Team Miramar travels for Miramar Youth Sports Program 

Team Miramar, the program’s first traveling volleyball team, began competing in the Southern California Volleyball Association’s Bronze Division in January and will continue to play throughout the fall. The team, comprised of 11 girls ranging from 11 to 15 years old, travels to various Southern California sites on weekends to square off against other teams.

The program’s coordinators decided to combine the girls that played volleyball the last couple of years into a traveling team, explained Sheron Jones, the program’s head coordinator.

 “We saw that the girls who played volleyball really enjoyed it, so we decided to give this a shot,” said Jones.

The team played their first tournament in Temecula, Calif., where they competed against 12 traveling teams from around the region. They had some success, and the experience proved valuable, explained Jones.

“The first weekend they played was a real learning experience for them,” said Jones. “They didn’t know what to expect, but now they know what it’s about. The girls really had fun.”

The team’s are practicing three times a week to hone their skills and familiarize themselves with each other’s game. Many of the girls have never played against any team outside of the program, commented Joseph Malabanan, an assistant coach with the team.

“The girls work really hard during practice,” said Malabanan. “What they lack in experience they make up for it in heart. Playing teams that travel all around the area brings us different experience during the game.”

The team’s outside experience will help them develop their volleyball skills because of the varied competition they will face, added Malabanan.

The program will continue to provide opportunities for the children, with one goal—make sure the children have fun. Jones and the rest of the program coordinators plan continued support of Team Miramar.

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