Volleyball camp for Eagle Grove High School athletes might not look exactly the same as it has in the past, but the girls are just excited to be back on the court, despite the new guidelines.
Coach Alyssa Dooley and her players hit the court for the first time on Monday, July 20.
“I am excited to get back into the swing of things, but understand the importance of the rules and regulations set forth by the IGHSAU,” said Dooley.
Those safety practices included cleaning and sanitizing the balls between use, maintaining a social distance, and the option of wearing face masks (which was always worn by Coach Dooley).
A total of 14 girls reported for open gym on Monday, ready to work hard and excited to be back amongst their teammates. Eight of those were incoming freshman volleyball players who were eager to get a chance on the court with the upper classmen. Some players were unable to make the practice due to jobs and vacations. Dooley will have the girls rotating their time between the gym and weightlifting three days a week until full season practices can begin.
“It’s very apparent they’re all ready for some normalcy,” Dooley said happy to have the turnout she did for the first day of open gym. “If I’m being honest, I really enjoy the open gym practices! I love being able to see all my teammates faces and just have fun playing the sport we all enjoy! I think having open gym is a great idea because it allows for extra practice before the season so that you can better yourself and help your team. I’ve played volleyball my whole high school career, and it really is something I look forward to each year and always hate to see it end! This also allows the new incoming freshmen to get a head start before high school starts and really begin to bond with some upperclassmen which I think is great. I know that sometimes being a new freshman can be really scary! Overall, I’m really excited for this season and to see what it has in store for us,” said senior player Dani Lobato.
Dooley knows COVID-19 will bring some changes and challenges to the season this year, but she’s ready for it.
“We will continue to come up with creative drills to ensure social distancing is occurring,” she said.
“One thing I would like to say the most is how thankful I am for finally being back in the gym,” said senior player Emmy Huse. “It’s definitely different, but manageable given the circumstances. I’m so thankful for everybody that is helping to contribute for making this happen and the coaches for potentially putting their health at risk just so we can play! I also appreciate the girls that are showing up, going out, and doing the same because without them I wouldn’t get a final season.”
