Badger News

A Look Back: 2022 Was a Year For New Endeavors and Gold Medal Performances in Badger Region

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023

Let’s take a look back at 2022 in the Badger Region:

  • Jan. 8-9: Badger Region Power League kicks off its third year at locations around the state
  • Jan. 20: The Badger Region/AVCA Coaching Education Tip of the Week and Badger Region/AVCA Recruiting Tips of the Week return for the fourth straight year.
  • Jan. 23 and Feb. 13: Badger Boys Series kicks off for eighth year in a row — offering competition for boys ages 13 and under
  • Jan. 27: Badger Region launches the start of its “Caught Doing Good” program that recognizes those who go above and beyond for their team, their club or for volleyball in Wisconsin
  • Jan. 27: Badger Region unveils its first-ever Frisco Mo boys watchlist
  • Feb. 6: Badger Region continues its partnership with the Junior Volleyball Recruiting Association (JVRA) by allowing the group to make presentations to athletes, parents and club directors on recruiting policies
  • Feb. 12-13: Second weekend of Badger Region Power League
  • Feb. 26-27: Badger Region Qualifier at the Milwaukee Sting Center and the RecPlex
  • Feb. 27: The Badger Boys Series concludes with the last weekend taking place at the OAW complex in New Berlin
  • Feb. 28: Badger Region Board of Directors Meeting
  • Feb. 28: Beau Rath is appointed to the position of Treasurer on the Badger Region Board of Directors
  • March 19-20: First weekend of the Badger Region Championships at the Wisconsin Center along with the Dale Rohde Memorial Volleyball Tournament
  • March 20: A new class of advanced officials are announced after the first weekend of the Badger Region Championships
  • March 23: Concordia University Wisconsin hosts a Badger Region Night during its match against Lakeland University
  • March 26-27: Second weekend of the Badger Region Championships at the Wisconsin Center
  • April 1: The Badger Region hosts an exhibition match between two local men’s adult VLA teams Milwaukee Dive and Madison Inferno at the Wisconsin Center
  • April 2-3: Third weekend of the Badger Region Championships at the Wisconsin Center
  • April 9-10: Final weekend of the Badger Region Power League
  • April 16: The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claires wins a pair of national championships at the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF) Championships in Phoenix. They won the titles at the Men’s Div. II and Women’s Div. II divisions. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was runner-up in both divisions.
  • April 22-24: Nineteen Badger Region teams compete at the Girls 18s Junior National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. FC Elite 18-Elite took third in the Open division, MKE Sting 18-Gold finished third in the National division and Capital 18-Adidas took second in the USA division.
  • April 23: Over 40 boys attend a free middle school clinic run by the Badger Region in partnership with Milwaukee Dive men’s VLA team.
  • April 23: Carthage College Men’s Volleyball wins its second NCAA Div. III National Championship in as many years. The head coach of the team is JW Keickhafer, who is a Badger Region member as he is a coach at Milwaukee Volleyball Club and is a High Performance Coach.
  • April 23-24: The Badger Region helps to run the Art of Coaching Volleyball clinic at Marquette University in Milwaukee
  • April 30: Badger Region hosts its first-ever High Performance Girls Future Select Clinic at the New Berlin SportsPlex
  • May 7: Badger Region Adult Championships at the New Berlin SportsPlex
  • May 14-15: Badger Region Strategic Plannings Sessions in Milwaukee and a Badger Region Board of Directors meeting
    • May 16: Fifteen athletes named Badger Region scholarship recipients. Two additional athletes named FriscoMo scholarship winners for community service
  • May 21: Badger Region High Performance training session for boys at New Berlin SportsPlex
  • May 26: The Badger Region’s own Patti Dawson wins the USAV Silver Whistle Award, a national award given to the most outstanding rookie referee at the previous year’s USA Open Championships.
  • May 27-31: Ten Badger Region Adult Teams compete at USA Volleyball Adult Open Nationals in Orlando, Fla. A co-ed fours teams of Kaylee Leslie, Conner Lily, Evan Winter and Amanda Winter finished with the silver medal.
  • June 1: Amy Daley (club director for FC Elite) wins the Badger Region Board of Director Election for the Northeast Representative seat
  • June 2: Badger Region announces third annual AVCA/Badger Region Coach of the Year and Club Director of the Year awards (Christina Schmitz, Debra Sazama, Mark Sullivan, Michael Lopez, Christopher Gabel, Adam Stikel, Amy Angelos, Kevin Fischer, Bobb Hamm)
  • June 4: Badger Region High Performance training session for boys at Nicolet High School
  • June 13: The Badger Region donates $1,000 to each of the five high schools who added boys volleyball programming at their schools. Those schools included Oconomowoc, Waterford, Sheboygan North, Deforest and Port Washington
  • June 24-July 5: Fifty-two Badger Region teams compete at the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. MKE Sting 14-White, FC Elite 16-Navy and MKE Sting 17-Gold all come home with national championships.
  • July 1-8: Badger Region teams compete at the USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev.
  • July 6-8: Badger Region Girls High Performance Camp at UW-Oshkosh
  • July 11-12: Badger Region Boys High Performance Camp at Lakeland University
  • July 20-23: Badger Region High Performance teams compete at the USA All-Star Championships in Tulsa, Okla., taking home gold in the Boys National Youth and Girls National Youth divisions.
  • Aug. 1-10: Badger Region offers “Retention Period” for clubs and athletes who played during the 2021-22 season
  • Aug. 13: The Badger Region returns to Bradford Beach in Milwaukee for the Badger Region Beach Championships
  • Aug. 28: Badger Region holds the first of its Junior Club Director meetings (held virtually) by region of the state.
  • Aug. 28: The Badger Region runs a unique player/coach clinic for all coaches and athletes who were planning to participate in the Badger Region Youth Fall Volleyball League. This was done in cooperation with Milwaukee Dive.
  • Aug. 29: Badger Region published a special edition of the Badger Beacon highlighting the multiple national champions from Wisconsin over the past year.
  • Sept. 1: Badger Region/USA Volleyball begin their 2022-23 membership season – the third using Sports Engine
  • Sept. 8: The Badger Region partners with Frisco Mo to highlight boys high school volleyball better than it ever has in years past. The Region and Frisco Mo sponsored the weekly Top 10 coaches poll as well as all the awards, plaques and honors associated with the boys being named All-State.
  • Sept. 11-12: The Badger Region Youth Fall Volleyball League returns to the New Berlin Sportsplex
  • Sept. 13: Badger Region hosts a youth open house at the Al McGuire Center for all girls clubs and boys 14-and-under prior to the Marquette and UW-Green Bay women’s NCAA Div. I volleyball match
  • Sept. 18: Badger Region Board of Directors Meeting
  • Sept. 18: Badger Region host a youth open house at the The Barn in Appleton for all girls clubs and boys 14-and-under as well as runs a free youth clinic during the event featuring men’s VLA players
  • Oct 1: Tryouts begin for athletes 14-and-under
  • Oct. 3: Mike Stevens (Southport Volleyball Club) chosen as Boys Rep to the Badge Region Board of Directors. Braeden Melton (Spiketown USA) was chosen as the girls rep.
  • Oct. 5: The Badger Region runs its first-ever Lunch & Learn focused on starting a boys volleyball program at your club or at your high school
  • Oct. 9: The Badger Region runs its first-ever Last Chance Tryout & Clinic at the New Berlin SportsPlex for athletes 14U who did not make a club during the first tryout period
  • Oct. 20: Madtown Juniors’ Christina Schreiber wins the AVCA National Coach of the Year award for the Girls 12s division.
  • Oct. 23: Conclusion of the 2022 BRYFVL season
  • Nov. 1: Badger Region hosts its annual boys open house at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee featuring a scrimmage between UW-Whitewater and UW-Milwaukee men’s volleyball teams.
  • Nov. 6-7: Badger Region attends the Wisconsin Athletic Director Association conference in Wisconsin Dells for the first time. The goal? To promote the addition of boys volleyball teams at high schools around the state and working to grow the ranks of our officials together.
  • Nov. 7: Badger Region Board of Directors meeting
  • Nov. 12: Tryouts begin for athletes 15-and-older
  • Nov. 13: Badger Region hosts its first in-person officials meeting since COVID began. Other follow-up virtual meetings took place Nov.27 and Dec. 11
  • Nov. 17: The Badger Region runs its first-ever Last Chance Tryout & Clinic at the New Berlin SportsPlex for athletes 15-and-older who did not make a club during the first tryout period
  • Dec. 1: The Badger Region announces its first-ever Northern Points Series at sites in La Crosse, Stevens Point, River Falls and Eau Claire.
  • Dec. 5: The Coaches Coaching Coaches (3C) clinics return with clubs including FVP, Small Town Storm, 414, and North Star VBC hosting events at their clubs
  • Dec. 16: The Badger Boys Series begins for the 2022-23 season at the Milwaukee Sting Center.
  • Dec. 17-18: First Badger Region tournaments of the 2022-23 season begin
  • Dec. 21: Badger Region hosts its second Lunch & Learn focused on coaching education