Valencia Hartono, sophomore and middle blocker of the JV Girls volleyball team, blushes when the whine of a rubber chicken erupts from the inside of a duffle bag. “It’s a volleyball thing,” she explains.
Every coach seeks ways to boost team morale and inspire their players to do their best. The coaches of the JV girls volleyball team have found a clear solution: through a screaming chicken doll, a “Frozen” -themed necklace, and a plastic shovel.
The JV girls volleyball team has been having a great season so far—winning all but one of their games against CISS, NAIS, YCIS, and SCIS. “We got twenty serves in a row during one of our games,” says Mandy Tsai, sophomore and libero of the team. In order to keep inspiring their players to do the best they can, the coaches of the team have devised an awarding system for the best players during a particular game: a plastic chicken for the person who cheers the loudest in a game, a “Frozen”-themed necklace for the best server, and a shovel for the best digger player. The players get to keep their award for a few days until their next game, when they pass it on to the next winner of the award.
The awards proved to be a source of pride for the athletes, as they expressed their delight to getting the chicken, necklace, or the shovel. “When you get the award, it makes you feel like you’ve achieved something special in the game,” Beatriz Schneider, sophomore and opposite hitter of the team, said. All of the players are dedicated to getting the award of their choice, whether it be the necklace, the shovel, or the rubber chicken. But the award is not something one keeps forever. They also help unite the girls as a team. “It boosts team morale because it also feels good when you get to pass it on to other players–this way, a lot of people get the chance,” adds Schneider. Passing the award on to another player makes one feel as if they are part of a special community–a group of volleyball players who all wish the best for their teammates.
Whether if a player has received it or not, the charming shriek of a rubber chicken, the bedazzled necklace, and the plastic shovel prove to be a motivating and uniting factor for the JV girls volleyball team. Go Eagles!