Maine: Lobster, Moose and Volleyball

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 14, 2011) – There are many things that the state of Maine is known for, including lobster, the rocky coast and moose. Historically, volleyball has not been one of them. Thanks to John Razsa and his team of coaches, players, parents and volunteers that make up the Maine Juniors Volleyball Club, that has begun to change.

Maine Juniors, the only volleyball club in the state, has grown over the past decade into one of the most respected clubs in New England and now will host the eight-best club volleyball teams in the region.  Maine Juniors has been chosen to host the New England Regional Volleyball Association (NERVA) U18-Gold Junior Volleyball Tournament Sunday, April 17, at St. Joe’s College as well as the 14 Club-B tournament at Southern Maine Community College.  

“It is a great opportunity to showcase that volleyball is a real sport in Maine,” Maine Juniors Founder and Director John Razsa said. “It is also a great opportunity for our team to compete and possibly place against the best teams in the region. We are hoping to gain media coverage that will not only promote our club, but the sport as a whole.”

The NERVA tournaments take place on five Sundays throughout the season, with 40-plus tournaments taking place each weekend. This Sunday marks the fourth NERVA tournament of the 2011 volleyball season. The fifth and final weekend, May 1, is slated for the NERVA Championships where the top teams will compete for the title.

“We have been a NERVA club since the origin of Maine Juniors when we only had a 14U team,” Razsa said. “We have always had club-level teams and for the past five years we have been going to open-level tournaments.”

Photo Courtesy of Matti Bradley 2011 Maine Juniors U18 Gold Team. Razsa founded Maine Juniors 10 years ago and has served as club director ever since. Razsa has coached high school, college and club teams for over 20 years, most recently at St. Joseph’s, where he stepped down in 2010 as the all-time winningest coach with 133 victories in nine seasons.  Razsa is widely recognized as a promoter of volleyball in Maine and has successfully developed the only club in the Northeast state.

“I founded the club a decade ago, and at the time, I was a college coach,” Razsa said. “I was appalled that I couldn’t recruit girls from Maine because they weren’t at the level that they needed to be. I coached a Boys’ Junior Volleyball program and saw how much they physically and mentally gained from that experience and I saw more need for that in Maine.”

The continual expansion and positive energy that resonates as Maine Juniors has come from the help of countless people who volunteer their time and effort to the club and its athletes. Bob Curtis is the volunteer web master, tournament coordinator and what Razsa calls, “his right-hand-man.” His daughter was one of the original members on the lone 14U team in 2002 and has been with the club whole-heartedly ever since.

“He has made a tremendous contribution and has been very dedicated,” Razsa said.

Another helping hand that has been vital to the triumph of the club is Bill McMahon. McMahon handles all registration and serves as the coordinator of finances. His efforts for the past two years are unprecedented and go hand-in-hand with the increase in players participating within the club.  

Maine Juniors has consistently housed the best high school players in the state. The U18 Gold is made up of the 10 best players in Maine and has been coached by St. Joe’s Assistant Coach Andy Pohl for the last four years.

“Andy Pohl is a great coach and we are really lucky to have him,” Razsa said. “He has coached in Nebraska and has a lot of experience in the sport. We are fortunate to have many of our coaches come to Maine from coaching in states like Colorado and Nebraska.” 

Formerly known as the Portland North JO Volleyball club, the organization has seen such an increase in size that the club decided on a new name to represent the entire state.  A record 16 teams are now playing under the name Maine Juniors, covering both the club and open levels. Geographically the boarders for Maine Juniors have expanded as well, reaching into the northern part of the state for the first time.

“It has been great, but the expansion has been hard to handle at times,” Razsa said. “The branching out across the state and the initiating of the boys’ program has kept everyone busy, which is something we like.”

The 2010-11 season marked another milestone for Maine Juniors, bringing in their first efforts to create a boys’ division within the club. This year 25 boys have participated and additional age divisions will be added in the 2012 season to accommodate the growing demand.

High school volleyball is on the incline as well in Maine, with participation and popularity both increasing. There are 12 schools in the southern Maine area that have volleyball as a varsity sport and 12 schools in the downeast area.

“On our top team [U18-Gold] all of the girls play high school volleyball as well as club,” Razsa said. “We have five or six transplants that have come to the club from places like California and Iowa that play for us because their high schools don’t offer it as a varsity sport.”

The club is hoping that this weekend’s tournament partnered with future opportunities to host and compete against the highest ranked teams in the region will get Mainers more familiar with the sport and its potential to be a staple within the state.  

“It’s a goal of ours to introduce the sport to kids at a younger age so that they can fall in love with it before middle school or high school,” Razsa said. “We have a 12U program and next year we are going to start working with six and seven year olds. We are very excited to introduce the sport to as many new people as possible. We want them to realize that it is a real sport, one of their first loves.”

For more information on Maine Juniors, visit their site by clicking here.

For the complete NERVA Tournament schedule, click here.