By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Sports Writer
 INDEPENDENCE TWP. — Boys Volleyball is coming to Clarkston High School this spring.
Coach Kramer Everett shared during lunch periods at the high school last Friday he introduced himself, gauged the interest levels and wrote a list of interested students.
Next is a parent meeting on Wednesday, December 13 in the LGI room at CHS at 7 p.m.
“We will roll out a lot more details as in what our plan is, what the season looks like for the players and more,” said Everett.
He added he doesn’t want boys to be afraid to join because they don’t have experience or have little to no understanding of the sport.
“Most players don’t have any experience,” he said. “Most players don’t really know what they are doing and that is totally okay. We are coaching from a very developmental level because that’s where we are at, that’s where we have to start, and we are happy to do that. We just want guys who want to play, guys who are excited to play are going to show up, work hard and be a good teammate, and have an open mind.”
He shared he is ecstatic to start a boys volleyball program at Clarkston.
Everett works for Michigan Elite Volleyball Club, starting as a boys coach years ago and is now the Boys High School Development Coordinator. He joined the Clarkston Girls Volleyball coaching staff this year.
“We were talking about it and got word there had been interest from boys for a while,” he shared. “But, there hadn’t been anyone who had been able to take on the coaching role. I went to Jeff Kosin (athletic director) and said let’s do this. It took off right from there.
“Two years ago when I just started coaching a club team, a AAU team, part time trying to build the sport I did not think I would an opportunity to start a varsity program so quickly,” he shared. “It’s really good for the game. The big goal for the game, for Michigan is to build the game, get more boys playing, get more boys at younger ages playing, just playing starting sooner.”
Everett shared aside from outdoor sports like skiing and hiking boys volleyball is the second fastest growing sport in the United States behind pickle ball.
“The interest level of youth amateurs is growing by the tens of thousands every year,” he said. “It’s interesting because a lot of states are in the same position where we are, where they don’t have it as a varsity sport. If you look at the numbers of how many schools are adding teams but it’s huge to the amount of high school club sports and college club sports and things like that.”
He shared though the sport has grown since it started in Michigan with four teams in 2017, now with over 60 teams in nine divisions, it is a club sport.
“The MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) does not recognize boys volleyball yet,” Everett said, adding that’s part of the process to keep it growing and for it to become recognized by the MHSAA. “Last season, the state was eight teams short of enough to petition.
“We are really anticipating hoping we will get it this year – Clarkston is adding. Lake Orion is adding. Rochester Adams is adding.”
Updates and information will be shared @clarkstonboysvb on X (formerly known as Twitter) or send an email to volley.coachk5@gmail.com.

  boys volleyball, Clarkston High School