CYO “Spike” Championship Volleyball Results


November 21, 2015

CYO Volleyball “Spike” Championship Final Results

GREATER PORTLAND, OR AREA

There was an excellent assortment of of CYO Clubs represented in the finals of the 2015 Spike Volleyball Tournament Saturday November 21 as CYO concluded the weeklong tournament. Excitement radiated from all three courts at Valley Catholic School where the higher-level bracket finals were held while all around the City tournament various levels of games concluded. The “Spike” is considered the top level of play while “Rally”, “Ace”, “Gold” and “Silver” also come into play for descending levels of bracket play. All 1300 volleyball players have a place to participate in this season ending tournament.

Jenna Bass, CYO Director of Volleyball and Basketball along with her co-team members from the Portland CYO office, oversaw and presented awards, helped people with bracket questions and answered questions through out the day.

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Jenna Bass (CYO) and Kelly Alfieri (Valley Catholic CYO) work together to oversee the CYO Spike Volleyball Tournament Championship Finals

 

The Spike Tournament started off with third graders from Portland Christian defeating St. Joseph, Vancouver, in a delightful contest that was mainly about serving. The girls did however, have a few good rallies and they were fun to watch in their matching socks and hair ribbons!

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The Portland Christian Third Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

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St. Joseph (Vancouver, WA) Third Grade Girls place second in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

The fourth graders found Valley Catholic pitted against St. Matthew for the championship. St. Matthew, a new team to volleyball as they had not played third grade, selected the lower level of play to start out in. They handily defeated most all of their competitors and found themselves seeded into the top division tournament after the play in games. Valley Catholic played at the upper level of play all season and made it a competitive contest,though losing 22 – 25 and 21-25.

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St. Matthew (Hillsboro) Fourth Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

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The Valley Catholic (Beaverton) Fourth Grade Girls place second in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

Fifth grade action found All Saints and St. Ignatius battling it out and that they did with a contest going to three games with the second game going into overtime with All Saints winning 30 – 28. St. Ignatius, who had not won a contest all season against All Saints took the first game 25 – 22. They lead the second game all the way to the end but could not put All Saints away. All Saints scrapped and battled and would not be denied! After they took the second game the momentum shifted and St. Ignatius could not get back into the game. All Saints took the third game 15 – 11. It was definitely one of the “games of the day” which in my opinion is pretty good for fifth graders!

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The All Saints (Portland) Fifth Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

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The St. Ignatius (Portland) Fifth Grade Girls place second in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

The Sixth grade contest between St. Joseph and Cathedral was also very exciting and St. Joseph found their victory at this level. Tyra Schaub #32 was an all around power player for St. Joseph who made the difference at all levels. Cathedral played a very strong game coached by multi champion Fergie Bush but her team did not have the horsepower to stop St. Joseph today. Cathedral, to their credit, kept the game very competitive.

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The St. Joseph (Vancouver, WA) Sixth Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike” with Cathedral School coming in Second.

In seventh grade play, Cathedral and St. Thomas More played two close contests 25 – 18 and 25 – 23 where St. Thomas More kept the games close all the way from beginning to end.

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The Cathedral (Portland) Seventh Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

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The St. Thomas More (Portland) Seventh Grade Girls place second in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

The final contest of the day, the eighth grade, saw St. Agatha against St. John Fisher. Two teams filled with great players for sure. St. Agatha, a multi-repeat participant at the championship level knew “what, where and when!” Saint Agatha won the contest 25–11 and 25–15.

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The St. Agatha (Portland) Eighth Grade Girls place first in the 2015 CYO Championship Volleyball Tournament “The Spike”

Guess Who Won the SSMO Singles Bocce Tournament…?


There were thirty-three entries in the SSMO Singles Bocce Tournament August 14th during a barbecue picnic on the eve of Final Vows for Sr. Alison Green and Temporary Vows for Sr. Anna Nguyen!  Rain threatened but did not dampen the SSMO patio barbecue where hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken skewers were the main attraction prior to “The Event.”

It is obvious that the Sisters have been practicing and the game was taken to another level Friday evening as the Sisters invited relatives and friends of Sister Alison and Sister Anna.  Archbishop Vlazny was among those vying for the honor of first singles winner on the new court AND the first singles tournament played.  The annual tournament has always been a doubles tournament so this was a game changer!  BUT…did he win?  NO…read on…

Archbishop Vlazny joins the SSMO singles bocce tournament 2015

Archbishop Vlazny joins the SSMO singles bocce tournament 2015

What about the Contractor from PC Construction?  Did he win?  NO…read on…

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The contest came down to two people…Sr. Michael Francine and Lee Green, father of Sr. Alison.  It was one of the best contests of the tournament with each ball thrown taking the lead.  Sister Michael Francine threw a ball that nestled right up to the jack and the question was…would Lee be able to knock her ball out and win?

Nope…The SSMO tournament was won by Sr. Michael Francine and it was a great contest to participate in and watch.

Lee Green throws his final ball.

Lee Green throws his final ball.

Sister Michael Francine and Lee Green congratulate one another for a great contest and tournament.

Sister Michael Francine and Lee Green congratulate one another for a great contest and tournament.

Lee and Sr. Michael Francine ham it up!

Lee and Sr. Michael Francine ham it up!

Sister Michael Francine is the big winner with bragging rights!

Sister Michael Francine is the big winner with bragging rights!

SSMO Dedicate new Bocce Courts with Prayer and Song


The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon joyfully dedicated the new patio and bocce courts Wednesday August 12, 2015 with the opening of Community Days on campus.  The court and patio is located on the East side of the Motherhouse building designed to give the Sisters some area for outdoor recreation and gathering.  Bocce was at one time, the most popular sport in the world.  The Sisters have enjoyed playing the game the past several years including annual championships and contests.

Opening of the new SSMO Bocce courts located not he East side of the Motherhouse.

Opening of the new SSMO Bocce courts located not he East side of the Motherhouse.

Sr. Josephine, Sr. Charlene, Sr. Juanita and Sr. Adele Marie lead prayer and song as the patio and bocce court are dedicated.

Sr. Josephine, Sr. Charlene, Sr. Juanita and Sr. Adele Marie lead prayer and song as the patio and bocce court are dedicated.

Sr. Theresa Lan, Sr. Delores and Sr. Catherine are first up in the competition!

Sr. Theresa Lan, Sr. Delores and Sr. Catherine are first up in the competition!

Sr. Michael Francine is often called upon to "measure" and determine who is closest to the "jack"

Sr. Michael Francine is often called upon to “measure” and determine who is closest to the “jack”

Sr. Theresa Lan, a formidable competitor, take aim!

Sr. Theresa Lan, a formidable competitor, take aim!

Sr. Colleen and partner take a turn as their names come up in the bracket.

Sr. Colleen and partner take a turn as their names come up in the bracket.

Sister Ina Marie takes her turn at trying to get her bocce ball closest to the "Jack"

Sister Ina Marie takes her turn at trying to get her bocce ball closest to the “Jack”

Beautiful decorations were made to celebrate the new area.

Beautiful decorations were made to celebrate the new area.

Sisters enjoy the chairs, tables and environment as they engage in the dedication service for the dedication of the new patio and bocce court.

Sisters enjoy the chairs, tables and environment as they engage in the dedication service for the dedication of the new patio and bocce court.

Sr. Marie Bernadette and Sr. Marianne enjoy the activities!

Sr. Marie Bernadette and Sr. Marianne enjoy the activities!

Sr. Thuy and Sr. Josephine win the first SSMO bocce tournament!  Congratulations!

Sr. Thuy and Sr. Josephine win the first SSMO bocce tournament! Congratulations!

That’s the End Folks!


All good things must come to an end they say and so it goes with the Camp Howard summer sessions!  The busses will pull out today at around 4:00 and arrive at the Madeleine at 5:00 God Willing.  This will signal the end of another great time honored summer camping season for youth in the Greater Portland area!

Who knows what life altering events took place this summer, a friendship made that will result in some wonderful experience later in life.  One thing for sure, camp does a child a world of good and they are better for it.  Special thanks to all of the parents who trusted us with their loved ones this summer.  We are grateful!

2015 Camp Howard Staff – THANK YOU!


Campers love their counselors and it is important to Summer Program Director, Bill Fogarty, to find young people to work at the camp who will make great memories for the kids.  Bill did another great job of assembling a group of young people to lead the camp through the summer sessions, make great memories for the kids and keep them in safe and fun environments!

Camp Counselors are a special group of people who make a lasting contribution to youth while making great memories for themselves as well.  We are grateful to all of these young men and women for the great job they have done this summer on behalf of CYO and Camp Howard!  THANK YOU!

2015 Camp Howard Staff

2015 Camp Howard Staff

Leila Blakely and Eddy Reyes Making a Difference Behind the Scenes!


Health and Safety Director, Leila Blakely and her very helpful assistant, Eddy Reyes have contributed greatly to the cleanliness of camp, safety in food service, hydration stations around camp and pool safety.  Their daily routines include making sure all of the camp is recycling and composting which includes all of the food at the dining hall.  They gather all of the garbage bins and reline them.  They clean all of the mops in camp keeping them ready for use.  They are in charge of health and safety for food service outside of the dining hall including barbecues and groups that eat outside on the lawn or under the barbecue tents.  This means they deliver the food to the service area and make sure everyone helping with food service is doing it properly all the way down to wearing food service gloves.

They take pool readings and make sure the pool is safe and that it has been cleaned properly.  They make sure groups are showering before getting into the pool!

These positions were added two years ago to ensure that the health and safety of the children at camp was a priority.  The success of these individuals greatly contributed to the outstanding marks received from the Health Inspector last week!

Thanks Leila and Eddy for the great job you have done all summer making great memories for kids!

Eddy Reyes & Leila Blakely

Eddy Reyes & Leila Blakely

Eddy Reyes and Leila Blakely

Eddy Reyes and Leila Blakely

Eddy Reyes and Leila Blakely

Eddy Reyes and Leila Blakely

Looks like Corn for Dinner Tonight at the Convent!


One of the things that really pleases the Sisters is their personal contribution for food prep at the convent.  A value to be championed for sure as the preparation and preservation is important to the lifeblood of the community.  The Sisters have a long history of growing and preserving food for consumption.  We have been blessed over the years with help from outside the community as well.  Several individuals and families are recognized every fall for their gifts of food to the Sisters.

Produce brought to the convent is taken to the food prep room where Sisters sit around tables constructed for the purpose of food prep.  Peaches are skinned and sliced, apples and potatoes are peeled, corn is husked and many other actions as well.

An announcement comes over the loud speaker, “Corn Husking will begin in 10 minutes.”  All available hands make their way to the room, sit down or stand and do their part to make it happen.  A time honored tradition that never changes at the convent and one that puts a smile on the face of those who help and those who eat!

Thank you Sisters for the work you do behind the scenes to make food available for great meals!

What's left from a "husking party!"

What’s left from a “husking party!”

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Sister MaryAnn and Sr. Julie work on husking the corn for dinner!

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Sister Paula Fox is transfixed on an ear of corn that she is dutifully preparing.

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Sister MaryAnn Hathaway helps out with corn prep

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Sister Catherine Hertel removes corn from the cob

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Sister Colleen helps remove corn from the cob!

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Sister Marilyn peels the potatoes!

Sister Charlene cuts the ends off the ear of corn!  Look out folks! That's a big cleaver!

Sister Charlene cuts the ends off the ear of corn! Look out folks! That’s a big cleaver!

Meanwhile…Back at the Convent…What’s all that Construction on Campus You Ask?


Exciting times on the campus of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon!  Who can get excited about a renovated parking lot?  When it adds several extra spots and addresses the underground water collection etc. it is pretty exciting huh?  The entrance to the back of the campus is also being changed as Murray Blvd. makes changes.

The old gym was taken down this spring to make way for a much needed campus maintenance facility and space for the maintenance Dept. to call home.  Personally I am very excited about this and look forward to the facility being finished!  It will greatly enhance the campus with the capabilities of really being able to take care of maintenance needs very professionally!

And the Sisters, are doing something fun for the community, putting in a bocce court and patio for outdoor activities.  We will be enjoying the bocce court this next week during community days so I will be sure to share that soon.  Meanwhile, here are some photos from this past week.

Bocce court and patio begins to take shape.

Bocce court and patio begins to take shape.

Walls begin to go up on the new maintenance facility.

Walls begin to go up on the new maintenance facility.

moving dirt around to make room for a new location for the dumpster near the new parking lot.

moving dirt around to make room for a new location for the dumpster near the new parking lot.

Leadership Behind the Scenes at Camp Howard is What Makes the Difference


Leadership in my opinion is what makes the difference between a good experience and a GREAT experience!  There have been some wonderful youth leaders employed at Camp Howard this summer and it has been a pleasure to watch them lead and grow these past 5 weeks.

The staff take their responsibility very seriously because after all they are taking care of people’s most prized possession…their kids!  Developing that special eye that looks out for the best in kids and making sure to keep them out of harms way at all times is what the Unit Directors impress on the counselors who are responsible for the cabins of children each week.

Leadership experiences on staff provide young leaders with an abundance of new tools for their personal toolboxes.  Camp work develops great skills in young people.

The camp Howard Leadership Team has done an outstanding job leading the camp, providing excellent experiences for the kids and I am very proud of them!

Front Row: Candi Trapp – Asst. Camp Director, Khaki Anderson – Program Director, Morgan McAllister – Fircrest Unit Director, Anna McLean – Cougar Den Unit Director, Kirsten Klein – Aldergrove Unit Director,  Leila Blakely – Health and Safety Director, Alli Caster – Greenwood Unit Director, Sr. Krista von Borstel – Executive Director, Back Row Left to Right: Bill Fogarty – Summer Program Director “Camp Director”, Karen von Borstel – Property Director, Patrick Laughlin – Sparpole Director, Robert Augar, CIT Director.  Not Pictured: Phoebe Bellisario – Daycamp and Mini Camp Director

Camp Howard Leadership Team 2015

Camp Howard Leadership Team 2015

The Health Inspector Visited Camp Howard this Week and Guess What they Found?


It was a 5 hug salute to Karen von Borstel for an outstanding camp!  Health Inspector said she was going to write an article for their National Magazine citing the excellence she found at Camp Howard!  Hadn’t seen anything that good in her 20 years of inspections!

She was especially thrilled with the hand washing stations newly installed at the camp to get those hands clean!  Everyone washes their hands three times a day at least!

Karen has instilled in the staff the importance of cleanliness in the restrooms, pool and kitchen in particular as these are areas which serve everyone.  The staff has responded to the call to cleanliness and now it is a basic instinct to clean it well and clean it often!

All of the camp staff are to be commended for the excellent job they have done all summer keeping the camp clean and inviting!  Nice job to everyone on the Camp Howard staff!

Girls washing station

Girls washing station

Handwashing station on the boys side

Handwashing station on the boys side

Happy Camper

Happy Camper

Girls ready for lunch!

Girls ready for lunch!

Boys ready for lunch!

Boys ready for lunch!