The reality of being a smaller school is that most athletes split their interests between multiple sports.  They may be a star basketball player but they also excel at football, softball, baseball or soccer.  Having the opportunity to play multiple sports can be good as it allows players to cross train and keeps from burnout.  But on the flip side, it can mean that they don’t spend as much time training on one particular sport and might not make improvements that they might have otherwise.  

MHS coaches know that this is the game they will all play- juggling players and making the most of the time they have with their players.  The game is certainly a challenge to play as they try to support their athletes out of season while trying to still keep them in tune with their sport. The summer can especially be a juggle as all coaches are vying for the time and focus of their athletes.  

For Coach Cami Tripp, she has learned that timing and quality is key to making up for any lost time or opportunities as she shares players with other sports.  Over the last month she has pulled together camps, open gym nights and tournaments to help her team keep volleyball on the brain as they are moving through the last of summer and nearing the 2023 volleyball season.  It may be too soon to tell, but as things move on it seems that this strategy is looking to pay off in a big way.

One of the highlights for the Lady Dragon volleyball team was their annual camp put on by the Gold Medal Squared coaches, a program developed with smaller high school teams in mind to help them make even greater progress.  Over the three day camp, the twenty-nine girls attending began with the basics and then moved on to cover every facet of the game, learning and growing with every aspect.  Coach Tripp commented, “It's always important to go back to the foundational skills.  If we start with a strong base we can build so much on that.”

The coaches of the Gold Medal Squared program are all impressive volleyball athletes themselves and bring with them tried and true principles, techniques, drills and motivation.  While they had a schedule set to follow, they prioritized the needs of the Lady Dragons and their coaches.  They dissected things down to the individual steps to help the players have the most power, the greatest efficiency and best read of the ball.

Traditionally, the camp is only four days, giving ample time to spread out the learning and play.  However, due to other conflicts, the camp was fit into three days which meant that the Lady Dragons were asked to step up in a whole different way.  With the camp days beginning at 8 am and going until 6 pm, the athletes had to rely on a little extra endurance, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

The long days were worth it, though, when looking at the progress and improvements they made as a team and as individuals.  The sheer number of touches of the ball, the repetitions passing, serving, setting and hitting has helped the team get back into the swing of things as they look to their fall season beginning in just a few days.  

In addition to the camp, the team also had a chance to participate in the Pocatello Varsity Volleyball Tournament, a tournament heavy on the competition.  The teams signing up to compete in the tournaments vary from 2A to 5A, bringing with them great experience and tough play.  The Lady Dragons found themselves going up against teams from Snake River, Century High, Thunder Ridge, Pocatello and Twin Falls.  The team went 7-3 throughout the tournament, earning them 3rd place in the Gold Bracket.

Coach Tripp shared, “We played well and competed closely with the bigger schools in the tournament.  Snake River was our achilles heel- the team we just couldn’t get passed.  We beat teams that beat them, but there was something that kept us from playing our best against them.  We definitely have some things to work on, but we’re excited to get going to start playing this season!”   

As always, there is plenty to figure out this season, things that can only be sorted through in real time.  It will be the grit, determination, focus and intensity that determine just how far this team will go this season.  But with the right mixture of talent, desire and aggression, this team is sure to find success.  These last few weeks have been crucial to get the team started with a strong beginning and in the right direction.