Spooner Volleyball Awards - Washburn Register

4th - 8th Grade Spring Interest Letters

Letters were sent home Friday and Monday with 4th-8th grade girls about a spring volleyball league. Please return these by Friday, November 15th. If you need another copy, here are the letters:

4th - 6th Grade Letter

7th and 8th Grade Letter

High School Banquet

We had a wonderful time at our end of the year banquet. Thank you all for being supportive this season and may you have a wonderful off season. Only 10 months until next season.

Volleyball Banquet 2013 Pictures

C-team!

 

JV Team

Varsity Team

 



Sara Taylor was named to All-Conference, Honorable Mention

High School Volleyball Banquet

Our Last Match

On Tuesday we headed to Ashland for our regional game. While the outcome was not as we would have liked, we know that we truly had a great season. Game one against Ashland started off with a nice lead. We were up 13-7. A tough server for Ashland came in and we lost a few points to her. At this point we battled back and forth with Ashland, but ended up losing 19-25. After the first loss Ashland seemed to gain momentum and we could not get ours back. We ended up losing game two 12-25 and game three 15-25. Ashtin Markgren served well for us with 13 attempts, 8 points, and 4 aces. Adriana Shabani, Alex Hotchkiss, and Brooke Schumacher all had nice hitting percentages. Our setter, Sara Taylor set 56 times and has been crucial to us each game. As a coach I want to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this group of ladies. The seniors: Ashtin, Alex, Brooke, Taylor, Michelle, and Sara will be missed next year and I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication. I look forward to helping our younger players develop more in the off season and come back next year strong. Parents and players  should keep checking the volleyball  blog to keep up on clinics, leagues, and events.

You can find pictures from the night at this link: Ashland Regional

Check It Out!

We have enjoyed all our newspaper shout outs this season. Here are the two latest ones:

Our Last Night of Regular Season Volleyball

JV and C-team’s finished there seasons at a Quad on Tuesday against Cumberland, Northwestern and Ladysmith. It was a great night for JV as they won every match. They played hard and even made some great comebacks a few games. C-team had a tougher night and lost all games. It is a learning stage at C-team and we are excited to improve in the off season and in the coming years.

 

Pictures can be found at this link: C-team and JV Quad

 

On Thursday Varsity finished up their conference tournament at Cumberland. It was a tough night and very tiring with playing 8 games. We also had one important player out with an injury and we lost another one to an injury later in the night. Buki Shabani and Katie Gobel stepped up to fill these spots. They both played very hard all night, along with all on our team.

 

Our first match was against Hayward. Our teams played back and forth all game but Hayward came ahead and won the match. 16-25 and 18-25.

 

Match two was against Northwestern. We played very hard game one and won 25-22. Game two was much closer but we still continued to play hard and on fire. Late in the game we lost a player to injury and another player stepped in to fill her position. Although we continued to play hard we lost 23-25. Game three was head to head the entire time, but we ended up losing 10-15.

 

Match three was against Cumberland whom we had beat two times already this season. Cumberland played very hard in all their matches and seemed to be very on their game. In game one we won 25-22 and although we took an early lead in game two we ended up losing in a nail biter 27-29. By game three we were very tired and although we still played hard we couldn’t get up to full strength and lost 9-15.

 

The next week will bring new challenges with filling spots that injuries have created. The girls are excited to play in regional play on Tuesday. We will head to Ashland to play at 7:00 pm. We invite everyone out to watch and support Spooner Volleyball.

Homecoming News

Here are this week's Spooner Advocate pictures:

Conference Tournament

Saturday was an intense day of volleyball. We started off against Chetek and came out strong. We won the match with game scores of: 23-25, 25-12, and 15-11. The girls played very well together as a team and kept their fire the whole time.

Round two we played Barron. We competed very well with Barron and played with a lot of hustle. We ended up losing, but again we played with great intensity. Our game scores were: 17-25, 20-25.

After a mid-day break we played Bloomer. Our intensity had slowed down a little bit and while we came out strong in game one, we ended up losing 20-25 and 11-25.

We switched up some things in our match against Ladysmith, but could not get our high intensity game back. We ended up losing our games: 15-25, 18-25.

Pictures can be found here: Conference Tournament at Northwestern

Our pink nights with soccer and football raised over $500 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It was a neat way to team up with fall sports to Keep Calm and Fight On.

Homecoming

Photos from Homecoming events can be found on this link:

Homecoming 2013

Keep Calm and Fight On

 

Senior Night, Junior Passer Night, and Northwestern

Tuesday night was filled with intensity. JV and C-team had some great games. Cteam’s scores were 20-25, 19-25 and 26-24. JV’s scores were 25-16, 27-25, and 25-14

 

We then had our Junior Passer run through a line of HS athletes. In our three Junior Passer Saturday clinics we had around 70, 3^rd-8^th grade girls attend. It was a great opportunity for the younger girls to get excited about volleyball and learn some volleyball skills. We are looking into more options for our younger volleyball players for the years to come. It is neat to have girls come up to me in school and say, “Hi Coach Smith.” The love of a team atmosphere is there and is growing.
Junior Passer Photos

 

 

We also had senior night. It has been a joy to get to know each of my seniors: Sara Taylor, Taylor Johnson, Brooke Schumacher, Michelle Richardson, Alex Hotchkiss, Alison Kosterman, and Ashtin Markgren. I could say a million things about these girls. I chose to make them plaques that had words that their teammates and coaches had said about them. They have each brought so much to the team and I am excited to see where the rest of the season brings us. 

 

Senior Night Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varsity came out last night with so much intensity. We were pumped and ready to play our game. We battled to win the first two games 25-21 and 25-22. Northwestern also brought intensity. In game three, four, and five we fell behind early and tried to catch up, but simply could not close the gaps. We lost these 17-25, 17-25, and 4-15. We talked as a team after the game and know a few areas we’re going to improve to come out Saturday with a strong team. We have our conference tournament at Northwestern on Saturday and at Cumberland on Thursday the 17^th. Our JV and C-team have one night of volleyball left with their home Quads on October 15^th. Varsity will start regional contest on October 22^nd.

 Game Photos
 

Spooner Volleyball has been exciting to watch, coach, and play this year and it will continue to be for the rest of the season. We hope to see you at each of our next matches.

 

Middle School played at Chetek on Tuesday. 8^th grade won 1 and lost three and 7^th grade lost all four. On Monday C-team scrimmaged Shell Lake again. They played very well and were a lot of fun to watch. They won game one, 26-24 but lost game two and three: 23-25, 14-16

Senior/Jr. Passer Night

Tonight is Senior and Jr. Passer Night. All Jr. Passers should come arrive by 6:15 pm.

Also, I missed this article from last week:

Lots of Excitement This Week

Last Friday Varsity and JV ran 7th and 8th grade practice. It was a great night of mentoring! If you'd like to see pictures from practice you can view them here: 7th and 8th Grade Practice Pictures

On Saturday we had our 2nd Jr. Passer Clinic. Just a reminder that Jr. Passer Night is Tuesday, October 8th. Jr. Passers should arrive at 6:15 pm and line up in the hallway by the locker rooms. If they let the ticket taker know and wear their new shirt, they will get in to the game free, along with a parent. You can view pictures from Jr. Passers at: Jr. Passer Pictures

On Monday our C-team scrimmaged at Shell Lake. Although we lost all 3 games, the middle game was very close at 25-27.

Our Middle School teams played versus St. Joes. Our 7th grade team won 1 and lost 3. Our 8th grade lost all four games.

On Tuesday our JV traveled to Cumberland for a Quad. We beat Chetek and Cumberland but lost in a close match to Bloomer.

On Tuesday our C-team traveled to Bloomer for a Quad. We played Chetek, Cumberland, and Bloomer. They had a rough night and were a little off their game and lost all games.

Our Middle School teams played Ladysmith and we played very hard, our 8th grade won 1 and lost 5 and our 7th grade lost 4 and won 2. You can view pictures from these games at: Middle School vs. Ladysmith Pictures

On Thursday our teams traveled to Hayward for our pink night. Thanks to all those that came and bought t-shirts and bracelets in support of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.

Our C-team fought really hard, but lost game one 10-25 and game two 24-26. Our JV played extremely well. We lost game one 23-25, won game two 25-17, and won game three 25-18.

Varsity came off a week long break, which is always hard to do. We had momentum from our Cumberland match and while we fought through all three games we ended up dropping them to Hayward 20-25, 10-25, and 22-25. We have one more regular season match next Tuesday against Northwestern at home. This is our senior night and Jr. Passer night. After this match we travel to Northwestern on Saturday, October 12th for our conference tournament and on Thursday, October 17th we travel to Cumberland for our 2nd day of our conference tournament.

You can find more pictures from pink night here: Pink Night Pictures

In the news. This week our Chetek and Cumberland games were featured in the Spooner Advocate and Washburn Register.

C-team Scrimmages

C-team has added two scrimmages to their schedule.

Monday, September 30th at 4:30 pm at Shell Lake High School.

Monday, October 7th at 5:00 pm at Spooner High School.

MS Practices

Varsity and JV will be running the Middle School practice on September 27th.

Varsity and C-team will be running the Middle School practice on October 2nd.

Chetek and Cumberland

Thursday at Cumberland

On Thursday Varsity experienced our first conference win. While we have won matches it was exciting to get a conference win under our belt. We took game one 25-21. Emily Beehler started us off with a couple of great hits. In game two we started behind, but came back to win 25-23. Ashtin Markgren was again a huge server for us. Game three threw us a curve ball and we lost 22-25. In game four it seemed like we could not make our perfect pass until late in the game and although we fought to stay in it we still lost 19-25. We came out strong in game five though and won 15-11. Alex Hotchkiss had a great night with many hits and kills. The girls excitement showed on the bus and we look forward to our next match. JV plays a Quad on Tuesday, October 1st at Cumberland. C-team has a home scrimmage against Shell Lake at 4:30 pm and a Quad on Tuesday, October 1st at Bloomer. Varsity, JV, and C-team will hold their PINK NIGHT Thursday, October 3rd at Hayward. Come out and see some great volleyball. Plus, we're feeling great in our new warm-ups!

Varsity
25-21
25-23
22-25
19-25
15-11

JV
26-24
25-15

C-team
29-27
16-25
1-15

You can find pictures from Cumberland's match at: Cumberland Volleyball Match (Taken by Sam Smith)

This past Tuesday our high school squads hosted Chetek at home.

We had four exciting games of volleyball at the Varsity level against Chetek. In game one we were behind 8 to 16 and came back to lose 19-25. In game two we came out very fired up and won 25-17. Alex Hotchkiss had a huge hitting game and actually a great hitting and blocking night. Sara Taylor also served 5 points in a row. We came out strong in game three, but the game was kept very close with some really long rallies. We went on to lose 25-27. In game four we came out with fire, but stayed behind until both teams reached 9 points. We then took the lead.  Ashtin Markgren served well for us, putting 4 straight points on the board. We fought late into this game, but ended up losing 20-25. As a team we are still learning and many girls are becoming leaders. 

 Parents night – We’d also like to say a HUGE thank you to our parents for all their support this season. We could not do it without you.

 
Tail gate – Our tailgate was a big success. Thank you to all the staff, parents, and community members who came out and showed their support. We will be purchasing C-team through Varsity warm ups for the program.

Pink Nights – Soccer has their Pink Night on October 3^rd at home. Volleyball has their Pink Night on October 3^rd at Hayward. Football has their Pink Night on October 4^th at home. Please wear your new or past pink shirts in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation on these nights. Players and Coaches will be sporting pink! A portion of each ticket sales will go toward the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Pink Night bracelets are still on sale, 2 for $1. Please contact Coach Smith if you are interested.

Varsity

19-25
25-17
25-27
20-25

 JV

26-24
25-15

 C-team

29-27
16-25
1-15

Middle School @ Cumberland

7^th Grade Win
8^th Grade Win

In The Paper



Washburn Register and the Spooner Advocate are doing a great job of publishing articles and pictures each week about us. A huge thank you goes out to them!

This is this week's articles:

Spooner Advocate


 

Washburn Register

Washburn Register



We're A Team

We've had two team meals so far and will have one more. We like to practice hard and then eat. Thank you to all parents and families who helped supply our team meals. We enjoy our time together as a high school team!

Pictures from team meals

Looking good before a game!

Middle School Volleyball

Middle School teams are busy! We've had a few losses, but we are learning a lot! Each week we improve greatly! Here is our record so far:

7th grade:

Win against Barron
Loss against Bloomer
Loss against Rice Lake
Loss against St. Joe's

8th grade:

Loss against Barron
Loss against Bloomer
Loss against Rice Lake
Loss against St. Joe's

Northern Portraits came out and took some pictures. You can find those on their website via their Facebook page: Middle School Volleyball Pictures

Parents Night

Parents night is Tuesday at our home match against Chetek. Parents should line by 6:15 pm in the locker room hallway. (JV and C-team should line up after their respective game) Refreshments will be served following the Varsity match in the commons for players and families. Thanks for all you've done this year for volleyball and your players!

Junior Passers

We started our Junior Passer clinics last Saturday. If you know a girl in 3rd - 8th grade they are invited. We had around 50 girls there last week. Forms are located in the ES and MS offices.

We will host this again on September 28th and October 5th at the high school. 3rd-5th grade is from 8 am to 9 am and 6th-8th grade is from 9 am to 11 am.

Youth Night will be October 8th - youth should arrive by 6:15 pm.

Pictures from 1st Junior Passers

Thank You

A huge THANK YOU goes out to all parents, players, and community members that supported our Chicken Dinner Tailgate. It was a huge success and will greatly help us fund our new warm ups.

Pictures from Tailgate Dinner

This Week In Volleyball

This week we had some tough losses and some great wins, but we are still learning and working hard as a team at all levels. Here are some results:

Tuesday at Ladysmith

C-team - loss
18-25
8-25

JV - win
25-14
25-16
22-21

Varsity - loss
19-25
16-25
24-26

Tuesday at Barron

C-team - loss
20-25
11-25

JV - win
23-25
12-25

Varsity - loss
14-25
13-25
18-25

Barron Pictures

JV @ Shell Lake Tournament (Out of 3 games)

Spooner lost to St. Croix Falls
Spooner beat Bayfield
Spooner beat Spring Valley
Spooner lost to Shell Lake

JV @ Shell Lake Pictures

Last week I forgot to post about C-team at Shell Lake (Out of 2 games)

Spooner beat Shell Lake, but lost to the other 4 opponents.

C-team @ Shell Lake Pictures

Last week in the news:

Washburn Register Part 1

Washburn Register Part 2

Spooner Advocate Part 1

Spooner Advocate Part 2

Spooner Advocate and Washburn Register

Be sure to check the Spooner Advocate and Washburn Register each week. They have been printing some really nice articles!

Here is a link to the online Spooner Advocate article this week:

Spooner Rails Volleyball Action

I will post the other paper pictures tomorrow.

Spooner Volleyball Tailgate Chicken Dinner - September 20th

We will host a Chicken Dinner before the Varsity Football game on Friday, September 20th from 4:30-7:00 pm.

All funds will go towards buying new warm ups and equipment.

Adults: $9
Children, 10 and under: $5

Tickets can be purchased from coaches and players or at the door.

More information on this flyer

Varsity at Amery, Frederic/Luck, and Bloomer

We played Amery at home on September 3rd

 

View Amery Photos taken by Sam Smith (Coach Smith's husband)

Northern Portraits Pictures on Facebook from Amery JV Match

Northern Portraits Pictures on Facebook from Amery Varsity Match


Frederic/Luck - September 10th

Luck 14-25 and 11-25
Frederic 24-26, 25-20, and 14-16

We played Bloomer at home on September 12th.

Our varsity squad really put up a fight against Bloomer. The girls played hard and learned to adjust as the game went on. After losing the first two games many teams would give up and instead they chose to fight and win the 3rd game. We came out not quite as strong as we had hoped in the fourth game, but even though we were far behind, we fought to try to catch up. We had a lot of long and great rallies. Bloomer was a tough team and showed us a few things we need to work on. The girls show a lot of heart and know how to work as a team. We definitely learned that we can play at their level. 

Scores:

C-team 

Spooner 10, Bloomer 25

Spooner 6, Bloomer 25

JV

Spooner 11, Bloomer 25

Spooner 11, Bloomer 25

Varsity 

Spooner 18, Bloomer 25

Spooner 20, Bloomer 25

Spooner 25, Bloomer 19

Spooner 15, Bloomer 25

Extra! Extra!

Selling Pink - Emmie Bassett is featured in the Advocate. She sold pink items during the Spooner Invitational.

Supporting Cross Country

Our volleyball teams wanted to go cheer on our Spooner runners at the Spooner CC Meet. Here is a picture of some of the CC runners with our volleyball teams.

Parents - MORE HELP NEEDED!

We are in need of more help for the following times:

• September 3rd from 6-7 at the HS - Selling Apparel
• September 10th from 4:30-5 at the MS - Selling Apparel
• September 12th from 6-7 at the HS - Selling Apparel
• September 20th from 4-7 at the HS - Tailgate Dinner Fundraiser
• September 24th from 6-7 at the HS - Passing out new t-shirts and selling apparel

Change to MS Schedule

The game on October 3rd has been changed to September 30th. It has been changed on the schedule to the right. Also, we are checking on all away game times, as the 8th grade start times may be different.

Spooner Invitational

Varsity had a great day today at the Spooner Invitational. Scores were as follows:

Matches Round 1:

• Cumberland vs. Frederic 11, 25 and 16, 25 - Frederic Wins
• Northwood vs. Shell Lake 19, 25 and 9, 25 - Shell Lake Wins

Matches Round 2:

• Spooner vs. Cumberland 20, 25 and 28, 26 and 15, 13 - Spooner Wins
• Frederic vs. Northwood 25, 15 and 25, 17 - Frederic Wins

Matches Round 3:

• Shell Lake vs. Spooner 25, 18 and 25, 17 - Shell Lake Wins
• Cumberland vs. Northwood 25, 11 and 25, 17 - Cumberland Wins

Matches Round 4:

• Frederick vs. Shell Lake 25, 19 and 16, 25 and 9, 15 - Shell Lake Wins
• Spooner vs. Northwood 19, 25 and 25, 19 and 15, 8 - Spooner Wins

Matches Round 5:

• Cumberland vs. Shell Lake 14, 25 and 17, 25 - Shell Lake Wins
• Frederic vs. Spooner 20, 25 and 25, 18 and 8, 15 - Spooner Wins

Shell Lake - 4 Wins
Spooner - 3 Wins
Frederic - 2 Wins
Cumberland - 1 Win

While we wanted to end up in 1st place, we are pleased with 2nd. We played hard all day and fought back through many games. Our next match is Tuesday @ home versus Amery. C-team and JV play at 5:45 pm and Varsity plays at 7:00 pm. See you there!

Pictures from Spooner Invitational

Scrimmage: Saturday, August 24th

On Saturday Spooner Volleyball traveled to Amery to a Scrimmage. Varsity scrimmaged against Amery, Glenwood City, and Plum City. JV scrimmaged against St. Croix Central and Amery. It was a fun day and a great learning experience for all. It was also an officials clinic, so new officials were being trained during the games. We saw a lot of exciting things out of Spooner volleyball and saw some great leaders emerge. This is the first set of games in an exciting Spooner volleyball season.

Spooner Varsity Amery Scrimmage Pictures

**If you have any pictures from this scrimmage or future games please feel free to email them to Coach Smith at smithm@spooner.k12.wi.us

Seniors

You can view a short article and picture of this year's seniors on Spooner Advocate's website: http://www.spooneradvocate.com/sports/article_0ced078c-0a88-11e3-a9ce-001a4bcf887a.html

T-shirts for Sale

We have Pink Night Shirts and Spooner Volleyball Shirts for sale.

Pink Night will be on October 3rd at Hayward.

Football and Soccer are also joining us with their own pink nights this year. Soccer's is on October 3rd at home and Football's is October 4th at home. We invite you to participate in this great cause by attending these games and wearing your pink shirts. Players will be encouraged to wear their shirts to school on the day of the event.

Please click the link to pre-view the t-shirts.

Shirts can be ordered through any volleyball, soccer, or football player and also at the first few volleyball home games. Flyers can also be printed and dropped off at the Elementary School, attention: Melissa Smith. Checks should be made out to Spooner Volleyball Boosters.

Pink Night and Volleyball T-shirts

Parent Volunteer Opportunities

We have a few parent volunteer opportunities. Please click the link to see available sign up times. If you are able to help at any of these, please email Coach Smith at smithm@spooner.k12.wi.us or call her at 218-590-6073. Thank you for your continued support of Spooner volleyball.

2013 Parent Volunteer Opportunities

Parent Meeting, Ordering, and High School Practices

A letter was sent out last week reminding high school players of practice times next week. Included in this letter was an ordering form. This needs to be turned in by August 20th.

2013 Ordering Form

The parent informational meeting for grades 7th-12th will be held in the High School commons on Monday, August 19th at 6:30 pm. We would encourage all players and parents to attend.

The first two weeks of high school practices are as follows:
Monnday, August 19th 8-10 am 9th and 10th grade, 10 am - 12 noon 11th and 12th grade
Tuesday, August 20th same as Monday
Wednesday, August 21st same as Monday and 3-5 pm all grades
Rosters posted by 7 pm on Wednesday at the HS
Thursday, August 22nd 9-11 am
Friday, August 23rd 9-11 am

Monday, August 26th  3:45 - 5:30 pm
Tuesday, August 27th same as Monday
Wednesday, August 28th 8-10 am
Thursday, August 29th scrimmage against Webster - JV and Varsity
Friday, August 30th 3:45 -5:30 pm

Please look over the schedules for game times.

Concussion Video

9th-12th Grade Athletes

If you are unable to attend the MANDATORY athletic code meeting on July 31st at 6:30 pm at the high school be sure to let Coach Smith know. The concussion link is: http://www.wiaawi.org/Health/Concussions.aspx. Forms can be picked up at the HS office.

7th and 8th Grade

We will be sending out a clarifying letter, but these are some highlights just for 7th and 8th grade:

• Players are invited to help at the car wash on August 3rd. Please return the slip that came with the first letter.
• All parents and players should attend the informational meeting on August 19th at 6:30 pm in the HS commons.
• MS practice starts on the 1st day of school from 3:30-5pm.
• Players are required to have forms turned in at the end of that first week of practices. Coaches will have a list of what you are missing on the first day of practice. We will also have it at the informational meeting.
• You can find a schedule a few posts down.

Meet Your Coaches

Coach Smith - Head coach

1. How long have you played volleyball and where?  I played volleyball from 7th - 12th grade for Barron. I also played intramural volleyball during my college years at UMD.
2. Where did you go to college? I went to the University of Minnesota Duluth.
3. Why do you like coaching? I enjoy coaching because not only are you teaching a beautiful sport, you are also teaching life lessons.
4. Other interests outside of volleyball? Outside of volleyball I enjoy basketball, soccer, being outdoors, spending time with my family, being involved in my church, teaching, and scrap booking.
5. What is a goal you have for 2013? A goal I have for 2013 is to learn as much as I can.
6. Favorite volleyball memory? My favorite volleyball memory is my team the senior year of high school. We were a close group of friends and we worked hard. We lost at sectional finals that year and enjoyed the entire ride.
7. What grade/subject do you teach? I have taught 3rd and 2nd grade at Spooner Elementary School. I am currently a 3rd grade teacher there.
8. How do you like to work out? I like to work out by walking, roller blading, or playing sports.
9. Favorite foods? I love pretty much any type of food. I really love pickles, ice cream, and Chinese!
10. Family? I have been married for eight years to Sam. We own i play in Spooner. We have two children, Noah and Isabelle. We have our third child on the way, Jonah. He is due in December. I also have six nieces and nephews that belong to eleven brothers, sister-in-laws, and brother-in-laws. I love my huge family.

Coach O'Connell - JV team 

1. How long have you played volleyball and where? I played volleyball competitively from 7th - 12th grade at Eau Claire North High School.  I know play in sand leagues for fun.
2. Where did you go to college? I went to college at UW-Eau Claire.
3. Why do you like coaching? I've been involved in athletics since 5th grade, so it's always been a part of my life.  I love coaching because I am able to share my passion and love for the game with young athletes. 
4. Other interests outside of volleyball? Other interests I have outside of volleyball are basketball, hanging out with family and friends, fishing, working out, and watching movies.
5. What is a goal you have for 2013? A goal I have for myself for 2013 is to enjoy the ride and not stress over the little stuff.
6. Favorite volleyball memory? My favorite Spooner volleyball memory is our JV team beating Hayward last season in a comeback victory!
7. What do you teach? I teach 7th grade Math.
8. How do you like to work out? I love to run, bike, roller blade, lifting weights, hike, and swim.
9. Favorite foods? I love all foods beside mushrooms :)
10. Family? I am married to my best friend Ryan and we have two cats Michelangelo and Leonardo.  My mom and dad, Lynn and Rob still live in Eau Claire in my childhood home.  I have one brother and a sister in law, Charlie and Tawny, and they have my precious little niece, Olive.

Coach Jensen - C team

1. How long have you played volleyball and where? I played volleyball my freshman year in High School.  I also have played many years of intramural volleyball in college and sand volleyball leagues during the summers.
2. Where did you go to college? I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville
3. Why do you like coaching? I enjoy coaching because it provides an opportunity for me to help build character and relationships with students outside the classroom.
4. Other interests outside of volleyball? Fishing, running, quilting, and baking just to name a few :)
5. What is a goal you have for 2013? My goal for 2013 is to get to know each of my players and help build and develop their skills and character on and off the court.
6.  Favorite volleyball memory?  I attended a coaching clinic a couple years ago and the guest speaker for the clinic was Russ Rose, the head women's volleyball coach for Penn State.  He was incredible to listen to!  Best part of the clinic was that we rode in the same elevator as him once and were able to have a conversation with him!
7. What grade/subject do you teach? High School Physical Education and K-12 Adapted Physical Education
8. How do you like to work out? Running
9. Favorite foods? Mexican, Chinese, Pizza  
10. Family? I grew up in a small town south of Madison, WI. I am the oldest of 3 children, and I have a sister and a brother!  I met my husband while I was teaching in Ashland, WI and we recently relocated to the Spooner/Webster area.
11. Anything else? If you think you can, YOU CAN.  If you think you can't, YOU WON'T.

Coach Maki - 7th grade team

1. How long have you played volleyball and where? I played volleyball for five years for Spooner.
2. Where did you go to college? UW-Eau Claire
3. Why do you like coaching? I've never coached before, but I love playing volleyball. I also used to teach/coach dance for a few years and it was really fun to help teach kids something new about something I love doing.
4. Other interests outside of volleyball? I have always loved music and dancing. I also enjoy reading, gardening, traveling, and spending time with family.
5. What is a goal you have for 2013? Coaching goal: to learn the skills to be a great coach in order to help the players not only learn all of the skills in volleyball, but also how to work together and love the sport.
6. Favorite volleyball memory? In 8th grade, out volleyball team won 1st place in a tournament. We worked really hard and played as a team. It was fun throughout the whole tournament playing each game with my friends, and winning the tournament was a bonus.
7. What grade/subject do you teach? Last year I taught kindergarten, and this year I plan to teach 1st grade.
8. How do you like to work out? I always liked doing drills and scrimmaging. When I work out on my own I like to dance and do Pilate's or yoga.
9. Favorite foods? Any kind of dessert and Italian food
10. Family? My family is from Spooner. I have two older sisters, and I recently got married. My family is everything to me, and I love spending time with them as much as I can. (My maiden name is Miss Tyler)

Parent Letter

A parent letter was sent out today, July 17th. Here is what it contained :)

On July 31^st at 6:30 pm at the High School there will be a mandatory meeting for all HIGH SCHOOL athletes. At this meeting there will be a review of athletic code expectations, concussion procedures, and individual sport expectations. Many of you need to have a physical, watch the concussion video, pay your volleyball fee, sign the athletic code, and turn in the parent permission card/alternate year card.  (MS students also need to turn in these, but do not need to attend the meeting.) 

The weight room will continue to be open from 7:00 am – 11:00 am and 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm until August 9^th. During this time you should be doing the Bigger, Faster, Stronger program. You can also ask the supervising coach to open the gym and get some touches on a volleyball. The volleyball cart will be left out.

On August 3^rd from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm we will be holding a car wash at Larsen Auto in Spooner. Here we will be doing car washes, selling concessions, and selling last year’s apparel and blankets. This fundraiser will help us buy new equipment and other items in this coming season. I would like each of you to commit to working at least one shift. On the parent letter there is a form to fill out and mail back to me. It can also be dropped off at the Elementary Office. You may also text Coach Smith the information at 218-590-6073. Please email or call for a new form. Even if you are unable to help, please return the slip to me. Remember that the time you sign up for is your commitment and we need your involvement. “Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.” Also included in this letter are a few fliers. Please give these out to your family members and friends as advertisement for this event.

 On another note, your coaching staff would like to hold an informational meeting on Monday, August 19^th at 6:30 pm in the HS Commons. It is highly recommended that you attend. At this meeting you will meet the entire coaching staff, ask questions, and coaches will give out a lot of helpful information for the coming season. We will also have you sign the NEW volleyball handbook. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please contact Coach Smith at 218-590-6073 or email her at smithm@spooner.k12.wi.us.

            Lastly, the first two weeks of high school volleyball practice schedule is as follows:

August 19th - Tryouts 9th and 10th grade 8:00 am – 10:00 am 11th and 12th grade 10:00 am - Noon	August 20th  - Tryouts 9th and 10th grade 8:00 am – 10:00 am 11th and 12th grade 10:00 am - Noon	August 21st - Tryouts 9th and 10th grade 8:00 am – 10:00 am 11th and 12th grade 10:00 am – Noon Combined practice 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Rosters will be posted on HS doors by 7:00 pm	August 22nd All team practice 9:00 am – 11:00 am	August 23rd All team practice 9:00 am – 11:00 am
August 26th All team practice 3:45pm – 5:30 pm	August 27th All team practice 3:45pm – 5:30 pm	August 28th All team practice 8:00 am -10:00 am (School Open House at all schools 12:00 p.m. – 7:45)	August 29th All team practice 3:45pm – 5:30 pm	August 30th All team practice 3:45pm – 5:30 pm

*Please let Coach Smith know if you will not be attending any of these practices due to pre-scheduled family vacations. That is the only exception to missing these practices.

**7^th and 8^th grade does not start practice until the 1^st day of school. Their practices will run 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Open Gym

Open Gym Cancelled tonight.

We will have open gym next Monday from 4-6 pm. See you then!

Updated Coach List

Melissa Smith - head coach - smithm@spooner.k12.wi.us
Michelle O'Connell - JV coach - oconnellm@spooner.k12.wi.us
Tifanie Jensen - C team coach - jensent@spooner.k12.wi.us
Chelsey Matthes - 8th Grade coach - matthesc@spooner.k12.wi.us
Jessica Maki - 7th Grade coach - tylerj@spooner.k12.wi.us

Mandatory Fall Athletic Code and Conussion Meeting

Fall Athletic Code and Concussion Meeting: July 31st, 6:30 p.m. HS Auditorium. Mandatory meeting for all athletes Meeting will be a review of athletic code expectations, concussion procedures, and individual sport expectations.

MS Volleyball Schedule

Here is the 2013-2014 Middle School Volleyball Schedule:

2013-14 Spooner Middle School Schedules

7^TH & 8^TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL

Home Game Times: 7 & 8^th Grade-5 p.m.-Antholz Gym

Away Game Times: 7^th @ 5 p.m., 8^th @ 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 10                 Bloomer @ Spooner

Thursday, September 12              Spooner @ Rice Lake

Tuesday, September 17                  Barron @ Spooner

Thursday, September 19                Spooner @ St. Joes

Tuesday, September 24             Spooner @ Cumberland

Tuesday, October 1                     Ladysmith @ Spooner

Thursdsay, October 3                    St. Joes @ Spooner

Tuesday, October 8             Spooner @ Chetek-Weyerhauser