Jeff Thomas Invited to Anaheim

Jeffrey Thomas is getting a chance to see what is like to compete at the next level and how he stacks up against some of the best volleyball players in the United States. Jeff, who just completed a stellar volleyball career at UW-Oshkosh was invited to train with and try-out for the USA National Volleyball Team. The team moved its training facilities from Colorado Springs to Anaheim this past April. Practice started last Monday, September 11 at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim, California.


The men’s volleyball coach for Michigan Tec University had heard about Jeff from some of her Wisconsin players and watched his play in Salt Lake City this past spring. She was impressed with his play and recommended him to the USAV men’s coach. Jeff was invited play with the USAV team in the nationals in New Orleans last year.

Getting an invite to train with and compete for a spot on the USA Volleyball Team with the chance to play in the 2008 World Olympics is an opportunity of a life time and a dream come true for Jeff.


Jeff went to training camp knowing it was a long shot in that he would be competing for a spot with the best of the best and some of the most talented volleyball players in the United States. Players from UCLA, Long Beach State, Penn State, Pepperdine, California State, Northridge and Stanford where they live and breathe volleyball all year long.

He said that they have been working a lot on techniques and precision passing and serve receive. Jeff, who played outside hitter for the Oshkosh Titans, said that there has not been a lot of time for hitting and that he was looking forward to this week when he will get a chance to show what he can do.

Jeff wrote, “For me personally, I have been forced to forget everything that I have been taught and start from scratch and I have found it to be not such an easy task. In our first and only hitting drill so far, I went 3 for 10 for kills against a combined 6'10" and 6'11" double block. I’m having a little trouble adjusting to their new ways of passing but I have been told by the coaching staff that I am making great progress and am looking better day by day, which for me right now being a club ball player among NCAA giants, keeps me going.”

If he makes the team he would stay in Anaheim and practice until November when competition starts. If he does not make the team he may be given an opportunity to play overseas starting in November and return to try-out with the USAV Team again in January, 2007.

While the opportunity to compete at this level may be a long shot for him it is nevertheless his dream and I am happy that he decided to go. Who knows, maybe the “club player” will make good of it. Regardless of the outcome, when it’s all said and done and the decision has been made as to who is on the team he will be a better person for having followed his dream. He’s our Buckeye Hills hero and we will continue to be proud of him no matter the outcome.

THE REST OF THE ROAD TRIP

A lot has happen since I last posted anything on my blog. Seems like May 1 was just a few days ago. That's not the case. It was over four months ago.

If you didn't notice yet, I have added two new links to my "Favorite Links." One is for the "USA National Volleyball Team" and the other one is about "New Orleans." I will tell you later why I added them. In the meantime enjoy my new favorites.

In April I took a road trip to Tallulah, Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans. That was the trip where I visited Caruthersville three days after it had been devastated by a tornado. I told you a little bit about my experiences in Caruthersville but have not told you about the rest of the road trip. It is never too late to finish weaving a story.

The remaining drive into Memphis on I-55 was fast in spite of lane closures for construction. I had considered taking US Hwy 61 through Tunica, Greenville and Greenwood, MS, down to Lake Village, AR and through Lake Providence to Tallulah. Driving through the small towns that time seems to have passed by can be fun sometimes, especially during the daylight hours. But at dusk you have be particularly watchful otherwise you could have a close encounter with a farm tractor, combine or car without lights. People living along the two lane highway are just not in a hurry to go anyplace fast; it's just us folks from up north.

Memphis to Tunica use to be dotted with old country stores, used car lots, cotton gins, grain elevators and other businesses that supported a farming community. Tunica now looks like an oasis sitting out in middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn and cotton fields. It is all swollen now with gambling casinos, hotels, restaurants and gas stations. Instead of supporting the farming community the new businesses along the highway now supports the gamblers. It looks like a scaled down rural version of Las Vegas, neon signs and all.

I wasn't sure I would have enough energy to drive all the way, so I stayed on I-55 just in case I needed to get a hotel room for the night. I tend to stay on interstate roads when I drive at night for that very reason. As it turned out, I spent the night in a little Mississippi town south of Como, MS. Grandma MaMoe was born in Como eons ago. After a good night sleep at the Holiday Inn Express and breakfast at Waffle House the remaining two hundred miles were a piece of cake.

The plan for Tallulah was for Kenny and I to catch as many as those big crappies or "perch" as the law would allow or as many as we could get in the boat, which ever came first. Get'em home, clean'em, get the grease in the skillet very hot, get'em in the hot grease, cook'em, eat'em and life would be good. But as luck would have it, things didn't turn out quite that way. We fished a couple of days at Fortune Fork but never got into the really big perch like everyone else were catching. We didn't have a boat and that limited us to where we fished. We made a trip to Wal-Mart in Vicksburg to buy a boat but they were sold out. Larry Cox, the Sheriff of Tallulah, gave us permission to fish one of his private ponds but it rained that day when Kenny was done with school. Our two day catch didn't produce enough fish for our "fry", but not to fret, Sheriff Cox to the rescue again. I was getting ready to supplement our dismal catch with a local fish market purchase when Bettye called and said that one of Larry's deputies had dropped off a package in her office for me. The package was fish, lots of fish, lots of big perch fish. I said to Kenny, "Life is good when you have perch to put in the hot grease." Kenny replied with an "Amen uncle, that what I'm talking about."