Upon Further Review

Seriously? Really? You got to be kidding me?

Sorry, but to make a statement that volleyball is “pretty good” around here is ludicrous. A sham. A debacle.

Sorry, again, but it’s the mountains that are blue ‘round these parts, not the grass, so leave your comparisons at the door if you don’t know what you’re dealing with. It’s more than “pretty good” in Augusta County and the two cities that sit in the middle of it. Actually, it’s pretty great.

Ah, but let this be our secret, OK Augusta County volleyball fans. Let them compare and contrast to states that have been the punch line of jokes since we welcomed them into the Union. Instead, we’ll talk about what we know.

We’ll write about summers filled with volleyball camps and a week at Lofton Lake where love of the game is born and nurtured.

Let them guess what the volleyball season is going to be like. And we’ll laugh because, heck, we know what it’s going to be like. It’s going to be battle, just like it is every year.

It’s going to be Wilson Memorial and Stuarts Draft (still non-district foes for now) meeting for a second time with the Cougars thinking revenge. Thanks for the update on the date of the rematch, but we in Augusta County and the two cities have already had that date circled on our calendars. But, yeah, I guess we appreciate the “P.S.“ in your little love note.

We can’t wait to see that one, with a Wilson coach, Kim Claytor, who is just as comfortable talking about NASCAR as she is volleyball, and probably just as passionate too.

Or the stare the waif-like Kami Meeteer throws at her team when they have a mental gaffe on the court. That look cuts so hard it could make Tom Goforth shake in his sandals.

We’ll fill your mind with stories of a legendary coach, Pat Austin, how it’s a travesty those new tennis courts at the high school aren’t named after her, and the powerhouse she built in Waynesboro’s purple and gold gym..

We’ll discuss things such as Candace Kimmett, the ultimate good cop to Austin’s bad cop during their co-coaching days.

We’ll talk about a Waynesboro team that was a too-low-ceiling away from a state championship back in 2005. We’ll talk about the tears they shed in the Cave Spring lobby. And the tough-as-all-get-up Austin unable to read off stats after the loss, shielding her eyes from the press so we couldn’t see her cry.

Let’s talk about the little team that could last year, Wilson, which went into then-undefeated Draft’s house and won in five in front of the always raucous student section. We’ll spin yarns about Claytor holding her fist in the air after the win and Super Girl Kala Guy coming down from her Fortress of Solitude and flicking the switch from power mode to smile and laugh after the win. Guy, much like her sister, burns with so much intensity you’d be dealing with a mercury leak if she happened to break.

Guy’s tough at the net? Heck, she’s one of the best volleyball players this area has seen. So try telling us something we don’t know already. Sound good?

We’ll write about Meeteer and another former all-state setter that’s trying to lead her former team back to glory. The other coach’s name is Lori Aleshire at Waynesboro and, sure, last year was tough for the Little Giants. But something tells us Aleshire might be flashing that award-winning smile a little bit more this season.

Let them spin yarns of horses and universities you’ve never heard of and could care less about. We’ll talk about a fiery Fort Defiance player Lindsey Simmons slapping a kill past Atkins and celebrating a little too early by flashing her the devil’s horns and letting out a wail. And Atkins returning the favor by pushing the Spalding back in the Indians’ faces for the win back in 2006.

“Not a good call,“ coach Kimmett said of that premature celebration. “I just told [the girls] if that’s not enough to pump you up, I don’t know what is?“

Or the week before when, in a regular-season tiebreaker at Fort Defiance, the Lee Ladies got the best of the Little Giants thanks to Brittany Swann, who celebrated by hugging family members while taking big gulps off a purple sports drink.

“Pretty good?“ Sorry, wrong again. Volleyball around here is more than that. It’s great. Proving that, yep, blue mountains are so much better than blue grass.

And another thing: So the Charlottesville paper wonders what Al Groh’s encore is going to be in 2008. Oh, I don’t know. How about earning a little bit of that contract, taking one of your supposed top 10 recruiting classes and, oh let’s say, maybe winning a major bowl. Of course, beating Virginia Tech more than once per presidential-election cycle would be nice too. I’m just sayin’.

Really enjoy all you do for area sports and you seem to know your stuff but RHS ahead of BGHS ???????????????????
Anyway keep doing what you do everyone loves reading your stuff.
                                                                  Doug Mayo

Our bad Doug. In the print version I ranked Gap ahead of Riverheads but hit the wrong button while putting our Power Rankings online. It’s fixed. Thanks for reading, however (and for not going all Matt Ball on me).

Speaking of Matt Ball.

Mr. Ball: Posting trash like this is truly disgusting!!!
You must have failed as a HS (That’s high school for you) athlete. Maybe you are just in love with Sacco. Get a life!!!!!! This is about the local kids, not your boorish opinions about the bloggers!!!
You need a shrink! 
Give the kids kudos and their coaches for all their hard work.
                                                                Paul Shifflett

I do hope he’s not in love with me Paul. While I would be flattered, the wife might have something to say about that. It’s all good Paul. Mr. Ball thought he was going to get a jab in and send me home crying to my mommy. Instead, he’s provided a whole season’s worth of comedy.

“Back home to your mommy?“ you ask. “Where is that?“

Sorry, I can make it through a blog post without mentioning where I’m from or where I’ve been.

But hey, that’s just me.