Mitchell is Not Your Average Volleyballer

Erin Campbell
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6864
E-Mail: erin.campbell@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 21, 2010) – Katie Mitchell (The Woodlands, Texas) is one of the 12 players on the USA Volleyball Youth Olympic Games roster who will compete in the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, Aug. 21-26. The Youth Olympic Games, an initiative by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will be held every fourth year starting in 2010.

Mitchell, a standout outside hitter the Houston area and at The Woodlands College Park High School, has garnered many awards including Best Offensive Player of the Year, County Newcomer of the Year and Dickson Tournament Coaches’ Choice Award. Along with her high school play, she has helped lead her club, Texas Tornadoes, to a fifth-place finish in 2009 and was voted as one of PrepVolleyball.com’s Top 79 Sophomores (2009) and Top 59 Freshman in the Country (2008).

But not only is she a tough volleyball player, she’s also made a name for herself in the football world. For three years, Mitchell has participated in the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Competition.

“My brother, who was in elementary school at the time, brought home a piece of paper because he wanted to do this football thing,” Mitchell said. “I knew I was an athletic person and I figured I’d give it a try.”

Throughout her years competing in this event, she’s had the opportunity to meet some ex-NFL stars including Buzz Sawyer, the former kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, who helped her with the punt aspect of the competition.

“It takes a lot of practice,” Mitchell said. “When you get to the competition, you have time to warm up. But you only get one chance to do each event. They use a really long tape measure to measure how far you can kick and throw the ball,”

Even though one might kick the ball the farthest, the key to winning the event is keeping the ball in a straight line because however far right or left of the middle that ball lands, the judges deduct that distance from the total distance the ball traveled.

Mitchell’s accuracy and distance earned her two third-place finishes, one in 2007 in the 14 girls’ division and the other in 2008 in the 15 girls’ division.

It has also provided her and her family with some unique opportunities that not many people will see in their lifetimes.

“My family and I saw the last Chargers and Colts game played at the [RCA Dome],” Mitchell said. “We also went to the Houston Texans football game for a local competition and it was really cool to see my hometown team play.”

Mitchell has committed to attend The Ohio State University on a volleyball scholarship, despite her football prowess.

The Youth Olympic Games will host 3,600 athletes from ages 14-18 that participate on one of 26 different sports. Over 20 National Olympic Committees will be sending teams to the Games. The goal of the event is to teach athletes the basics of Olympism, their ability to have a positive impact on those around them and learning about new cultures. Five educational themes are the driving force of the event; Olympism, skills development, well-being and healthy lifestyle, social responsibility and expression.

Along with these educational themes, the event is doing its part in helping the environment and hopefully engaging an estimated 26,000 spectators to “Go Green”. All of the venues hosting the Games have been declared as environmentally-friendly.

For more information on the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, click here.

2010 U.S. Youth Olympic Game Roster:

4 - Crystal Graff (OH, 6-3, Madison, Wis., Capital Volleyball Club, Badger)
5 - Micha Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Okla., Oklahoma Peak, Oklahoma)
6 - Jade Hayes (OH/L, 6-0, Ozark, Mo., Springfield Juniors, Heart of America)
7 - Christina Higgins (OH, 6-2, Inglewood, Calif., Sport Shack, Southern California)
8 - Madison Kamp (S, 6-1, Orland, Ill., Ultimate VBC, Great Lakes)
9 - Madison Mahaffey (MB, 6-4, Vestavia Hills, Ala., Team Sting, Southern)
10 - Elizabeth McMahon (MB, 6-6, Liberty Township, Ohio, Team Z, Ohio Valley)
11 - Katie Mitchell (OH, 6-3, The Woodlands, Texas, Texas Tornados, Lone Star)
12 - Tiffany Morales (Libero, 5-5, Redondo Beach, Calif., Mizuno Long Beach, Southern California)
14 - Olivia Okoro (MB, 6-1, Carrollton, Texas, Dallas Premier, North Texas)
16 - Taylor Simpson (OH, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Juniors, Rocky Mountain)

Head Coach: Rodney Wilde (USA)
Assistant Coach: Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa (USA)

2010 Youth Olympic Games
Aug. 21-26 (Singapore)
Toa Payons Sports Hall (Volleyball)
(All Times Listed as Local Time)

Pool A
August 21: Singapore vs. Peru, 12:30 p.m. (Match 1)
August 22: Singapore vs. Japan, 10:00 a.m. (Match 3)
August 23: Peru vs. Japan, 12:30 p.m. (Match 5)

Pool B
August 21: Belgium vs. Egypt, 3:30 p.m. (Match 2)
August 22: USA vs. Belgium, 6:00 p.m. (Match 4)
August 23: USA vs. Egypt, 3:30 p.m. (Match 6)

Semifinal
August 24: Pool A1 Place vs. Pool B2, 12:30 p.m. (Match 7)
August 24: Pool B1 vs. Pool A2, 3:30 p.m. (Match 8)

5-6 Classification
August 25: Pool A3 vs. Pool B3, 12:30 p.m. (Match 9)

Bronze Medal
August 25: Loser of Match 7 vs. Loser of Match 8, 3:30 p.m. (Match 10)

Gold Medal
August 26: Winner of Match 7 vs. Winner of Match 8, 9:00 a.m. (Match 11)

Tags: 2010 U.S. Girls' Youth Olympic Team, Katie Mitchell, Youth Olympic Games