Cupcakes and smiles abounded at the end of the Viking girls’ volleyball practice on Tuesday, August 20. Head Coach Pam Taylor had just received her last bout of radiation earlier that day, and the kids were celebrating the end of her breast cancer treatment regimen with cupcakes and cheers for their beloved coach.
Aside from burns on the right side of her body and under her right arm, Taylor said she feels great. “Until my skin heals I told the girls they would have to serve to each other. If I hit too much, I get too sore,” Taylor said with smile.
“And, I told them to hit it hard at each other,” Taylor said of the drill, proving her competitiveness and feistiness were still in abundance.
In her 31st year of coaching volleyball, which followed a great collegiate career as a starter on the University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team, Taylor has beaten back cancer to come back and lead the Vikings into the 2013/2014 season.
It was a hard fought battle that involved surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and she had to take some time off from her teaching and athletic director duties while she received treatment.
“Ah, she didn’t miss a day,” said Anna Carman. “You were here every day anyway,” she said to her coach.
“Yeah, I guess I was here most days,” Taylor laughed.
Thirty kids 9th through 12th grades have turned out for practice and five seniors, Anna Carman, Sarah Deschampe, Megan Lehto, Jessica Berg- Collman and Briana Peterson make up the hub of the team, while Maddy Roy, Morgan Mixdorf, Jamie Sjogren and Carrie Palmer are also tabbed as starters, which leaves two starting slots open.
“Right now there are two spots to fight for. We have some ideas about who might get those spots, but we (Pam and assistant coaches) are giving the players some time to figure things out,” Taylor said.
The varsity traveled to Esko to play in the Polar League Jamboree on Wednesday, August 21.
“That will tell us a lot. We’ll see what we have at the jamboree,” Taylor said.
As far as her team goes, Taylor said, “We’re kind of short. I told the girls they will have to out think their opponents, hit the ball to the open spots.”
This year all C-squad games will begin at 4 p.m. and be played in the varsity gym.
The Vikings’ first home game will be played on Thursday, August 29, with a 6:30 p.m. start time and will be free of charge to the public.
“We want to pack the house. Hopefully a lot of people will turn out to see the kids play,” said Taylor, who, it must be said, just couldn’t keep smiling.
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