By Linda McGavin  

The Silver Creek High School girls volleyball team, coached by former NHS assistant coach Brian Woodward, is hosting an open gym for interested athletes in the district Wednesday, Aug. 8, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Silver Creek Middle/High, located at 4901 Nelson Road. Formal tryouts will be held at the school Wednesday, Aug. 15 from 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m. All participants need to have a physical before tryouts. Niwot High will offer free physicals during the day of Aug. 7. 

Both sophomores and freshmen will be playing in the division 4A varsity program at Silver Creek, 
Coach Woodward said, "Many coaches are taken for granted. This is my opportunity to give back something to my sport. My main focus is for the girls to have fun while passing on my passion for the sport. It’s what pushes me to keep teaching that winning is not the only thing. First be an athlete, come to play, and we will teach the skills. We would like to see all kids come and try out whether or not they have played the sport."

The Silver Creek Raptors will begin their two-month season with a two-day tournament in Fort Morgan Aug. 31 through Sept. 1. The Raptors’ first game will be Sept. 4 against Adams City, and the first official home game will be Sept. 6 against Brighton. District tournament is set for Oct 27, Regionals are Nov. 3, and State Girls Volleyball finals will be Nov. 9 - 10. 

Woodward, a Skyline High School graduate, has coached extensively for both the Boulder and Longmont Volleyball Clubs and most recently coached junior varsity volleyball at Niwot High. He is the Manager of the Walgreen’s store at 9th and Coffman in Longmont. 

Students interested in attending tryouts are asked to contact Coach Woodward at 303-772-9574 or via e-mail at brw.digsit@aol.com.