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Area's top volleyball program has shown a Net Gain
Monday, June 17, 2002 10:00 PM PDT
By Ben Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleWhen Bill Marshall took over as the director of the Cowlitz Volleyball Club in 1980, it had one team with 11 players. The team practiced at the YMCA every Wednesday night for two hours after an aerobics class. Each girl paid $1 per workout.
Hundreds of players and 195 college scholarships later, Marshall still presides over Cowlitz. The elite volleyball program has grown into an 11-team operation, with 24 volunteer coaches and a seven-month schedule that includes up to 17 tournaments.
At its core, the same, simple motto ---- "Making a Difference" ---- resonates year after year.
Just ask CVC's current players, who laced up for a Sunday tournament at 7 a.m. after graduating from high school the night before. Or ask some of CVC's alumni, who commute from the Seattle area to help coach for no pay.
Ask Stephanie Storedahl, a 2002 Kalama graduate, member of the Cowlitz Asics 18s Black and headed to Arkansas Tech on a volleyball scholarship in the fall: "This club has shaped me and made me who I am."
Or Tara Andrews, Rainier Class of 2002. Andrews has a full ride to Clackamas Community College, and said she "owes everything to Cowlitz."
"It's insane that I drive down all the time," said Nikki Burkhardt (R.A. Long, '92), a Cowlitz veteran who lives in Kent but finds time to coach the Cowlitz Blue 16s. "I love it too much not to."
Cowlitz has been indispensable for hundreds of local athletes seeking to utilize volleyball to help further their education.
The 18s Black is the club's A-team ---- the first string ---- and all nine are college bound.
Andrews and Storedahl will have plenty of company on the college volleyball circuit in the 2002-03 season. Jessie Buck (Camas) and Lisa Langmade (Camas) are both headed to Northwest College in Kirkland. Brooke Clark (Kelso) will serve and spike for Western New Mexico. Amanda Lee (Prairie) will play at the U.S. Naval Academy. Kate Sorensen (Kelso) is headed east to Smith College in Massachusetts. And Jennifer Davis (Scappoose) will guard the net at the University of Puget Sound.
Getting noticed
Playing at national tournaments gives the teams exposure to college recruiters. The coaching staff has years of expertise, which Andrews said "prepares us for a college coach's expectations."
And then there's Marshall's networking acumen.
"It was all Cowlitz highlights on my (recruiter) tape," Sorensen said. "I wouldn't have even looked into Smith if it wasn't for Bill. Playing for Cowlitz is really about selling yourself to colleges, and Bill works his butt off for us."
Added Burkhardt: "If you want a scholarship for volleyball, you'd better play for Cowlitz."
Lori Rowe's daughter, Melissa (Mark Morris, '01), played seven years in the Cowlitz program and earned a scholarship to Concordia College in Portland. Lori Rowe said "the biggest advantage of playing here is the exposure to college recruiting. And it probably helps to ease the transition from high school to college."
"Everyone wants to be here," Melissa Rowe said. "These athletes are hand-picked, the elite. It's more professional. It's a very high level of play."
Cowlitz brings together the best of the best from area prep programs, often making teammates out of bitter high school rivals. That's part of the life training a Cowlitz player receives.
Lori Paulsen (R.A. Long, '94) lives in Bellevue, but helped Burkhardt coach the 16s Blue team a year ago. She was at Monticello Middle School on Sunday to play for the alumni team.
"Cowlitz wasn't just about getting me into college," Burkhardt said. "It helped me grow as a person. I learned teamwork. I learned how to get along with different people, how to overcome rivalries.
"The people you play against in high school all come together and have to play together on a club team," Paulsen added. "Cowlitz sort of gave me the vocabulary for adulthood. And then going out into the world, I learned how to speak. If a girl wants help, even if she doesn't, Bill gives it. I love what he did for my life."
Coaching is top-notch
To an athlete, Cowlitz players expressed tremendous gratitude toward Marshall. Though many regard him as somewhat of a disciplinarian ---- and at least one current member of the 18s Black said he was "a turd" for making the team change its uniforms between games Sunday ---- there's a strong consensus of sentiment that regards him a father figure.
"I loved Bill as a coach," said Burkhardt. "He's ... he's just Bill. He's a funny guy. He's a busy man and he still puts love into this."
"The coaching is excellent," said Blake Rowe, Melissa father. "Bill does a great job connecting the older players with the younger players."
"Bill has three boys," added Melissa, "but he gets to coach 12 girls every year. It's a big family, the whole program. The 18s take care of the 16s, the 16s take care of the 14s, and Bill takes care of everyone."
Marshall coaches the Asics 18s Black and makes all the arrangements for tournaments, travel, fund-raising and sponsorship. As the newly appointed principal of Monticello, he even finds time to run a middle school in between.
Running Cowlitz is a labor of love for the 51-year-old father of two grown sons (Brendan and Sean) and one current Lumberjack (Craig).
"I get the satisfaction of working with goal-oriented, motivated female student-athletes with a desire to further their education," said Marshall. "All of the seniors on my team who want a scholarship will get one. It might not be to their first-choice school, but they will get a scholarship. We sign girls to a place where they can play and get an education."
According to Marshall, the college graduation rate of Cowlitz players is more than 95 percent.
"What attracts (college) coaches to our club is the enthusiasm with which we play," Marshall said. "We have fun. We define winning in our club as walking of the court having given our best effort. We also teach our players about sacrifice and commitment. Sports don't get you an education. Dedication and desire get you an education."
It costs approximately $1,900 per player for a year in the Cowlitz club, which makes it "an upper middle-class sport," Marshall said.
"We will not deny anybody the opportunity to compete for financial reasons," Marshall said.
To help defray the costs ----- which Marshall says are the lowest of any elite club program in the country ---- Cowlitz solicits the donation of goods and services from local businesses, and players participate in a variety of fund-raisers. Whatever cash amount is saved by the receipt of donated goods, Marshall pledges toward an athlete's club fee.
Next stop: California
Several Cowlitz teams, including the 18s Black, played in Sunday's Pre-Festival Tournament at Monticello, the last tune-up before the massive National Volleyball Festival in Sacramento and Davis, Calif. (June 23-29). The Festival is the largest women's team sporting event in the world, according to Marshall.
A Cowlitz alumni team was on hand to help prep the club for the 600-team gathering.
Club veterans such as Judy Frandsen (Toutle Lake), Raven Northrup (Kelso), Ada Weicht (Toutle Lake), Tiffany Golden (Toutle Lake), Carrie Gosselin (Toutle Lake), Lauren Anicker (Kelso), Burkhardt, Paulsen and Rowe gave the 18s Black a run for its money in the first game before "crumbling" in the second, according to Marshall.
He was surprised the current team prevailed, because the alumni team is "always motivated."
Some things at Cowlitz never change.
Ben Zimmerman is a sportswriter for The Daily News. He can be reached at zim@tdn.com or 577-2527.
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