Three-time Olympian to lead volleyball camp
4/19/2016 7:21:00 AM | Volleyball
Stacy Sykora, a two-time All-American and three-time Olympian, will be in Missoula on Saturday, May 7, to help lead a one-day volleyball camp put on by coach Brian Doyon and the Montana volleyball program.
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The all-skills camp, which is limited to 100 athletes, is open to players of all ages. It starts at 9 a.m. in the West Auxiliary Gym of the Adams Center and goes to 4:30 p.m.
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In addition to coaching at the camp, Sykora will lead a question-and-answer period about her playing experiences, sign autographs and be available for photos. The silver medal she won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be in the gym should any camper desire a free case of goose bumps.
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Sykora will also recount the life-changing story of the bus accident in Brazil in 2011 that left her in intensive care for nearly a month. The accident took away her ability to ever again play high-level volleyball but left her with an inspirational message.
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"I'm really excited to have Stacy come into our gym and share her knowledge and experiences with young athletes about what it took to become an Olympian," said Doyon.
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Sykora, who works as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M as an outside hitter. She also won the Big 12 heptathlon title as a member of A&M's track and field team.
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Encouraged by her college coach to apply her skillset to the libero position, which was added to the sport at the international level in 1998, Sykora remade herself from an outside hitter into the best libero in the world, a title she held for more than a decade.
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With Sykora in the back row, Team USA finished fourth at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, tied for fifth in Athens in 2004 and earned silver in 2008. Sykora was named Best Libero at the 2010 World Championships in Japan and later the USA Volleyball Player of the Year.
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"Stacy wants to share with the players at the camp what it was like to pursue a dream and play in the Olympics," said Doyon.
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"She had a college coach who trained her as an outside hitter, then she went to three different Olympics under three different coaches who all had different philosophies. She had to take on a growth mindset and adapt her game to all three, but it was something she had to do if she wanted to reach her dream."
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The cost to preregister for the camp (through April 25) is $140. The price bumps to $160 after April 25. For more information contact Doyon at brian.doyon@mso.umt.edu.
Â
The all-skills camp, which is limited to 100 athletes, is open to players of all ages. It starts at 9 a.m. in the West Auxiliary Gym of the Adams Center and goes to 4:30 p.m.
Â
In addition to coaching at the camp, Sykora will lead a question-and-answer period about her playing experiences, sign autographs and be available for photos. The silver medal she won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be in the gym should any camper desire a free case of goose bumps.
Â
Sykora will also recount the life-changing story of the bus accident in Brazil in 2011 that left her in intensive care for nearly a month. The accident took away her ability to ever again play high-level volleyball but left her with an inspirational message.
Â
"I'm really excited to have Stacy come into our gym and share her knowledge and experiences with young athletes about what it took to become an Olympian," said Doyon.
Â
Sykora, who works as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M as an outside hitter. She also won the Big 12 heptathlon title as a member of A&M's track and field team.
Â
Encouraged by her college coach to apply her skillset to the libero position, which was added to the sport at the international level in 1998, Sykora remade herself from an outside hitter into the best libero in the world, a title she held for more than a decade.
Â
With Sykora in the back row, Team USA finished fourth at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, tied for fifth in Athens in 2004 and earned silver in 2008. Sykora was named Best Libero at the 2010 World Championships in Japan and later the USA Volleyball Player of the Year.
Â
"Stacy wants to share with the players at the camp what it was like to pursue a dream and play in the Olympics," said Doyon.
Â
"She had a college coach who trained her as an outside hitter, then she went to three different Olympics under three different coaches who all had different philosophies. She had to take on a growth mindset and adapt her game to all three, but it was something she had to do if she wanted to reach her dream."
Â
The cost to preregister for the camp (through April 25) is $140. The price bumps to $160 after April 25. For more information contact Doyon at brian.doyon@mso.umt.edu.
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