Volleyball Game Lobos vs Indians

Saturday morning it is definitely fall as it’s a gray day and chilly, it’s about nine o’clock. The game is a hold game thus is held at Lobo Middle School. The school is located in the lower valley of the city, in the southern part of the district. Today both volleyball and football have games so there is little parking to be found as the gravel designated parking area is filled with SUVS- not many cars, I guess because SUV are suited and more beneficial to families?

Entering the gym once again there is no one selling ticket. I finally spoke with an administrator this past week and was informed that the reason admission has not been charged during the home game is because the school does not have anyone willing to sell tickets, and the school in previous years sold tickets to the volleyball games. The bleachers are full, with both Indian and Lobo fans, as the seventh graders finish their third game. I make my way to the snack table where I will be selling until the eighth graders start their match. We use a fold-able table, unlike other schools who have a built in snack bar. We are selling burritos, and candy bars, lollipops, soda, water, tea, hot dogs, nachos. We sell out of burritos before the seventh graders’ game finishes, most likely because there is more substance in a burrito and people have yet to eat breakfast this morning. When we run out of burritos are nacho and hot dog’s sales increase. From my position I am able to see the end of the game. The Lobo athletes are communicating as their game plan is to complete a ‘bump, set spike’ series. From my observation it appears the Indian team are equally matched, and is further supported for a third game was needed to determine the winner. The coach from other team appears middle aged, and compared to the Lobo coach is not yelling at her girls. I find this interesting because throughout the season the pattern I’ve noticed is that the majority of older coaches are harder on their athletes. The seventh grade Lobo lose the game 22 to 25.

The eighth grade game is to begin in fifteen minutes. I go find myself a seat in the bleachers, and I see that the majority of fans are wearing a shirts of their respective school.  Both schools colors are maroon, and both are feeder school to the same high school.  Indian Middle School is the closet school to Lobo Middle, and I suppose that explains the similarities I notice between the athletes and the fans. The athletes are relatively the same height with the majority of them appearing to be Hispanic. In the crowd, there is a mix of English, Spanish and Spanglish being spoken. The majority of the Lobo seventh graders left which I observed to occur when a game is lost for when a game is won the Lobos stay to cheer on the eighth graders. Only three seventh grade Lobos stay. Also in the bleaches I notice that there is an abundance of Lobo students(the most I’ve ever noticed ) I’m assuming there are more supporter because it is a home game and the fact that Indian Middle School is one of Lobo’s main rivals. Looking at the warm up of both teams, the Lobos have more superior technique as seen in the accuracy exhibited in the drills, will this determine the outcome of the game?  Maybe the Lobos have worked on their teamwork as I do not see the usual animosity and discrimination between the girls.

The game begins with Indians having first serve. The gym is loud with cheering, not as loud as last game, but loud enough as the parents and athletes on the bench cheer.  The cheers are more encouraging, a great departure from the criticizing nature of the noise when I use to play years ago. Again I assume this is because now days the issue of bullying is covered more extensively.

The Indians are winning because they are talking with one another and are using teamwork. The lack of hostility I observed early did not last long for I can hear the Lobos arguing and no one is calling the ball so the athletes either run into one another or no one gets the ball assuming that their team member was going to get it. The Indians win the first match 25 to 17.

Second round begins .The cheers are louder from both teams, for the other team needs this round to win the whole match, while the Lobos need a victory in this second game to play a third. The Lobos second team are winning during the first portion of the game, I guess because of their greater skill level. I now hear the arguing of the Indian, will they give up? Now it appears the winning streak has the Lobos over confident, for they lose the ball with a bad play. The Indians server has a killer serve as she bridges the gap and even surpass the Lobo’s points. The game is now 20 to 18. The Lobos and Indians are at edge I can see desperation as both team hit harder resulting in the ball going out of bounds. Both teams get angry (blaming and no high fives) with every lost point and ecstatic (jumping around and high fives).  Now it seems this game with its close points, is going to be won with luck and foolish mistakes made by the rivaling teams. The Indians win when the Lobos miss the serve. Final score 25 to 23.

The Indians are cheering, and after shaking hands they get into a circle and chant and dance. The Lobo team get pulled to the side by their coach.  I find out from my informant later that the coach said, the girls didn’t want to win. Also while the girls are leaving, they got called back to meet a woman who is dressed in the high schools track suit. I find out later that she was the coach for the high school, and was trying to recruit the girls to play at the school next year, meet the assistant high school coaches, as well as in the words of my informant “rub in the loss at the hands of the other school”.  I wonder with this loss, and the fact that an outside party commented on the lost directly to the whole team, will this shatter any unity with in Lobo Team and will this weigh on during the rest of the season.