By Mary Owen
Sublimity resident Lori Ramsay serves a winning combination – love of volleyball and love of coaching.
The director of the new Santiam Canyon Volleyball Club, Ramsay and her husband, Korey, were both college athletes, and both work for the Oregon Youth Authority.
“We are both 100 percent committed to encouraging and providing a pro-social atmosphere for our children and their classmates based on community engagement and social skill building,” Ramsay said. “I always knew at some point I would start this program. I just waited for the right time and the right group of parents and community partners to present themselves.”
Ramsay said studies show that between the ages of 11 and 14, young girls drop out of pro-social activities at the rate of 3:1 compared to boys in the same age group.
“There are many different reasons for this drop at this age, and our philosophy, both as a family and within our professional lives, is to provide additional programs to combat that dropout rate,” said Ramsay, who moved to Sublimity one month after her first daughter was born in 2004.
The Ramsays chose this area for the “amazing schools, small community atmosphere, and the farming/agricultural appeal,” she said.
Ramsay endorses the club’s mission: “We believe our community’s most valuable, sustainable, and renewable resource is our children. Our club strives to develop athletic skills and team building, while teaching personal responsibility and good sportsmanship, both on the court and off.”
“Our club as a one-, three-, five- and 10-year plan that is currently in the production and creation phase,” Ramsay said. “We all agree that we want our girls to not only participate in a pro-social event that will help with self-esteem and health/wellness, but also promote community give-back philosophies at their young ages.”
Another layer to the club is how it delivers and creates more opportunities for the girls and families that are “local, less expensive, and incorporate family values,” Ramsay said.
“On average, you will find the majority of club volleyball teams in the state charge parents anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per season for their child to participate,” she said. “We all agreed early on that we did not want finances to be a barrier to a child’s participation. Our annual fees are substantially lower and more cost-effective for our community.”
Team members will choose and participate in two community give-back projects per season in addition to the entire club contributing to the community following every fundraising event, Ramsay said. The club held its first Jingle Ball Clinic with about 70 participants to raise funds for charity or a community need.
SCVC has six full teams for girls of all ages from Stayton, Sublimity, Aumsville, Scio, Jefferson, Turner, Mill City, Lyons, Gates and Silverton.
“We have 65 girls and several parents at this point,” Ramsay said. “We also have a tremendous amount of parents that devote their free time and energy to any task we may need help with.”
Helping Ramsay is Amber Van Dolah, and Julie Summers, both coaching experience. Ramsay said she is also grateful for the many businesses that have sponsored the club.
SCVC teams practice from 5 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Marion Church of God, 7478 Stayton Road SE in Turner. An optional open gym is held on Friday nights.
For information, call Ramsay at 503-871-7727 or e-mail her at SantiamVolleyball@yahoo.com.
