BYU Volleyball Camp

The original plan for BYU summer camp was to drop Jenna off each morning and then spend the hours she'd be at camp roaming around with Shelly exploring her stomping grounds, going to the Temple, etc. But Jenna ended up with the stomach flu on Sunday, and it was a bad one. She hadn't recovered by Monday morning when camp started.  We called the camp and let them know she'd be coming later. I had to accompany her because she was weak from throwing all night Saturday (six hours) and sleeping all of Sunday. She hadn't eaten, but this camp was SO important. We checked her in late and then found one of the buildings where the camp was located. After talking with someone on the floor and letting them know Jenna needed to watch today, we sat and watched the court nearest us. Just after getting situated, Heather Olmsted and her assistant coach came through to check on the courts. She came over to talk to us, and we let her know Jenna needed to sit today. She noticed Jenna's Tstreet attire, and we let her know Jenna was a setter and was looking forward to instruction at a higher level. She invited Jenna over to the Smith Fieldhouse which was where the top three courts were. We sat over there and watched the activity before leaving for the day. We returned the following morning. Jenna still hadn't eaten very much, but she was determined to get out there. Heather directed her to court three with Mary Lake, and they were so excited to have a second setter. I ended up staying because we weren't sure if Jenna was going to hurl or be okay. As the next few days progressed and Jenna got stronger, I was in the routine of going in with her. I felt like I might be a little obvious hanging out so I found a perch high up in the stands and hid while watching the activities. Jenna got pulled to play one night with the top court which was a great experience. She received instruction from Linsey Haddock, a setter on the team, Amy Boswell, the fantastic middle blocker, and Mary Lake who is one of the best Liberos in the country. The head coaches were there to watch the play and instruct as well. For all the frustration of being sick and the heartache of not being able to play at 100% (she did pretty darn good anyway), the week went well. I've learned that I say too many things to coaches that make me sound like a dork, and that I worry about the process and progress too much (Is she on the right court? Is she progressing fast enough to achieve her goals?). We also learned that prayer works and that the power of the priesthood is real.  Jenna had an amazing blessing from Sarah's grandpa. We carried that blessing through the week. Jenna also prayed on Tuesday that she would feel better and after resting during lunch, she was able to go back and play really well. Sometimes you can exercise faith through other people praying for you and a blessing, but Heavenly Father wants to hear from us too.  On our way out on the last day, we stopped by the BYU sign and grabbed a soda and sugar cookie from the famous Swig. This was a great experience. If Jenna hadn't been sick and sitting in the place she was at the time she was, we don't know if the coaches would have noticed her being from Tstreet or whether she would have been invited to the top courts. We think this all happened for a reason, maybe one that we won't understand for some time.