Midwest Penguins 15 Black middle hitter, Alexis Boling, recently returned home from Tulsa, Oklahoma after being selected to participate the High Performance program.

The Badger Region Girls’ High Performance (HP) program is an avenue for the Region’s premier players to receive training and competition opportunities from some of the top coaches in Badger Region.

This year, coaches for the National Select team were Susan Peterson and Dan Dresen of Alverno.

The Badger Region HP program is the regional chapter of USA Volleyball’s HP programs.

There are three stages of the program, tryouts, training teams and championship teams.

Tryouts for the team happened back in March and the training camp took place in Green Bay in July.

After camp, Alexis was selected as one of 11 players to fill the Badger Region HP Championship Team that competed at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships in Tulsa July 24 through July 28.

Midwest Penguins is proud of Alexis and her performance and we recently talked with her about her experience.

How did you first hear about or become involved in the High Performance Camp?
“We first heard about the High Performance Program through the Badger Regional Website and through other parents and players.”

When was camp and where did your family travel to?
“The camp was in Green Bay in early July.  From the camp they chose 11 girls to compete on the Badger Region High Performance Team which competed in Tulsa, Oklahoma against teams from across the country and indeed across the globe.”

What was your schedule like while there? Can you walk us through your typical day?
“The camp was structured like any other elite volleyball camp...  breakfast, volleyball, lunch, volleyball, dinner, volleyball and lights out.  There were a lot of drills and 6 on 6 play. It was super fun, and super tiring.”

You traveled as a family, did you enjoy the experience? Was there time to enjoy your time together?
“My mom did travel to Tulsa with me.  We stayed as a team and ate all, except one meal as a team.  It was nice to see her face in the crowd throughout the week.”

What was your favorite part about participating in High Performance Camp?
“My favorite part, outside of the volleyball was meeting girls from other clubs and getting to know them.  The girls were really fun and we had a blast both on and off the court.”

Would you do it again, or recommend others get involved?
“Yes, I will absolutely tryout again.  The volleyball is very competitive and it's fun to play against some of the best players in the nation and from other countries.  The other girls on the team were awesome and I made some good friends.”

What does it mean if your coach is listed as being IMPACT, SAFESPORT, or CAP I, CAP II certified? 

In short, it means they are dedicated to the continuous learning and improvement in the sport of volleyball,  the latest coaching techniques and most importantly the safety of the athletes in their care. 

The Badger Region requires all registered coaches to be at least IMPACT and Safesport certified. 

IMPACT stands for Increased Mastery and Professional Application of Coaching Theory. Coaches can choose between a 6.5 hour course with both on court and classroom components or a 4.5 hour course that includes only the classroom components. Both courses emphasize drill development, principles of learning skills, resources, athlete safety, legal and moral responsibilities and ethics. 

SafeSport is a relatively new certification that emphasizes the safety of athletes in the care of our coaches. The certification includes on court safety but also off-court safety and helps assure a safe and fun environment for all athletes free of any sort of abuse including physical, mental, emotional, bullying or hazing. 

Once a coach is IMPACT and SafeSport Certified, they have the opportunity to continue their coaching learning and development by attending additional courses in the Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP). 

CAP courses focus on providing current volleyball information based on sound principles in the areas of skills development, tactical systems, physical training, motor learning, sports psychology and administration. To maintain their certification, a coach must fulfill certain requirements, ensuring their training is up-to-date. There are five increasingly advanced levels of CAP certification a coach may progress through. 

While CAP certification is not a requirement, many of Midwest Penguins Volleyball Coaches choose to pursue additional development opportunities for the benefit of our athletes. 

Midwest Penguins 11 Black Coach Drew Mussfeldt will host the 2018 Team Alyssa JDRF Fundraiser and Golf Outing on Saturday, August 25 at Broadlands Golf Club in North Prairie, Wisconsin.

All proceeds from the event will go to JDRF, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications. 

Drew's daughter, Alyssa, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes six months ago at the age of 16. 

"It was a huge surprise to us, as neither of our families have any history of diabetes," Drew said. 

The family participated in a fundraiser two months ago and were very impressed with the event and the amount of money being raised for research.

Alyssa is a golfer, so the family thought it would be great  to do a golf outing to do their part to help raise money for the cause," Drew added. 

Cost $100.00 per golfer, and includes 18 holes with cart at Broadlands Golf Club, range balls, dinner, team prizes and golf shirt, silent auction. In the event of rain, rain-checks will be given, dinner will still be served and silent auction will still be held.  

There are no immediate fundraising goals set, but the family hopes to make the fundraiser an annual event. 

Entries & payments are due by August 13, 2018 and are limited to first 36 foursomes. Register here.