By John Rittenhouse
Summer vacation has been anything but relaxing for one Hills-Beaver Creek High School junior-to-be.
Instead of kicking back on the beach or hanging out with friends on long summer days, Steen’s Erin Boeve spent most of her time honing her skills as a volleyball and basketball player.
Her hard work was put to a test during a two-week span in late June and early July when she traveled to Utah and Arkansas to take part different competitions involving both sports.
"It’s been a pretty busy summer," Boeve said from her home Saturday morning. "It was for the better."
Actually, the volleyball part of Boeve's preparation has been on her schedule since late winter.
She earned a roster spot on a Junior Olympic team out of Marshall in February and spent a good part of March and April traveling to Marshall or Minneota three days a week for practice.
Boeve was tested when the volleyball commitment overlapped with a track season that ended with her winning a section long jump title and advancing to the state.
Juggling volleyball practices along with track workouts and meets were tough, but Boeve seemed to adapt to a demanding schedule without having to sacrifice her overall performance in track.
"It was tough there for a while. There were some days when I went from track practice after school to volleyball practice at night. I would get home around 11:30 at night, do my homework, and get up and go to school the next day," she said.
The success Boeve's volleyball team experienced ended up making the long spring days bearable.
In March the Marshall Area team placed second in a tournament to put it in the top-four to advance to a national qualifying event. When the team won the national-qualifier in the Twin Cities in April, Boeve and her teammates earned a trip to the Junior Olympic Nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah, in late June.
The Marshall team was one of 64 squads that competed in Salt Lake City. Almost all 50 states were represented at the Junior Olympic Nationals. The event also attracted some international teams.
Boeve’s squad matched up pretty well with the competition during the four-day, three-match-a-day attraction. In the end, the Marshall Area team placed 13th out of 64 teams.
Boeve returned home on July 4, and she barely had time to catch her breath before leaving for Jonesboro, Ark., with seven of her schoolmates for a Team Basketball Camp two days later.
Unlike the volleyball team, for which Boeve was the lone H-BC representative, the basketball team was made up of friends and schoolmates.
Jody Rentschler, Sarah and Brittney Rozeboom, Amanda Olson, Cassi Tilstra, Melinda Feucht and Kelly Mulder joined Boeve and H-BC coach Tom Goehle in Jonesboro for a four-day event that ran from July 7-10.
The H-BC team played two games during the first and last days of the camp, and four games on Days 2 and 3. The Patriots compiled a 3-9 record overall.
"We won three of 12 games, but all of the games were decided by four to six points," Boeve pointed out.
After returning home late last week, Boeve was ready to set out on a less demanding adventure with her family.
"We're going to Clear Lake, Iowa, for a week today," Boeve said Saturday. "We'll do some fishing, riding jet skies and some other things. I'm looking for a little relaxation."
She better rest up in a hurry. H-BC volleyball practice is set to begin Aug. 12, which is less than one month away.