It's been a while... but here's a new letter from Bill.

About the New Format for Newsletter:
It was the hope of the Board of Directors to have the new format of these letters in place and running by now, however, we're a hair behind schedule on it so here's another "Note From Bill" formatted one.

Puget Sound Regional Tournament Came and Went:
What excitement... What upsets... this will clearly be a tournament to remember!

First let me congratulate SF Green and SF Gold on their first place finishes. The StrikeForce Club is definitely a "Force" to be reckoned with. Congrats to ALL the SF teams for another outstanding season.

But all the SF Teams played well during the Tournament. I loved getting to see our players out there; giving it all they had. Way to go everybody. Let's do it again next year.

End of Year Bash:
Well, this year's party was a great success. In similar fashion to last season's E.O.Y.B., there was a ton of laughter, a few tears, and a bunch of awards handed out. Here is a list of award recipients as voted by their teammates:

Most Valuable Player -

            Gold – Tim Hamann
            Black – Derek March
            Red – Carolyn Robertson
            Blue – Ellie  & Sarah

Most Improved Player -

            Gold – Todd Moore
            Black – Dan Chester
            Red – Melody Benner-Snyder
            Blue – Lisa Moorehead

Most Inspirational Player -

            Gold – Bill Foote, Lamar Hurd, Maurice Ramsey, Paul Weinstein
            Black – Wil Wong
            Red – Lynne Tarter
            Blue – Nicole Arguinzoni-Gil

2004 Summer Duke and Duchess Tournaments:

This year, we won't be sending out "spam invitations" as in years past. Instead, we ask that you simply check the "Duke and Duchess" link in the left column for schedules and registration information.

The first one of the season, D&D XI, was another hit. Dave D. and Chantelle defeated Destry and Kris L. in the finals to win the crown and tiara. Currently, there are 4 more D&D's on the schedule and August plans may include two more. I know also, that as of the time I'm posting this, there is still space available for the July 4th tournament, so get registered now.

The Future

Currently, Karen and I are talking about next year's indoor season. It is my hope for me to coach at least one Women's Team and coach/play on a Men's BB Team. I am also planning on taking both these teams to Nationals in Denver. I will, of course have to talk further with Karen about this plan and see if it's feasible to work it out and still have some semblance of a personal life for us. If you are interested in playing on either of these planned teams, please feel free to contact me during the summer and let me know so when we start indoor practices in September, I can get you the proper info. bill@sfvbclub.org

This year's National Tournament was so fun and exciting for those of us who attended, I think we should take more teams next year.

This Club was founded on trying to find the delicate balance between "pushing members to their volleyball limits" and trying "make volleyball fun". As almost everyone knows, we simply cannot please each and every player out there. So we do our best. That in mind, I would like to say that I (we on the Board) would like to hear from you. We need to know what strides we can take to improve the Club for its members.

Please... take a minute or two and send me an email. Let me know what you think... good or bad... about what we have (or don't have) going on here at SFVBC. What're your thoughts on Duke and Duchess Tournaments? How do feel about the upcoming indoor season? Do you "like" the clinics with the AVP players that SFVBC sponsors? Anything really... I'd like to hear your thoughts.

For now gang, let me just say...

Have a great summer. I hope to see you in the heat or indoors in September. Ciao all.

Bill