By Ernie Fowler – Nashville CHSD #99

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We are in the heart of volleyball season at NCHS. I commend our young ladies for their efforts on the court.

I have to admit that I don’t know a great deal about the sport. I’ve coached baseball and basketball but volleyball is a different feather all together.

The key seems to be to whack the ball over the net in such a fashion that the other team cannot return fire. There seems to be only so many swats allowed before the big whack is launched on any given offensive play.

Don’t worry girls, with that understanding of the game, I don’t plan to take over as your coach anytime soon!

I’ve tried to play volleyball in my lifetime….emphasis on “tried”.

The sport moves so fast that I inevitably was always looking the wrong way during the course of play. The peak of my volleyball career has been limited to high school PE class.

I remember it was shortly after the law came into effect that we must have co-ed PE classes.

The girls looked to be more talented in volleyball than the guys. They appeared to have a strategy in how, when, and where to hit the ball.

The guys just wanted to club the ball and knock down as many of the opposing players with brute force as possible.

The highlight of my volleyball career had nothing to do with the game itself.

I was a 15 years old red-blooded boy. During a particular volleyball match, God smiled upon me and allowed me to rotate to the front line. Who should appear in front of me but the blonde-haired, blue eyed girl of my high school fantasy world?

In my mind, she had a glow around her. She was as beautiful as any teenage girl could ever be!

As I looked across the net, I didn’t mind being a few inches shorter than “Samantha”. The stars had fallen in place and we were in the perfect position. Front and center.

My eyes were in direct line with her well-developed assets which were hidden under a t-shirt with the word “bullets” sprawled across the front.

It was 10 seconds of Heaven.

Yes, 10 seconds because our idiot server hit the ball square into the net on his first try causing me to rotate away from her!

As I watch our ladies play volleyball today, I’m amazed at the speed, force, and accuracy they display during the games. I’ve been on the receiving end of a spinning volleyball in the past.

I wasn’t paying attention during a particular warm up period when a serve hit me just below the belt grabbing my undivided attention.

I stay alert now during volleyball warm-ups in an effort to protect my “men..tal” health.

At any rate, I commend the volleyball Hornettes and wish them the best of luck during this season.

By the way girls, when you see me enter the gym…..aim a different direction.

I don’t know how many more “kills” I can survive!