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Beginning with a single inner-city San Diego team in 1996, today Starlings is the largest Junior Volleyball Club in the nation─serving some 3,000 girls in 52 clubs across America. Clubs stretch from New York City to Kauai, from Portland to Phoenix, Arizona. The guiding concept has been to provide an opportunity for girls (ages 10 to18) to participate regardless of their socioeconomic background. Club dues, if any, are a fraction of most Junior Club costs and no girl is turned away because of inability to pay. The Starlings philosophy is a holistic one: competition is good but sports should also be fun. Finally, an athlete should seek to develop all her talents and for this reason, we proudly promote our annual Literary/Art Contest. Since its inception, over 200 girls have received collegiate volleyball scholarships. 12th ANNUAL STARLINGS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO BE BIGGEST EVER
With a record-shattering 148 Starlings teams from around
the nation entered, the Starlings showcase event is poised to take off on in
San Diego. The fun begins with the Opening
Ceremony at Sweetwater High School (7:00 - 8:30 pm) on Wednesday, June 17.
With music, dancing and the club banner parade, it's expected that more than
1,000 Starlings girls and friends will attend the lively gathering where
Sister Teams will meet up and exchange gifts and new friendships. For the
first time, the 2009 Literary/Art contest winners will also be announced that
evening. The following morning, June 18, Starlings teams in four age divisions (12s, 14s, 16s, 18s) will begin the four-day competition on the 12 courts of Alliant University and 6-court facility at Balboa Park Activity Center. On Saturday, play will also take place at San Diego City College (Harry West Gym) and Sweetwater High School.
On Saturday, we will have our
second annual High Performance Tryout again conducted by USAV's Heath
Hoke. The tryout will take place between 4:00
pm - 8:00 pm, at Alliant University.
We will also repeat the Coaches Clinic that evening (5:30 - 8:00 pm) under the
direction of Starlings National Coaching Director, Tod Mattox. 1,000 STARLINGS FIGHTING BREAST CANCER IN SAN DIEGO
LITTLEST STARLING
OMAHA STARLING WINS FULL RIDE TO GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY
Dorothy Brown is all smiles as is her coach and director of the Omaha Starlings, Shannon Walker IN MEMORY OF NOEMI ("NEMO") PEREZ With great sadness, we recently learned of the passing of former Starlings player and coach, Noemi Perez. On February 8, Nemo was returning from a Sunday of studying at CSU Bakersfield where she was an 18-year-old freshman. A daughter of immigrant farm workers, she was a star athlete, exceptional scholar and the first of her seven siblings to attend college. On the road to her hometown of Arvin, tragically she was the victim of a drunk driver. Below is a message from her Starlings club that speaks for the entire Starlings family:
"I am so proud to be part of an organization that is so
supportive, and caring. We have received support and kind words from all over
the country, and we are so incredibly grateful. The kind words have meant so
much. The Starlings family is like no other....may everyone continue to
encourage their young Volleyball players to become another generation of
Noemi's.... kind, smart, positive, uplifting, inspirational, and happy
young women. The world will be a better place. It was a joy having known
her, and to see the affect she had on the people around her. She will be
missed, but never forgotten."
2009 DIRECTORS CONVENTION HELD VIA WEBINAR For the first time, directors of Starlings clubs assembled in cyberspace for their annual convention. The three-hour Webinar took place on Saturday, January 10, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm PST. Featured presenters were John Kessel of USA Volleyball and Tod Mattox, Starlings National Coaching Director. Starlings Executive Director, Byron Shewman, oversaw the Webinar. Exciting technological advances of Webinars plus current challenges in the economy, such as travel/accomodation costs, were significant factors in the decision to host the Webinar. A range of topics were presented including National Championship, fundraising, website building, grass-roots programs, coaching philosophy, and drills. Club directors were able to send typed questions over the internet during the Webinar and answers were given live via phone. The following new clubs welcomed: Houston, Charlotte (NC), Green Valley Ranch (Denver), Chicago North Shore, Hacienda Heights (CA), Santa Ana (CA) and Central Phoenix.
OAKLAND
STARLINGS ATTEND STANFORD-CAL BENEFIT MATCH FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS The following is a written account of the historic occasion by Oakland Starlings coach Lisa Busbee-Young.
Volleyball teams across the country have
joined forces in the fight against breast cancer through a program called "Dig
for the Cure" to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. That was the sentiment
of the Stanford vs. Cal rivalry attended November 11 by the Oakland Starlings.
Each team dawned pink gear & jerseys to highlight the "Dig for the Cure" theme
and fans were asked to support their efforts by also wearing pink to the game.
UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE GRANT LAUNCHES GRASSROOTS PROGRAM
2008 NATIONALS BIGGEST AND BEST EVER
Pure joy and a third-place medal. Concentration. With a record-breaking 116 teams participating, the only thing hotter than the record-breaking heat was the fierce play in the 11th annual championship. Kicking off the four-day event (June 19 -22) was the opening ceremonies where over 1,000 Starlings girls, coaches, family and friends paraded team banners and showed off their dance skills on the gym floor. Competition was held at two playing sites: Alliant International University and Balboa Activity Center. Although inland temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, the girls kept up the intense play until the end. Starlings teams from Arizona (Tuba City, Shonto, Phoenix) took home the lion's share of gold medals this year while the perennial California dynasty of San Gabriel also had impressive finishes. A complete list of team finishes can be viewed by clicking Nationals 2008 on the menu. Also, winners of the annual Literary/Art Contest can be found by clicking on Lit/Art Contest. The USOC recently awarded a $10,000 grant to develop grassroots programs in low-income areas. "Little Starlings" programs were initiated during the fall of 2008 in four cities: Indianapolis, Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Diego. Several hundred girls were introduced to volleyball at elementary schools over 10 weeks. Over 300 girls were enlisted for weekly training and competition. STARLINGS GIRLS SELECTED FOR USAV HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMPS
Heath Hoke of USA Volleyball directs the High Performance Tryout in San Diego. USAV held its second High Performance Program tryout for Starlings players during the national tournament. Heath Hoke, Coordinator, High Performance National Programs, conducted the tryout with assistance from volunteer college coaches as well as some Starlings coaches. Four Starlings players were selected to attend High Performance Camps during the summer: Jocelyn Rojas (Castle Park - San Diego), Jasmine Julye (Tehachapi), Kristen Fihaki (Oakland) and Shannon Merete (Bakersfield). Jocelyn Rojas attended the four-day High Performance Camp in San Francisco during August. STAR-LIGHTS: RECENT HAPPENINGS & NEWS ARTICLES
"Starlings Shine in
Volleyball": Brevard County (Florida) Starlings
"In the Community": Starlings
Volleyball Clubs
Arizona Starlings Paradise
Bakery 4th quarter Report
"Starring the Starlings": Bakersfield
volleyball club keeps girls on right track with teamwork, sportsmanship
"Volleyball visitors reach out to poor of Tijuana":
2008 National Championships
"Marriage Unites, Volleyball Divides": Starlings
husband's and wife's teams play each other 2007 WINNING ESSAY BY KATE STEIKER-GINZBERG (JUNIOR), PHILADELPHIA STARLING “What a Starlings Girl Should Be” It always struck me as funny that they describe Starlings as an “extra-curricular activity” because there is nothing “extra” about it. My family will be the first to tell you that at this point, I spend more time playing volleyball than I do with them. When my coach comes late to practice, it is because he has to “save his marriage,”ť and my other friends roll their eyes at the idea of me playing a sport until nine o’clock on a Thursday night when I should be watching the latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” But maybe all these people just don’t get it. It’s hard to explain what Starlings really is, “what a Starlings girl should be.” There is an evolution to this Starlings girl. Way back in eighth grade looking at the big impressive high schoolers, she began hoping that one day she too would be tirelessly selling candy to raise tournament money. But any Starlings girl is so much more than that. The group that assembles twice a week in various gyms in Philadelphia brings togetheran array of “Renaissance girls.” Most of us are coming from our earlier school sports, quickly changing from cleats or bathing suits, to kneepads. One member of my team, Natalie, comes to nine o’clock practice every Saturday with wet hair: she’s already had swimming practice for three hours. We are also very serious students, furiously trying to get some studying time in between matches at a tournament, texting each other the incredible news that “yes, Imanyah did get into Johns Hopkins!” We are musicians, dancers, artists, actors, friends, girlfriends, and gossips. But when practice starts (even during warm-up when my coach kindly refers to our play as “picnic-level volleyball”) we are just the Philadelphia Starlings. A Starlings girl, at least in my experience, is someone that can take criticism. We are a team of girls that is yelled at in a way that would make my grandmother cringe, and probably threaten my coach. We are a group that is expected to play with passion and intensity on a regular basis, working hard to push everything else out of our minds and just focus on the volleyball. A Starlings girl knows that if a ball hits the floor, we’re hitting the floor with it, and if we stand around watching it, in comes the dreaded conditioning. A Starlings girl knows all about conditioning. Whenever we’re being lazy, not playing up to our level of volleyball, Coach Dwyer just says “line up,” and we know what’s coming: lunges, two-footed bounds, the plank, butt kicks. You name it, he’s heard of it, and he will gladly make us condition until either: a) our volleyball improves, or b) we can no longer walk so the rest of practice is irrelevant. I remember one Saturday morning practice we conditioned the entire three hours, and afterwards, our coach said, “either you will be the best volleyball players out there or in the best shape. You decide.” Needless to say, we played much better the next time around.
A Starlings girl knows about fundraising. Coming from Philadelphia
public schools, we do not have the privilege of immense resources, but we work
with what we have. Before every practice, we get a “money
talk,” during which we’re constantly
reminded of tournament fees, and the fundraising that still needs to happen to
go to San Diego this summer. And then out comes the candy boxes. Philadelphia
Starlings are infamous for their candy selling: the All the Starlings girls that I know can turn any fundraising event into a party, even if it means waking up at seven to hand out water at the Broad Street Run. Last year we raised over $1,000 dollars collecting change in one afternoon on a street corner; the pouring rain probably added some pity points. We have a sense that making it to San Diego is not just about the hours we put into volleyball, but the hours raising the money to get us there. I think it will make the trip that much more satisfying. A Starlings girl should be part of a larger community, a group of people assembled from across the city that keep in touch even during the brief, barely existent Starlings off-season. Girls on my school teams are confused when I run to hug a random girl on the Mastbaum basketball team. One of my school friends has managed to get himself both a Soph Hop and prom date out of befriending the Starlings team at our local pizza hangout before a Thursday night practice. The Starlings girls are also a group of diverse girls. We are people from all over the city, of all different races and political beliefs. I remember the shock of the first tournament I went to last year; apparently none of the other teams in Pennsylvania have black or Hispanic people at all, let alone in the majority. It was a source of amusement last year that some of the referees thought we didn’t understand all the rules, and worried when we were lines judges. Needless to say seeing Mikecia spike, shut them up pretty quickly. Not only did we understand all the rules, we were actually pretty good. But by now we’ve gotten used to some of the staring and the fact that clearly some of these girls have never heard Spanish spoken as fast as Joann’s mom, or never seen anyone do the wu-tang in person like Melissa. We’ve gotten used to questions like, “Wait, you guys are actually from Philadelphia?”
You get the sense that some
of these girls are out here just to play volleyball, but that’s
not the Starlings. The Starlings girls are
part of something much bigger than that. Of course, we wouldn’t
object to having one of those suburban 6-foot-2 girls.
Below is some of the art from the 2006 contest. Entries were more numerous, and more impressive, than any other year. For a list of the winning contributors, click on Lit/Art Contest at left menu. Congratulations to the winners!
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