Farewell to CJ and Brad

PowerZone will be hosting a “Goodbye to CJ and Brad” get-together on Wednesday, Sept. 3 during Open Gym (8:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.).

Both CJ (sales in Monmouth and Ocean counties) and Brad (assistant coach for the Rutgers Newark men’s team) are moving on to other jobs. CJ had worked at PowerZone and with the Allegro club teams for four years. Brad had been at PowerZone for over a year.

Refreshments will be served at the farewell.

Here’s a note from CJ:

PZ,

Over the past 4 years I have gotten to know the PowerZone community very well. Our introductions came from playing, coaching or just some casual vball talk around the gym. From gold members to one-day players I have enjoyed meeting you all. We have shared some memories through the fun pick up games, intense league matches, competitive tournaments and tiring adult camps . I am very happy with the dedication we all have to our sport and I have always enjoyed the personalities that come with it. Now it is time for me to say farewell.

This was my final week as a PowerZone employee. I will be pursuing a sales career in Central Jersey that I am very excited about. Although my territory will be Monmouth County and Ocean County forcing me to move down south, I still plan on making a pick up appearance every so often.

If there is one thing that I have taken from my experiences here at PowerZone it would have to be the value of giving. I think we are all entitled to share with those who are willing to accept. During my tenure at PowerZone I have been lucky enough to coach for Allegro Volleyball Club and learn this value of giving first hand. I have seen my players grow and mature as young adults as they leave high school and enter college. They have all worked hard on the courts at practice and gave me their very best at tournament. It gives me great pleasure to know that they will take a little bit of Coach CJ along with them as they journey through life. We all have something great to share with a neighbor and should never hold back on the gifts of knowledge … or food. Unfortunately, my new position will not allow me to coach next year. To satisfy my volleyball urge I will continue my indoor career and maybe begin a beach career as well … however that hasn’t gone well in previous attempts. It would be next to impossible for me to completely leave the game. I hope you all continue to play the sport we love and keep supporting PowerZone because it is one of the few places that we can call our own. Best wishes and I look forward to see you soon!

CJ Pinkney

2008 Summer camps

PowerZone had over 500 players participate in its summer camps this year.

We would like to thank all the campers who took part. It was great working with you and watching all of you improve over the course of the camp. We hope that you worked hard, learned a lot, and had fun doing it!

This is an exciting time for all of you. For the girls, school season is starting, and for boys, the club season is right around the corner. If you don’t have a team for the fall, there is still a great way to continue to play and build your skills – Fall Ball here at PowerZone. It is open to all boys and girls who are 18 and under. Please check out our website (http://powerzonevb.com/activities/club/index.html) for more details, they should be ready soon.

If you made your school team – congratulations! We hope you do well and that you keep improving on your skills. We can’t wait to see you back in our gym for club! If you need a little extra help throughout your season, please keep in mind that we offer private lessons with our highly qualified coaches throughout the year. All the details can be found online at http://powerzonevb.com/activities/camps/index.html.

As a sincere thank you for attending camp at PowerZone, we have put together a team order form for some great volleyball gear that you and your teammates might need at a special discount. Please see the women’s team discount order form under PRO SHOP on the PowerZone news site (http://powerzonevb.com/inthezone/members/index.html) for all the details.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope to see you back here soon!

Adult weekend camp

We’ll be hosting an adult weekend camp on Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday Sept. 28. The camp will be divided into three four-hour sessions: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.

At the camps, you will go at your own speed, but you should expect it to be fast-paced, with lots of volleyball. There will be a coach giving instruction - both telling you and showing you what to do.

The camps will offer two levels of instruction: Advanced and Intermediate (together); or Instructional. Advanced and Intermediate will cover higher level skills and concepts; Instructional will cover basic fundamentals.

Camp attendees should be “serious about volleyball”. There will be lots and lots of drills to maximize your playing time.

Cost for the camp is $145. Registration forms will be available online and also at the front desk. Please register two weeks prior to the start of camp.

Closed Monday, Sept. 1

There will be no Open Gym/Pickup on Monday, Sept. 1. PowerZone will be closed in observance of Labor Day.

Have a nice weekend!

PowerZone’s regular Open Gym/Pickup hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

High School Boys Fall League forming

High School teams have discovered that the best way to prepare for the scholastic boys volleyball season in the Spring is to play in PowerZone’s pre-season leagues. Last year, teams that played in the leagues went 16-2 in the NJSIAA tournament against teams that didn’t play in the league.

PowerZone’s High School Boys Fall League will be played on Sunday afternoons starting September 28th and will conclude with playoffs on November 9th. Last year 22 teams played in the Fall League, including the final four teams in the state playoffs - St. Josephs of Metuchen, St. Peters of Jersey City, Vernon, and East Brunswick.

A varsity and junior varsity division, with rankings in each, will be offered. Cost for each team will be $600. Games will be played between 1 and 6 p.m. (teams will play at either 1 and 2 p.m., 3 and 4 p.m., or 5 and 6 p.m. each week).

For information and to sign up your team, email Fred Siegle (fsiegle@powerzonevb.com).

Fall Coed Fours League

The Fall Coed Fours League will be held on Thursday nights and will start on Sept. 18. Playoffs will be held Oct. 30th. Teams will be guaranteed 12 regular season matches (3 games per match) plus at least one playoff match.

Cost will be $480 per team (no more single-person fees), each player must be a PowerZone member (Gold, Silver or Basic). Gold members play for free (their share of the team fee), Silver members get a 20 percent discount on their share of the team fee.

Teams can reserve their spot in the league with a $25 down payment. Team registration forms can be found at the front desk.

A registration/practice night will be held Sept. 11.

A Reverse Coed Fours League will start in November and conclude before Christmas.

Mens sixes league for Fall

PowerZone will hold a Mens Sixes League on Tuesday nights this Fall. The league schedule will start Sept. 16,  with the playoffs on Oct. 28. Each team is guaranteed 12 regular season matches (3 games each match) in addition to the playoffs.

Cost will be $600 per team (no more single-person fees), each player must be a PowerZone member (Gold, Silver or Basic). Gold members play for free (their share of the team fee), Silver members get a 20 percent discount on their share of the team fee.

Teams can reserve their spot in the league with a $25 down payment. Team registration forms can be found at the front desk.

A registration/practice night will be held Sept. 9.

A Mens Fours League will start on Nov. 4 and run until Dec. 16.