Middle school sports spark spontaneous joy in athletes, fans

Discovery Middle School’s gymnasium was rocking with enthusiasm and more-valuable-than-gold joy Thursday afternoon during a girls volleyball match featuring the host Eagles and friendly rival East.

Successful points by either team ignited spontaneous smiles — some framed with age-appropriate braces — and crazy-cool choreographed celebrations that were as entertaining as a few of the rallies.

The gym’s stands were packed with supportive parents — and fired-up Discovery students who fueled the home team’s energy level with robust cheering.

The entire afternoon was packed with examples of how sports can positively impact middle school students’ lives during a time when schoolwork — and life, for that matter — grows increasingly more challenging.

‘My favorite people’

“I love working together with some of my favorite people and just being around this team,” said Discovery eighth-grade “A” team player Ella Hanner. “This is my first year playing volleyball and it brings some type of calm to me.

“I love going to school everyday knowing I get to come to volleyball practice after school.”

As Hanner spoke, teammate Avery Krum nodded in agreement.

“I love that you get to know a whole entire team and they become like your sisters,” said Krum, who has played volleyball four years and plans to play in high school. “It’s nice because my teammates always have my back.”

The love of sports

When Discovery’s recently-retired 20-year Head Coach/teacher Jennifer Kwiatkowski, who returned for Thursday’s inaugural Alumni Game, was asked moments prior to the first serve what she misses most about coaching the Eagles, she looked over her shoulder at a group of “B” team players who were executing a perfect pre-match chant.

“That’s what I miss the most,” Kwiatkowski said, beaming. “For me, I want the girls — and people in general — to love sports. We have very stressful lives and when we get in the gym, that should all fade away. The girls are supportive and uplifting to each other.

“I always told the girls, ‘Somebody on your team is going to get better if you constantly give them positive feedback, especially if they’re a little unsure of their skills. It’s also a great way for students to build bonds with peers who they may not meet other than through this team.”

Coach Kwiatkowski’s successor as Discovery’s coach is 13-year education veteran Luke Haddad, who came up with the idea to start an annual Alumni Game tradition.

“Middle school sports to me is where the players learn to be great teammates, develop a love for their sport, and have fun,” said Haddad.

“As sports become more serious and competitive as players get older, I thought it’d be fun to start a tradition to bring back former players to cheer on our current players and give former players a chance to see their old teammates.”

Inaugural alumni game a success

Haddad’s idea proved to be a brilliant one as former Discovery players returned in droves to the happy space where unforgettable memories were forged.

“We all made really great friendships and we’re all really close today, four years later,” said Veronica Loboda, a senior volleyball standout at Plymouth High School who played her last high school game earlier this month.

Throughout Thursday’s match, Loboda sat side-by-side with four of her former Discovery teammates, including Canton High School seniors Alyssa Jasman and Ava Churnesky, who she faced off against in a few pivotal Plymouth-Canton Eduacational Park rivalry matches.

“Playing against some of my Discovery teammates in high school was fun,” Churnesky said. “It added to the experience of playing high school volleyball.

“It’s funny looking back to our Discovery days because we weren’t nearly as good of players back then as we are now, but it was so much fun because it wasn’t always about winning and the players’ skill level. It was mostly about developing life-long friendships.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.