ROCKINGHAM — Grass courts and outdoor heat have replaced air conditioning and a hardwood floor, but that hasn’t stopped the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team from preparing for its upcoming season.
Slated as one of the two Richmond athletic programs to kickoff the 2020-2021 athletic sports calendar on Nov. 4, the Lady Raiders returned to voluntary workouts on Tuesday.
Third-year head coach Ashleigh Larsen is one of several coaches at Richmond carrying out workouts amid COVID-19 restrictions. With Gov. Roy Cooper extending phase two last month, it’s limited how much Larsen’s program can do in the months leading up to the season.
Held to just 22 players and three coaches per workout session, Larsen, along with assistant coaches Melissa Dennis and Madelyn Chappell, have split the upperclassmen and incoming freshmen into two groups, and are working out twice a week.
Larsen is taking everything in stride, saying the biggest challenge her players are facing is conditioning outside.
“We are not an outdoor sport and we lose out on some fundamental work by being outside,” Larsen explained. “But it’s what we need to do in order to be able to accommodate more of the girls each week.
“I fear if we went indoors, I would have to miss seeing certain groups each week since the number allowed (10) is so small,” she added.
As tough as it’s been, Larsen said what trumps all is the “reward of being able to be given the opportunity to work with the girls.”
She added that the summer was “strange” without being able to see her players four days a week, and added she’s excited to see a growing interest in her program. According to Larsen, there are currently 41 players interested in trying out for volleyball.
“I strive to make the community more aware of what we do inside the gym in the fall,” she said. “It means a lot to the girls to have the support and interest of the community.”
Instead of workouts being held in the gym, Larsen and her staff have acclimated players to working out on one of the practice football fields. Noting there’s been “a lot of adjusting,” players’ temperatures are taken in the parking lot before they are moved to the field.
Beginning Tuesday, coaches and players will begin using volleyballs as a part of their sessions.
“The volleyballs will need to be sanitized between each drill and between each group,” Larsen explained. “Unfortunately this will take time away from the actual workout, but the coaching staff is willing to do whatever to keep everyone safe. That is always our first priority.”
Rising senior middle hitter Georgia Grace Anderson has been to several workouts, as she and six of her fellow senior teammates gear up for what will be their final season of high school ball.
“Workouts are going the best they can under these circumstances,” Anderson Tuesday. “I honestly think we are all just excited to be able to do some type of volleyball together.
“Scully is doing a great job of putting things together for us to do at workouts,” she added of Larsen. “With all the required cleaning and distancing, it’s not easy to find things for us to do. We are doing workouts that we would normally inside the gym, but of course, six feet apart.”
In trying to keep everything as close to normal as possible, Larsen said she, Dennis and Chappell are trying to make workouts as fun as possible.
“The new norm is not what everyone had in mind, but I keep reminding the girls how excited I am to be out there with them,” Larsen said. “And I definitely remind them to be thankful that Richmond County Schools has allowed us to workout.
“Some of the procedures will take some getting used to, but as we get together more, I believe it will become more routine.”
Players spent Tuesday’s workout rotating between three stations. One was working on passing drills with Larsen, while Dennis and Chappell did plyometric and stretching drills.
“The relationship and bond of the team has definitely made these workouts better,” senior right side Taylor Chappell after Tuesday’s workout. “Even though we can’t be very close to one another, we still work hard, laugh and crack jokes as if things were normal again.
“Being a senior, I’m glad I’m getting to workout with my teammates again, even if there are restrictions and rules.”
Taylor Chappell added that the energy level of the team has definitely grown since it was announced that the team would have an actual starting date in November.
She said “we are more motivated now than ever to become better as a team and put in work, knowing that we have a season ahead of us.”
With just over two months separating the Lady Raiders from officially opening practices, Larsen has some big plans for both her junior varsity and varsity players. She wants the younger girls to get more gym time and build their volleyball knowledge.
“We normally spend a lot of time working on basics with everyone and then we utilize the older girls to help guide the younger ones in positions, rotations and knowledge of the game,” Larsen said. “Unfortunately — but fortunately —I have so many interested freshmen that they have encompassed their own group.
“I hope we get the opportunity to get into the gym more and get more work on the hardwoods, but until then we will be conditioning and playing some grass volleyball to get in shape.”
Not forgotten are Richmond’s seven senior players: Anderson, Chappell, Emy Cooley, Jakerra Covington, Kelly Hoffman, Shelly Hoffman and Jayla McDougald. At the front of Larsen’s mind is the possibility of these players possibly missing out on their senior campaigns like those athletes this past spring.
“I know they were worried, but now they’re just patiently waiting for the next moves to be given to us,” Larsen said. “My biggest wish for all of them is that they are able to attend the college of their dreams and reach their goals.
“Some are still unsure of what the next step looks like, and I hope to be able to speak with them and get them geared toward finding an end goal,” she closed. “I always look forward to watching the girls move on to their next chapter of life and just pray that in some way I have had an impact on their lives as they have had on mine.”
