During the month of May all of our travel teams were involved in a variety of weekend long tournaments. Our gym environment’s progressive skill development and competitive edge have proven to be a continued success throughout these tournaments and we are very proud of our players and coaching staff. The player’s consistent work ethic, and impressive ability to stay focused during the end of their school years, has really shown the commitment that our ath-letes possess. Coaches have continued to work on their team’s spe-cific needs and trainers have really honed in on identifying training strategies to increase team camaraderie. Players continue to take ad-vantage of position training and the trainers have enjoyed seeing players from the Regional program continue to attend these work-outs. The desire to continue improving is evident in everyone in-volved with Fusion South and the month of June should cap off a memorable inaugural season as our teams train for their final tour-naments. ~ Fusion South Staff

Fusion South Training Atmosphere Important Details

to be aware of:

Boys Program – 18 Nike will start up on May 30th. Going Wednesday and Fri-day, Wednesday in Marengo and Friday at Fusion South. 7:00-9:30!!

Summer Camps SEE pgs. 9 & 10 INFORMATION - Summer camp infor-mation has been posted on our web-site. Please make sure to register your daughters early!! We look forward to see-ing all the girls over the summer!! IF you have any questions please contact Mike Bui.

JUNE practice Schedule - The practice schedule will remain the same for all teams in June. If you have any ques-tions contact Mike Bui.

IN THIS EDITION

Player Spotlights– Grace Loberg, Ellie Strang, Luke Spicer

Coaches Spotlight - Tom Sitarz from 16 Sienna

Team & Player Successes at Fusion South - 17 Red and 16 Sienna

Summer Camp information pgs. 9 & 10 - Flyer posted

Upcoming Multi-day Tournaments - Including info on AAU’s

Fusion South

Newsletter

MAY 2012

FUSION SOUTH

Upcoming Multi-Day Tournament Information

Youth Classic in Aurora, IL (June 2nd & 3rd)

- Teams attending this event are All 14 Travel Teams, All 13 Travel Teams. There is no need to stay in a hotel as the tournament will be at local venues or within an hour drive.

Pre-Nationals in Aurora, IL (June 9th & 10th)

- Teams attending this event are All 17 Travel Teams, All 16 Travel Teams, All 15 Travel Teams. There is no need to stay in a hotel as the tournament will be at local venues or within an hour drive.

AAU National Championships in Orlando, FL (June 19th – 27th depending on age group)

See below information for dates and for more information about tournament visit: www.aauvolleyball.org

- Teams attending this event are All 17 Travel Teams, 16 Red, 16 Silver, 15 Red, 14 Red, 13 Red. All teams will be staying together in 3 bedroom condos at the Floridays Resort in Orlando, FL.

– details have been emailed out on April 12th. For parent stay rates see below details…..

Parent Reservations/Rates 2-Bedroom Condos (view): Sleeps up to 8; Rate $139/night ($170.16 with resort fees/taxes included) 3-Bedroom Condos (view): Sleeps up to 12; Rate $175/night ($210.66 with resort fees/taxes included)

To make reservations simply call 866-994-6321 and mention the Club Fusion group. Please note that they were not able to secure a block so please make reservations fast if you decide to stay at Floridays

with the teams/staff.

          13 Open, 13 Club, 14 Open, 14 Club, 14 Classic, 15 Club, 15 Classic Coach Check‐In: June 19, 2012    Team Competition Days: June 20‐23, 2012 

 

15 Open, 18 Open Coach Check‐In: June 22, 2012    Team Competition Days: June 23‐26, 2012 

 

  16 Open, 16 Club, 16 Classic, 17 Open, 17 Club, 17 Classic, 18 Club Coach Check‐In: June 23, 2012 Team Competition Days: June 24‐27, 2012 

Congratulations to all of our 15’s and 16’s regional teams who finished there season at the end of April at the Wisconsin Diggin in the Dells Tourna-ment. The girls played hard and showed great growth in their individual skill development and overall team camaraderie. Coaches were very proud of their teams and enjoyed spending the weekend with the girls and their families. We would like to THANK all the coaches and parents for their continuous sup-port and positive interaction with the girls throughout the season. Parents - your support is always important and the girls would not have grown as much and coaches would not have been able to make such a positive impact without you! We hope to see all the girls during the position training sessions as well as at the Fusion South Summer Camps. We also look forward to watching the girls play during their High School seasons in the fall, so make sure to look for us in the crowd! Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Thanks for a great season!!

~ Fusion South Staff

Fusion South 15’s -16’s Regional Program

Fusion South

Newsletter

MAY Newsletter

Team Success at Fusion South

At the be-ginning of the season when 16 Si-enna started their power league play

they struggled throughout their

pool play and only won 2 matches out

of their first 11 matches. During the second half of their power league play they have won 12 matches out of 14!! 16 Sienna has found their grove and we are very proud of their hard work and con-

sistent progress

during the second half of power league.

16 Sienna is coached by Tom Si-

tarz and he has done a wonderful job motivating this team to work hard, work together and

stay focused to maintain their goals, along with making

the game fun for the whole team!!

Way to go Tom and 16 Sienna!! 16 Sienna

17 Red Places at NJC’s…..

Over Memorial Day weekend at the National Junior Classic Tour-nament our 17 Red team Placed

3rd in the 18 Club Division. What a great accomplishment!!

Way to go 17 Red!!!

16 Siena Has Great overall Success in Power League play…..

17 Red

FUSION SOUTH

P L A Y E R S P O T L I G H T

Name: Ellie Strang Team: 16 Sienna Coach: Tom Sitarz Position(s): Libero High School you attend? Kaneland High School When did you first start playing volleyball? I first started playing volley-ball when I joined my school team in the seventh grade. Why did you decide to play volleyball at Fusion South? I had always thought that Fusion teams were good when we played them and was always told that it was a good club by coaches and I wanted to be a part of that club. What is your favorite component of the game of volleyball? What I like about volleyball is that you develop new people skills and you are always learning, but my favorite part is that you are a part of a huge volleyball family. What makes volleyball a significant part of your life? Volleyball is a big part of my life because it helps me to work hard and it has also helped me to become a better student because I have to have good time manage-ment skills. Also, if I had a bad day I always look forward to volleyball practice because its chance to make something good out of your day and have fun. What are you personal goals when it comes to volleyball? My personal goal for volleyball is to make var-sity next year on my school team and play in college. Also, when I’m older I would like to become a coach as well. What is your favorite memory at Fusion South so far? My favorite memory so far is when my team won a tough match a few weeks ago in three games and we screamed and cheered and created a huge moshpit. I was really proud of us. What is your favorite quote? “Life isn’t about how many breaths you take; it’s about the moments that take your breath away.” If you could describe your team using 3 words what would they be? Funny, Determined, Hard Working

FUSION SOUTH

Name: Grace Valerie Loberg Team: 13 RED Coach: Ben Fisher Position(s): Outside Hitter School you attend? Geneva Middle School North When did you first start playing volleyball? 5th Grade at St. Peter School Why did you decide to play volleyball at Fusion South? My mom said Fusion was a great club and she knew I would learn a lot. What is your favorite component of the game of volleyball? Learning new techniques, getting a kill during a game, and winning with my TEAM What makes volleyball a significant part of your life? My mom played volleyball for Indiana Uni-versity and my dad was always in the stands cheering her on. My aunt was a professional beach volley-ball player - we always went to the Chicago AVP tournament to cheer her on, and we got to hang out with all the professional players. I have a picture of me with Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and another picture of me with Karch Kiraly. We like to have some great games with the family in the Loberg backyard. What are your personal goals when it comes to volleyball? To improve and learn each time I step onto the court. I want to make the high school team and win a CHAMPIONSHIP. My ultimate goal would be to get a scholarship to play in college and play professional beach volleyball. What is your favorite memory at Fusion South so far? Improving! Going from bracket J to Bracket C in the 14’s level Power League as 13's. What is your favorite quote? Volleyball is my life, everything else is just details!! If you could describe your team using 3 words what would they be? Funny, Athletic, Hardworking

P L A Y E R S P O T L I G H T

FUSION SOUTH

Name: Luke Spicer Team: 16 Boys Coach: David Keo Position(s): Outside Hitter High School you attend? St. Charles East High School When did you first start playing volleyball? I first began play-ing volleyball when I was 12 years old. I played for Cyclones in North Aurora. Why did you decide to play volleyball at Fusion South? I first began playing at Fusion South because my high school coach was coaching there (Bui) and my teammates I wanted to play together at a club that was close to home. What is your favorite component of the game of volleyball? My favorite part of volleyball is getting a beau-tiful set to slam or getting a momentum shifting block. What makes volleyball a significant part of your life? Many of my family members have played volleyball and I have grown up around it. What are you personal goals when it comes to volleyball? I would like to see my high team make it to State and I would love the opportunity to play in college. What is your favorite memory at Fusion South so far? My favorite memory would have to be meeting my new teammates and also seeing how our team progressed through the season. What is your favorite quote? “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?” - eminem If you could describe your team using 3 words what would they be? Hardworking, Hilarious, Athletic

P L A Y E R S P O T L I G H T

FUSION SOUTH

Name: Tom Sitarz

Team You Coach: 16 Sienna Home Town: Carpentersville, Illinois

College : attended NIU, now Ashford University

Coaching volleyball for?: 6 yrs. Other Occupation(s): student

Family details: Married to my high school sweetheart Tiffany. She coaches at Club Fusion Marengo. I have two beautiful daughters: Zoe 12 plays at Club Fusion Marengo and Zandra 9 that is a closet volleyball player.

What 2 memories stick with you most since you started coaching volleyball?

The opportunity to coach my daughter for two seasons, and when my boy’s 15 Elite team won the silver medal at Pre-Nationals in Wisconsin.

If you could share 3 pieces of advice to other volleyball athletes what would they be? 1. Always give it all you got. 2. Strive for excellence, especially in practices and training.

2. 3. Your mind is your biggest opponent

What are some of the greatest benefits of coaching? Being a role model, Seeing players progress, Learning how to handle tough situations.

What are some of the challenges of being a coach?

Making sure every player gets a chance to shine and Balancing out your practice time for every player.

What is your favorite component/aspect of the game of volleyball?

Teaching the fundamentals, System work, The speed of the more elite teams and watching the less elite teams trying to reach that same speed.

What is your favorite memory at Fusion South so far? My setter joke, that didn’t make any sense but I be-

lieve it is still funny because the players always laugh at it. “You must be a waitress, because you sure tip a lot”.

How would you describe the roll of a captain and/or the significance of a true leader?

Knows how to communicate well with their teammates, have a good volleyball IQ and be a coach on the floor

What is your favorite quote? Finish strong

If you could describe your current team using 3 words what would they be?

Competitive, Passionate and Fun

Fusion South SUMMER Camp Information

Fusion South SUMMER Camp Details