Midwest Penguins Volleyball

Last week, Anne Slattery, co-director of Midwest Penguins and coach of the Penguins 141 team received notice that the Penguins 141 had been awarded a re-allocated National Bid to the USAV Junior Nationals Tournament in Dallas, Texas this June.

“We finished fourth in the Badger League where the regional bids were granted,” said Slattery. “We lost a close match to Wisconsin Ice who finished in third place that tournament. Wisconsin Ice was recently awarded a re-allocated American Bid to nationals.”

The Penguin 141’s team finished ninth out of 56 teams at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Minnesota. According to Slattery, the team finished 2 and 1 on day one after losing a close game to NORCO, a Colorado team that ended up taking first place. They repeated their 2 and 1 performance on day two losing Premier, a Nebraska-based team who finished third overall.

On day three, the team faced West Allis Lightning who finished second in Minnesota, but had previously earned a National Bid at the Badger League tournament.

The 141’s team will upgrade their previous Patriot Division bid for the National bid, and according to Slattery, are looking forward to the competition.

The Penguin 141’s will join the Penguin 181’s, Penguin 15’1s and the Penguin 131’s at the Girls Junior Nationals tournament Friday, June 28 through Friday, July 5 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.

Midwest Penguins Volleyball Club will kick off its first beach volleyball season with a series of informational clinics and instruction on the game of beach volleyball. The clinics will be held at Center Court, 815 Northview Road in Waukesha on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19.

Saturday’s clinic will run from 3 to 7 p.m. and is intended for adults and collegiate USAV members to learn more about the game.
On Sunday, players age 11-18 interested in the game of volleyball can participate in instruction from 9 a.m. to noon and a beach tournament from 1 to 3 p.m.

The instructors will be Dan Friend and Lorelee Smith, Iowa-based Lewis University Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Head Coaches. The clinics are open to all USAV members. The  cost to attend  the adult clinic is $50, and the cost to attend the player’s clinic is $30.

Smith Serves as the Great Lakes Volleyball Region Beach Chair.

Midwest Penguins will hold its first Summer Sand League for players age 11 to 18 starting June, 17.  Players will receive instruction two days a week during the planned six-week program and conclude the season with a season end tournament.

“Our hope is to introduce players to a whole new game,” said Janice Siebert, Penguins co-director. “Our summer league will not only instruct players on the differences in rules between the indoor and outdoor game, it will also give players a chance to have fun and continue to play the game of volleyball through the summer.”

Beach volleyball is traditionally played with two players instead of six. The court sizes are smaller and the balls lighter. In addition, a match consists of best-of-three games and games are only scored to 21 points.

“It will be a little different for people who haven’t played before,” Siebert said. “That’s why we’re holding some of the informational sessions in May. Despite the differences we think the players are going to have a lot of fun with this.”

Instructional sessions will consist of  45-minutes of instruction and 45 minutes of game play. Sessions will run from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. -1:15 p.m.  and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Fridays will be reserved for rain dates, and different age groups will practice on different days.

 “The six-week summer league will give everyone a chance to stay active and spend some time outside this summer,” said Anne Slattery, club co-director. “We’re excited about the chance to extend the Penguin family year-round.”

Players can sign up as individuals or in pairs, cost to play in the six week season is $189.18 and includes 3 hours of instruction and play per week, a season end tournament and a t-shirt. To register, click here. 

Midwest Penguins has teamed up with E.C.H.O., a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging others to live a healthy lifestyle, to host the first-ever Big Ball Bash on Friday, May 3 at Center Court in Waukesha from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Midwest Penguin Volleyball club teams headed to the Girls Junior National Championships in Dallas, Texas, June 28 through July 5, 2013.

“ECHO was formed in order to encourage and assist others in making good choices and choose to live healthy active lifestyles,” said E.C.H.O. co-founder Anne Slattery. “This fundraiser is the perfect opportunity for us to meet our mission while also giving back to the community by helping out a great group of parents and athletes.”

Slattery, also Midwest Penguins founder and co-director established E.C.H.O, which stands for Empowering Change through Health Opportunities, in 2010.

Teams of four to six adults, ages 18 and over, are eligible to participate in the Big Ball Bash. Each team will play three to four games with an oversized, 4-foot, volleyball. Auction items, appetizers and a cash bar will also be available.

 “We’re so happy to be teaming up with E.C.H.O. for this event,” said Janice Siebert, club director of Midwest Penguins. “Our teams headed to Nationals are excited about the opportunity. But we're sensitive to the fact that the extra financial commitment for our parents and athletes can be a lot. This event will not only provide us with an opportunity to help alleviate some of that additional financial burden, it will also provide fun, family-friendly entertainment and healthy opportunities for those that participate.”

Registration is $120 per team and includes t-shirts for all participants. Court sponsorship opportunities are also available and cash donations will also be accepted.

Interested participants can download the registration form here. Registration deadline is Friday, April 19.