Boys volleyball continues to grow as a sport. But somehow, some of the city of Milwaukee was left out.
"Unfortunately, MPS doesn't offer boys volleyball as one of our sports, so we definitely saw this as a need, to offer the boys because I'm the girl's volleyball coach here at Riverside," Milwaukee Recreation Boys Volleyball League Director and Volleyball Referee Katie Gompper says. "And we would often have the guys come to us, asking hey, can we come in to practice? Can we do this? And so there was a definite need, and interest, especially for our young gentlemen that are Asian."
And filling the need pumps these kids up.
"I think it's a huge self-esteem boost, because they're one, being recognized for something that they're good at," Gompper says. "They get an opportunity to participate. And represent their team, their school. And have fun while doing it all."
Now the hope is it grows even more. Maybe someday with a WIAA competition.
"There's a definite need here in the city because we started this about five years ago," Gompper says. "We only had about five to six teams. And right now we're at 10, and actually had to exclude teams because we, there was just limited space here at Riverside and so I'm hoping next year we move it to a larger facility to accommodate more teams."
Plus the level of play just keeps getting better.
"They've gone a long way, since when we started in March," Gompper says. "So it's really exciting to see how into it, they're getting."
Rufus King players practice nearly year-round for this league. No coach. No gym, they bought a net and practice in the fall on some green space. And in the winter, they find some of the MPS rec centers to play in. Completely student run. Hmong American Peace Academy and Riverside? Largely the same. These kids are dedicated.
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