Girls and boys bumped, dug, blocked and served their way across the court in a volleyball clinic hosted by Fort Cavazos Child and Youth Services’ Youth Sports and Fitness May 27-29 at High Chaparral Youth Center.
Children ages 7-14 practiced volleyball drills with volunteers and learned how to control, block, pass, spike and set the ball. For some children, it was their first time playing volleyball, but for others, the clinic was a way to hone their skills.
“Everybody’s super understanding, and they’re helping me get to where I need to be,” said Carson Britten, 13.
Another participant, Alaina Carrion, 13, said the clinic was a good way to learn the basics of volleyball.
“It’s just really fun and gets you ready for all-around things in volleyball,” she expressed. “I definitely believe that I’ve improved.”
Lonzo Cobaris, maintenance, Youth Sports and Fitness, CYS, led the clinic, and said it was a great opportunity for children to meet new people and get active.
“There’s a couple of them that went to school together but didn’t know they went to school together,” he said. “So it’s things like that to where you get to meet new people, you get to work on your skill, you get to work on your craft, you get out of the house, you get away from social media, you get away from the internet, the video games and you actually get up, you work on your motor skills and things of that sort, versus sitting at home all day long and not doing anything. No matter if it’s volleyball, basketball, track, soccer — get up and be active. The more active you are, the better shape you’re in and the better for your health.”
On the third and final day of the clinic, participants scrimmaged against the volunteers, putting their new and improved game to the test.
Emily Bell, 13, said she did better than she ever did before during the scrimmage after the three-day clinic.
“I feel really proud of myself,” she said. “I improved on speed and reaction time a lot. I feel like I’ve gotten better at endurance, and with receiving spikes because the girls we were against (in the scrimmage) hit hard, and I was able to receive a bunch of them, so I feel like that’s a good thing about it.”
Emily’s mother, Christine Thomas-Bell, said the clinic was an outlet to let off steam and energy, as well as a way to see what her children’s interests are.
“I like the programs that (CYS) offers, the sports that they offer on post,” she said. “My daughter has been in the program since she was 4 years old. … So I like that they have various sporting activities for them to try out to see what they really like and then actually focus on the one that they like.”
Overall, the three-day clinic went well, Cobaris said.
“You can tell they learned something; you can tell they gained something,” he said. “You can tell those that were real tight in the beginning, how they loosened up and they got into the flow of it. The scrimmage is when they went back into their shell. They just got to get used to, ‘Hey, speed of the game is going to pick up. It’s going to pick up real quick.’ You just got to remember what you’re taught, remember what you learned and just put your best foot forward.”
Cobaris has been volunteering his time teaching and mentoring children in various sports for over 15 years, dedicating time after work training student-athletes in sixth through 12th grade 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bronco Youth Center Monday-Thursday.
His favorite part about mentoring is seeing when things finally click for his students.
“When they first come out here … they’re nervous and that ‘I can’t’ is there in the beginning, and then when that light finally goes off, and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s how I do it,’ — that’s the best thing,” he expressed. “Those that enjoyed (the clinic), those that this is what they want to do — you can tell the difference. And even some of those that didn’t know that volleyball might be for them, when you put them in an atmosphere like this and you got folks that want to help you get better, no matter what level you’re on, you never know. You might find a diamond in the rough, and the next thing you know, they’re in college on ESPN and you’re watching them.”
