BUHS hosts free summer volleyball camp for youth
BRAWLEY — This season, the Brawley Union High volleyball team has made it their motto to give back to their community, and they backed it up during their free, three-day summer camp held Monday through Wednesday at the BUHS gym.
Approximately 40 youths, ages 7 to 14, participated in the camp, which was overseen by BUHS head volleyball coach Phil Finnell.
“It was just a fun, three-day snapshot of what volleyball is,” Finnell said. “We worked on basic skills for all age groups and worked on more advanced skills for the older girls. I just think it was a fun thing to do, and it was a nice way to give back to our community as we did the whole camp for free.”
Each day, the camp was broken down into three sections: One hour of conditioning and stretching, one hour of technique and skill development, and 45 minutes of play instructions from Finnell, who enters his 20th year as the head coach of the program.
Calipatria resident Kylie Lyerly, 14, chose to participate in the camp for the first time this year in hopes of learning new techniques she could implement into her own game. “I like the transition of the camp and how we went from easier, basic volleyball to a much more advanced volleyball.” Lyerly said. “It also gave us a little taste on how the older girls do it.”
Throughout her three years of playing the sport, Lyerly had previously been to one other volleyball camp in San Diego. She said she believed BUHS’s camp measured up to it well.
“They did it almost the same, so it ended up really well,” the 14-year-old said. “My favorite part of the camp would be getting to know other girls, and also getting to learn different ways to do any skills. I would definitely come back next year.”
The volleyball camp was brought back after a nearly five-year hiatus thanks to the members of this year’s volleyball team.
“The girls were really committed to the idea, or the notion, of doing this as kind of a community service and a thank you to our community that has supported our program for so long,” Finnell said.
Instructing and working alongside the younger girls throughout the camp was a memorable experience for BUHS volleyball player Savannah Contreras.
“I was just happy we were able to do something for the younger girls in our community,” Contreras, who is an incoming BUHS senior, said. “Hopefully, they learn to like the sport, and, hopefully, one day they’ll come and play volleyball for Brawley Union High School.”
Now in her eighth year of playing the sport, Contreras said she would have loved to have a similar camp to participate in while growing up.
“I probably would’ve attended all the camps too ‘cause this is fun,” Contreras said. “They got to meet new friends and things like that, so I hope they had a good time.”
Reflecting on the camp overall, Finnell believed the simple act of giving youths in the community the chance to experience the sport was the most important part. “It didn’t matter if they hit every ball or missed every ball,” Finnell said. “It was just an opportunity for them to experience athletics, and for us to show our kind of gratitude toward the community.”