Thunder 14-1 team but succumbed to the strong serve/pass game of Wisconsin Volleyball Academy 14 Black in the Semis. The Gold medal and Championship t- shirts were earned by Southwest 14-1 in a match that had moments of greatness by both teams.

I would also like to mention that the region is very excited about the coaching that is displayed at our BPL. The following coaches should be commended on their positive and unique styles of coaching:

1. Al Capps (Eclipse 16 Solar)

2. April Pichelman (Wisconsin Ice 16 Black)

3. Elizabeth Kubiszewski (Muskego Stars 16 Blue)

4. Lauren Ditscheit (Milwaukee Sting 15 White)

5. Jeremy Weis (East Troy Heat 14 Red)

6. Joel Golsteyn (Southwest 14-1)

7. Darrin Matthies (FC Elite 14-1)

8. Eric Brandenburg (Wisconsin Volleyball Academy 14 Silver)

The Badger League has one more weekend until completion. The 13's & 15's Divisions will finish up on March 10/11.

Campbellsport HS To Hold Memorial Tournament

My name is Heidi Olson and I am the head varsity volleyball coach at Campbellsport High School.  Waupun Breakout and Ripon Riptide club teams both had the great experience of getting to know Caitlin Scannell.  I have coached Caitlin in some capacity, basketball and volleyball, since she was in 7th grade.  There is really not another person in the world like her and I  miss her everyday.  Losing her wasn't only difficult for me, but also for our volleyball program.  The two other girls that passed away were also volleyball players.  We all suffered such a horrific loss and would like to honor Caitlin, as well as Sabrina and Katie, by having a volleyball tournament in their honor.  We have an open weekend on September 29, 2012.  If you could please pass the word to any high school coaches and see if anyone has this weekend open, I would greatly appreciate it. 

Anyone interested can get a hold of me via email at olsondh19@gmail.com.

(Click here for more information on Caitlin, Sabrina and Katie, and the Memorial Scholarship Fund set up.)

Milwaukee Sting 12 Gold Swarms to Indy

It was an exceptional weekend for Sting 12 Gold at the Central Zone Championships in Indianapolis. The Sting swarm overcame a blizzard on the way down, some excellent competition on the other side of the net, injuries to teammates, and learned "how to win close matches."  The girls also learned that they have a much higher ceiling than their own levels of play and that their parents generally cannot dance. We appreciate their efforts though!

In the semi's and finals, highly ranked clubs, Circle City and KIVA both tried to adjust to the Swarm attack but got stung by the Front Line who made the opponents pay for low shots over the net. The defense was relentless and the serving was killer! It was truly a weekend that will not be forgotten and one that illustrated the meaning of TEAM.

BPL Update G17/18s

We loved talking with club directors, coaches, parents and players. Nancy spent both days scorer monitoring and was very impressed with the thoroughness and accuracy of the scorers.  It was evident to her that coaches and club directors made the effort to accurately teach their athletes to score and to do it responsibly.

The Dells Center is a very nice facility, a bit cold, but a reality with the roof structure.

The Site Directors: Michael Schmidt and Sandy Schmidt were very thorough and a pleasure to hang out with.

My kudos to our Officials Assigner, Larry Schoenick, for securing a top notch officiating crew.
- By Terry

Badger Power League 17s/18s Division Winners:

Gold: Wisconsin Ice 18 Purple - First Place (photo below)
Gold: FC Elite 18-1 - Second Place
Silver: Wisconsin Ice 17 Purple
Bronze: Eau Claire Air 18-1

Click here for full results - and email us your photos!

Wisconsin Ice 18 Purple - 2012 17s/18s BPL Winners!

From left: Coach Kaitlin Wolfe, Anna Sudbury, Savanah Vera, Kaylin Byer, Kellan Flynn, Tiffany Stargardt, Brittany Zblewski, Emily Thomas, Jess Sabey, Coach Elizabeth Lange

Caitlin Scannell Memorial Scholarshi​p Fund

In the early morning hours of Saturday, February 4, 2012 a car accident claimed the life of Riptide 17 White and Badger Region member Caitlin Scannell, as well as Campbellsport High School classmates - Katie Lynn Berg and Sabrina Renee Stahl.

Caitlin is the daughter of Tim and Jelaine Scannell, and is also survived by her two brothers, Ryan and Neil, and her sister Sheena. Caitlin was a member of the Campbellsport High School volleyball and soccer teams. On the soccer field, Caitlin had the joy of playing for her father, who serves as the varsity coach at Campbellsport. She was in her first season with Riptide Volleyball Club, after spending time previously with Waupun Breakout.

In addition to her atlhetic successes, Cailtin was a leader in the classroom and the community. She was ranked second in her class at Campbellsport High School, was a member of the Youth Leadership Program of Fond du Lac, and a Life Teen member at Shepard of the Hills Parrish. She volunteered much of her time in the community, including as an assistant coach for a fourth grade girls youth basketball team.

Please click here for Caitlin's obituary. And please click here for a newspaper article that details how lives were touched by these three girls.

Below is an email from Riptide club director Craig Madson, which he has given me permission to share. It is my hope that together with Riptide, Badger Region and the volleyball community can come together to raise money to honor Caitlin's memory:

Riptide 17 White, with #3 Caitlin

The athletes on Riptide 17 White, their coaches, Sarah and myself would like to support the newly established Caitlin Scannell Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund was established by Caitlin's brother, Ryan. He had saved $10,000 to help her pay for college, instead he has opened an endowment fund to distribute scholarships in her memory. Here is the link with more information on Ryan's story and the scholarship fund: http://www.wisn.com/news/30384366/detail.html.

In an endowment, the principal is never touched. This allows the fund to continue indefinitely by making disbursements from earnings off the endowment's investments. Ryan will be establishing a non-profit organization to accept donations to the fund. This will allow any contribution to be tax deductible.

Riptide Volleyball Club would like to support Ryan, his family, and Caitlin by raising money to contribute to the scholarship fund. Click here for a pledge form for those interested in contributing. Those families who wish to contribute to the Caitlin Scannell Memorial Scholarship Fund can do so by completing this form, enclosing a check, and mailing it to:

Caitlin Scannell Memorial Scholarship Fund

C/O Riptide VBC

429 Sandmar Drive

Ripon, WI 54971

Why send your donation to Riptide?  In an effort to make our contribution meaningful to the Scannell family and the Campbellsport community, Riptide Volleyball Club will be matching the first $1,000 in donations. As an extra incentive, if we are able to exceed that goal I will personally match the next $500.

In addition to donation efforts, Riptide 17 White has asked me to design and provide silicone bracelets (think LiveStrong) in Caitlin's honor. We are in the process of identifying a vendor and ordering a supply of bracelets. The bracelets will be in Caitlin's favorite color, pink. It will be inscribed with one of her favorite Bible passages, Phillipians 3:14 - "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." At this time, I do not know what the resale price will be or the quantity we will be purchasing. However, proceeds from the sale of these bracelets will also be donated to the scholarship fund.

In addition to the efforts of Riptide 17 White and Riptide VBC, the Badger Region, USA Volleyball, and a number of other volleyball clubs throughout the country have contacted us to extend their sympathies and support. Some have shared stories of similar tragedies, others have offered ideas for honoring Caitlin's memory, another has offered to share their experience and offer a friendly ear to parents or athletes that are struggling with how to cope, while some have made financial commitments to the scholarship fund. It has been amazing to see the youth volleyball community reach out. There are so many wonderful people across the country who commit their time to the growth and development of youth student athletes, and a tragedy like this strikes close to their hearts.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact Sarah or myself.  If you want to get involved in activities to support Caitlin's scholarship fund, make a financial contribution of your own, lend your time to support our athletes who are grieving the loss of their teammate and friend, or offer support in any other way please let me know. I am happy to help coordinate your efforts.

Thank you all,

Craig and Sarah

920.602.6577

riptidevb@gmail.com

http://www.riptidevbc.com/

Here is the Badger Region Facebook page with the link information: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Badger-Region-Volleyball/144504375636264

UPDATE: This year at the Badger Region Championships, Badger Region will be organizing a fundraising effort called Dig for Caitlin - much like the Dig Pink drive that was done last year. Since Caitlin was a libero and her favorite color was pink, we still ask that all of the teams on Sunday (both weekends) wear pink and collect funds for the above-mentioned scholarship fund. More details will be forthcoming.

Badger Power League Excitement-February 5

Teams entered in the 13’s and 15’s Divisions began their quest for the BPL Championship this past weekend at the Wisconsin Dells Center.

There were some great match-ups but none more interesting than: FC Elite 15-1 vs FC Elite 15-2

An intra-club match-up between FC Elite 15-1’s and 15-2’s proved to be one of the most anticipated matches on Sunday. When this happens, a “1’s” team vs a “2’s” team, it is never easy for anyone involved; though it always proves to be entertaining.  As a coach for a “1” team, you know, that your players will be motivated to the max (they need to prove that you made good choices). As a coach for a “2” team, you know, that your players are going to do everything in their power to prove that they are every bit as good as the “1’s” players.

This time around the 15-1’s did win the match-up in convincing style. The “1’s” began the 1^st set with a 6-0 run. The “2’s” did whittle that lead away to draw within three points twice during the set before losing 25-14. Set 2 proved to be almost a carbon copy when the “1’s” jumped out to a 7-1 advantage and then went on to finish with a final score of 25-17.

Many players from the “1’s” stepped up throughout the match and that is why their team left the Dells Center on Sunday as the #1 seed going into the third day of the Power League. Both Mallory Dixon & Amalia Jereczek, setters for the “1’s” kept all of their hitters involved with keen court sense and good decision making at just the right times. Middle Blocker Margaret Wolowicz took over offensively in both sets as she seemed extremely comfortable running both in front and behind her setters. She hits a heavy ball that proved to be impossible to defend especially when running the slide. Outside Hitter Heather Kocken also got into the act when she and Wolowicz teamed up on the right side for a block that was almost impenetrable.

The “2’s” made runs midway through both sets, as both Autumn Risch and Taylor Falck served aggressively with either a jump float or a zone that kept the “1’s” from running their 1^st option on a number of occassions. Sabrina Vandenheuvel also contributed with a few blocks at just the right time to keep their hopes high.

These two teams will get a rematch on the third day of the league as they fight their way through a five team pool that will decide which bracket they end up in for the finals on March 11^th.

Don’t Tell Her She Can’t Play Middle

If Hannah Wirag from Stoughton has anything to say about it, the Class of 2020 will be one of the finest that the Badger Region will ever have.  Hannah is a Giant in her Heart; however her stature says otherwise. The Wisconsin Performance 13-2 player claims that Libero is her favorite position; though Middle Blocker could possibly run a close 2^nd if she keeps getting a chance to prove herself there.  

It was quite obvious to me as I watched Hannah and her team play against WI Performance 13-1 that there could not possibly be another player that exudes more enthusiasm and passion for the game.  Not only does Hannah know at all times where she is supposed to be on the court but she also knows where everyone else is supposed to be. There was not a moment that she wasn’t encouraging her team mates and letting them know that they could “do it”. 

As Hannah stood at the net with her arms up and ready, I wondered if the ink on the two-color #27 that takes up the entire front and back of her jersey might just be weighing her down. I did take a moment to inform Club Director, Toby Parker that the four numbers on her jersey may be preventing her from getting up and roofing her opponent (as she strived to do on each and every play at the net). Hannah has enjoyed emulating her sisters, Katlynn and Maggie (WI Performance players also) since before she could walk and now that she is on a team of her own she strives every day to show them a thing or two about the greatest game ever invented.  If you get a chance, please check out where Hannah and her team are playing as you will be sure to leave the match with a grin from ear to ear.

-By Colleen