The Middletown Volleyball Legacy of Spiking the 'Set
The highlight of my past three summers has been participating in Spiking the 'Set sand volleyball tournament at Sunset Park in my hometown of Middletown, Ohio. The tournament creator/organizer/director, my good friend and former teammate Jay Blistan, has put on the best quality tournament I have played in each year, with Jay adding more and more elements that increase the success of the tournament. Spiking the 'Set seemed to mean something special to all of us who participated, especially those of us who played all three years and even more to those of us who spent countless summer hours playing at Sunset each summer. Last year it was only fitting that in the final year of the tournament the top two finishers were teams made up of a majority of Sunset regulars (myself, Nate, Todd, EJ, and Mark). Even though one of us had to win and one of us had to lose, we all knew how important it was to us to make sure we kept the bragging rights in Middletown. Our two teams successfully accomplished that.
Looking back and truly examining the tournament, though, it was never about winning or even getting the chance to play. The purpose of the tournament lied solely in the cause and the beneficiary.
When Jay decided to create the tournament three summers ago, he had no intentions of keeping any profits for himself. At the time, I really didn't understand why anyone would want to put the extraordinary effort into something and not receive what he could have received (mostly money). Now, I am grateful I was able to be a part of the magic. All the proceeds went directly to the American Cancer Society. Jay has had some family members suffer from the disease, so when he thought he needed to find an organization to help, the solution was easy: give back to an organization that helped save loved ones lives.
Near the beginning of this past February, I was also affected by the disease when my grandfather was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer caused by contact with asbestos. Unfortunately, we lost my Grandpa Bob Easter morning, the day after I arrived back home from our national volleyball tournament in Salt Lake City. It was a very quick and trying two months that transpired from the time we found out until the time he lost his battle with cancer.
I was privileged to deliver his eulogy a few days later at his funeral. While preparing for that, so many memories flooded my thoughts, and the oft used cliche, "Everything happens for a reason," came to mind. As much as I don't like cliches, I tried to use this one to help me better understand why this was happening to me and my family and think about things that had happened in the past that may make more sense now. The first memory that stuck out in my head was that of the annual Spiking the 'Set tournament and that I had been a part of something so great that was able to raise money to help cure the disease that took my grandpa away from us. The fact that my team had won the year before he passed away instantly became so much more gratifying, and the reason, at least in my mind, we won the tournament was to honor him.
Spiking the 'Set has now outlived its years, as most of us have moved on in our lives and pursued other endeavors beyond Middletown. The three year stretch will always remain etched in my mind as being the most exciting days of summer volleyball ever. I'd like to thank Jay for putting so much into the tournament, his efforts went above and beyond any expectations that any of us could have had (this should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows Jay and his insatiable desire to be the best).
The things I learned the most from these experiences is that sports can have such an impact on everyday life and vice versa. Almost weekly you can find a charitable sporting event such as Spiking the 'Set or on a grander scale such as the Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament held every preseason in memory of former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano. Proceeds from that tournament go directly to the V Foundation, another cancer fighting organization.
The roles that sports and life play do not always have to be centered around money. Even more, situations in everyday life can inspire athletes to perform at a higher level. Every season in every sport you hear about a player or a coach who just lost a loved one and how they and the team respond and play inspired. No better example of this is when Brett Favre passed for nearly 400 yards on Monday Night Football the day after his father passed away. Unfortunately for Tiger Woods, he was unable to shake off the rust from not playing for several weeks after his father also lost a battle with cancer and failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open. I do not feel this was because he was uninspired, rather golf is a game of repetition and without that for the weeks he didn't play, no one can expect to be very successful.
For the rest of my competitive playing days, I will always be able to use my grandpa for inspiration. I believe that the athletes who play inspired will always defeat the ones who are listless. Hopefully none of you will have to lose a close member of your family or friend to gain inspiration, rather draw from the experiences of others who have.
"Don't give up. Don't ever give up."
-Jim Valvano
Looking back and truly examining the tournament, though, it was never about winning or even getting the chance to play. The purpose of the tournament lied solely in the cause and the beneficiary.
When Jay decided to create the tournament three summers ago, he had no intentions of keeping any profits for himself. At the time, I really didn't understand why anyone would want to put the extraordinary effort into something and not receive what he could have received (mostly money). Now, I am grateful I was able to be a part of the magic. All the proceeds went directly to the American Cancer Society. Jay has had some family members suffer from the disease, so when he thought he needed to find an organization to help, the solution was easy: give back to an organization that helped save loved ones lives.
Near the beginning of this past February, I was also affected by the disease when my grandfather was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer caused by contact with asbestos. Unfortunately, we lost my Grandpa Bob Easter morning, the day after I arrived back home from our national volleyball tournament in Salt Lake City. It was a very quick and trying two months that transpired from the time we found out until the time he lost his battle with cancer.
I was privileged to deliver his eulogy a few days later at his funeral. While preparing for that, so many memories flooded my thoughts, and the oft used cliche, "Everything happens for a reason," came to mind. As much as I don't like cliches, I tried to use this one to help me better understand why this was happening to me and my family and think about things that had happened in the past that may make more sense now. The first memory that stuck out in my head was that of the annual Spiking the 'Set tournament and that I had been a part of something so great that was able to raise money to help cure the disease that took my grandpa away from us. The fact that my team had won the year before he passed away instantly became so much more gratifying, and the reason, at least in my mind, we won the tournament was to honor him.
Spiking the 'Set has now outlived its years, as most of us have moved on in our lives and pursued other endeavors beyond Middletown. The three year stretch will always remain etched in my mind as being the most exciting days of summer volleyball ever. I'd like to thank Jay for putting so much into the tournament, his efforts went above and beyond any expectations that any of us could have had (this should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows Jay and his insatiable desire to be the best).
The things I learned the most from these experiences is that sports can have such an impact on everyday life and vice versa. Almost weekly you can find a charitable sporting event such as Spiking the 'Set or on a grander scale such as the Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament held every preseason in memory of former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano. Proceeds from that tournament go directly to the V Foundation, another cancer fighting organization.
The roles that sports and life play do not always have to be centered around money. Even more, situations in everyday life can inspire athletes to perform at a higher level. Every season in every sport you hear about a player or a coach who just lost a loved one and how they and the team respond and play inspired. No better example of this is when Brett Favre passed for nearly 400 yards on Monday Night Football the day after his father passed away. Unfortunately for Tiger Woods, he was unable to shake off the rust from not playing for several weeks after his father also lost a battle with cancer and failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open. I do not feel this was because he was uninspired, rather golf is a game of repetition and without that for the weeks he didn't play, no one can expect to be very successful.
For the rest of my competitive playing days, I will always be able to use my grandpa for inspiration. I believe that the athletes who play inspired will always defeat the ones who are listless. Hopefully none of you will have to lose a close member of your family or friend to gain inspiration, rather draw from the experiences of others who have.
"Don't give up. Don't ever give up."
-Jim Valvano
posted by SteveO at 10:48 PM
1 Comments:
I like your writing a lot! It's pretty awesome how you can put your own experience and emotion into sports to make it a story. You should definitly keep doing this : )
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