Martin Matters: Gooooooooo Toppers!

Yay, volleyball! I played on a city league volleyball team this winter. Fun stuff. It was mostly my family on the team. My brothers' employer sponsored us, so we named the team Toppers in honor of Seminis. They deal with corn, and most of us have worked in the cornfield at one time or another. (I'm gonna again this summer.) So, Toppers for corn toppers, and the double meaning of, "We're the best and on top!"
But we weren't the best. :( Our regular season we had a poor record, 2-5. We did better in the tournament. Sort of. It was double elimination. We won two before we were out. However, in our regular season, they pitted us against all the best teams. We were a B team, as were most teams, but the few A teams they had played the B teams. I think we faced all of them. Also, we never had our team together. My mom was on the team originally as a back-up. She played most games. I was gone for two, since I'd just had surgery and my mean doctor said I couldn't play. Chris was gone for two, on business in Mexico. Autumn (the only not family member on the team) was gone for different reasons throughout, and at the end because she was having a baby in a couple more months. So we were scattered. But Mom is good, especially for an old woman. ;)

Dad came and took pictures one game. Some players were photographed more than others, so if it seems I am biased, I am not. I'm just working with what I had. Dad was biased. :)

This was a game that Autumn didn't play. Let me introduce the team.

First we have little brother Cameron. Cameron joined the family in 1990, but didn't really start enjoying volleyball until 2009 or so. He brings to the game humor, angry outbursts, amazing saves, great hits, and 100% effort, which is why you'll see him on the ground, or falling to it, in many pictures.
Just check out that concentration.

Cameron also brought the handsome. And I brought the...full bladder??

Cameron likes to combine ballet with volleyball for that extra spice.

Next up we have Christine. She joined the family in 2004, but has been playing volleyball quite well for much longer. You'll want to make sure you're not on the receiving end of her serves and spikes. No matter what position she plays, you can always count on Christine to give an A+ performance.

Christine has patented her signature move, the flamingo. Don't mess with it.

Stuffed!

Next up, team captain Chris. He made his family debut in '82, (that rhymes!) and I have no idea how long he's played volleyball. But he's an athlete, so it'd be best not to underestimate him. His serves mean business, his spikes are rarely returned, and he keeps the team focused and ready. (Tries his best to.)

Oh, and another thing; he levitates. The boy can hop, but not only that, he doesn't always land. You might think your spike won't be blocked since Chris is jumping several feet away, but Chris can jump straight up, decide in the air that he wants to be somewhere else, then float over there before he lands.

Mom is next. She started the family in 1979, and probably played volleyball since birth. Don't let her age and height fool you, she can bump, set, spike/hit-it-over-the-net-on-the-third-hit like the rest of us! (Come on, she's 5'4 playing on a men's net!) Her specialty is returning the hardest hit spikes with her nose. She'll always take one for the team.

Next up; Casey. Born in 1992, he's only played volleyball for a couple of years, but has caught up to everyone else, and surpassed several. He might not ever smile, speak, or even look interested, but he loves the game. Opponents hate it when he's at the net, due to his go-go-gadget arms, which reach to anywhere on the net to block the on-coming hits. Sometimes even free-balls. Certainly a good asset to have on the team.

Last and least we have Melanie. Joined the family in 1984, started playing volleyball as a beehive (12 year old girl in the church). She has improved since then, but not as much as the years would lead you to believe. Her serves are easy-to-return lobs, but almost all of them went over the net. About 1 in 5 of her sets are good, but at least she knows when it's her fault that the play failed. Melanie takes great pride in herself every time she uses her knee-pads, or when she gets a finger on the ball she attempted to block.

Oh, and Autumn was on the team. She was 5 months pregnant, and running, jumping, and diving. She was awesome.

Here's some more action shots.

The huddle.