After spending months trying to create the club and two years practicing their skills, the Walnut Volleyball Club continues to face hurdles as students continuously attempt to turn the club into a team and participate in tournaments.
The club plans to compete against other competitive clubs, however, since their current adviser, instructional dean Charles Tran, recently took a personal leave, their winter competition schedule is indefinite and they will most likely be unable to compete in the winter season.
“[Mr. Tran] was very helpful in being proactive and trying to help us; he got the [winter] tournament set up for us. I think we’ll still be able to find things to compete in once we come back. Although we won’t be able to do the tournaments, we’re going to try to play scrimmages in the school gym with other teams,” club president senior Ethan Zheng said.
In its first year, members worked to improve their skills and got ready to compete. In the second year, the club ran scrimmages against Diamond Bar to get a better foundation for their club. In hopes of turning it into a team, club officers approached former principal Dr. Ryan Maine last year but were forced to wait until the start of the next school year as Dr. Maine was promoted to the district office. As principal Dr. Michele Lew adjusted to Walnut High School, the club missed its deadline to apply to start a team.
“I do wish it were a team; we would actually get a coach. We want to compete with other schools and see how we compare to other schools,” club co-vice president junior Daniel Zheng said.
Unlike other official sports teams, the club does not have a class period dedicated to the sport, so they must give their members other chances outside of scheduled practices to improve their game.
“Our club provides information where we can play, but we don’t organize our practices outside of school. Because it’s not allowed, we just tell them things like ‘Oh, this place has an open gym and is where you can enjoy volleyball’,” Daniel Zheng said.
They also find opportunities to compete outside of school with scrimmages and competitions. They attend various scrimmages both with other schools and by going to open gyms. This helps players improve their game readiness and coordination by learning to work together.
“Most of our members just practice by themselves through various means of club volleyball. A lot of us go to the Teen Center, which hosts volleyball open gym for adults, where we get practice,” Zheng said.
Because the club participates in athletic activities on campus, club regulations restrict the club and require many waivers.
“We couldn’t really meet under the name of Walnut High since clubs aren’t allowed to do dangerous physical activity. We also met at public spaces to adhere to the current club regulations,” Zheng said.
Unlike other high school sports teams, Walnut Volleyball Club allows students without any experience in the game to help each other learn, improve and win as a team.
“I joined at the time because I thought it would be fun to practice volleyball and get better and also to have this hobby,” said club treasurer senior Barron Lee. “I think it’s made me more eager to try new things and have confidence in it.” Ω
