By Michael James LeClair AYER – It’s safe to say the first year of the Panthers Volleyball camp was a big success. Ayer-Shirley Regional girls’ volleyball head coach Ally Fillebrown and assistant coach Kim Melanson put the finishing touches on the camp last Thursday and coaches and athletes walked away feeling pretty good about how things went. “It was pretty successful for being our first camp. It was pretty hot in the gym so we had to take a few extra breaks and run a few slower paced drills because of the heat,” said Fillebrown from inside the Ayer-Shirley Regional High School gym. “Overall though, I think the kids had fun and they improved tremendously from Tuesday to Thursday.” The three-day camp brought in 29 excited faces As Fillbebrown, Melanson and a handful of returning Panthers players created a fun, positive environment where the athletes could excel on the court and build confidence. “We had quite a few kids show interest in the sport and the season which is coming up soon,” said Fillebrown. “That was one of our goals. We wanted to try and create and build interest in the sport and the program.” The camp, open to males and females entering grades three through nine, lasted three hours a day, from 9am to noon. Despite the hot humid temperatures inside the gym, the athletes had a blast. “It was a little bit of a challenge with such a large group and different skill levels,” said Fillebrown. “We talked about possibly splitting the group in two and doing a group of grades three through five and the other group six through nine. I give the younger players a lot of credit, they improved quite a bit and by the end of the camp they were participating in the drills with the older kids. It was awesome.”
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