Volleyball Update

L has chosen a team! We had a lot of angst over the decision, but after getting some scoop from another mom, I think she is with the best possible coach for her. She really needs someone she can learn from. The club she's going with is definitely the most convenient for us. They have their own facility that's only 15 minutes away, as opposed to the other options that practice at different places all over the place. We don't know who else is on the team, but I don't think it matters much to her, as she didn't really know any of the girls anyway. She has several friends on her rec league volleyball team, but none of them are interested in playing at the club level.

So, we're now committed to volleyball in a big way -- financially, for one, but also timewise (they practice three times a week and generally attend 2 out-of-town tournaments a month.) Should be interesting!

No News

Well, we're still in limbo.

M&L did get their schedules. They are on different teams. I called the school this morning to find out why and the guidance counselor said she didn't know and would call me back. So I don't know what's going to happen. M is -- once again -- in all the same classes with L's best buddy. Life is just not fair. That's mainly what L is upset about. M does not want her schedule to change even one iota - she is happy with it as is. L wouldn't mind being moved into M's team, but she realizes that she still wouldn't be in classes with her friend. So we'll wait and see what the counselor says. I did talk to the girls' friends who are twins, and they are on the same team. Go figure. Update: I heard back from the counselor. Apparently, the request letter was received and the girls were slated to be together on yet a third team. So she offered the option of switching to that team, or leaving things as is. As M would be extremely upset about moving, I asked her not to switch them. I did ask if L could be switched into M's team and she said she didn't think so because the Advanced Science classes were already very full, but she would check into it. But, I don't think it will be possible, and they will just have to deal with two different teams. M is happy -- L is uneasy. It's definitely a huge convenience for them to have the same teachers/classes/homework assignments/test schedules/projects, etc.

We are also still waiting about volleyball. We are waiting to hear back from one of the coaches - well, actually two coaches. We were supposed to get a call yesterday, but didn't hear anything. We will have to make a decision tonight to go with the one team that we are definite about. Which is fine; that is Lauren's first choice and not a bad option for her first year.

Waiting for Word

Lots of anxious waiting this weekend. The middle school schedules were supposedly mailed out yesterday, so we are thinking that they will appear in the mailbox today. That's been the pattern for the last two years, anyway. Last year, we were at Smuggler's Notch when the letters came, so our friend got our mail and called us with the news. (I'll never forget it - we were at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory when she called!)

The middle school is organized into teams, and there is no clear "winner" among them, so I am not worried about their placement. I'm more concerned with their scheduling and who else is in their classes. I'd requested for them to be on the same team, but not the same classes, but to have the same lunch bell. This has worked out great the last two years, but this year there is a new principal and I don't know if she will approve the request. Plus, there is so much DRAMA dealing with the fallout of who is in class with who. For both 6th and 7th grade, L's best buddy was in all of M's classes and L was NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT! As if it was somehow M's fault.

We will also be hearing the outcome of the final volleyball tryout. After the mega-marathon weekend of tryouts before the lake, L has one final tryout tomorrow morning. Then the coach will call all the girls and let them know who she has chosen. We have heard back from two teams already, and will make a decision after we hear from this third one. I really want L to have the final say because I want her to be happy. I want her to like the coach and the other girls -- this is a big commitment, with three practices a week and traveling to weekend-long tournaments twice a month. All three of the clubs have advantages and disadvantages. One is more expensive, but much more convenient. One is more elite and competitive, but also more clique-y. One is well-organized, but the coach is not as personable.

So, we'll see! I will have some news -- both academically and athletically -- to share by Monday!

All Volleyball All the Time

One of my daughters, L, is trying out for volleyball this weekend. After several years of playing rec leagues and making the school team last year, we've agreed to let her try out for a "club" -- an advanced travel team. We had no idea what we were getting into! She is trying out for three clubs in our area, and we really don't have a sense of whether she'll make any or all of the teams. She is attending multiple tryout sessions -- two today, three tomorrow -- and we've cut our lake vacation short to accommodate all these tryouts. I'd (silly me!) assumed that you had to attend *one* tryout session; oh no, you have to go to all of them (3-5 per team!)

The fact that she willingly gets out of bed at 7 am on a Saturday morning and eagerly jumps in the car indicates to me just how passionate she is about the sport. She wants to play all the time. She participated in a beach volleyball club over the summer, but unfortunately our travel plans and bad weather meant that she missed more than she went. But she was always doggedly determined to be there - urging us to drive down to the oceanfront even when storm clouds threatened, in the hope that the session wouldn't be cancelled.

I'm glad she has an activity that she is so passionate about. I know that M feels a little bit of jealousy and animosity that her sister is taking the sport to the next level, and that it will mean some sacrifices on her part. Starting with the delayed start of our lake vacation this weekend!