Club Day
It was 36 degrees at 8am when 47 girls gathered in the parking lot at Livermore Valley Tennis Club on Saturday, December 13th. There were only six people who really had any idea what club day was about at that point, but everyone else was soon to find out. The first challenge was for each team to walk as a group with balloons balanced between their hips. They had to walk 20 feet without letting any balloons fall. Upon finishing the challenge they received a clue to their next challenge. The other challenges were:

• Six players had to run down a hill to collect a bag of puzzle pieces. Once all six bags were collected the remaining two players made the puzzle.
• Eight players picked up a rope with one hand on either side of a knot. Each player removed one hand from the rope and then as a team they had to untie every knot in the rope without letting go of the rope.
• The team had to come up with as many volleyball related words as possible in five minutes. Their words had to start with A, C, D, F, H, P, S, and T.
• The girls had to recreate a scene by asking yes or no questions. Only one player was allowed to see the original scene.
• Two groups of four players were tethered together and had to work through a ropes playground touching numbered tags in order.
• The team had to get everyone across a toxic waste area. The only safe way to safely pass through the toxic waste was to carry the magic volleyball. The volleyball could not be thrown and each player could only use it once.

The first club day came to a successful end at the Lamb's house with a wonderful lunch and a yankee gift swap. Thank you Jim for the delicious lunch!

May the blessings of the season be with you now and throughout the New Year!
Happy Holidays

Congratulations to our 18's team for completing all of the challenges in the least amount of time! Here they are preparing for the puzzle challenge.

See more pictures from Club Day on our website!

Altamont 2009 Team Preview
Altamont Volleyball Club is thrilled to have five excellent teams representing us this season. The five teams will be 18-Navy, 16-Navy, 15-Navy, 14-Navy, and 14-Red.

Our 18's team has six returning Altamont players. Amanda Richards and Alix Medeiros will undoubtedly lead the team with their solid passing, while Aly Wente, Chereese Thomas, Jayme Leftridge, and Natalie Girardin return to kill our opponents with their smart net play. New to Altamont this year are two hard-working setters Stephanie Silva and Alayna Moody. The 18's roster is rounded out with Emily Barwig and Erika Gasior; two wonderful additions which will improve our overall strength of this team. This talented group of girls will be led by Derick Phan and assisted by Robin Enciso and Heather Lamb.

Under the leadership of Brenda Woodsmall and Justin Rita, Altamont expects great things from our 16's team. Once again we are happy to have six returning Altamont players to this team. Amanda Pereira, Carolyn McEachern, Chelsea Amaral, Chelsea Krisman, and Nicole Sorenson will provide a plethora of offensive weapons for the team. Nicole Conrad returns to Altamont as the 16's libero and will be joined in the backrow by a talented all around player, Kaila Kiviharju. We are thrilled to have hitters Nikki Allen and Kristen Desprez join the team as we know they will both make an immediate impact! Setters Sara Grant and Stephanie Luchetta round out this talented roster.

Altamont 15's has a strong core returning from last year's successful 14's team. Jaina Jizdeortega will be joined by newcomer Sarah Holmgren to set the team to success. Returning players Lydia Smith, Nicole Huggins and Sarah Blakley together with Jenelle Serex, Juliana Fernandez and Tara Shreve will provide a talented and tough front row. Getting this all started will be the natural passing abilities of Jalene Jizdeortega and Laura Byron. This group of hardworking players is led by Heather Lamb and Greg Gaither.

The strength of returning players Marissa Palm and Meagan White combined with the drive and talent of hitters Allie Nichols, Lyndsay Albiani, Malia Tatola, and Taylor Stafford our 14's team could surprise a lot of teams this year! The defensive skills of Addison Orloff and Cassie Conrad along with the setting talents of Ashlyn Smith and Hailey Nunn are sure to propel this team to success. Coaches Jasmine Noriega and Michelle Baca are looking forward to seeing great things from this team in the future.

Our 14 Red team brings nine talented athletes to Altamont. Welcome to Altamont, Amanda Costa, Audrey Walke, Danielle Carter, Jasmine Ballesteros, Kristy Kearney, Letitia Edwards, Lindsay Roeder, Rebecca Dumanski, and Sarah Wolley. This team will be participating in the AAU league. AAU provides the girls with a more local/flexible schedule while maintaining a high level of competition. We are very excited to have a team playing AAU this season. Under the experienced coaching of Kerry Blattner, Katie Uglow and Jessica Xavier, this team can look forward to having a very successful season!

Hit Up Heather
Q: What can I do to increase my vertical jump?

A: In a word JUMP. Increasing your speed and core stability will have a major impact on your ability to improve your vertical jump. Below are some suggestions to help you on your way: (start with twice a week)

• Run sprint intervals - 1 set of 10; sprint for 25 yards then jog for 25 yards
• Back squats - 2 sets of 30 seconds
• Squat jump - 2 sets of 10; place hands on the ground between legs and jump as high as you can. Explode using your arms. When you land jump again as soon as possible. Spend as little time as possible with your feet on the ground.
• Lateral hop and hold - 2 sets of 10; stand on right leg in athletic position, bound laterally to the left, land on the left leg and hold for 2 seconds, bound laterally to the right and hold for 2 seconds then repeat
• Regular and Lateral lunges - 2 sets of 10
• Jump rope - 2 sets of 3 minutes
• Box jumps - 2 sets of 10; find a sturdy object to jump onto, bound onto the object with both feet, land lightly, step down and repeat

Good Luck!

It Takes a Village

There is simply too much to be done to realistically think that a championship player will stem from one source. Players practice at high school, train with their club team, play at open gyms and on the beach, pepper with a friend, talk about games with their parents, and receive input on how to develop into a great player from many different places. Players, parents, coaches, and directors can benefit from gaining information from every possible resource. Players who seek out an advantage in training, practicing, and working out will have a huge jump start when competition starts. Players who feel 'they know how to play' are missing the point of training. If you want to achieve your goals there are many resources that can help you achieve it. Read technical information about strategy, skills, improving your volleyball IQ and more. Seek out sources you trust for support, health, and physical performance advice.

Remember: no one ever became truly great on his or her own. It takes a village!