B4B and Denver Sports Buddies, Part 2!
This Saturday marked the second time Biking for Baseball has teamed up with Big Brother Big Sisters of Colorado to host a great morning of teamwork, positivity, and fun. This time however, bats and mitts took a backseat to sets and spikes. We’re playing volleyball!
The venue was La Alma recreation center in the Golden Triangle district of Denver. 13 Bigs (mentors, age 21 and up) and 13 Littles (mentees, ages 8 to 15) arrived promptly at 10am armed with good attitudes and ready for fun. As per the usual start to a BBBS event, Bigs and Littles started with light conversation and a warm-up consisting of a sports medley (basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer). After a few minutes of warming up and reacquainting with each other, it was time to start the day!
B4B teammates Brittany Kahl and Stacey Hoksbergen, both well versed in the minutia of volleyball strategy and technique, took a few minutes to explain the basics of setting and passing. After a few minutes of practice under the watchful eyes of coaches Kahl and Hoksbergen, it was time for the first team building exercise.
3 Bigs and 3 Littles were matched up and assigned a basketball hoop. The object was to work together to bump and set the volleyball into the hoop. Trust us, this is easier said than done. Each time the ball went through the hoop, the team received 1 point. The team with the most points after the 20 minute game, came away with the awesome prize of some Biking for Baseball stickers! (OK, well everyone won stickers later, but they didn’t know that yet)
After coming back together and being matched with teams, it was time to head outside and play some real Colorado style volleyball. We were taking our game outside to the grass in November! Luckily, it was a beautiful fall 60 degree day and the “cold” was barely a factor. Even though the crunch of leaves could be heard and some patrons at the playground nearby were in a winter parka, we had several Bigs and Littles out in shorts and T-shirts! Tough bunch of kids!
Teams of 3 Bigs and 3 Littles were grouped together for a good old fashioned round-robin volleyball tourney. Games were played to 21 with rally scoring. After the first game, it became clear that the heavy favorites were the two teams with a sniper at the service line. Heated competition and the willingness to improve drove the excitement of the games. The coaching moments between big and little became interchangeable throughout the day due to the level playing field of attendees, both large and small. But as is the norm at a BBBS event, the Littles were ultimately the ones to carry their respective teams to victory at the end of the day.
With the help from our good friends at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, B4B was able to bring invaluable volleyball skills to everyone. Volleyball is one of those games that everyone plays, but few know how to play the right way. With a little bit of guidance at an early age, these Littles are now equipped with some volleyball knowledge that they can spread in their own future games!
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