By Katie Mitchell
Executive Sports Editor
Costa junior Ellie Geoghegan serves up her knowledge of beach volleyball by creating a safe way to teach kids how to play the sport during COVID-19.
Geoghegan has been playing club volleyball for 10 years, but before she decided to commit to the sport, she had other hobbies. Along with volleyball, she also played competitive soccer until she decided to focus on volleyball when she was 13. According to Geoghegan, one of the reasons she loves volleyball is because of the constant competition that comes with it.
“The best part of the sport is the work ethic I put into achieving my goals,” Geoghegan said. “No skill comes right away, so I spend a lot of extra time practicing and getting in repetitions whenever I can.”
According to Geoghegan, she had quite a lot of free time during quarantine where she would babysit children, so she thought it would be fun to try giving volleyball lessons to young kids. She started reaching out to local families through the app Nextdoor, and she found that many people were interested in taking lessons.
“After I talk to families through Nextdoor, I eventually get their phone numbers to confirm times and dates,” Geoghegan said. “The families that I work with are super friendly and easy to communicate with.”
Geoghegan holds her lessons on the beach in Manhattan Beach. She arrives 20 to 30 minutes early in order to set up her own net and brings down a bag of volleyballs so everything is set up by the time the kids arrive. Geoghegan then picks the drills they practice and the price of the lesson based on the number of kids participating. She teaches kids between the ages of 8-14.
“I normally ask the kids what their favorite skill to work on is, and plan the lesson accordingly so that they all enjoy it,” Geoghegan said. “I also like to do drills that incorporate more than one skill so they get the most out of the lesson.”
Geoghegan also teaches her lessons while following all COVID-19 regulations. She has no more than four kids on a court at once, and she makes sure to ask the parents whether or not they would like everyone to wear masks. She additionally provides hand sanitizer during water breaks and cleans all of her equipment at the end of each lesson.
“I think that the kids and parents feel comfortable doing lessons during COVID-19 because of the regulations I put in place,” Geoghegan said. “It’s really fun for the children to still be able to play sports during this time.”
According to Geoghegan, teaching kids the basic skills of volleyball at a young age is very important, as it helps stimulate development and lifelong skills. She has found that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kids have fewer opportunities to play sports, so by providing lessons, she is able to teach kids the fundamentals of volleyball that they can build upon.
“I teach volleyball in hopes of inspiring young children to create a passion for the sport,” Geoghegan said. “It makes me happy to see the kids laugh, have fun, and [develop] their skills every week.”
Geoghegan is currently planning on continuing her lessons in the future. Though everything regarding COVID-19 regulations is uncertain, Geoghegan will continue being flexible while following any necessary protocols and guidelines to create a safe environment while teaching her lessons.
“I really enjoy teaching young kids new volleyball skills and techniques,” Geoghegan said. “I like being able to help them grow and learn while having fun at the same time.”
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