The Ohio High School Athletic Association classified both girls’ wrestling and boys’ volleyball as emerging sports starting the 2022-23 school year.
Locally, girls have been competing both on boys’ wrestling teams, in recreation and small fry programs, as well as “unofficial” girls’ teams prior to this school year. The transition is already underway and some schools already feature girls’ teams.
Boys’ volleyball, however, at least locally, is essentially starting from scratch. There’s not been rec teams or a feeder program, preparing young boys for neither middle school nor high school level competitive volleyball.
Lindsay Huff and the directors and coaches from Club Gold Volleyball and Club Gold Volleyball South, based in St. Clairsville, are looking to change that. On August 1, CGS put out a call on its Facebook page seeking boys ages 12-16 interested in starting a boys’ team and taking those initial first steps. Those interested met at the J.B. Martin Recreation Center in St. Clairsville.
Huff noted that CGS previously attempted to field a boys’ team, knowing the OHSAA’s decision was coming, without any luck. This time, however, the club received a better turnout.
“It’s kind of been in the works,” said Huff, herself a former member of Club Gold and the current director and a coach. “Last year we attempted to do one and it was just too new still. This year, we put out a call again and did get a response.
“We’re up to seven right now for our 15-and-under boys’ team, with interest from a few more. But it’s been a two-year process.”
Huff knows the process will slowly build up not only interest in boys’ volleyball, but also the feeder systems and school teams here in the Ohio Valley. Both boys’ and men’s volleyball is popular nationally and in regionally in different parts of the country. There’s a men’s Olympic team and a number of Division I, II, and III collegiate programs dot the landscape.
Names like Charles “Karch” Kiraly, Steve Timmons, and more recently Phil Dalhausser should be household names. In volleyball circles, they are., and Huff and CGS are looking to build those networks here in the valley.
“I think new things are scary in general, especially for volleyball (locally) because for so long, what people see is it’s a girls’ sport, but it’s not. It’s huge for boys, just in our area, it hasn’t been,” Huff said. “This is a heavy football, basketball, and baseball area (for boys).
“But this summer, we did hold a camp and some boys athletes came out and they really enjoyed it. I think once the other kids see that this is a male sport as well, it will open their eyes to something new and different.”
Slow to Build
Typically CGS teams are built from tryouts, taking the best of the best locally, forging a cohesive team, and playing against some of the top competition around.
Its roster includes some of the current best and former volleyball players to come through the Ohio Valley since the early 1990s, when Club Gold Volleyball first began back in 1993.
It’s going to take some time to build the boys’ side of the sport here in the Ohio Valley, but those first steps are already under way.
While the inaugural boys’ team at CGS features seven players, Huff noted the hunt is on for a few more to fill out the roster.
“We did not have tryouts for the first year and we have seven boys (so far),” she said, noting they are keeping a few more spots open, up to 10. “Three more would be wonderful. Those interested can get in out Club website or on Facebook and it will tell you who to contact. The Club email also goes right to my phone.”
One thing that may help the sport locally is boys’ volleyball will be a spring sport in Ohio, with the first allowable practices allowed beginning February 20 and the season set to begin March 10.
What that means is volleyball won’t be directly competing with the two big sports for boys locally—football and basketball, along with wrestling—for athletes. It still has to contend with baseball and track and field seasons, along with a few other sports’ at larger schools, but being positioned as a spring sport should help generate interest that might otherwise gravitate to more traditionally popular sports.
“We are behind the curve but eventually it will get there,” Huff said. “This will give other athletes a chance to shine, and a great chance for kids with different skill sets to get into sports.
“Each sport has its own set of quirks and personalities, as does volleyball, and the male athletes in our area haven’t gotten to experience it yet. Once they do, they’ll come to realize it’s a cool sport, not just a girls’ sport. It’s a great time.”
Huff knows it’s going to take some time to build that base level of interest and see it expand. She for one is happy to be helping grow the game she loves, from basically its infancy locally in terms of the boys’ game.
But CGS won’t be able to do it alone. It will require teamwork from multiple levels and multiple people and communities.
“I think a combination of club programs even the area, offering even one or two teams will help, along with school starting to open up their camps to boys as well and not just girls,” Huff said. “It will take a commitment from everyone to make this happen. It’s going to be a group effort both in Ohio and West Virginia. In Pennsylvania, it’s already happening. We have some kids, one of our boys on the 15-and-under team, he played up in Pittsburgh already as they have numbers, large resources and a larger population.”
The current boys’ team has a make-up of athletes from all three states. Ohio officially recognizing the sport will help. Should West Virginia follow suit and also recognize boys’ volleyball, it will go a long way to generating interest, and the number of players.
CGS Has the Credentials
Huff is the former Lindsay Piccolini, who along with her older sister, were both All-Ohio players for St. Clairsville in the early 2000s before both playing Division 1 volleyball for Eastern Michigan.
Both Lindsay and her older sister Bethany played with Club Gold Volleyball back when it was based out of Wintersville. When her younger sister Amanda came through the ranks, the girls’ mother Joyce started the Club Gold South program based in St. Clairsville.
Amanda too benefited and eventually played Division I volleyball at Rider University in New Jersey.
You can safely say that the Piccolini family “likes” volleyball. All but Bethany are still involved locally with Club Gold and Club Gold South.
As stated, Huff is the director, with Joyce Piccolini serving as one of two co-directors. Amanda Piccolini lives in Pittsburgh for her career, but still works as a floating coach and helps out quite frequently as her schedule allows. She also handles all the club’s graphic design work, as that’s her professional background.
They still love the game and work to instill that love in their players locally. They also help train and mold some of the top talent locally and help prepare them for the rigors of high school competition and beyond.
Each season a number of CGS athletes sign-on to play collegiately at all three levels in the NCAA, including Union Local’s Torre Kildow, who opted to link up with Ohio University at the Division I level for her college career.
“We love it honestly,” Huff admitted. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but we truly enjoy it. It’s fun to get to see kids get opportunities, to play in college. It gave a lot to me and I love to help get the kids to that point.”
And now, Huff and her board and staff hope to help the boys’ in the Ohio Valley achieve those goals as well.
