Parents & Kids…

Welcome back to the 2010 AirVorne Volleyball Sand Camp for kids. We hope to give the kids an experience of what it is like to play outdoors and test the skills they have learned from the indoor season on the sand or just teach them the fundamentals of what Sand Volleyball is all about.

This spring/summer we are offering more camps at different locations throughout the entire Atlanta area. Our camps are one-week long for 3-hours starting at 9:00 in the morning. At the end of the week, the kids will play in a mini-tournament to test their skills on the sand. Our coaches are accomplished veterans of the sport and will give your kids the training needed to understand the outdoor skills needed for sand volleyball. The camp caters to both boys and girls up to 18 years of age.

The following weeks are scheduled for the camps:
Camp Week #1: May 17th – May 21st
Camp Week #2: June 7th – June 11th
Camp Week #3: June 21st – June 25th
Camp Week #4: July 12th – July 16th
Camp Week #5: July 26th – July 30th

The registration cost of each of these camps is $275.00 per player, but if you register early (2-weeks prior to the camp), the early registration cost is $225.00 per player. The following dates below are the deadlines for early registration:

Camp Week #1 (early registration deadline): Monday, May 3rd
Camp Week #2 (early registration deadline): Monday, May 24th
Camp Week #3 (early registration deadline): Monday, June 7th
Camp Week #4 (early registration deadline): Monday, June 28th
Camp Week #5 (early registration deadline): Monday, July 12th

The locations of these camps are still being determined…we know that we have two locations: Piedmont Park and Virginia Highlands. We should have the site locations set soon.

Registration will be open on Friday, April 23rd. To register for these camps, go to Event Registration.

For any questions/comments, please contact feel free to contact at any time…have a great summer and hope to see your kids out there on the sand courts.

Dennis Jocson
Director of AirVorne Volleyball
djocson@airvorne.com
404.422.3791 -cell

I hear some folks complain that kids aren’t outside enough these days or they spend too much time on the computer or in front of the TV – well not these kids. Check out the picture slideshow featuring AirVorne Volleyball’s sand volleyball camp.

Set in Atlanta’s beautiful Virginia Highlands neighborhood, the camp focused on sand volleyball fundamentals, conditioning and strategy. We began each day with a warm-up that included fun games and stretching. Then we spent the majority of the morning teaching and practicing the major sand volleyball skills; passing, setting, defense, hitting and serving. We incorporated conditioning and strategy along the way and at the end of each day; we left time for game-like drills and scrimmaging.

Anna Bush, Head Volleyball Coach at Marist High School, stopped by to share her thoughts on outdoor volleyball. “One key to being a successful athlete is to have good visual skills. The player needs to clearly see what’s happening on the other side of the court so they can react to make a play on the ball. With doubles sand volleyball there are only two people covering so much court…it is the perfect way to develop this skill.” Anna, a record-setting left side hitter for George Washington University in the mid 1980’s, continues, “I quickly realized that playing outdoor volleyball made me a better indoor player.”

As the week progressed, the players became more confident and began to look forward to the mini-tournament on Friday. We believe that repetition while receiving feedback on proper technique is a recipe for success. We had three father-daughter teams and a mother-son team competing for the tournament title.

Cai Glencross, Laura Shamp’s son, came out on top! Congratulations Cai and everybody who participated in our July camp. Next year’s summer camp is already slotted for the week of June 7-11, 2010. We hope to see you there and please continue to check www.airvorne.com for updates.

Kim Dalimonte
Director of Youth Programs
AirVorne Volleyball, LLC

Our next youth sand volleyball camp is July 13-17, 2009 from 9am-12noon at the sand courts next to John Howell Park and across from Inman Middle School in Virginia Highlands. We will focus on ball control along with the basic fundamentals of serving, passing, setting, defense and hitting.

The camp costs $210 and includes 15 hours of instruction, a low coach to player ratio and a mini-tournament on Friday. All skill levels, boys and girls, 18 and under, are welcome. Please visit our event registration page by Clicking Here », to sign-up online. Space is limited, so don’t wait to register.

If you’d like to learn more specifics about the camp objectives and activities, check out our “Atlanta’s 1st Youth Sand Camp” article in the youth section of our website. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at kdalimonte@airvorne.com.

See you in the sand!

Kim Dalimonte
Director of Youth Programs
AirVorne Volleyball, LLC

On the first day, we evaluated each player, taking into consideration both age and skill level, since our goal is to ensure that each player is challenged in a safe and fun learning environment. Throughout the week, we saw impressive progress, as the players began to realize that, with the right technique and a lot of hustle, they can become competent sand volleyball players!

The players with indoor volleyball experience quickly learned that the skills they have acquired on the hard court are very applicable to the outdoor environment. And everyone learned there is no substitute for ball control in the outdoor doubles format. Playing in the summer heat, with bright sun in your eyes and occasional gusts of wind, good ball control becomes the one indispensable skill for the outdoor player.

At times we paired up younger players with more experienced players for a particular drill or activity. This type of mentorship was very encouraging for the younger players—and rewarding for the older players too.

As the week progressed, the players became more and more excited about the mini-tournament scheduled for Friday. This was their chance to showcase what they had learned to the coaches, their parents and most importantly, themselves. Each camper was paired up with either a coach or volunteer adult for the tournament. This format provided on-the-spot coaching and encouragement, as well as longer rallies, which is part of what makes sand volleyball so fun.

Instead of dropping their kids off like the previous mornings, many parents stayed and set up lawn chairs to watch and cheer on their children. Other parents trickled in throughout the morning to provide support and take pictures.

After playing several games each, the winners were announced over a celebratory pizza lunch. Based on win-loss record, Samantha Behm, age 11, was the Princess and Camille Kapaun, age 14, was the Queen! Congratulations to Sam and Camille and to all of the participants for a successful week! I hope you will tell your friends and teammates to join us for our next camp July 13-17, 2009.

Have a wonderful summer,

Kim Dalimonte
Director of Youth Programs
AirVorne Volleyball, LLC

Our week long half-day camps are scheduled for: June 1-5 and July 13-17, 2009. The camps include: coaching by Atlanta’s top players, skills evaluation, low coach to player ratio and a mini-tournament on Friday.

During our summer camps, we will expose boys and girls, 18 and under, to doubles sand volleyball. We will cover everything from fundamentals, technique and conditioning to doubles strategy, including how to handle the outdoor elements (i.e.: sun, wind and rain).

We will also compare the similarities and differences between indoor and outdoor volleyball. Many kids have only played in an indoor environment, with 5 other teammates each specializing in their defined role as setter, hitter, middle blocker or libero. In order to maximize your experience with doubles sand volleyball, each player must be competent in all of the volleyball skills including passing, setting, serving, attacking, and defense.

Unlike the indoor game, in doubles sand volleyball, both players are involved in every play. Playing sand volleyball will complement your indoor game especially as it relates to mobility, conditioning, and communication. After playing sand doubles, your child will have a renewed sense of confidence the next time they step onto the indoor court. If your child is new to the sport of volleyball, we will encourage them to leverage transferrable skills from other sports, get a good work-out and have fun!

To all of the adult players out there, we hope you will tell your neighbors, friends and associates about our upcoming camps and be sure to contact us if you would like to get involved. To the kids and parents out there, email us at camps@airvorne.com for more information. Group rates are available.

See you in the sand!

Kim Dalimonte
Director of Youth Programs
AirVorne Volleyball, LLC