SFCC Camp Opens Court

Susie Whitehead watched from the bleachers as her 11-year-old daughter Liz got her introduction to the game of volleyball: laps around the court and a move called a "step-and-throw."

"I think this is a great way to get started in a sport," said Whitehead. "The kids can come here and learn the basics and see if this is the sport for them while getting out of the house and being active."

Whitehead, an economics teacher at Sebring High School, is not a stranger to volleyball, as her older daughter Jaye, who attended the training camp years ago, plays on the Blue Streaks varsity team.

"I think Liz wants to follow in her sister's footsteps and play volleyball," Whitehead said. "She has played enough with Jaye out in the driveway and I think now is the perfect time for her to take the next step."

For South Florida Community College volleyball coach Kim Crawford, the small and intimate setting is a perfect venue to infuse the local athletes with the passion for the game.

"I like the camps that are not about bringing in huge numbers, but specializing in teaching and life lessons," Crawford said. "With the camp beginning after the holidays, I have the opportunity to give more one-on-one training that many other camps don't provide."

The intimate training camp brought out a dozen or so girls on Tuesday at Panther gym and will run on Tuesday's and Thursday's for the next four weeks.

Crawford's approach to teaching the sport attracted a wide range of talent, from true beginners to experienced, savvier players.

But when camp began, they started at the same place.

"You have to start off everyone with a basic knowledge of training their body for the game of volleyball," said the SFCC coach. "We're going over flexibility, push-ups and crunches and other core exercises that they can use in any sport."

After the kids went through a warm-up period, the girls dug into the fundamentals of volleyball, including positions and rotation basics.

The main focus of the camp is teaching players the correct way to do any activity, as Crawford stresses the core exercises and informs players that though not every coach teaches the same way, all coaches seek the same result.

"We want to see enthusiasm from the girls that they want to learn and they're enjoying themselves," Crawford said. "We're trying to keep kids from learning bad habits.

"These are the future volleyball players that we're developing, and we want them to walk away from this camp with a desire to keep learning and playing."

The camp, which runs through Feb. 5, is still open to anyone in grades 6-12. For more information, contact Crawford at 784-7037.