Panthers vs Lobos Volleyball

Saturday morning, the first day of November, the final game before tournaments for the Lobos volleyball team. This Saturday corresponds to their homecoming week- I wonder will the pride the athletes feel change their attitudes on the court.  It’s about nine thirty, the games are being hosted at their Lower Valley home court at Lobo Middle School. Both volleyball and football are playing here, so as a result like always there is no parking at the gravel designated parking area. Other SUVs and I are forced to park on the side of one of the intersecting streets.

 Upon entering the gym, I am shocked to find out that the school is charging an entrance price to see the game. Twenty five cents for students and fifty cents for adults are the fees. At first I wonder why they have decided to start charging an entrance fee, after all this time – it’s the last game of the season.  When I ask one of the people selling concession I get an answer. Apparently the ticket lady usually acts as a parent-volunteer here at the school but is actually employed by the district, as is thus getting paid by the district to sell tickets here. This brings me to the question of, where was she earlier in the season, why now. I find out later from asking around, with three people providing me with inside information- apparently there is a power struggle going on with many of  the schools volunteers and thus she decided to fill in the vacant ticket seller spot in order to better her relations with administration and position in the school. The concession stand –which is still a collection of three plastic fold-able tables - big sellers are coffee , and nachos – all things nice and warm on a chilly cloudy day as is today.  . The bleachers are not as full as I thought it would be for the final game, with only pockets of people occupying the wooden seats. The seventh graders are finishing their third game. Today’s opponents are the Panthers. Panther MS is the second closet middle school to Lobo MS, located also in the lower valley.

The seventh grader are exhibiting team work. If they win this game then they are eligible to play at the upcoming tournament for the title of champions of the district. They are communicating with one another, adjusting their formation in order to cover open spots when their fellow player goes up for the spike or block. Instead of just hitting the ball, their strategies while playing in doing a bump, set, spike series. The seventh grade Panthers, though not as skill as the Lobos, are equal in energy and determination. I’ve observed that the Lobo’s seventh grade coach’s manner of dealing with her girls during a game has not changed. She still is critical on the girls and I can hear her yelling from my seat on the bleachers. Is it this tough relationship with her girls that has made the team victors in almost every game, for she emphasizes discipline and demands perfection? The Panther’s coach is a man who appears to be in his twenties. I don’t hear any yelling from him, and it appears that instead of reprimanding his team, he is trying to correct them as he demonstrates proper technique from the side.

I notice the eighth grade athletes seated behind the seventh graders. The panther team is encouraging on their athletes, the majority of them seem to be paying attention as they chant cheers. The eight grade Lobos on the hand are mixed in their behavior. Some are cheering on their seventh graders, two of them appeared bored (not watching the game, I can see both on their phones), and the rest of them are talking to the football managers that decided to leave the field and come socialize in the gym. In previous games, the athletes seemed more polite, is it the fact that it is the end of the season that they carefree. The seventh graders win the game 25 to 18.

Eighth graders game is to begin in fifteen minutes.

I wonder why there are not as many people here as usual. Is it because it is  late in the season , are people more interested in football as it is the homecoming game, had the Halloween festivities contributed to the low turnout? I look out into the crowd and see that very little people are wearing school related t-shirts, and besides me no one has a sign. Can this lack of spirit be attributed to the ending of the season? Spanish and English are being spoken by both groups of fans which appear to be mainly Hispanic.

Unlike usual when a game is won the seventh grade Lobos stay to cheer on the eighth graders, but I don’t see any except for the coach’s daughter.  I’m guessing it is because the homecoming football game is going on outside. Observing   the warm up of both teams, appear to be equally matched. How will this game turn out?

The game begins with Lobos having the first serve. This game is characterized by intense volleying by both teams. Unlike other games, points are not being easily earned by missed serves or careless mistakes or lack of hustling to the ball. Both teams are communication, hustling to the ball, working as team, and as a result the game is fast pace, the girls on either team are not getting discouraged so easily. Thirty five minutes into the game the score lands at Lobos 21 to Panthers 20. Lobo athlete with uniform # 15 serves. Her serves are precise and come with force. The panthers are unable to pick up her serves as they hit open spaces at a fast speed compared to other girl’s serves.  She wins the first round for the Lobos 25 to 20.

Second game begins, and like the previous match this game is characterized by volleying between both teams. This time though the panthers are partaking in blaming one another, I can hear it and see annoyance and unhappiness on the athlete’s faces. The Lobos seem to be working together unlike previous games, I’m assuming the victory in the earlier match has united them-at least on the court. I look at athletes sitting on the metal chairs and see that there are gaps –empty chairs between girls.

I don’t see the outcome of the game for I have to leave since my athlete has another obligation to attend to – we waited as long as we could before we leave. The coach lets her go, and this brings a concern up. Why did the coach let her go so easily and not insist she stays? Is this commentary on the lack of unity on the team, is this an act of favoritism for my athlete is deemed expendable? I’m afraid both questions can be answered with “yes “.

Lobos vs Conquistadors Volleyball

This week’s game was the second to the last game of the season, it is being held at Conquistador Middle School located in the middle of the district. From what I could see , the school appears well maintained for I spotted no trash on the ground  or damages(chipping paint , graffiti ,cracks in the buildings ) to the building itself. Walking into the school I notice the gym is small, with there being about a two and a half feet extra space between the walls of the stage and the basketball court’s lines. The inside is painted red and blue –appears to be painted recently as the colors are still vivid. I look at the ceiling which appears to be recently redone within the past few years for no panels are broken,and they are all still white.  When I played at this gym years ago, the ceiling was old, as one of the panels fell during our volleyball match. Most likely the new ceiling was redone for  the previous one was a safety hazard , but still it’s nice to see that the district’s  allotted money   has been used to buy a new ceiling and beautify   the school with a new paint job. I also notice that there are no championship banners hanging, like I’ve seen in other schools. Is this because the school has not won any championships in recent years, or do they not desire to purchase banners? Is this lack of banners an indication for how this game will go? There are no bleachers for fans, and even no chairs set up on the stage like how they had at Dragon Middle School. The only seating available are the one role of seats lined against one of the walls with about twenty five chairs. No tickets were being sold, I attribute this to not having the manpower to execute this, for the only person I saw that was not a fan or a coach was the necessary administrator. This differed to the other games when admission is charged when there are other people with name tags -who work for the district- are in attendance for the game.  Though they are not many spectators, and little sitting room, I still hear Spanglish and English being spoken.  I see no Lobo students came to support, and from the limited seating and look of the crowd, it appears that likewise no conquistador’s students went out to support their team

 No concessions are being sold. I assume the reason for no snacks being sold may be that there is no man power to operate this endeavor, and there is no space to fit a snack table as there is barely enough room for fans to be standing. Also most likely a snack stand would not be successful due to the small crowd (less than forty spectators ) and the fact that from my experience of selling I’ve noticed that it’s the  football crowd( which are present almost every game as both teams compete against the same school at the same venue) that buys the most- this week the football game is not being held at the Middle School but at the  close-by high school football field(I saw on the drive to the middle school). This brings up another question, why doesn’t Conquistador Middle have a field that can accommodate football? Is this commentary of the lack of funds the district has, in order to create a field? Is this due to poor planning as from the outside view, it appears the school has no home to expand with the surrounding residential area?

I missed the warm up, so at the moment I have no idea of who has the superior technique. The game begins. The conquistadors have the first serve, it goes over and the Lobos play it. They perform the sequence of a bump, set, and spike and are able to get a point. I wonder will this first point encourage the girls to continue playing as a team in order to win. The score board is old for a few lights are missing that they interfere with the score, plus it has a Coke endorsement sign that is slightly yellowing. Turning back my attention to the game, I observe the lobos losing the ball to the other team with a serve that went out of bounds. The Conquistadors serve the ball, to which the Lobos volley back but when the ball goes over to the Lobo side once more, they bump the ball out of bounds.

The score is now fifteen to ten, with the Conquistadors having 15. The Lobo girls are giving up, and once again are blaming one another. There is not much cheering from the crowd, from Lobo or Conquistador sides – the only cheering is mine and a few from the Lobo seventh graders and my athlete sitting on the bench. The benches the athletes sit on are metal, appear to be new –not individual folding chairs I’ve seen at every game.  I look closer at the athletes and notice that none of the opposing team’s seventh graders are present (the seventh graders sit behind the eighth graders), about six of the Lobo’s seventh graders are present. Is this because they’ve simply decided to take the bus back, are they in good spirits because they won? I also notice that the coaches are not the same age, the Conquistador coach appears to be middle age. She isn’t yelling at her girls like the Lobo coach is – my guess for the Lobo coach yelling is her frustration of her girls giving up. The conquistadors win the game 25 to 19.

Second game begins. I hope that the Lobos do not repeat their pattern of giving up and fighting amongst themselves. Lobos get the first serve, it goes over and scores a point. This win doesn’t last long , for as I watch the game , I notice that though the Lobos have the superior technique/skills (more controlled bumps, higher sets , killers spikes ) the Conquistadors have superior teamwork . When they call the ball, the girls respect the claim and get out of the way so their team member can play it, and they are hustling. Even when they miss the ball, I don’t hear blaming. The Lobos on the other hand, are not hustling and don’t respect the calling of the ball –instead running into one another or leaving their spot defense less to try to get the ball. Though some girls still high five one another or tell them to “shake the mistake off”, the majority of the team doesn’t and I see from their expressions they are upset and faintly hear blaming going on.  Coach is yelling, which from the Lobos expression isn’t helping.  At the last five points the conquistador girls start cheering loudly for their team. The Lobos lose 20 to 25. 

They shakes hand and while the Lobos go to the corner of the gym to talk the winners gather in a circle and chant a victory cheer.  The Lobos break and from the amount of athletes running to their parents to get the form sign to skip the bus ride and go home with them , I assume that few will be riding the bus back – I think about four eighth grade girls will ride the bus as they hanging back near the coaches. As we are leaving, some of the Lobo girls were telling each other “good job” –is this sincere or not? Overall it seemed to me the quickest game, we were done by 10:35 when the game starts at 10:00 am. With another defeat, I sadly don’t think that the Lobos will pull together to win the remaining games.

Dragons vs Lobos MS Volleyball

Saturday morning once again about ten o’clock, this time the volleyball game is at Dragon School. The school is located in the central part of the district near the district’s main office. From outside the school, you can tell the school is older as it is made of cinder-block and red bricks –a different material than the new schools’ sleek look. The upkeep of the grounds are decent , better than Lobo’s ground with its weeds , and sparse trash around the perimeter of the fences, I don’t notice too much trash but the grass is no kept well like it was at last week’s venue of Stallion Middle School. The fact that Dragon School appears old and not prestige, is odd for growing up in the district it was a common belief that Dragon School was better off than us.  

Anyways I enter the gym, which upon observation is also a cafeteria-just like how my elementary school was.  There is no one collecting tickets, I can safely say so because though I didn’t enter through the main entrance the fact that another entrance was available contradicts with the control environment needed to charge fairly. There is a built in snack bar –which I usually infer as a sign of wealth but this time it is as is expected as this is a cafeteria.  Hanging from the rafters are thirty two championship banners ranging from mid 1990s to 2013 in sports like volleyball , softball, basketball , cross country , track ,football, wrestling , I infer that this abundance of victories can be an omen of the outcome of this game –whether the Dragons won all these championship by superior coaching or teamwork this game will tell. Broken wall panels on both the stage where the aluminum folding seats are placed. This is the first school I’ve visited this season that doesn’t have bleachers. Also there are some insulation visible in the torn gymnasium’s ceiling.

I missed the seventh grade game, so as I find a seat on the stage, watch the eighth graders runs drills. There seems to be some unity building in the Lobo Team as I notice no signs of tension. There appears to be no animosity this week, for unlike last week’s pre-game drills where the Lobo girls appeared to be bickering as observed through their body language. From watching both teams run drills, I infer that both teams are equally matched for they are both good at spikes and bumps, and make mistakes while serving. I do notice that the red uniform clad Dragon team is more ethnically diverse as two of their girls have features common to that of Asian descent, and three of their girls have the light skin and hair characteristic of whites.  The Dragon girls have taller members, will this be an advantage when it comes to playing off the net? I don’t see any medical wraps on any members of the teams. Is this due to coaching methods and safer exercise regimen –back when I use to play middle school volleyball there was at least one girl with a medical brace or wrap on each team-?  The coaches of both eight grade teams appear to be the same age, young adult females. I wonder because of their similar age does the Dragon coach have an identical more emphatic relationship with her girls like the Lobo coach does.

The game is starting, with Dragons having the first serve. I look around the crowd and notice it is mainly composed of middle aged women, though there are some males mainly middle aged with few individuals being of my age group of young adult. I assume there are grandparents present as they appear to be older individuals with graying hair and aged faces sitting and conversing with the middle age parents’ .The main language I hear being spoken is English with some Spanglish spoken by the Lobo fans. Could this be due to the population Lobo Middle has due to his positon in the older part of the city where the Hispanic community is dominate? Once again I am the only one with a poster but that does not mean I’m the only one with spirit. The Dragon’s student council is present for they are sitting in front of me with their student council shirts cheering loudly for their school. They have no posters, but they are using the chairs as noise makers as well as some hi-five clappers (the ones that are party favors).  I wonder why the Lobo student council never go to the games to support. Also I notice that not only are student council members present but so are other Dragon students – I’m sure they are Dragons and not Lobos for I do not recognize them from my time volunteering at Lobo Middle. Is the Dragon Community knit closer than the Lobo country, it would appear so.

I don’t hear yelling from either of the young coaches, so I guess the fact they are closer to the girls age helps them be empathetic and not harsh. But despite the more kindly coaching, the Lobos are losing. Like the pattern we’ve seen throughout the weeks –all unity is dissolved when the Lobos start losing. They are fighting amongst themselves as I can see through their body language, lack of communication and facial expression of narrow eyed and soured look every time the Dragons score a point due to a Lobo mistake of missing the ball. Also the technique I saw earlier in the drills appears to be gone , as now the Lobo girls are just swinging rather than bumping with control and direction. The Dragon girls are communicating and with every point they all go to the center and high 5 one another. The Lobos lose the first game 12 to 25.

The second game begins. I infer that the loss of the first game has discouraged the second team for the Dragons are winning 7 to 14, for the Lobos are making the mistake of not communication –I don’t hear the ball being called – and are not directing their passes –a great deal of time the ball is bumped to the far edges of the small gym making it near impossible for the other members to save the ball. The Lobos have given up, and the Dragons gain victory with a win of 25 to 17. I now believe that as displayed by this game , the reason the Dragons have victories is not  due to superior coaching-as both girls pre-game appeared equally matched- but rather teamwork the Dragon coaches instill in their athletes.  After shaking hands, the dragons huddle up and chant a cheer. The Lobos are huddled in the far right corner of the gym with their coach talking with them. My informant later tells me that the coach lectured them about them giving up, and lack of team work. I wonder how this second consecutive defeat will affect the week of practice and next game- will it encourage the Lobos to win or will it weigh on them and result in another loss.