Young Eagles learn from idols at Oak Mountain Volleyball Camp
Published 10:39 am Monday, June 23, 2025
The Oak Mountain Volleyball Camp allowed the Oak Mountain community's younger generation of volleyball players an opportunity to learn from the players they look up to from June 11-13 at Oak Mountain High School. (Reporter photos/Tyler Raley)
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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer
NORTH SHELBY – As music played over the speakers and young girls continued to have smiles spread across their faces, the Oak Mountain volleyball team took time out of their summer to give back to the community at the Oak Mountain Volleyball Camp.
Held from June 11-13 at Oak Mountain High School, 55 younger volleyball players got the chance to improve in their skills while learning from the girls they idolize that play on the varsity level.
Oak Mountain volleyball coach Anna Claire Harris led her second camp as head coach of the Eagles, and for her, the week was all about seeing the joy on the faces of the campers as they participated in activities.
“I had a little girl (during camp) come in, two kids, and say, ‘I talked to my mom last night about getting to play volleyball,'” Harris said. “For me, it’s not something where I’m like, ‘Oh yeah we did this.’ It’s showing kids this is an option… but I think for a lot of kids, volleyball is growing, especially in Birmingham.”
Throughout the camp, girls were able to learn basics and other techniques in passing, serving, setting and hitting, while also learning how to move their feet properly and get set.
The campers were also able to participate in “Minute to Win It” games, where they competed in teams in other games that were not focused on volleyball, but kept the competitive aspect alive. The winning team at the end of the week got to pie Harris and their camp counselors in the face.
The camp counselor positions were served by players on Harris’ varsity squad, which the coach felt was an exciting and important period in their careers.
“Getting to see my girls interact with the younger girls on like a babysitting side, but also, they’re teaching them how to play volleyball,” Harris said. “I’m setting up and running things, but I’m giving them a lot of power to do it themselves. Seeing them step into leader roles as well is exciting.”
Heading into the upcoming season, Harris feels what her players did in the camp will help when it comes to game action on the court, as she says it is essentially like competing at camp, just on a higher level.
“I want kids to know the ‘why,'” Harris said. “Going into the season knowing, ‘This is what I’m doing, this is why I’m doing it,’ but them understanding it, I think, is crucial.”
Oak Mountain’s volleyball program has had a lot of success in recent years, including in the 2024 campaign in Harris’ first season at the helm.
As volleyball continues to gain popularity in the state of Alabama, Harris feels like camps like these are important for the kids to develop and find a love for the game. However, there is also a bigger goal in mind than anything the game can bring.
“At the end of the day, there’s not a large percentage of kids that end up playing in college. That’s fine with me,” Harris said. “I want kids to have a place. I’ve got some kids who have never played a sport… The more kids that you can get interested, and honestly, this day and time, even if they don’t want to play in school, at least they’re being active and they’re not sitting at home in front of an iPad or a tablet.”
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