Beach Volleyball Courts at Springstead Underway

On March 25, the Springstead Eagles held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new beach volleyball courts. Once construction is complete, Springstead will become the first in-county school to house their courts on campus.

A plan that the Eagles’ volleyball coach has had in the works for the last six years, Coach Andrea Gracey’s dreams are finally being made a reality.

“I think it is only going to make our program grow,” Coach Gracey said. “We have definitely laid the foundation in years past of making best use of resources, but having the community come and commit to the future of our program – it means everything to me. The girls are going to have a home to build this program, grow it […] it makes me very happy to see all this come to life.”

Unfortunately, there was not much space due to the school being landlocked by surrounding roads and communities. Fortunately, the academic leaders were able to find a home for the outdoor sport’s three sand courts by deciding to simply move some of their batting cages. The batting spaces are being repositioned slightly more eastward to a nearby space on campus by the baseball/softball complex.

District and former Springstead Athletic Director Dustin Kupcik called the project a “win-win” for both programs since the necessary move will actually result in the batting cage “looking better than it did before.”

The courts will provide Springstead’s girls with the opportunity for offseason summer training directly on campus without needing to travel significant distances to Sunwest or other complexes with beach volleyball courts.

The project itself could have cost upward of $150,000, but thanks to the generosity of businesses in the community, the price tag is only around $50,000 instead. Coach Gracey helped raise $25,000 of the required funds while Chambers Law Firm footed another $25,000 of the bill as part of a naming sponsorship. The district athletic director likened the agreement to how Raymond James Stadium received its title but on a smaller scale.

Coach Kupcik called it a “win-win” as well and would like more organizations to see these sponsorships as “a viable option” for building visibility for their brands. He hopes to see more such deals struck between the district’s schools and these businesses in the future.

That was regarding funds raised, but it was the efforts of companies such as Cemex, LaRocca Contracting Services, and other subcontractors that allowed the cost of the courts to be reduced by two-thirds of their projected price.

According to Danny LaRocca, Cemex provided the beach sand and the ready-mix concrete while his business provided the manpower. Before the beach volleyball sand is brought in, the next major step of the project for LaRocca’s crew is to make sure the land is graded properly.

For student safety reasons, the local contracting company began construction on the project on Monday of the school’s Spring Break earlier in March. They began by removing the pre-existing 6-foot fence and doubling that with a 12-foot barrier instead.

The trio of playing areas should take six to eight weeks to build before being completed in April. Though they will not be finished before districts, Coach Gracey hopes to hold a Springstead tournament to christen the momentous occasion.

Between this endeavor and the district’s first ever beach volleyball signee (Hernando’s Kaiya Ward), there is significant tangible growth for the sport in Hernando County.

“It is exciting and I am hoping we are able to get more of these courts through our schools,” Coach Kupcik said. “It is a growing sport […] just creating those opportunities especially for our female student athletes […] It is a great sport. Especially in Florida [and] California, it is a big deal.”

Due to cancellations and Spring Break, Springstead’s beach squad has only played one match so far this year, but they have five upcoming games that will be “pivotal” heading into districts, Coach Gracey added. She praised the growth, togetherness and flexibility of Beach Volleyball Head Coach Mike Lanziero’s squad especially considering this season’s uncertainties.