Calls for more emphasis on women
POTTSTOWN » Ever since the first nets were raised 26 summers ago, Pottstown has become a volleyball mecca.
The annual Pottstown Rumble has gained a reputation among athletes of the sport as one of the best competitions in the country and thousands flock to Memorial Park each year to participate and watch some of the best square off in the four-day tournament.
This year’s competition was no different, as athletes praised the successful event on Sunday, saying they had a lot of fun and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Yet the event wasn’t without some criticism from a few who’d like to see more emphasis on female participation in the future.
Mackenzie Kleespies and her sister Cassie, of West Grove, both agreed the tournament as a whole was very well run, but wished the event wasn’t so heavily focused on men.
“I think that’s not something that I agree with,” she said. “And I think the women’s open, the talent here is very legitimate and I’m very proud to be a part of the group of
women that come to play.”
“Last year was the most women that had ever turned out,” said Cassie. “We beat that record by having 45 teams. The prize money is growing and growing and the amount of women that are playing the sport of volleyball is growing. The competition is getting a lot stronger. I think that’s awesome. We want to play the best women around. And it would be great if each year we got more and more and more so we could compete for the spectators like the men do.”
Rumble organizer Seth Kaas said there were 40 women’s teams competing this year, compared to about 130 mens teams. “I’d challenge them to find a non-pro event that pays this well for women at $3,000,” he said. “And not comparable teams. We don’t cap both at 30 or 40 teams entry. As many players can register as they want. When you get 130 men’s teams and only 40 women’s teams, you have to respect that ratio.”
At the same time, The Rumble, he said, was trying to grow the game among women. The junior girls divisions were expanding, for example. The challenge is the fact that when girls get older they don’t continue to play the sport as an adult.
“We can’t seem to keep women in the sport,” he said. “But at the junior level there’s way more girls than there are boys. So we’re trying to grow the game.”
He called this year’s Rumble a great success and said the weather overall had been tremendous.
“We had record numbers, record growth again,” he said. “Probably our most exponential growth year over year that we’ve had. I know it’s word of mouth, social media and people networking online and realizing there’s an event they’ve never been to and they need to go. I think it’s the one volleyball event, if you play volleyball, you have to go to the Rumble. That’s continued to be true.” Many athletes agreed. Coming off a big playoff victory, Kameron Beans and Angel Dache, of Annapolis, Md., were soaked with sweat but were focused on getting into the finals.
“Just another round ahead of us, one down with two or three more to go to get to where we want to get to,” said Beans. “But a lot of good teams ahead of us.”
“Point by point,” said Dache. “We’ve just got to go point by point and make sure we get the advantage every time we get to serve.”
This was Beans’ third time competing in the Rumble, but his first playing with Dache, who was competing in Pottstown for the first time.
Beans said the competition had beautiful weather and praised the fact that the event continues to grow each year.
“The competition is getting bigger and better,” he said. “Without (last year’s winner) Hudson Bates here it’s not exactly the same, but more competition comes
out. More competition, a lot of fun.”
Dache called the Rumble the “best tournament in the nation” given the level of competition and the number of teams participating. Others agreed. “It’s a phenomenal event for people all over the country,” said Agnieszka Pregowska.
Coming off their women’s finals victory, she and her team mate Aleksandra Wachowicz, were all smiles having won the $3,000 grand prize. The two plan to spend their winnings paying off coaches fees and paying off travel debts.
“It was worth the blood on the face,” Pregowska said, gesturing to a small cut she received earlier in the tournament.
“It was very rewarding,” Wachowicz said. “We put so much work with different coaches on the West Coast.”
The duo live in Los Angeles and are both from Poland. Pregowska, 30, came to the United States when she was 6 years old and grew up in New Jersey. Wachowicz, 25, meanwhile came to the U.S. when she was 21 earning a scholarship to play indoor volleyball. Winning the Rumble on Sunday was the culmination of years of hard work.
“It’s been paying off slowly but surely,” Pregowska said.
“This is the cherry on top,” Wachowicz said.