The 'Magic' Volleyball School Bus

Throughout the sports seasons many college, high school and middle school gyms are open to hundreds if not thousands of boys and girls competing in various sports.   Teams and leagues are everywhere for kids to practice their skills 365 days a year.  Being apart of these teams is an opportunity for many athletes  to get noticed for college scholarships as coaches are able to come and watch them out of season.

This is an outlook on one of those teams, the Kaepa Marion Magic Volleyball Team and it's Assistant Coach Sam Houseman.  Sam is 21 years old  and a native of Marion, IA.  She went to Marion High School where she herself played for the Marion Magic.  This year's team consists of 9 players ranging from 15 to 17 years old.

Recently, I was able to spend time with Sam and learn a little more about the in's and out's of a traveling team.

Q: What is the job that you do?

A: Assistant Coach, Kaepa Marion Magic 17 & Under

Q: How did you get into this role?

A: When I was 16, I was asked to coach a 15 & Under team. I have been coaching ever since, and love it. I coach with Tiffany Tope, and we have been together for 5 seasons. As the girls get older, we advance to the next age level with them. Once they have all reached the end of their junior club season, we usually start back with a freshmen level  (15&Under) team.

Q:Skill level of your players?

A: The skill level is JV/Varsity. We have multiple varsity letter winners anticipating to return to the varsity team this fall. We also have JV letter winners and sophomores with the desire to contribute to the Varsity squad come August.

Q: What do practices mostly consist of?

A: During practice (which is 1-2 times per week) we focus a lot on fundamentals and spend a lot of time quickening our offense and perfecting out defense. We do team building exercises and a lot of scrimmaging.

Q: What do tournaments/meets usually consist of?

A: We participate in 8 tournaments per season. These are all day events consisting of 4-7 games that usually begin at 8 AM with our final game concluding between 5-7 PM (not to mention travel time!) We have tournaments as close to our hometown, and as far as Galena, Il, and Des Moines, IA. We are responsible for officiating as well, including being an up or down ref, keeping book, score, and line judging.

Q: How does someone get involved? Either playing or coaching?

A: We are a “feeder” program, meaning our try outs are only open for those who attend Marion High School. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to try out. We try out the weekend after the State Tournament has come to a close.

Anyone interested in coaching can contact Sam directly via email at shouseman23@yahoo.com and their information will be forwarded to the varsity coach &  club director.

With the timing of the Magic's tournaments coinciding with other sports seasons, obviously a lot of these girls play on the team on top of other sports and activities. Also many “Magic” tournaments are held on Sundays, of course a usual day of relaxation, refreshing and homework.

This weekend Feb. 13

^th,

the Magic will be playing at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA with the first match starting at 8 AM.  I am going to attend the tournament that morning and see exactly why these girls choose to do so much.  Is it just trying to get better?  Working towards a possibe scholarship?  Or just the love of the sport?  I'll find out.

Joseph Larsen

Community Contributor