Volleyball players and fans are dreading the wait of the season to start, but due to drama with the referees the season and games have been postponed until the district puts an end to the strike. An inside opinion from the Santaluces assistant coach Mr. Brown and one of the juniors on the team. When asked what was going on with the referees Mr. Brown explained that the referees went on a strike in order to get a pay increase. He went on to say that, “There is an open line of communication between the referees and the school district trying to negotiate what both sides determine as fair.” He then explained that this is affecting the start of the season. The season should have already started but they have yet to play any games due to this strike. They are still unsure to this day when games will officially begin.

After the discussion of the referees, Mr.Brown discussed the upcoming season. This year there are four seniors on varsity. They are undetermined about the captains at the moment  he explained that the other coach gets the girls input by vote to see who they feel will represent the team best as captain but the head coach makes the final decision.

This season Mr. Brown explained that he is looking forward to just seeing another team bond and progress through and get better. He said that there are a lot of new faces this year so it’s a good opportunity to see the team transition from a senior heavy team to now all younger players but still having the ability to work together to reach their highest potential.

In the eyes of Mr. Brown the person that will make the most impact is Alyssa Jennings because she is taking over a new position. She’s a freshman that stepped up to a setter which was formally played by a senior and is a position that is needed for the team. “She is dedicated and has great energy and this step up helps show her love for the game. I think because of this she will have the best impact.” He explained.

Back to the referee situation and asking for his personal opinion, Brown explained “It’s sad to see the time and games that are being taken away from high school players.” He also said that “It’s not right no matter what, whether it is about money or anything it doesn’t matter. It’s taking away people’s opportunity to play.”

The fate of the season currently rests on the school and their decision. The maximum amount of games a team can play in a season is 25. “This season our team has the maximum number of games that we can play in a season. So our schedule is booked, meaning we don’t have space to reschedule. So each day that goes by and each game that we are unable to play just gets cut out. So teams that we were looking forward to playing we don’t have that shot anymore” he explained.

After interviewing Mr. Brown Junior Kylie Savela was interviewed to share their views on the situation. She believes that the strike is unfair because it’s not the players that are paying the referees but yet they are the only ones who are affected by this strike. She also believes that it has definitely impacted our season because its postponing games that cannot be rescheduled. This is ultimately giving them less play time and less game experience that can not take place in regular practices.

We all hope that this strike comes to an end for the sake of the girls who are losing play time and can get back to playing the sport they love.