The sand volleyball courts project finished construction earlier this fall, and has been used by Mount Vernon players this fall.
Mount Vernon volleyball coach Maggie Willems explained the idea was to help players in Mount Vernon gain needed experience in the sport.
“Having the ability to play on sand volleyball courts is able to help good players move to great players and great players move to excellent players,” Willems said.
She had the idea to fundraise for the courts in early summer, and approached superintendent Greg Batenhorst about the idea.
Batenhorst noted that Mount Vernon is known for excelling in academics, arts and sports, and this just fit into continued success for volleyball programs at Mount Vernon.
“When Maggie presented this idea in mid-May, I listened and my only worry was how we would be able to pay for something like this,” Batenhorst said.
Mount Vernon School Foundation director Taryn Kuntz helped Willems with that campaign, and the community rallied together within one week to raise more than $20,000 for the new courts, meeting the goal. Willems and grounds crews worked on the site and planning over the summer after fundraising, and M and K Dust Control worked on dirt work for the project.
Willems said that she also has viewed this as a way to connect to the Mount Vernon community, as well as encourage more people in the community to play on the courts. She looks forward to future sand volleyball tournaments to be played on the courts.
Mount Vernon senior Madeleine Miller said that she’s already seen the improvement in her and other players since practicing on the courts this season.
“Playing on sand, it’s harder to move which helps you build more endurance in play,” Miller said. “You also have to rely more on the sequencing and eye training of where the ball is going, which only helps in playing on traditional courts.”
Miller said that on traditional courts, the ball moves much faster, so playing in sand also has helped the team as well.
“We build a better bond with other players playing on these courts, and as we run drills like four on four or five on five play, we help grow relationships with other players on those teams that help transfer to being better on traditional courts,” Miller said.
The school foundation held a ribbon cutting at the new courts Friday, Sept. 23.