Volleyball Bonds In The Program
07/27/15 | @GoDucksMoseley
As the sun set behind the main scoreboard in an empty Autzen Stadium last Thursday, Oregon volleyball player Martenne Bettendorf had a decision to make.
Her team was weary from hours of physical exertion in a preseason training session. There was a final interval of fireman carries to endure, and the Ducks' senior leader Bettendorf was given the task of deciding its distance.
The options ranged from 21 yards to 101 yards. With no discussion, Bettendorf opted for the full 101 yards.
“People were killing me with their eyes for a second,” Bettendorf said. “But then everyone just did it.”
There was no arguing or complaining. When given the news, the team walked back to the west end zone, half of the members putting the other half on their backs, and began the march.
“I think with the group that we have, it will be like 'Let's complete the mission, get the job done.' There is not going to be any messing around,” Bettendorf said after the task was completed. “I have a lot of confidence in that, especially with what I saw this week.”
That attitude served the team well during a two-day team-building session called The Program, an opportunity made possible by Women in Flight. Needless to say, The Program is not an ordinary two days of team building. Rather it has the feel of military boot camp, where cohesion and leadership is merely a byproduct of the intense physical exercises.
That military feel comes as no surprise with Sam Cila and Glen Cederholm leading the way. Cila was a member of the “Fighting 69th” Infantry Regiment in the U.S. Army and served combat tours in Iraq, garnering awards of valor in combat as well as a Purple Heart for his service. His teammate, Cederholm, is a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and has attended some of the most challenging schools in the military. With that resume came an intensity that demanded respect and attention during the two days of grueling drills.
The Ducks are hoping that the addition of an experience like The Program, will help to propel a team which advanced to the regional semifinal in 2014, to take the next step to the Final Four.
During the first day, the team spent more than two hours of plyometrics on the scorching turf before moving on to relays which included running with sand bags and log lifts. From there, they moved to sets of fireman carries.
On day two, the team moved to the pool. After circuits of swimming and more plyometrics, the team jumped in the deep end, where they would tread water while taking off and putting on sweatshirts.
For Bettendorf, it was her third time going through the process. As one of two seniors on the 2015 squad, Bettendorf said she was happy with how the team responded and noticed that “buying in” to team success came much earlier this time around.
Junior libero Amanda Benson echoed those thoughts, and noted how important that concept of “buying in” throughout a season.
“We use that with volleyball a lot,” she said. “We talk about buying into our program and that's one of the most important things. It was really cool to see freshmen, transfers, sophomores and even the upperclassmen all buy in to something.”
The kind of leadership Bettendorf displayed during the firemen carries on day one did not go unrecognized by Cila and Cederholm. At the end of the second day, as Bettendorf was awarded The Program's shirt, an item that cannot be purchased, only earned.
“She made sure that when she was a leader she was getting the mission done and as a teammate she always helping the other leaders get the mission done.” Cederholm said. “She was always out front helping in any way she could and that's what we're looking for.”
It was a moment that was not lost on the Portland, Ore., native. Ever since Bettendorf had seen Alaina Bergsma earn the shirt prior to the 2012 season and Lauren Plum in the summer of 2013, she had set a goal for herself. When that moment came to fruition, it provided a spark.
“For them to single me out and say that I have an influence on people makes me think about what I can do for the team and how I can influence the team,” said Bettendorf.
Now an even greater challenge looms a month away for the Ducks, when they begin the season Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. Much like the timed drills on the turf field of Autzen Stadium, the duration of the season will be determined by the hard work of the athletes.
Cila was in attendance for the Ducks' national championships match in 2012, and while he was wishing the team best of luck on the pool deck, vowed that he would make another match this season.
Both he and the Ducks are penciling in a December night in Omaha.
