MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks volleyball team hosted its camp for the little-Mavs and mini-Mavs. The three-day camp drew 120 athletes, Head Coach Krystal Trammell said. While 120 kids can be a lot to manage for anyone, Trammell has some help. 

"We utilize our high school athletes in the program," she said. "We divide up all the girls, different age levels, and each team has a team captain and a helper. So our players are the ones that are basically teaching and helping develop the next generation of volleyball players." 

The camp began Tuesday, concluding on Thursday. Camp attendees got to work through different elements of volleyball they may come across in competitive games. The mini-Mavs consisted of players ranging from second through fifth grade, Trammell said. This group works with a lighter ball and lower nets as they learn the basics of the sport.  

"They learn how to pass and set," Trammell said. "We acclimate them to the ball, and that way they feel a little bit more comfortable being around it. We don't want them to be afraid of the ball or the floor or anything. The games that we design, or the activities that we design, are for them to feel comfortable and become familiar with the court and each other." 

The little-Mavs consist of players from sixth through eighth grade. For them, it's an opportunity to become more familiar with the high school program as they get closer to moving up to that level. While a larger focus will be on developing the skills they already have, Trammell said she is also utilizing this time to introduce the team culture to them, too.  

"We've got some really well-rounded players out there," the coach said. "It's a time for us to see what we have in the program, for them to understand our expectations and how we work and again bring that culture to them where we work hard, we put in a lot of effort, we're coachable and we have fun." 

Under her leadership, Trammell likes to have her players learning something new and consistently improving each time they step on the court, she said. 

"The earlier we can start that, by the time they reach us in high school, they're used to us. They're used to the program (and) the coaches. They know what those expectations are," she said.  

The little-Mavs camp has run for five years and the mini-Mavs for three. Since implementing this annual camp, Trammell said she has noticed the difference it makes for players who eventually play for her at the high school. New players to the program come in more comfortable with the system and confident in the skills they're bringing to the Mavericks program.  

This year Trammell incorporated her incoming freshman into the camp to also acclimate them for the upcoming season.  

"They've had a great time, and I think it makes them feel a lot more comfortable," Trammell said. "As well as the parents, we have a lot of parents that stay and watch both for the minis and the littles. They see how we work, the program, the culture and the girls. I think it helps them so that they're not so nervous coming to us." 

Having the incoming freshman and players who already have a year or two under their belt also offers a valuable experience for giving back to the next generation of volleyballers, Trammell said.  

"One thing that we talk about is giving back to the community, and we're firm believers that you become a better player by teaching," she said. "Putting them out there in different groups, each one of our team leaders and our group leaders have different learning styles, teaching styles, different levels themselves that they're at." 

Helping Trammell with the camp this week was team captain Madison Witwer, a rising senior who plays on the outside. Once an attendee, it's surreal for her to be heading into her senior year helping the next generation of volleyball players. 

"I love it because I feel like it brings so much community," Witwer said. "It's cool for me to be able to influence the future generations of Moses Lake volleyball and help them grow and really build connections with them. I love seeing them here on the court, and then if I see them at the grocery store or I see them out in town, it's cool because they feel like they have a relationship with us, and I think it just impacts the sport as a whole in the community." 

As she's observed the campers throughout the week, her favorite part of it all is seeing them grow.  

"It's so cool when we give them so many corrections and they just take it and run with it," she said. "This group of girls has been so great to coach and hang out with for three hours a day. It's really fun, that's probably my favorite part is just seeing the growth and their happiness when they finally get something right, or they finally accomplish that thing that they've been working hard to accomplish." 

Witwer shared similar sentiments as Trammell when expressing what she hopes the campers take away from their experience. She's hopeful that her and the other players were positive influences, she said.  

"I just want to make sure that every coach or player here for Mosle Lake volleyball is being a good influence on the girls," she said. "As a little kid, you watch everything. You're watching what everybody older than you is doing. I hope they just take away the culture of our program, and they see that we want to be here. We work hard. We have tons of fun, and I just hope that's their experience with this camp.” 

    A player for the Mavericks volleyball program guides camp attendees through a serving drill. The camp drew 120 volleyballers, Head Coach Krystal Trammell said.
  

    A Mavericks volleyball camper bumps the ball back into the air.
  

    A Mavericks volleyball camper works on her serving during Thursday's camp at Moses Lake High School.