festival spirit 2013 - Volleyball Festival

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KIM BINDER
Kim Binder, former player turned
coach, sits down with the Festival Spirit
and tells us about her Festival experiences
throughout the years.
Festival Spirit: When did you attend
Festival?
Kim Binder: My first year playing at
festival was 1997 in Sacramento, CA. I was
an 8th grader on Team Specfit 16’s team.
I participated for the next four years and
when a knee injury ended my playing
career I began coaching at Festival my
senior year, 2001. I have attended Festival
as a coach off and on since then, early
on I took a few years off but for the past
nine years I have only missed two years
as a coach, those were the years my team
qualified for Nationals.
FS: What are some of the differences you
see between Festival now and Festival
then?
KB: The differences I really see in Festival,
well other than the obvious location
changes, really go hand and hand with the
evolution of the game. Being able to be at
one location, versus spread throughout
the city. Then having all the vendors and
spectators really shows the popularization
of the sport.
FS: Do you enjoy coaching or playing in
the Festival better?
The Guinness World Records
list Madonna as the world’s
most
successful
female
recording artist of all time.
KB: As for enjoying the tournament more
as a coach or a player I would really have to
say at first it was pretty equal for different
reasons, but now I love the coaching
aspect so much more. Being able to see the
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girls bond together and with other teams,
the excitement they get over their success,
or even with how the younger ones get
ecstatic over their 8th chapstick they
received from the other teams.
FS: We hear your father used to be an
official for the Festival. How does the
Festival play into your family dynamic?
Do you and your father share common
memories?
KB: As for Festival being a family affair,
it very much is. When I began playing my
brother actually coached me and then that
following year my dad began to ref the
Festival. We can talk back to the types of
locations we experienced in the heat of
Sacramento or the teams I played with that
had never been to a tournament like this
before. One of the best was watching the
Olympics this last year and talking about
remembering when my team competed
against April Ross and to see where she is
now as an athlete. Now all these years later,
we are in the family business of volleyball
with my brother as the director of our
club, my mom working the administrative
side and working side-by-side many of the
Festival workers to sign-up the various
teams we bring to Festival over the years,
and then my dad getting to socialize with
many of the refs I have grown up with like
Lenny and Diana Johnson, Barb Hiveley
(who unfortunately is no longer with us)
and many more.
FORGET SOMETHING?
Find it at the Info Booths
This year the information booths will
double as a convenient store with your
entire classic tourney needs! All items
will be between $1-5 dollars.
• Ponytail holders
• Bobby pins
• Chapstick
• Band aids
• Advil/Tylenol
• Hand sanitizer
• Breath mints
• Postcards
• Whistles
• And more!
CIRCLE OF HONOR 2013
Introduced by founder Dave Epperson, the Circle of Honor recognizes
distinguished collegiate coaching careers that have contributed significantly to
the growth of women’s volleyball. This year, five coaches have been chosen to
receive this award: John Dunning, Brian Gimmillaro, Hugh McClutcheon, Dave
Shoji and Pat Zartman. Along with being identified at the Opening Ceremony, we
will include a profile of each recipient in every issue of the Festival Spirit.
HUGH McCUTCHEON
Hugh McCutcheon, a Festival rookie
and New Zealand native, has been coaching
for 17 years. He is the former head coach
of the US men’s national volleyball team
and US women’s national volleyball
team. McCutcheon is currently coaching
the University of Minnesota’s women’s
volleyball team. He came to Minnesota
after his career with USA Volleyball as he
earned two medals coaching the United
States Men’s and Women’s Olympic teams.
McCutcheon
has
accomplished
much during his coaching career. His
first year as head coach for the US Men’s
National Team they won five medals in five
tournaments. In 2008, McCutcheon and
his team won the Volleyball World League.
Also in the summer Olympics that same
year, he led the USA men’s volleyball team
to the gold medal in Beijing for the first
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time since 1988. With the US Women’s
National Team, they advanced to the gold
medal game. McCutcheon says his most
memorable moment was beating Russia in
the Beijing Olympic Semi- Finals.
In Minnesota, McCutcheon led the
Gophers to a 27-8 record, which was just
two sets shy of a Final Four appearance.
In 2012, Minnesota tied for second in the
Big Ten Conference standings while two of
his players earned first and second team
All-America citations. The program is very
excited to see where McCutcheon will lead
the Gophers next season.
80’s Pump Up Music!
“Living on a Prayer”
Bon Jovi
“Jump”
Van Halen
“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”
Wham!
“Hungry Like the Wolf”
Duran Duran
“Come On Eileen”
Dexy’s Midnight Runners
“Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
Pat Benatar
“Smooth Criminal”
Michael Jackson
“Into the Groove”
Madonna
“Eye of the Tiger”
Survivor
“Walk This Way”
Run DMC
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”
Cyndi Lauper
“Love Shack”
The B-52’s
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
AC/DC
“Take On Me”
A-ha
“Video Killed the Radio Star”
The Buggles
“Don’t Stop Believing”
Journey
“Our Lips Are Sealed”
The Go-Go’s
“Karma Chameleon”
Culture Club
“Walk Like an Egyptian”
The Bangles
“Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns N’ Roses
“Cold Hearted”
Paula Abdul
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In 1984, Michael Jackson won eight
Grammy’s, which was the joint
highest amount ever won by one
person in a single year.
GO UNIFIED
Join the other half a million people worldwide who take part in Special Olympics Unified Sports®
Dedicated to promoting social
inclusion through shared sports training
and competition experiences, Unified
Sports is an inclusive program that has
individuals with intellectual disabilities
(athletes) and individuals without
intellectual disabilities (partners) playing
side-by-side on one sports team. This
collaboration acts as a fun way to expand
dialogue and break down stereotypes
about people with intellectual disabilities.
This year’s Festival featured two
special Unity Matches where the teams had
a mix of Special Olympics Arizona athletes,
local law enforcement, firefighters, alums
from Arizona State University’s Sun
Devils volleyball team and even members
of the Arizona Sizzle, a local women’s
professional team.
These teams may have consisted of
some special guests, but anyone can be a
partner. Katie Porter and Piper Welch, both
members of Aspire Volleyball Club based
out of Tempe, AZ, have been volunteering
for Special Olympics for a couple of years
now. “Our club director [Scott Lloyd]
actually started donating the gym to Special
Olympics four years ago,” Porter said.
For volleyball specifically, partners act as
helpers to the athletes, giving them the best
passes and sets in order to be successful.
“We play every other player is a partner, so
we pass and set for them. We never hit it
over. That’s what playing unified means,”
Porter explained. Welch added, “They get
the joy and the good feeling that they made
the winning play.”
When you become a partner, not only
are you helping to teach these athletes the
game, but you might also learn a thing or
two yourselves. “It has taught me patience,
but also that playing the game is not just
for winning, it can be just for the joy of
it. They don’t care about winning, they
just care about if they’re having fun,” said
Welch. Porter added, “You realize that they
are people and you need to treat them with
just as much respect as you would treat any
other person that you’re talking to.”
Both Porter and Welch encourage
those who are interested in Unified Sports
to give it a try. “A lot more people should try
and become partners, even for any sport. It
has changed my life honestly. Everything
we do is for the athlete. It’s totally selfless,”
said Porter. “Also it’s a direct contribution.
You’re actually helping one person. It’s not
like you’re raising money and you don’t
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know where it’s going. Each minute you
spend with them, you’re helping them.”
Welch noted that the more volunteers
there are, the more opportunities the
athletes in that area have: “Normally
if these athletes weren’t doing Special
Olympics they wouldn’t get chances and
opportunities like this. It makes you feel
like you’re doing something good for
someone because they’re so happy while
they’re playing.”
The best way to get involved with
Unified Sports is to contact the Special
Olympics group in your area. From there,
they can direct potential volunteers to
various opportunities. “Lots of people
locally and out of state are asking about
forming teams… Lots of volleyball clubs
have told me that they want to follow the
inspirational Aspire Volleyball Club and
donate gym time and other resources to
form club based Special Olympics Unified
volleyball teams,” said Teresa Scobee,
Special Olympics Arizona’s volunteer
volleyball director. “The way I see it, this
week we had a Convention Center full of
potential partners.”
KidsZone
We’re excited to welcome back
our KidsZone! Introduced last
year, the KidsZone is hosted
by Athletic Revolution and is
located in the Lower Playing
Halls. Kids ages 4-13 can enjoy
supervised fun-filled activities
including inflatables, half-court
basketball, mini volleyball, Wii
video games, movies, coloring
and contests.
HOURS:
June 24-26: 9 am - 8 pm
June 27: 9a m - 5 pm
June 28: 9 am - 3 pm
Papa Johns, the official pizza of the 2013 Volleyball
Festival wants to welcome you to this years tournament
by offering you 20% off any pizza at regular menu price.
This offer is valid Sunday, June 23 - Monday, July 1
by going to www.PapaJohns.com and entering promo
code VOLLEYBALL. You can also bring this ad to any participating store for
carryout as well. Have a great tournament!
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STAY IN SHAPE IN THE OFF SEASON
Everyone knows how hard the off season can hit you because we’ve all experienced this “transition period.”
The transition period is the time right after the season ends. It is important to rest for the upcoming season
but keeping up with exercises is important for mentally and physically preparing for the next season.
Here are a few tips for you during your off season.
Keep Up with Your Fitness
It is important to get enough rest so your body can recover from months and months of working out,
however you want to keep in shape. You want to maintain some level of conditioning so you don’t
lose the muscle you have gained.
Rest
Your body needs to heal from the demands of this sport. Take several days off from exercise
and then start back up. Easing back into your workouts will keep you fit and will make
sure you don’t get hurt along the way.
Reflect
Think about who you were as an athlete last season. Think about what your
strengths were and what your weaknesses were and this will help you make
some goals for the next season.
Endurance
Gain some endurance by doing interval workouts and slowly
increasing the length of your cardio.
Get Stronger
Step into the weight room. Strength will help you excel.
Reach out to a coach or another athlete that is familiar
with the weight room for assistance and figure out what
is best for you.
The off season is a time to get some rest and to
prepare yourself for the upcoming season. Make
sure you make the most of it.
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ACDC prefers to use
buses rather than planes
when they are on tour.
WELCOME ALL VOLLEYBALL STAFF AND PARENTS!
MAJERLE’S SPORTS GRILL WILL BE GIVING A 15% DISCOUNT TO
ALL VOLLEYBALL STAFF AND PARENTS FROM JUNE 23-28, 2013
(EXCLUDES HAPY HOUR PRICING/PROMOS).
JUST MENTION THAT YOU’RE FROM THE VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL
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2013 VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL CHAMPIONS
AZ EVJ 12 Mizuno
AZ EVJ 13 Mizuno
AZ EVJ 14 Mizuno
Coast 15-2 Andrew
Legacy 16 Elite
Legacy 17 Elite
Midnight Sun 18
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RENAISSANCE
GIRL CLASS
OF 2013
KYLIE CORDERO
For any Renaissance Girl, becoming
the master of a balancing act is a must –
but finding something that you’re truly
passionate about? That doesn’t happen to
everyone. Renaissance Girl Kylie Cordero
found a unique love for volleyball that she
hopes will continue for the rest of her life.
Kylie travelled to her fourth and final
Festival with LAVA (Los Angeles Volleyball
Academy) North 18-Clay. Throughout her
volleyball career, she has been thrown into
nearly every position. “I’ve played libero
on my very first club team and setter for
the following two, and now I play outside
and opposite,” Kylie explained. Her spot
on the court may be uncertain, but one title
always remains the same: Team Captain.
Kylie was team captain as a freshman on
her high school JV team and captain for
her varsity team junior and senior year.
Additionally, she was also captain of her
15-2’s, 16-3’s and 17-2’s.
Fortunately for Kylie, leadership skills
like these easily translate off the court.
Kylie has been a member of her school’s
Student Government class all throughout
high school and held the “executive
officer” position her junior and senior
year. Through her student government
class, Kylie has volunteered at, and even
organized, multiple community service
events such as Special Olympics, blood
drives, Disney Expos, Light Up the
Night, Make a Difference Day and more.
Additionally, Kylie has been in charge of
various pep rallies, campus improvement
projects and school recognition events.
She does all of this while maintaining a
3.98 cumulative GPA.
As if balancing volleyball, homework
and school activities wasn’t enough, Kylie
also joined her high school’s track and
field team this year. Balancing track and
club volleyball, she became the third best
high jumper in her league and made it all
the way to CIF Prelims. “Being involved in
two sports, multiple school clubs, honors
classes, and volunteer work sounds like
a lot to handle but that is not the case
for me what so ever,” she said. “I balance
everything simply by planning my day out
a day or two ahead of time. If you love what
you do, it’s easy to make time in your day
for it.” When she does have a minute of
spare time, Kylie likes to get outside and
have fun with her friends and family.
This upcoming fall, Kylie will be
attending University of California Irvine.
Although she is unsure what career she
would like to pursue after college, Kylie
knows that she wants to stay involved with
volleyball for the rest of her life: “Hopefully
I’ll be able to ref through college and coach
after.”
No matter where she decides to go in
life, Kylie will always be thankful for the
experiences that volleyball brought her.
“Volleyball has truly helped me to become
who I am today,” she said. “I’m lucky to
have had the best coaches and teammates
through my volleyball career, I hope girls
everywhere are able to get the most out
of this sport like I have.” As a role model,
Kylie’s advice for younger players is:
“Play your heart out! If you’re having fun,
everything else will come to you.”
Metallica is one of the
first groups to make
“speed” or “thrash
metal” popular which
is music dominated by
fast, percussive guitar
and lyrics that
sound angry.
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STAY CONNECTED
Check out the new Festival social media with
everything from schedule updates to giveaways!
Like us on Facebook:
facebook.com/VolleyballFestival
Follow us on Twitter:
@VbFestival
Follow us on Instagram:
@Volleyballfestival
You can also become friends with our official mascot,
Crush V. Bear, at: facebook.com/crush.v.bear
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