A Recap Of The 2006 Junior Volleyball Tournament

By Chris Puskar and Joe Mardeusz

[Note: Because 2007 will feature a National Zlot, there will be no Junior Volleyball Tournament this year.]

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The 13th Annual Polish Falcons of America Junior Volleyball Tournament took place from March 31-April 2 and was hosted by Nest 118 Pittsburgh, Pa. A lot of work was done by Chairperson Patricia “Trish” Del Busse and her crew, led by Nest 118 President Carol Ann Kuczma, to be prepared for the start of the tournament. At 2 p.m. on Friday, March 31, it was time to get the gyms at Keystone Oaks Middle and High schools ready for the players who would be arriving at around 4 p.m.

With help from Ben Mardeusz, the courts were marked and the nets were set in place. The main floor was cleared and scoring tables were set up in both gyms. The kitchen crew began arriving with items for the snack bar and grab bags for the players.

The teams began arriving around 4 p.m. with few delays thanks to the excellent maps provided by Debby Hojonski. Although the school was not hard to find after a trip or two to Keystone Oaks, anyone who has driven through the Pittsburgh area knows that many of the streets do not go straight.

The coaches met at 5 p.m., and the tournament format was discussed. In addition, schedules were passed out for the Friday round robin play. The teams were then gathered by Co-National Physical Education Directors Chris Puskar and Joe Mardeusz for announcements and a welcome from Chairperson Del Busse, who then introduced and thanked her crew. The tournament began at 5:10 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Volleyball then started with six Junior and Intermediate matches and four Senior matches scheduled. Play continued, and all matches ended by 9 p.m. It was finally time to relax with pizza, wings and beverages provided by Nest 118 at the school.

Players returned on Saturday morning for breakfast at the school and the conclusion of the round robin schedule. During breakfast, team pictures were taken. Afterward, all participants and many adults performed the Nie Rzucim Ziemi drill and then gathered into the stands for a group picture.

Games resumed at 9:30 a.m., and all teams were able to play a match against every team in their division. The records were then used for seeding in the bracket. With a lot of good play, two teams were tied for first in both the Junior and Intermediate divisions, and tiebreakers were used for seeding.

With the morning games concluded, lunch consisting of chicken nuggets, fries and pasta was provided at the school with time for a short rest before the bracket play started.

In the Junior Division, two of the four matches needed the tiebreaker game to determine the winner. The fifth-seeded combination team from Nests 4, South Bend, Ind.; 176, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and 580, Pittsfield, Mass.; played very well and made it to the finals before losing to the Junior Championship Team, Nest 580, which included members Molly Coughlan, Angelia Alfonso, Harry Janis, Anthony Alfonso, Chad Bolotin and Alexandra Byers.

In the Intermediate Division, two of the four matches also needed the tiebreaker game to determine a winner. This included the championship game, where Nests 36, Southwestern Conn.; and 519, Middletown, Conn.; lost to Nests 580 and 725, Milwaukee, Wis. This Nest 580/725 team consisted of Luke Mlynarczyk, Cody Coughlan, Sean Matthews, Chris Bolotin, Cassie Giardina and Domonique Langston.

In the Senior Division, Nest 6 Buffalo, N.Y., lost in a close, exciting contest to Nest 36, which consisted of Adam Choromanski, Chris Killeen, Dorothy Sliwonik, Katherine Sliwonik, Katherine Galezowski, Pauline Galezowski, Caroline Kowalczyk and Catherine Konopko.
With all games concluded by 4 p.m., there was time to return to the hotel, wash up and dress for the party at the nearby All Saints Banquet Hall with dinner and dancing.

Below are the final results for each division.

Junior Division
First Place: Nests 580 and 176.
Second Place: Nests 4, 580 and 176.
Third Place: Nest 725.
Fourth Place: Nest 31, Detroit, Mich.; and Nest 86, Hamtramck, Mich.
Fifth Place: Nests 8, Pittsburgh, Pa., 118 and 519.

Intermediate Division
First Place: Nests 580 and 725.
Second Place: Nests 36 and 519.
Third Place: Nest 176.
Fourth Place: Nests 6, 31 and 86.
Fifth Place: Nests 4, 31 and Nest 80, South Bend, Ind.

Senior Division
First Place: Nest 36.
Second Place: Nest 6.
Third Place: Nests 31, 86, 176 and Nest 564, La Porte, Ind.
Fourth Place: Nests 519, 580 and 725.

Congratulations to everyone involved from Nest 118 to make this a great tournament. We were impressed with the quality of play and sportsmanship. A big “thanks” to the 90 youth players as well as the 24 coaches and 19 chaperones that traveled a total of 8,100 miles to make this event happen.

Also, thanks to those that volunteered at the games as line judges and scorekeepers, especially Mickey Perhach, who scored all the Junior games, and Nick Zembrzuski, who scored all the Senior and two Intermediate games. Finally, I know that there are other things many of you could have done during this weekend, but we sure appreciated you help. Thanks also to National Headquarters, without whose support we could not have these kinds of tournaments for our membership.

Czolem!