Club Director

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The Husky Volleyball

Club Director

Pat Ryan.

The growth of volleyball in Connecticut has just exploded! Those of you that know me are probably aware that I'm a volleyball fanatic. Husky Volleyball started in 1999 because there were no clubs within 40 miles of Hartford. If you had suggested to me back then that Husky VB would have more than 100 teams and have our own volleyball center I would have said "well that sounds pretty cool but you're dreaming" while walking away laughing.

HUSKY-2004-2005-logo

Growth

What do we owe this growth to? The biggest thanks have to go to our coaches. Their dedication to becoming students of the game helps provide our club players with the experience that they are seeking (even if they initially don't know what they are seeking just yet). Our coaches are club alumni, high school coaches, college players and adults who love the sport of volleyball. We have alumni coaches that are now head and assistant collegiate and club coaches all over the country and are sincerely grateful that we were able to have a part in their development. I'm being completely honest when I say that having "The Den" has played a part in our coaches and players development. Having 12 courts over 2 buildings (all going at the same time) has allowed our coaches to share ideas and also given our younger players the opportunity to see our older players setting an example by practicing and playing hard.

Competition

I've always enjoyed competition. Even as a near senior citizen more experienced adult I still get to compete nationally and internationally as a player (just like I did when I was a youngster in my 20's and 30's... and 40's... and 50's... you get the point). Our goal is to try to pass that competitive instinct on to our players. We try to put all of our players in a position to compete at the highest skill appropriate level available to them. That being said our philosophy doesn't waver from reminding our players that they need to concentrate on the process of getting better (and not just the result). That means that they need push themselves to leave the gym better than they came in.

Gratitude

We are grateful for the success that we've had. We are grateful to the parents of the players for supporting their kids and their loyalty to the program. We are grateful to the coaches that put hours in and out of the gym to make our players better. I'm grateful to my wife for putting up with the insanity of the club season (that used to be 6 months long and now is a year round venture).

The Future

We're continuing to work hard behind the scenes to give our players the best club experience possible. We send our top teams to national level competitions, our regional players have some of our most experienced "master" coaches helping out at their Sunday practices and our summer campers get to see some collegiate Division 1 and even Olympic level coaches.

In Conclusion

Hopefully we can continue to meet the needs of the nearby volleyball community. I will promise you this:

  • We will continue to be a player/parent friendly club. I want all of our players treated the same way that I would want my kids treated (and they both played in the club).

  • Husky Volleyball has the same goals that we'd like to see our players have, to get a little better every day.