The most important part of a team is the connection and association with one another. Among many sports programs at FIHS, there is one that sticks out more than the rest. The volleyball team at Fountain Inn is an amazing example of what a team should look like.
Overall, the volleyball team has proved to be the most family-oriented compared to the other sports.
“As coaching staff, we make the family aspect our top priority, our main goal. Even just JV and Varsity combined were below 30. So it’s a smaller group. Having our leaders is a priority as well,” Coach Reed said.
Reed (head coach of Varsity) and Maggie Ozmint (the assistant coach of JV) are two of the many coaches for the volleyball team.
This program has been going on for years, and over this time there have been some major changes in the way the team reacts with one another.
Imani Webb, sophomore player for the JV volleyball team has been on the team for the past two years.
”I think the volleyball team has changed a lot since I first started. Like, there isn’t such a big gap between the sophomores and the freshmen on the team. We are all mixed in very well,” Webb said.
“Every team is different; there hasn’t been one season where we have the same team dynamic. It’s grown, it’s evolved, and it’s changed over the years. I believe that we’ve gone on and made it more of a focus. We have tended towards becoming closer and closer together,” Reed said.
There are traditions that keep this tight-knit group together, such as big sister and little sister which is a varsity player and a JV player put together.
Extending that, there is the notecard tradition between big sister and little sister. It’s when one will make a notecard during the game for their sister and give it to them after they finish.
Lastly, after games, each individual team will gather up and talk about the highlights of the game, uplifting one another. “It’s like a domino effect, everyone wanting to share positives from the game,” Ozmint said.
While a strong team bond doesn’t seem that important, it tremendously alters the way a team can be perceived and how they play.
“It’s a team sport; you can’t just put one person on the court and have them play a team of six. They have to be able to work together. They’ve got to trust each other. It’s part of the game,” Reed.
