2nd North Star Volleyball Jamboree features more player, fan experiences
PLEASANT HILL – The 2nd annual North Star Volleyball Jamboree will feature several new aspects as the area’s top volleyball teams gather for a preseason practice tournament at Pleasant Hill High School on Thursday, Aug. 28.
And while there are no trophies awarded for the jamboree – an event where every team plays every other participant in a limited number of games – the Billies opened eyes last year as they finished unbeaten in the inaugural event at Springfield High School.
The Billies went on to a No.1 ranking in Class 3A for most of the season, before losing in the state semifinals.
With a year of experience under their belts, tournament organizers have made a greater emphasis on the fan experience. Pleasant Hill Athletics Boosters will be offering concessions during the 1-5 p.m. competition. Nothing Bundt Cakes will have its new trailer on site.
Before play begins, the players and coaches will have a private luncheon in the school’s student center, with pizzas provided by Papa Murphy’s Pizza, and “Bundtinis” provided by Bob and Denise Cerince, owners of Nothing Bundt Cakes in Eugene.
Players will be fueled by water bottles from Creswell Point S Tire & Auto, a longstanding booster for both Pleasant Hill and Creswell athletics. Rory Taylor, the majority owner of the popular Point S location, has also provided “goody bags” for each of the players.
The Chronicle Foundation is the presenting sponsor; Springfield Twin Rivers Rotary chapter bestowed a $500 grant in support of the hyper-local student-athlete event.
The player luncheon will feature keynote speaker Lauren Anderson, director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business.
Anderson, a global marketing leader, is a UO alumna, having earned an MBA in sports business in the Warsaw Center.
Anderson spent 12 years with adidas America followed by nearly a decade with Nike.
She also served as the head coach of the Lake Oswego High School girls lacrosse program for 17 years and has held several leadership roles with USA Lacrosse and the Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association.
