Coach Richard Summers, Aliyah King, Kathryn Suter, and Coach Tracy Summers Parkersburg Volleyball Camp.

Two local volleyball hopefuls seized the chance to sharpen their skills at a recent camp in Parkersburg, led by Sistersville natives Richard and Tracy Summers. The long-time coaches, known for their years of experience running successful volleyball camps, welcomed the athletes for a week of intense training and development.

“It was great to see all the girls at camp, but especially the girls from Tyler County,” said Coach Richard Summers. “Kathryn Suter and Aliyah King were two of our most enthusiastic and hardest workers during camp,” he noted. “We loved watching them get better during the week.”

The idea for the camp came from Parkersburg High School volleyball Coaches Tammy Fisher and Katie Wise, who just took over the volleyball program at PHS. They were eager to offer a volleyball camp for kids in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“Offering a camp was one of our first objectives,” said Fisher. “We asked for referrals for someone to lead our camp, and inevitably the answer was, ‘Richard and Tracy Summers.'” The Coaches Summers agreed to run a team camp for PHS players in the morning and a camp for girls in lower grades in the afternoon.

In its first year, expectations were for the camp to have a total of perhaps 35-40 campers, and they ended up just shy of 90 campers. Coach Fisher attributes this in part to the coordinators who are well known in the valley and went on to say, “Watching Richard and Tracy work together is like watching a well-oiled machine in motion. Their energy, passion, and love for the game create an atmosphere where players can thrive.” She added, “We have already asked them to return next year.”

Coach Richard Summers said of the camp: “We really enjoyed working with the team camp. The high school girls worked extremely hard, and we love the energy and enthusiasm of the young campers. We were very blessed to have this opportunity, and want to thank the PHS coaches, administration, and athletic director for their support.”