HiCast Sports Network recently partnered with NORCO Volleyball, providing our live and on-demand video coverage for practice and events at their incredible new venue in Loveland, Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Region. Why was video coverage important to the NORCO Volleyball organization? NORCO Volleyball Director, Dr Cathy Mahaffey, Ed.D shares, “For three primary reasons: first for the recruitment of kids to the next level; second for our coaching educational needs and third, of course, for our parents who want to be able to watch everything.”
The new 60,000 square-foot NORCO Volleyball venue boasts 10 courts with high-end Taraflex™ Comfort sports flooring and 15-foot service zones to help advance training. They’ve dedicated 11,000 square feet to a spectator viewing area and added HiCast Sports Network video coverage to provide a view from the best seat in the house to families of NORCO players from a broad geographic region including Wyoming, North Denver, and Nebraska, and to fans anywhere in the world. The size and amenities of the new facility make it the perfect destination for regional and national tournaments and showcase events.
HiCast Sports Network recently kicked off coverage at NORCO Volleyball for the 2021 Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier March 19-21 for 18-year-old division teams seeking to qualify for this year’s USA Volleyball National Championships. 103 teams from across the country gathered to compete at the original and new NORCO Volleyball venues in northern Colorado.
“This is a great event for players and college coaches as coaches have an opportunity to see so many top players in one place at one time,” shares Kay Rogness, Executive Director for Front Range Volleyball Club (FRVBC) Foundation who has been organizing the Colorado Crossroads event since in large facilities since 1996. While D2 and D3 coaches were permitted on-site, D1 coaches remain in their extended dead period due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning they are unable to recruit players in-person. Parents would typically be cheering their players on court-side, match after match, but current state and county restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic prevented that this year. No parents were permitted entry to the tournament to prioritize space for the expansive participant list of teams playing across 16 courts, making HiCast Sports Network video coverage even more important.
For the Colorado Crossroads event, HiCast Sports Network supported the event organizer’s temporary, manual video camera setup aimed at six courts (courts 11-16) at the original NORCO venue in Windsor, Colorado. They streamed their coverage through the HiCast Sports Network platform, while our permanent, automated camera coverage solution covered courts 1-10 at the new NORCO facility. This hybrid solution was necessary to cover play across these two venues for the event. All event footage is available to users to watch on-demand for three months from date of play, giving athletes, coaches and parents plenty of time to replay, save and share match highlights.
“Parents want to watch every minute of each match. Having the video coverage is important to them. And being able to get clips and send them to college coaches is a powerful feature. Coaches typically don’t have time watch entire matches for all of the players they are following, but they do want to see highlights,” shares Kay.
Nice kill by Middle (18) Sylvia Koenig for Mizuno Northern Lights 18 Black in the championship match they won against Woodlands Revolution VBC 18 Adidas on 3/21/21 from the Colorado Crossroads Qualifier
What inspired NORCO Volleyball to choose HiCast Sports Network for their new venue over the competition? “Besides the southern accents,” Cathy (a North Carolina native) shares with a laugh, “the services HiCast offers, especially on-demand viewing for up to three months… I think that’s huge. Technology can be intimidating. HiCast made us feel welcome and educated us along the way.”
Dr. Cathy Mahaffey has been a part of NORCO Volleyball Organization for 26 years, and she’s coached at the collegiate and high school levels. As one of the original NORCO coaches, she was the first to lead her 14s team to a Junior National Olympic Medal in 1995. In 1999 she became Director of the club and helped double the number of teams from eight to 16 within her first year of leadership. Today, NORCO Volleyball serves 320 athletes spanning 31 teams ranging from age 10 to 18. Teams consist of 19 core teams and 12 prime teams. NORCO teams are consistently ranked in the top 5 in the region in each age division, and have had 13 of the last 14 national championships winning three olympic medals. Evaluations help place athletes on teams that match players’ skills and strengths, but NORCO offers a home for all players who seek a competitive culture.
“The coaches that we employ and the organization of the club is what contributes to the success of our club. We have a staff of 35 coaches, many of whom have been with us for 10-18 years which says a lot for our program. I’ve surrounded myself with good people. Our organization is very transparent and we’re ethical. Since day one, our kids have been our number one priority and we do everything we can to help enhance their growth both on and off the court. Our success rate with graduating seniors has been amazing. For those who want to continue playing, we easily get 90% of our players signed to college teams each year. And having a home to practice in is huge,” shares Dr. Mahaffey.
Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and chief brand officer for HiCast Sports Network adds, “Partnering with such a well-respected volleyball organization and their incredible new venue strengthens our expansion into youth volleyball. We’ve proven the success of our solution in outdoor environments for baseball and softball, and making a move to cover indoor courts and promote the play of top volleyball athletes has been exciting for us." According to the 2020 Pre-Pandemic Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program Report, there are more than 2 million youth volleyball players across the U.S. HiCast Sports Network seeks to increase exposure for these athletes as volleyball continues to grow at a rapid pace.
To watch volleyball live or on-demand at NORCO Volleyball, sign up here: http://www.hicastsports.com/norco
Photos Above © NORCO Volleyball
