Waynedale’s Ice not ready to chill out quite yet

Waynedale’s Ice not ready to chill out quite yet
Tom Rife

At 5-foot-7, senior middle hitter Sara Ice of Waynedale High is a dominating force at the net for the 2020 Golden Bears.

                        

Check her name, her genes, her veins. In all respects, Sara Ice aims to freeze her volleyball opponents in their tracks.

“I’m not much of a talker. I’d rather lead by example,” said the 5-foot-7 senior middle hitter for the Waynedale High squad that is contending for another Wayne County Athletic League crown.

Ice, sister of 2017 Waynedale graduate Sami Ice, is one of three captains on coach Jen Lauber’s veteran unit.

“Actions speak louder than words in her book,” said Lauber, who has coached girls volleyball for 30 years at a number of schools in the region. Her resume includes an eight-year stint at Smithville High, where she even coached the late Jodi Shilling, Waynedale’s beloved coach who passed away two years ago.

Having guided various teams to final-four appearances seven times, Lauber knows a shining star when she sees one.

“Sara comes across as a strong leader but also a very caring leader,” Lauber said of Ice, who relishes sharing the role of team captain with fellow seniors Kelsey Wolfe (her cousin) and Emily McCreary.

“I feel like we’re blessed to be back instead of not being able to play at all,” Ice said of the run that has been altered by the pandemic. “The season has been a challenge, but we’re working through it.”

As might be expected, Ice said she’s still determined to elevate her level of play. This is her fourth season on the varsity, and many of Shilling’s lessons still mold her style of play.

“She always harped on working hard and pushing yourself,” Ice said of Shilling, the Golden Bears mentor who compiled a record of 182 wins and 108 losses from 2007-18 before succumbing to cancer. “She always said to just never give up, to push yourself to the very end, no matter how bad your legs are burning, no matter how much you’re exhausted. She battled through so many things. It hit me hard.”

Sami Ice went on to Kent State to compete in track and field. Sara Ice is a member of the Golden Bears track team as well.

The lone smudge on the Bears’ record this season came in the form of a five-set loss to WCAL rival and frontrunner Smithville. The much-anticipated rematch looms toward the end of the month.

“We just lost our focus late, middle and in the beginning,” Lauber said of the setback to the Smithies, who had yet to lose a match heading into what is affectionately known as “Fair Week” in Wayne County.

Coaches and players alike have adjusted their schedules and routines accordingly to allow the students to participate in junior fair activities.

Ice and Lauber have set high goals for the 2020 season, which already has been a challenge because of restrictions placed on the girls because of the coronavirus. Ultimately, the Bears would love to become the first Waynedale volleyball team to achieve final-four status. The competition promises to be stiff every step of the way.

Lauber still keeps her competitive juices flowing in spite of the somewhat repetitive nature of three decades on the sidelines.

“It’s just fun coaching the girls and watching some of them go on to become coaches and continue their love of the game,” Lauber said. “It’s always great seeing the kids work to their potential, watching them grow and then move on in their lives to become doctors, lawyers and dentists.”

Ice herself said she would like eventually to go into the medical field. She has yet to finalize her college plans but hopes the future also leads to more volleyball.

In other words Ice isn’t ready to chill out quite yet.


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