The Charles Henderson High School volleyball team is hosting a volleyball camp on Aug. 22 in the Charles High School gymnasium from 9:00 a.m. until noon for children in kindergarten all the way up through sixth grade.

With volleyball continuing to grow in popularity on a year-by-year basis, Trojan head coach Jennifer Sikes hopes to capitalize on the newfound popularity and teach the volleyball to the local youth.

“We are trying to get a little more interest in the younger kids,” Sikes said. “Volleyball is finally starting to take off a little better, so we are just trying to get interest out there for the younger kids.”

While at the camp, the kids are mainly going to learn that fun side of volleyball. The basic skills of the sport will be put on display for each individual attending the camp.

“Hopefully their going to learn that volleyball is supposed to be fun,” Sikes said. “We are just going to teach them some basic skills and show them how to have a good time. We are going to them those basic skills along with etiquette and introduce them to the game.”

Another important thing Sikes wants to get out of the community is that there is more sports for young women to play than just basketball and softball. Volleyball is a fast-paced sport that should rival basketball and softball believes Sikes.

“Basketball has been around forever and everyone likes basketball,” Sikes said. “This is a baseball, softball town so it can be easier to sell those sports. Volleyball has been a harder sell, but it has started to pick up.”

There has not been many volleyball camps for younger children in the Troy area, but beginning last year when former Pike County volleyball coach Lana Johnson put on a camp at the Troy recreation center, the interest has started to grow for the sport.

“It sparked interest, and she is one of my bigger supporters,” Sikes said. “She introduced it, and I think it has caught on. The kids saw that it is a fun thing, so I’m hoping the camp sparks some more interest and we can get some of the younger kids there and keep coming back every year.”

Participants of the camp will have the opportunity to learn the game of volleyball from the current members of the CHHS volleyball team. Sikes hopes that her players get just as much out of this camp as the participants themselves.

“They get to see that there are younger girls out there that look up to them and hopefully that will keep them grounded and to be better role models,” Sikes said. “I want to win, but I want my athletes to know that they are young women that go out and do anything. They can go get scholarships, and they can get careers. I want to teach life lessons. and I think them seeing these younger girls will really help them.”

The cost of the camp for each participant will be $25, which will include a t-shirt for each individual.

Participants can register for the camp by emailing Sikes at sikesj@troyschools.net, or they can pick up registration forms at either the elementary, middle or high schools.