Summer is coming.

For young volleyball athletes, that means registration for the Sunshine Westside Beach Camp and South Bay Beach camp is in full swing. From beginning to expert, a summer of focused volleyball instruction on the beach in smaller teams ensures players get more contacts per hour, learn how to communicate and work better on a team, and continue their love for the sport over the summer months.

“There’s more to volleyball than playing inside. Although it’s the same sport, it’s different in how we train, and overall, learning to play outdoors rounds out our players’ skills and teaches them work ethic, focus and determination, all while having fun with their friends and teammates” said Kyle Weindel, associate club director.

Beach camp coaches teach beginning to expert players from ages 8-16, grouped by age and ability, ensuring that everyone is receiving appropriate instruction. Beginners are taught the basic fundamentals needed to have fun playing, and advanced players learn skills to fine-tune their game, such as ball control, reading opponents movements, doubles strategy and serving. Both beginners and advanced players are welcome at the Sunshine beach camps because the community and fellowship of the program is unmatched, Weindel said. 

“The most important part of the camp is having fun. We want every player to have individualized attention from the coaches, so there’s a lot of interaction, a lot of fun. We’re in the business of providing opportunities for young girls and want to provide as many opportunities to play this game as we can,” Weindel said. “Volleyball is a loved sport, and during the summer, our methods of teaching and drills are engaging, effective and fun for girls of all ages.”

Sunshine Beach Camp is an extension of Sunshine Volleyball Club’s successful indoor program, a program that has instilled the love of volleyball in girls since 1998. Over the last three years, both indoor and outdoor volleyball programs have seen growth. 

“Sunshine has doubled in size and we’re up over 600 players and over 50 teams on the indoor side. We’re really looking forward to expanding our beach camps as well that regularly see 300 to 500 kids per summer,” Weindel said. 

Sunshine comprises top-tier coaches dedicated to the sport year-round. Chris Flood, the current beach director, has coached on an Olympic level and assists volleyball at Pepperdine, another one is the head coach of the ninth-ranked California Golden Bears. Many coaches are also players, including one on the fourth-ranked beach volleyball team at UCLA and another one on the seventh-ranked team at Stanford, and several who play professionally in Italy and Germany and U.S. national indoor teams. 

Joining a summer team for the love of the sport is a valuable experience for time management, goal setting and training ahead of the school year.

Westside Beach Camp is in session from June 9 to Aug. 15 at Will Rogers State Beach, tower 15. Players can enroll by the week or by the day. Daily registration costs $80 per day, weekly registration costs $340 per week. Early bird registration before May 1^st is $300 per week. 

South Bay Beach Camp runs from June 16 to Aug. 8. Weekly and daily registration is available. The cost is $270 per week or $70 per day. Early bird registration for South Bay Beach Camp at $255 per week ends May 1. 

To learn more about Sunshine Westside Beach Camp visit, https://sunshinevolleyballclub.com/programs/beach-camp/westside/. Information on South Bay Beach Camp can be found here: https://sunshinevolleyballclub.com/programs/beach-camp/south-bay/.

Navy squash standouts Lucas Spiro (Jr / Buffalo, N.Y.), Matt Wang (Sr / Malvern, Pa.) and Alexander Orr (Jr / Haverford, Pa.) are recipients of the 2024-25 College Squash Association Scholar-Athlete Award it was recently announced by the CSA. The award recognizes a distingquished group of juniors and seniors who have demonstrated excellence both on and off the court.

The Scholar-Athlete Award is granted to student-athletes who have competed in the majority of their team’s matches in a top-10 ladder position, while achieving high academic standing at their respective institution. This recognition reflects the CSA’s deep commitment to the core values of college squash: competitive excellence, academic integrity and personal growth. Scholar-athletes represent what is possible when passion for sport is matched by dedication in the classroom. These student-athletes model the discipline, focus and determination that define the best of college athletics.

A four-time MASC All-Academic selection and two-time CSA Scholar-Athlete honoree, Spiro will graduate this Memorial Day weekend ranked among the top 3 percent of his class (1,069 students) in Academic Order of Merit. Spiro, who is a Trident Scholar at the Naval Academy, owns a 3.96 grade-point average in astrophysics. He has been named to the Superintendent’s (3x), Commandant’s (6x) and Dean’s Lists (3x) multiple times over his four years at the Academy. Upon graduation, Spiro will be commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy and attend flight school.

Wang, a three-time member of the MASC All-Academic Team and a two-time CSA Scholar-Athlete selection, boasts a 3.51 GPA majoring in mathematics with economics. Ranked among the top 35 percent in the graduating class in Academic Order of Merit, he has been named to the Commandant’s List six times, the Dean’s List three times and the Superintendent’s List once. Upon graduation, Wang will be commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy and will serve among the submarine community.

Orr is a first-time CSA Scholar-Athlete honoree who owns a 3.78 GPA as a member of the honors program in naval architecture and marine engineering. A three-time MASC All-Academic selection, Orr stands among the top 20 percent of his class of 1,092 students in both Overall and Academic Order of Merit.

### Go Navy ###

Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

ST. PAUL – The Martin Luther College men’s track and field achieved another major accomplishment on Wednesday, picking up 11 All-Conference selections, the most in program history. On Saturday, the Knights took home their first UMAC Outdoor Championship as a member of the NCAA (previous UMAC Championship came in 1998 and 1999 as a member of the NAIA), scoring 234 points, beating out UW-Superior (212 points).

To earn All-Conference recognition, an individual or relay team must finish first or second in an event on Friday or Saturday of the UMAC Championships. MLC had 10 student-athletes hit that mark, making them eligible for the postseason awards.

Arthur Robinson was named the Top Scoring Athlete of the meet (given to the best all-around performance of the meet) and the Rookie of the Year. The MLC men’s coaching staff was also given the Coaching Staff of the Year award after winning first place at the UMAC Championships.

The following individuals were named to the All-Conference team, and the events that gave them a spot can be seen below:

Arthur Robinson – 200m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump

Daniel Ertman – 400m, 4x400m relay

Daniel Reinke – Discus

Lucas Holtz – 4x100m relay

Matthew Hillmer – 400m hurdles, 4x100m relay

Micah Schibbelhut – 4x400m relay, (All-Sportsmanship Team)

Ryan Schmidt – 4x400m relay

R.J. Perry – Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Throw

Sam Plocher – 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, High Jump

Stephen Wietzke – 100m, 200m, 4x100m

WOMEN’S TRACK

AND FIELD

The MLC women’s outdoor track and field team was given three All-Conference selections after their performance at the UMAC Championships this past weekend.

The Knights took third at the Championships, scoring a total of 127 points.

To earn All-Conference recognition, an athlete must finish either first or second in an individual event or relay race.

Jemimah Habben, Elise Nolte, and Madelinn Romsdahl were the three MLC student-athletes to receive All-UMAC honors. Habben finished the 3000m steeplechase in second after her MLC record-setting time of 12:03.94, while Nolte also broke the MLC record in the hammer throw, heaving the hammer 41.30 meters for second.

Romsdahl placed second in the discus throw after a mark of 39.26 meters, which was a personal and meet record.

Ella Schlei was voted to the All-Sportsmanship team, representing the MLC women’s team.

The Volleyball England Working Group Lead and Hall of Fame member will fly out to officiate at the event on Manila, Philippines, which will be held from 12th to 28th September 2025. 

A total of 64 matches will be staged across the 17 days of competition. 

Among the nations competing will be Pairs 2024 Olympics medallists Ffrance (gold), Poland (silver) and USA (bronze) as well as the likes of Italy, Brazil, Japan and the host country. 

K-Pop group BOYNEXTDOOR will be the headline performers at the opening ceremony on 12th September at Mall of Asia Arena. 

Digital Content Producer

Birmingham, Ala.

Drew helps create and manage news, weather, and sports content for the digital properties of WBRC 6 News, including WBRC.com, the WBRC News and First Alert Weather apps on your smartphone, and the WBRC apps on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire devices. That also includes content posted to our social media accounts on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram.

After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2004, Drew began his journalism career at WBRC 6 in 2007. After stops in Lake Charles, La. and Montgomery, Drew returned to Birmingham in 2014.

Drew grew up in Trussville and is proud to call the Birmingham area home.