Minutes to Memories

I’m blogging early today, but something neat happened yesterday afternoon that I find worth talking about this morning.

When my family moved to Ocean Springs in early 1999, my oldest daughter was in the 6th grade. Her school in Arkansas had a rich volleyball tradition. Her new school in Mississippi did not. She had begun playing volleyball as a 4th grader (and in spite of her limited size, was very good), but in Ocean Springs there wasn’t even a middle school team. There was a high school varsity team – somehow I guess girls were supposed to instantly learn how to play when they made it to high school. The fact that the season began about a week after school began in August didn’t leave a lot of time for skill development either.

Erica did not play in 7th grade, but in 8th grade she tried out and made the junior varsity team. Ocean Springs forced a young P.E. teacher to coach volleyball that year, but in spite of her sweet personality, she didn’t know the first thing about volleyball. It wasn’t so great a year. Predictably, the coach found other employment at year’s end.

In 9th grade, everything changed. A new coach was hired (Chris), who didn’t know anything about volleyball either, but he was determined to learn everything there was to know. Erica made the varsity team that year, and she met a new classmate who just moved to the area in Lauren DeGirolamo.

Erica was 4’11”, and Lauren was 6’1”. Erica LOVED volleyball, while Lauren LOVED soccer and basketball – but came out to play volleyball anyway. With my volleyball background, I knew right away that Lauren was a special talent.

I still don’t know exactly what happened that year, but whatever it was, it was good (though I think the secret to success was the fact that I started my four-year role as team scorekeeper!!!). The Lady Greyhounds started winning and just about didn’t quit. With no seniors, a new coach, the talented Smith sisters (Brittany & Marianne), and some impressive ninth-graders on the floor, they won game after game after game, ending up in the state tournament. Volleyball powerhouse, O.L.A. stopped their improbable season, but it was special nonetheless.

The newfound success didn’t end in Erica’s 9th grade season. In 10th grade, the Lady Greyhound volleyball train kept on rolling. Another great season, another trip to the state playoffs, and another run-in with O.L.A. (In today’s picture, you see the team after their 1st round win in that state tournament – mocking their coach’s broken arm suffered in practice! Lauren is the tall girl on the left side of the picture, while Erica is the short one crouching in front of her.) It was also another season of fun. At the year-end banquet, Coach recognized co-MVP’s in Erica and Lauren. I was very excited, especially at the prospect of two more years of this!!!

But it wasn’t to be… Lauren’s dad got a job in St. Louis, and Coach Chris decided to move away, too. It just wasn’t the same after that…

Well yesterday, I open my new Sports Illustrated, and when I get to the Faces in the Crowd segment, whom do I see but Lauren DeGirolamo!!!

Here’s the entry:

Lauren DeGirolamo
BELLEVILLE, ILL > Volleyball
DeGirolamo, a freshman middle blocker at LSU, was named Southeastern Conference freshman of the week and Collegiate Volleyball Update national player of the week after leading the Tigers to wins against Tennessee and Kentucky. She had 16 kills and 10 blocks against the Lady Vols for her first career double double.

What do you know? Not basketball or soccer, but good old volleyball landed Lauren in Sports Illustrated. And I was there when it started for her back in Ocean Springs in ninth grade.

(For Lauren’s profile at LSU, click here.)