ROCKINGHAM — For the sixth consecutive summer, local volleyball enthusiasts got a chance to learn more about the game this week at Richmond Senior High School.
The Lady Raider volleyball program and head coach Ashleigh Larsen hosted a two-day camp Tuesday and Wednesday for elementary-aged campers.
All members of the varsity and junior varsity teams were present to help the 25 campers expand their skills.
Helping run the camp were assistant coach Georgia Grace Anderson and Lauren Brewer, Hamlet Middle School’s volleyball coach.
Campers spent the two days in Richmond’s newly upgraded main gymnasium and focused on the sport’s fundamentals. Passing, receiving, serving, footwork, teamwork and beginner-level IQ were main components of the camp.
Athletes were split into different groups based on grade level and skill level. A major perk this summer was each camper getting her own Lady Raider mentor to work with during drills.
“I think the campers had a lot of fun this week, even if we had a shorter camp than normal,” Larsen shared. “It was cool that we were able to be one-to-one with campers getting to work with their own Lady Raider volleyball player.
“We were able to focus on a lot of basic skills during camp, which was really important because we had such a large group of younger players,” she added. “Hopefully everyone had fun and we were able to spark that interest of the sport for our future players.”
Camp closed with a 30-minute scrimmage period to allow campers to put their newly acquired skills to the test.
Richmond will scrimmage at Anson High School Friday before playing its first match of the season next Tuesday.
Hosting non-conference Lee County High School, the junior varsity team will start at 5 p.m. and be followed by the varsity team around 6:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a season preview, complete with video interviews and a season schedule, later this week.
