Karen Boehler
CCSR writer/editor
Danika Vasquez, a camp leader, sets the ball to Sierra Middle School seventh-grader Kaylie Castro.
(CCSR photo by Karen Boehler)
High schools are known for hosting summer athletic camps in everything from basketball to volleyball and everything in between; middle schools not so much.
But Sierra Middle School has a long-time reputation for hosting a volleyball camp, and the Sierra Lady Eagles Volleyball Camp is underway at both gyms through Friday.
Open to players from around the city from grades three through eight, this year’s camp has 36 girls — and one fifth-grade boy — from across Chaves County.
Participants come from each RISD middle school, several elementary schools and Dexter Middle School, which has four players working on homing their skills.
Nathaniel Trombla, a fifth-grader from El Capitan Elementary School, practices his serve alongside Jaida Chavez, a Sierra Middle School sixth-grader.
(CCSR photo by Karen Boehler)
Sierra coach JuLynn Jones said the players work on different levels of learning.
“Just getting back into the swing of things and new girls coming up, learning skills who want to try out for teams at different schools and just refreshing. And just because they love the game, too,” she said.
Jones runs the camp with help from assistant Cynthia Hernandez and three former Sierra players — now high school freshmen — which keeps them running from gym to gym as they have the athletes working on skills and honing those skills in games.
And after working with them for several days, Jones said she sees some up-and-coming talent.
“Dexter’s got some girls out there who look pretty promising,” she said. “I think they played last year. They’re just getting their hands back on the ball. Refreshing themselves. Getting ready for the upcoming season. We’ve got some little eight-year-old girls who are doing a really good job and have a lot of drive and a lot of heart.”
For more sports news, go to Chaves County Sports Report