Playworks’co-ed volleyball leagues came to a close after five awesome weeks where fourth and fifth grade players bumped it, set it, spiked it—because that’s the way they like it! Cheers rang out in gyms across the Portland metro area as teams developed their volleyball skills in a safe, fun and supportive environment. Every week there was a new focus, starting with rules and regulations and moving toward kinetic techniques for passing, setting and serving. By the third week, games were catching fire as players challenged their new abilities and rallied serve after serve, bump after bump. Players dove on their knees and chased fly away balls—there were screams of “I got it!” and “MINE!” to let their teammates know who was in play. Five weeks truly represented all three rules of Playworks’ leagues: Respect the Game, Play Hard and Have Fun!
It was amazing to see players develop their volleyball know-how, the best part of the game being the atmosphere. High-fives, air-high-fives, cheers and group hugs brought matches to a standstill, as teams shot around the net to celebrate players on the other side. All-star congratulations were handed out to anyone who made five serves in a row. You could see the storm of enthusiasm from their teammates as the server disappeared under a wave of high-fives. These were games where the benches cleared for all the right reasons. Kids encouraged each other constantly, and it didn’t matter who was friends before the game started. Everyone participated, and everyone was supported. Everyone made mistakes, and everyone learned and got ready for the next serve. Playing and cheering together became an integral part of what made matches fun.
When asked what her favorite part of volleyball season, Kami Isom from Peninsula Elementary School said, “Serving—I like starting it so we can get more hits and get a real game going.” And with matches building up to 10 hit rallies, this season of Playworks volleyball has definitely seen real AMAZING games!
