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A Note from the Director
Happy March!
Special congrats to NNJ 18 Kuna! The team finished 3rd in the gold division of the Golden State Qualifier this last weekend! We're so proud of the players' efforts and are excited to see how their season progresses!
Also big congrats to NNJ 18 Amy who also competed in the gold bracket of their division this weekend. Great job, all!
March is a busy time in the club season. We have Spring Break coming up, with the associated vacations coming up; please make sure to let your coach know if you'll be out of town at all, and ask us about how you can make up the time that you'll miss! We have important power and premier leagues this month, as well as a qualifier in Spokane at the end of the month. Please keep focusing on your teammates and let's keep working hard!
Finally, we are so fortunate to be able to link our athletes to scholarships through the Katie Grace Foundation. Katie Weingartner played for us last season, and we were so lucky to be inspired by her passion, leadership, and love for her teammates. Her mom has set up some scholarships in Katie's name; please read on to learn more about the wonderful person Katie was and how she inspired us all.
See you in the gym!
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Happenings Around the Club...
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The Katie Grace Foundation
Many of us were fortunate to meet and work with Katie Weingartner when she played for NNJ last season. A libero on NNJ 16 Dani, Katie brought passion, hard work, and humor to her team. She was focused and driven, with a true passion for volleyball and for the girls that she played with.
Tragically, Katie was killed on June 9, 2017. Her memory lives on through her teammates and coaches, both at Reno High and at NNJ. We were truly lucky to know her as she taught us so much during her time with us.
In her memory, her mother Kimberly has set up the Katie Grace Foundation. Kimberly's hope is to continue Katie's legacy of inspiring young women to find passion and friendships through volleyball. She has graciously and lovingly set up three scholarships that she'll award to players at NNJ who embody Katie's spirit and commitment to the sport.
If you are interested in applying for scholarships through the Katie Grace Foundation, please
email here.
If you are interested in giving a fully-deductible donation to the Katie Grace Foundation,
please let us know here.
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Healthy Habits for Young Athletes
by: Rob Conatser, owner of Sierra Strength and Speed
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For the last four weeks your daughters have been working on movement quality and building a proper foundation for future progression.
During this process much attention has been focused on knee position in running, jumping, and landing.
During the next four weeks of Phase 2 we will focus on basic strength for the entire body and continued work on how to move. The focus during the strength phase is shoulder, knee, and hip injury prevention with techniques for how to recover and treat minor overuse issues that typically occur in volleyball.
Phase 3 will focus on athletic power. Athletes will really learn how to use the body, along with the first two phases, to jump and land with more efficiency and power.
There are three things that our athletes need to incorporate into their lives on and off the court.
These lifestyle practices need to be performed daily, not just two days prior to a tournament or competition.
1. REST/RECOVERY-Our young ladies need at least 8-10 hours of sleep every night. Prior to bed time it is very helpful to avoid their electronics (good luck with this)!
They also need to know how to recover:
I like rolling, stretching other activities outside of volleyball.
These are techniques that the girls are learning, and it would be helpful for parents to encourage their practice at home.
2. REHYDRATION-Our girls need to drink plenty of fluids preferably water. I really push all my clients towards 100 oz per day. I feel that fluid maintenance is critical to high level performance and again needs to be worked on daily.
3. REFUEL-Nutrition is important to all of us, but especially to those who perform at a high level. Everybody is different and there is a lot of confusing and bad information. Here are just a few suggestions that I feel work no matter your preference of diet.
- Eat every 2-3 hours. Pick a variety of foods. It can be three meals and 2-3 snacks or five smaller meals. Bring and eat snacks at school.
- Minimize processed foods. Be careful how many foods you eat that are packaged.
- Eat a rainbow every day. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, the more colors the better.
- Make sure you eat breakfast every day and also be sure to fuel yourself prior to working out.
- Drinks lots of water but fewer drinks with sugar. Most fruit drinks have an extremely low amount of fruit and a high amount of sugar.
If you have questions please feel free to get in touch with me.
Rob Conatser, ATC, CSCS
Sierra Strength & Speed
775-815-0735
It's not too late to sign up for SSS Training! THIS IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED FOR PLAYERS WHO ARE PLAYING AT COMPETITIVE LEVELS! We have specific times for each team, just
Let us know if you'd like to sign up!
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Player of the Month-McKinley Thiede
Every month we like to highlight a current NNJ player who exhibits great volleyball skills, leadership skills, work ethic, and is an overall great teammate. McKinley Thiede is a setter from Damonte Ranch High School and is currently playing on NNJ 18 Kuna. Read on to hear about how McKinley's dedication to the sport has helped her dream of playing collegiate volleyball become a reality.
Profile
Name: McKinley Thiede
High School: Damonte Ranch
Grad Year: 2018
Position: Setter
College: University of Louisiana Monroe
McKinley found a passion for volleyball at a young age. She started playing when she was 9 years old and has been drawn to the sport ever since. McKinley is a four-year varsity letter winner at Damonte Ranch High School. As a freshman in 2014, she earned All-League Honorable Mention in the Sierra League while also earning a spot on Prepvolleyball.com's high honorable mention Fab 50 list. The following year she earned 2nd Team All-League honors in the Sierra League. As a junior and senior, she was named to the Northern Nevada 4A All-League First Team. In closing out her high school career, she played in 261 sets while totaling 2,056 assists, 127 aces, 468 digs and 122 kills. McKinley has excelled off of the court just as much as she has on the court. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA while earning her academic letter and being named to the All-State Academic Team as a senior.
Just recently McKinley announced her decision to continue her volleyball career at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Q: What excites you most about continuing your volleyball career at the Division I level?
A: I have been playing volleyball from a very young age and it just clicked for me. My love for volleyball could not compare to those of other sports. It has been my dream to play Division I volleyball in college. I have worked so hard to accomplish my goal and in the last couple of weeks I was able to fulfill my dreams. I received a full-ride offer to play DI volleyball at The University of Louisiana at Monroe and gratefully accepted with the help of my family and coaches. The campus is absolutely gorgeous and the facilities are amazing. ULM also has a nursing program and so many other fields I would be interested in, so academically it is a great place to be. I am very confident in Coach Friedland and his enthusiasm to flip the program at ULM. I am ecstatic to be a Warhawk the next four years of my life!
Q: Why did you choose to play at NNJ and how has NNJ helped prepare you to be a college athlete?
A:
I chose NNJ because the coaching staff really knew how to help me grow as a player. The facility is very nice and not too far from home. After playing at NNJ since my freshman year of high school, all of the coaches have pushed and challenged me to come to a level of volleyball skill I never knew I would be able to reach. Also, Coach Amy helped me get recruited to an amazing university and I could not have done it without her guidance and connections. All of the coaches here at NNJ have prepared me for college volleyball mentally, physically, and emotionally. But not only are they teaching volleyball skill at NNJ, they've taught be how to be a good human. The coaching staff have all become a part of my family.
Q: Any advice for younger players?
A: Always, always respect your coaches and teammates. The best teammate is one who checks in on her teammates and is super encouraging on and off the court. I've built so many friendships through volleyball, they are honestly the best kind! I also would tell younger players to never give up or doubt yourself. There will be rough patches along the way and you may want to give up but I promise you, if you keep your head up and set a goal, you will accomplish anything and everything you set your mind to.
Q: What are your interests outside of volleyball?
A: I really enjoy riding horses. I grew up around them so it makes me feel so calm and free when I ride. I also adore children and am constantly babysitting and helping run the Kids Court at NNJ.
We are so thrilled to see that McKinley's hard work and dedication to the sport has paid off. We wish her all the best as she begins to prepare for this next step of her life. Congratulations, McKinley!
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Alumna of the Month-Tori Chelini
Every month we like to highlight a former NNJ player who continues to stand out as a great student-athlete and human being. Tori Chelini first started at NNJ during it's inception in 2009 and continued through until her graduation in 2015. Read on to hear some more about how Tori is doing, and how NNJ helped prepare her for life after high school.
Profile
Name: Tori Chelini
High School: Bishop Manogue High School
Grad Year: 2015
Position: Setter
College: Montana Tech University
Tori played one year of varsity volleyball at Bishop Manogue High School as a setter. Her passion and drive took her to compete at the next level as she signed with Montana Tech University where she is currently majoring in Applied Health.
Tori recently completed her junior season at Montana Tech this fall. She started in 22 matches, totaling 777 assists, 41 aces and 205 digs while leading her team to a Frontier Conference Championship. She also earned her career high in assists this past season with 43 against William Woods
.
Tori was named to the academic all-conference team by maintaining a 3.0 GPA.
During her sophomore and junior seasons, Tori's team reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NAIA National Tournament while finishing with a national ranking of 15 in 2016 and finishing one better in 2017 with a ranking of 14.
Q: How did/does being a student-athlete
help prepare you for who you are today?
A
:
Being a student
athlete taught me how to be a leader both on the court and in my life. It taught me time management as well as team work.
Q: How did NNJ help prepare you to be a collegiate student-athlete?
A: My senior season of club volleyball at NNJ gave me the opportunity to travel across the country and play in many volleyball tournaments. This constant traveling helped prepare me for similar weekend trips of my college career while having to stay on top of my academics. NNJ always cared about the whole student athlete; they made sure we did well in school and made sure we were always ok.
Q: What is your advice to younger players?
A: My advice is to reach for the stars. As cheesy as that sounds, if you want to play college volleyball, it's possible, you just have to stay focused on that goal and you'll achieve it.
Q: What is in your future?
A: I'll be applying for Physical Therapy Graduate School this next fall and plan on getting my D.P.T within three years. I don't know where I'm going yet but I know wherever it is, it will be an adventure.
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Coach of the Month-Sydney McDowell
We are thrilled to honor our awesome staff here each month with a spotlight. Sydney McDowell is new to NNJ this year and we are so excited to have her on staff. Sydney was a middle blocker at Cal State Fullerton for two seasons. She then transferred to Grand Canyon University where she finished out her playing career as a right side while earning her Master's Degree. Sydney previously coached for Alliance Volleyball Club in Phoenix (AZ), Revolution Volleyball Academy in Scottsdale (AZ) and Protégé Volleyball Club in Whittier (CA). Originally from Auburn, CA, Sydney lettered in volleyball for 3 years before moving to Mission Viejo. She is currently assisting with 16 Alix and 14 Aceenia.
Check out our Q&A with her below.
Q: What are some athletic/coaching accomplishments you're proud of?
A: Matched Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF) blocking record with 10 blocks in a match as a freshman, set Grand Canyon University (GCU) blocking record with 12 blocks in a match, helped GCU to their best finish in program history with a 24-6 record in 2012, named to the Pac West All-Academic Team while enrolled in the Master's program at GCU.
Q: What is your coaching philosophy?
A: Being positive and respectful to players, refs, and other coaches at all times.
Q: Who are your role models in coaching and why?
A: Hugh McCutcheon. He's a no-nonsense, straight shooter who knows how to deliver a clear and concise message to his players without being condescending or harsh.
Q: What do you like best about coaching volleyball?
A: I love that I have to shift my focus from myself to 12 other individuals in order to be productive and help the team improve. If the team isn't getting better, it's a reflection of my abilities as a coach and a good reminder to keep seeking out ways to grow my volleyball knowledge.
Q: Do you have any advice you'd like to share with NNJ players?
A: I think it's extremely important to maintain a balance with volleyball and your outside life. Work hard to get better through practice and workouts but enjoy yourself outside of volleyball too. Go skiing and camping, don't miss school dances, and spend time with friends and family. Volleyball should not be an end all be all.
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Spring Break Camp Registration open now...plus the summer schedule is up!
Don't forget to register for Spring Break Camps! The first session will run from Monday, March 26 to Wednesday March 28 and go from 9 a.m.-noon. The second session will begin on Monday, April 2 and run through Wednesday, April 4. Times for this session are also 9 a.m.-noon.
Participants will be
divided into groups according to ability and age. The camps will be modified according to their given level and ability so everyone can get
the most out of
their experience. Girls and boys of all ages are welcome to attend.
In April we also begin clinics at the Boys & Girls Club off Foster Drive across from Reno High. Check out this link to get the full spring and summer schedule!
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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