Dear Fellow Hume Lake Volleyball Players,

"Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they are always glad you came" (Cheers Theme). Hey, we know it's November, but it is time to start getting ready for the 28th annual Hume Lake Volleyball Tournament, the place where everybody knows your name and they are always glad you came. It has been awhile since the last Hume Lake Tournament letter was sent out, but the tournament still happens every year. In 2002 the tournament will take place on August 1st and 2nd, so get your cabins now and join us for the unique experience of competition and Christian fellowship that can only be found at Hume Lake.

For you guys to know, Jeff Burnett has been very busy, so he distributed out some of his duties as Hume Lake tournament director. So the letter is being written by me, Doug English. I have had the privilege of playing in the last five tournaments, but my family has been playing in the tournament for as long as I can remember. My dad, Keith English, began going up to Hume with Jeff, when they were still young men, a long time ago. Because of this, Hume Lake Volleyball has a special place in my heart, and that is why I took the responsibility of writing, and distributing the Hume Lake Tourney letter.

For those of you who missed last years tournament, it consisted of four teams: the Steele Factor, captained by Jeff Steele, Survive-Oar, captained by Roche Kenyon, H-town, captained by Andy Mandon and Lakeweed, the staff team, led by John Bailey. The winners of the 2001 tournament were the H-town team consisting of Andy Levoe, Matt Levoe, Steve Levoe, Andy Mandon, Doug English, Marci English, and Raeanna Elze. The 2001 tournament was like every year, a great experience, and all of last years participants are counting down the days until the next one.

After having only four teams each of the past two years, it is our goal to have the tournament to grow back to where it was 8, 9, or 10 years ago...back when the tournament had 8 or 10 teams and it lasted all day on both days. This was when most of the people on the winning team this year (Andy, Matt, Doug, Marci, and Raeanna) were sitting back watching their parents play, or in some special cases, playing a limited role as a girl. Now that our time has come to be able to play, we want to play in those long two-day tournaments that we had to sit so impatiently through as children.

Over the past couple of years, the tournament has gotten back to its roots. It has once again become basically one cabin challenging another to a game of volleyball. As fun as this is, I think all of the people who have played in the last two tournaments would like to see some new faces, and faces of people that have not been up to Hume Lake for awhile. It is our goal next year, to get more people up at Hume, be that new people or old people. However, as much as we want the tournament to grow, we don't want it to grow at the expense of the Christian fellowship and the friendship that is so much a part of Hume Lake Volleyball now. Only people that have experienced the tournament first hand know what I am talking about. That's why we do not want to send out random flyers, we want the people who know about the tournament, and that participated in the tournament to help the tournament grow again. Who do we want to come up? Well, some of you now have kids that play volleyball, so give them the chance to play in the Hume tournament while you sit back and watch them or even get in shape and play alongside them in the tournament. Besides family, bring friends who play volleyball, that demonstrate the honesty, purity, and integrity values that have become a part of the Hume tournament.

Next year on August 1st and 2nd it is our goal to have 10 teams at the tournament. Just the English's, Levoe's, Steele's, Kenyon's, Elze's and Mandon's, who are expecting to bring up a team next year, cannot produce 10 teams. The tournament needs people to come back who have not been up there in awhile, or new people that would fit in well with the Hume tradition. So call now and reserve your cabin for the week of July 27th to August 3rd and begin to put that winning team together.

On a different note, Hume Lake Volleyball is on the web at www.humelake.org/volleyball.html. So if you have any questions or concerns about the tournament go to the website and get them answered. On the website will be the dates of the tournament, a list of cabins, a place where you can say that you are coming up but don't have a team, and a list of ideas for the theme of the tournament. So go to the Hume Lake Volleyball website and get all your questions answered. If the website is not up, you can contact me at either the e-mail address, or phone number below. Also expect another letter in March or April to tell you what the theme is and any other Hume Lake news that you need to know.

Sincerly,
Doug English
Phone: (818) 249-8483
E-mail: dougieme@aol.com