Hawks vs Lobos Volleyball

Its Saturday morning about ten o’ clock, today the main event is 8^th grade volleyball but it isn’t hosted at Lobo Middle School instead it is the opposing team – Hawk Middle. As we enter into what appears to be standard gym design shared by most middle schools in the region due to a grant a few years ago, there is a young woman –probably in her early twenties –occupying a student school desk. She is in charge of selling tickets for a 25 cents to youth and 50 cents to adults. This the first time this has occurred during the season, I’m curious is this because the schools are now organized for the season and therefore are prepared to sell tickets, is this because there is only one main entrance into this not well air conditioned gym that it is easier to execute and enforce a ticket policy, or does this school need the money –it’s a viable operation for the gym appears crowded. There is no snack concessions, which I believe would make money as it is late morning and this game will last an hour so supporters will get hungry. Anyways making my way up the bleachers I find myself a seat in the middle, surrounded by Lobo and Hawk fans. The game is going to start soon, in about ten minutes, the athletes on both team are just going over some drills. As I observe the girls go over receiving spikes with their coach (who appears to be in her late teens to early twenties), I notice two things –1. The girls on the team seem more united they aren’t grouping in small group instead they appear to be interacting more than I’ve seen in previous pre-games warm ups and 2. The Lobo’s coach appears to be constructively critiquing the girls as they run the drill. I wonder if her mild approach is due to the fact that maybe she identifies with the girls as a young athlete who doesn’t appreciate being yelled at, which is exactly what the it appears to be going on with the other team’s coach who appears to be middle age.  The athletes and the supporters appear to be on Mexican ethnicity, and the fellow fans I’m surrounded by are speaking in Spanglish.

The match has begun. It is loud with both team’s fans cheering. As I scan the bleachers I notice in the lively crowd that the majority of the seventh grade Lobo team stayed to cheer on their 8^th graders, this is different compared to the two Hawks team members that I count in the bleachers –is this because the Lobos were bused here from the school and therefore they need to wait for the eighth graders to finish in order to travel back to school or are they spirited because they won their game? The Lobo team is losing , it seems that the girls on the court are giving up as they no longer hustle to get the ball, and it also looks like they are no longer communicating for they keep on running into each other or  not running a fellow members aid when she does a bad bump. The Hawk team girls are communicating as I see their lips move and they are using team work to get the ball over.  In noticing the both teams playing I see that it appears that on both teams, athletes have medical raps and braces on their knees and ankles (two athletes on Lobo team, and one on Hawk team).  I wonder if the braces are being worn due to intense practices or just the clumsiness that occurs commonly in adolescences as the youth grow.  

First team loss the first match, the second match is to begin to determine whether Hawks win or if the teams tie and require a third decisive match. The Lobo team is trying harder not allowing the opposing team who appears more skilled in technique to score points , the girls are hustling together to get the ball of the net , and volleying  of the ball between both teams is occurring .  With every point the Hawks score, the Lobos are scoring too, there are multiple occurrence where the teams are tied as they respectively are both trying to reach 25 point needed to win the game.  This occurs for a while until finally the Hawks are at 24, and the Lobos 23, points. The Hawks only need one more point to win, they serve the ball over. The Lobos are not going to make this a quick win, for about two minute the ball is being exchanged between both teams until the Lobo’s left blocker misses the spike and the ball hits the floor- the Hawks have won. The Hawk athletes and fans are cheering so loud and are girls are jumping up and down with glee after shaking the Lobo’s members’ hands. The Lobo team go off to a corner of the gym to listen to coach’s analysis of the game, I decide to wait for my athlete outside the gym. It’s about eleven by now, the gym is emptying as people pass through the doors where I am close to. After about three minutes of waiting my athlete come out of the gym and I sign the form to excuse her from getting on the bus –she will ride home with me. She doesn’t want to get on the bus because it appears the unity I observed is no longer holding as she informs me the girls are hostile to each other, and are grouped in twos and threes.