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Hello Vipers!
Welcome to the Viper Newsletter! This is the first month we are sending it out to everyone, including all the Viper players. We hope to keep you updated and informed about the exciting world of Viper Volleyball. If you want us to add an email address (grandma, aunt, or friend) please reply to this message or hit subscribe me.
The transition from winter to spring was a busy one for club volley-ballers! There were a lot of tournaments in March and April that had us spending our weekends playing, cheering and riding the roller coaster of club volleyball. Isn't it fun!?!
 Many of our teams have been to the J.O. Olympic Qualifiers and back. We are so proud of our teams! They brought back great stories about fun plane rides, team bonding adventures and LOTS of volleyball. Read below for a full recap in the JOQ section.
Our first annual Viper Night was a lot of fun for everyone. There were a lot of teams there to hang out, enjoy watching the older teams and coaches play, and also compete in the fit course contest! The winners of the Postural Solutions Fit Contest were Alyssa Beuschlein and Mackenzie Gomes. Incredibly, they tied for first by crossing the finish line at exactly the same time! The winner of the Viper Night Tournament was the blue team made up of Ed M, Rochelle, Ed T, Paul, Tommy, John and Dana. Finishing a close second was the red team made up of Steve, both Aarons, Heidi, Alli, and Lisa. It was a great night. Don't miss it next year! For more on Viper Night, read below!
With only three months left of club, the season seems to have flown by. We are looking forward to continued success and growth. Just 1% a day goes a long way!
Have a wonderful Spring,
Rochelle, Dana & Ed
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Viper Night Fun for everyone!
Tommy Celebrating Heidi & Aaron BLOCK
 
Dana attacks (and then falls down) John in the spotlight
 Players enjoy the festivities!  Julia from 12s competes in the fit competition  Fit winners Mackenzie & Alyssa
Don't miss out next year!
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NEW College Commitments!
Congratulations to Sarah Davis who is going to the University of Texas Pan American! In Sarah's words...  1. What's your favorite thing about UTPA? The campus environment is really great. UTPA provides lots of new opportunities and I'm impressed with the volleyball program, coaches and the girls are all amazing.2. How was your official visit? My visit to UTPA showed me a lot about the school that I wouldn't have been able to find out through research. I'm really happy with all the resources they provide and I can't wait to do more exploring and learn more! Head Coach Hubbard at Texas Pan Am said, "We are very excited about Sarah. She has the size and athleticism to make an immediate impact on our program. Sarah is a great person and we are looking forward to having her join teh Bronc family."
From Coach Dana - "Sarah is a terrific player and one of the hardest workers I have ever coached. She comes to practice every day and gives 110%. I know this is why she has reached her goals and accepted a full-ride scholarship to a great school in Texas. Sarah is just beginning to see her potential and with really great coaches at Texas Pan Am she is going to really flourish. Good luck Sarah!"
Congratulations to Mariah Agre who is going to the University of New Mexico!
In Mariah's words...
1. What do you like about UNM? I like everything. The coaching staff, the team, the athletic support system, the academic advisors, and the professors I met all contributed to my decision to choose UNM. They all made me feel so welcome.
2. What are you most excited about? Being a part of a great program that is really talented and on the rise. Coach Nelson is a great teacher and mentor, and the personality of the girls was a good fit for me. They are a family and I want to be a part of that family too.
From Coach Dana - "Mariah has only been setting a little while at the competitive SoCal level and has improved tremendously over the last 5 months. As a result, she has reached her goal of getting a full-ride scholarship to a great volleyball school, The University of New Mexico. Mariah is a very competitive player and really takes charge of the team in matches. Her intensity and drive to win and be the best will make her a very competitive player at the collegiate level. I know the Lobo coaching staff is really excited to have a player with Mariah's talent, personality, and connection to the team and University. Good luck Mariah!" |
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Inspirational Quote
Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat
every time.
-Lou Brock
From Dana: This is a great quote. Why? Because it makes you think! The number 1 reason why kid athletes struggle is because they're afraid to look bad in front of their peers, parents and/or coaches. However, great athletes understand that you MUST fail before you succeed. They understand that looking bad and making mistakes is part of getting better and learning something new.
If there is one thing you can do to make yourself a better player, STOP worrying about what everyone else is thinking. You can't control it so why worry about it? Control the things you can control - which is giving your all, being coachable and loving the sport!
If you want to be a champion
you have to take risks...
Jump in!
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Junior National Olympic Qualifier Results
Congratulations to all our teams who had a great showing at the SCVA & Spokane J.O. Qualifiers.
Here is a recap of how each team did at the Qualifier(s):
 12 Elite had an amazing tournament. They played incredible volleyball
with so much spirit that you couldn't help but be inspired by their
courage, determination and scrappy volleyball! The highlight of their weekend was beating Sunshine 12-Elite, who is a top 10 SCVA team, in 2 games! They also beat a tough Laguna team to solidify their spot in the Top 8!!! This team has improved so much this season and it really showed this weekend. Great job girls!
13 Elite had a terrific weekend and some big
wins! The most exciting win was in three (third game 15-12) against a very big and talented Texas
Skyline team. They also beat a terrific and tall Northern
California team, City Beach, 15-12 in the third. These big wins put
them in the top 8! With an overall finish of 5th, these girls really
played their heart out and proved they are one of the best 13s teams in
the country!
 14 Elite went to the Spokane Qualifier first and really had a great tournament. Not only did they finish 5th overall and take home a trophy, but they had a great time too. The team was really able to bond and spend a lot of time together on and off the court. Many of the parents went up, too, and got to enjoy the festive town and volleyball. In the SCVA Qualifier, the girls were faced with two really tough teams the first day - Wave and Sunshine - and came out 3rd in their pool. That level of play for 14 year-olds was something to be admired and it really inspired the girls to pick up their game. They won all their remaining matches! 15 Elite played really hard in the SCVA Qualifier and began to find their stride as a team. After a tough first day of pool play with 2 top teams - Mizuno Long Beach and Laguna - the girls really battled together against more good teams. They beat a very good Saddleback team in a close match (25-22 and 25-23) that really showed just how great this team can be. They finished the weekend with a win against Impact.
 16 Elite went to the Spokane Qualifier first and played some great volleyball. On the first day, they took the eventual 2nd place team in the tournament - Sunshine - to 3 games and took 2nd in the pool. On the second day, the team really struggled to find their stride and do what was necessary to win matches. It was a day of learning and the team came back much stronger the third day with a great win against an aggressive Portland 16 Elite (26-24 and 25-23). At the SCVA Qualifier, the girls started off with a big BANG! They beat a #1 seed - the top team in Northern California, Vision, in 2 games. They really put together a complete match and it was fun to watch the precision in action. Unfortunately, they ended up losing to the #2 team in the pool - which eventually lead to a 3 way tie for first. To take second, the team had to beat Vision again, but in 1 game to 25, and they were unable to really get their game going. The team really came back with a new focus and attention to teammanship and finished strong the rest of the tournament.
16 Paul had a great showing at the SCVA Qualifier. They decided last minute to enter in the qualifier and though they lost their first two matches, they won all the rest of their games, going 7-2 in the tournament. They had several grueling matches that went three: Club Levile 16 (NC) (28-26, 22-25, 15-6),
TCA 16-Blue (25-22, 30-28), and Sports Shack 16-AE (25-16, 14-25, 15-13). Both TCA and Sports Shack are great teams and the girls really showed their determination to win each point!
 17 Elite had a terrific tournament winning 7 of 9 matches. The two matches they lost were great competitive games against good teams:
AVVC17 Mike
and SG ELITE 17Roshambo. The girls really found their stride as a defensive and big swinging team in the other 7 matches that they won.
18 Elite had a strong showing at the SCVA tournament. On day one they took the 2nd seed in their pool by beating a really talented KJ Baden team from Washington. It was an offensive battle with big attackers swinging for points. Day 2 was a tough day for the team as they lost to the eventual winner of the tournament - Laguna - and a very athletic Santa Barbara team. This put them out of the running for the SCVA JO bid, but they finished the tournament 11th and look forward to another opportunity April 17th when they head to Baltimore for one more shot! Good luck girls!
More fun Photos:   
Maddy...nice technique!
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Taylor and Jessica.... great reach!
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Syler takes a big swing & Mackenzie digs everything!
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Alyse rips the ball & Morgan and Jaydra say "no way!"
BIG THANKS to Merijo & John Nunley for the AMAZING photos!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! |
2009 AVP CROCS TOUR RIVERSIDE OPEN
We are excited to inform you that the AVP is hosting a tournament nearby in Riverside. Take friends, go with your team, or drag your parents to see some great volleyball, and the best players start the beach season off with a bang! 
When: April 17th-19th Where: Downtown Riverside, 3300 Market Street Riverside, CA 92501 Fun: They are looking for volunteers! You could be a ball shagger! Click here for the AVP website link about the tournament and to volunteer if you want! See you on the beach! |
 "FIT" Athletes of the Month
We
are pleased to announce the
FIT Athletes of the Month for March, 2009:Katlin Sweeney (16 Heidi)
Danielle Alexander (15 Pat)  Both girls regularly display an incredible work
ethic, enthusiasm and dedication to improve as volleyball players and
as athletes. Katlin and Danielle were selected because of their
exceptional effort and positive attitudes. Congratulations girls!!!
Each
month, we will be honoring those athletes who stand out for their
commitment to excellence in several areas: coachability, effort,
enthusiasm, consistency, punctuality, attitude, and work ethic are some
of the areas we will be focusing on during the selection process. We encourage you to push yourself, to train smart and play hard and to ALWAYS choose to give it all you got.
"The difficulty in life is the choice."
George Moore
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On the Horizon...
Junior Olympics, Volleyball Festival
& the Inland Valley Championships
Vipers, we are half way through the season and it is so exciting to see the
results of all of our efforts paying off. Our teams' disciplined
approach to the game was really evident these past few weeks as many of
our teams surpassed teams who were ranked much higher than ours at the
beginning of the season.
 We are excited and optimistically looking
forward to continuing our improvement through the final three months,
including our end-of-year tournament(s) which every team will be
participating in. Our Elite teams will be attending either the
National Junior Olympics in Miami or The Volleyball Festival in
Phoenix. Our travel teams will be attending The Volleyball Festival
and our Regional and Local teams will have an Inland Valley
Championship at Rancho Sports Center.
Volleyball Festival
The 2009 Volleyball Festival will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Our teams going to festival will be staying at the Hilton Suites in Phoenix. If families want to stay at the same hotel, they need to go to the festival web site, click on housing, then click on individual housing and fill out the form. I know this is a pain but this is how they are doing things. The hotel may already be sold out as of this email. For the Festival Web site, click here
Junior Olympics
The Junior Olympics are in Miami, Florida this year and many of our teams are still pursuing bids. Depending on qualification, more information will be distributed.
Inland Valley Championship
New this year, the Inland Valley Championships is the big end of the year tournament for local teams! It will be held at the Rancho Sports Center and many of the surrounding clubs will send their local teams to compete for the title! We are really excited to have the opportunity to host this and provide our players with more experience before the next school year and tryouts. More information on this tournament will be provided by the end of April.
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 Player SpotlightAshley Pedersen
Basics!
Name: Ashley Pedersen
Team: Merijo & Tommy 12-1
Birthday: April 29, 1997 (almost 12)
Dad: John Pedersen, Viper Coach!
Mom: Emy Pedersen
Siblings: none
Dog: Pomeranian named Lacey
Volleyball History: I have played volleyball for a long time since my dad plays, coaches and refs. I'm always around the game! I have played club volleyball for three years. For the first year, I played at SoCal VBC at the age of 9. The second year, I played for SoCal again. And finally this year at Viper.
Who do you look up to: My dad inspires me because he tells me what I need to work on in volleyball so I can be a better player. And he trys his hardest to be at my games.
Fun Facts: I dance at Oceanside Dance Academy. I am currently taking Lyrical, Jazz and Ballet. I've been there for 6 years. And I just started Lyrical. I was given a 5 Year Award just this year. I'm in Girl Scouts - troop 4321 and I've been in it for 5 years. In girl scouts I got my Bronze Award and I am currently working for the silver with my troop. I'm a cadet!
Favorites!
Food: Pizza
Music: Pop/Hip-hop
Movie: Marley & Me
Actress: Alyson Stoner
Zoo animal you want to be: White Tiger b/c their a top animal
From the Coaches: Ashley is a great addition to the Viper family. She brings a passion to the game and a winning attitude to the court. She has a great all-around game and is doing a terrific job on the 12-1s. For her first year in the Viper system she has picked things up quickly and has proven to be a great learner. We are proud to have you on our team! And your dad too!
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Lost 'n' Found
Temecula Volleyball Club's lost and found is in Coach Dana Burkholder's office. If you have lost anything, it is most likely there. Please ask Dana or Rochelle for help at the gym if you think you've lost something. Items are only kept for 1 month unless they are a Viper issued.
If you find something, please leave it at the top of the stairs in front of Dana's door so she can add it to the growing pile!
Put your NAME on it!
To keep from losing your Viper clothes and gear, please put YOUR NAME on all you gear!
Keep it Clean - Trash & Recycle 
Coaches, players and parents please help us to keep our great facility clean & environmentally friendly. We encourage you to take HOME all your plastic bottles to ensure they get recycled. Do not leave them at Rancho unless a recycling team collects them from you at practice.
We have had a problem with a lot of trash the past few weeks and would like to remind you to check your area for any trash. Even if it's not yours, pick it up and throw in a nearby bin.
Let's all MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
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Special Thank You to the Nunley's for all the great photos!
If you have fun photos, please email them to your coach for consideration!
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