From The Bench: East Haven's 1st Girls Volleyball Camp

On Saturday East Haven athletics and the EH Recreation department held its first ever middle school girls volleyball clinic. It was decided at the beginning of the school year after over 50 students from 6th to 8th grade tried out for the middle school team that had only 18 slots that an alternative program was needed. Athletic Director Anthony Verderame, Recreation director Liz Franco-Spano, high school coach Craig Brown and middle school coach Mark Curcio got together and felt that with this kind of interest in girls volleyball they wanted to keep that interest alive with the girls who did and did not make the team.

East Haven high school coach Craig Brown said, “I was pleasantly surprised to hear about the great deal of interest in the volleyball middle school team this year. Unfortunately there is only so much space at the middle school, and many girls ended up not making the team. While some middle school players did not make the team, I can say in the past that some of those players have gone on to make the high school team, become starters, and even become captains. There is more room and coaches at the high school level and we want to encourage girls to stay with the great sport of volleyball. Therefore, I will be working with AD Verderame, Coach Stevens and Coach Curcio in hosting a free volleyball camp on Saturdays at the high school for all middle school girls who made the team or tried out for the middle school team". The camp will be 11am-1pm on the following Saturdays. (Sept 25th, Oct 2nd, Oct 9th, Oct 16th, Oct 30th, Nov 6th, Nov 13th)

Brown continued, “This will be our first of hopefully many joint efforts to provide an intramural experience for our students cooperatively with EHPS and the EH Recreation Department”.

Recreation Director Liz Franco-Spano said, “Working with Athletic Director Anthony Verderame and the entire administration at EHHS has been amazing. We will work together to bring as many intramural programs and activities for all our student athletes at every grade level. As a former student athlete I enjoy coming to watch them and encourage them to succeed on and off the court”.

The girls who attend the camp will learn the skills of serving, setting, hitting, footwork, the rules of the game and having FUN while doing it! From the Bench hopes that programs like this will continue along with others for East Haven’s student athletes.

Mark Curcio

From the Bench