Boys’ Volleyballs isn’t really talked about much. Armijo doesn’t even have a boys’ team, which is why Nathan Klassen had to do some explaining about his participation in the sport. Klassen got into playing volleyball because his sister had played when she was in high school. He went to a lot of her tournaments and decided to give it a shot, too. Right now he plays at Club Solano, but he initially he started played at Northern California Volleyball Club (NCVC) in Sacramento. ̈When he started playing clubbvolleyball, “Club Solano didn’t have an established boys’ team, so I had to travel far to
actually play volleyball,” said Klassen.
Even though he is a good student and a good player, it can sometimes be difficult balancing schoolwork with playing a sport. “You have to stay diligent and know when to give up some things, like you don’t have the most free time alone,” he said. “Or you won’t get the amount of sleep you need, which will always suck, but, since it’s something I love doing, it’s worth it.”
At Club Solano, Klassen’s team is mostly new to the sport, but he doesn’t mind. He took this opportunity to be a role model for the other boys and he mentors them when he can. His team has practice twice a week, and if they are going to run any special plays for upcoming tournaments, they make sure to get it clean so they can catch their opponents off guard. Klassen knows that it is challenging to prepare for tournaments, which can be long, and he suggests “getting a lot of rest before, because you have to wake up early the next day.” Another piece of advice he shared about tournaments is to “load up on carbohydrates for energy.”
“I would encourage people to join the sport because it’s not represented well, especially in Solano County. Several of the Bay Area high schools have boys’ volleyball teams, except for Solano County,” Klassen said. “I would also encourage it, to get rid of the stigma that it’s a girls sport.”