FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – For the second year in a row, the Army West Point women’s volleyball team held its preseason training camp at Fort Indiantown Gap’s Blue Mountain Sports Arena.
The camp, which ran from Aug. 6 to 13, included a youth volleyball clinic and an intra-squad scrimmage that was open to the public on Aug. 12.
“It has been incredible so far,” said Head Coach Alma Lee. “The preseason is actually a time that we can get together and spend about five or six hours in the day of training volleyball and great bonding experiences.”
Lee said coming to Fort Indiantown Gap for camp allows the team to minimize distractions and focus on volleyball.
“Back at West Point there is a lot going on during this time, and the ability to actually have our team together in an amazing facility and this Fort Indiantown Gap community has brought us together even more,” Lee said.
In addition to volleyball practice, the future Army officers were also able to experience some of the military aspects of Fort Indiantown Gap, Lee said.
“We actually got to go to a medical training center and got to tour around,” Lee said. “We have three of our players interested in medical fields. We got to fly in chinooks and be exposed to the aviation branch also.
“It’s really great being able to expose our young leaders to the Army,” Lee added.
Cadet Michelle Parker, who is entering her junior year at West Point, said she enjoyed the experience at the Gap.
“This week is a great opportunity to get in the gym, really band together as a team, and really work on some wonderful skills that we won’t be able to do on our busy pre-season at West Point,” Parker said. “It’s great to just take a week and focus on volleyball and focus on getting better as a team.
“This week has been full of great opportunities, we do play a lot of volleyball and we’re training in here, but we also get the wonderful opportunity to be exposed to the different branches that Fort Indiantown Gap has,” Parker added. “I’m kind of open to everything right now, med service or some logistics, but the opportunities are really open everywhere.”
Parker said she had a lot of military service in her family, and she got the wonderful opportunity to visit West Point for volleyball.
“Immediately when I went to West Point, I was surrounded by wonderful people who just really thrive in a community-based culture,” she said. “That really stuck out to me compared to normal colleges, and the opportunity to be more well-rounded.”
Parker said she has several goals for the upcoming season.
“Obviously win the championship would be awesome, but beating Navy is the biggest target, getting better together, getting stronger in the gym,” Parker said.