Years of work boil down to a good week for Generals' DalPra
This was a promise kept.Upon being introduced to the sport of volleyball, it wasn’t long before Wooster’s Cameron DalPra realized her love for the game. It also didn’t take long for her to recognize it fit right into her makeup and it could take her someplace in life.
“I’m very determined,” said DalPra. “I have an attitude I’m going to do this. That gives me an advantage over other people. I’m driven to finish and reach my goal.
“And, when I was little, I told my mom, ‘I’m going to college and I’m going on a full ride,’ and I did what I could to reach that.”
That DalPra did, and it culminated in one memorable week. The Generals’ outside hitter was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio by the Ohio High School Coaches Association, and that announcement was followed by DalPra signing a scholarship with Div. II University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima to continue her education and athletic career.
The Racers compete in the nine-team Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. They are in only their fourth season of competitive athletics and are coming off a 23-14 campaign.
While selecting a school was in the works, being named All-Ohio wasn’t on DalPra’s mind.
“Not at all,” she said. “With how the season went, I figured everyone would be looked over. We were not as successful as I thought we would be and how we started out this summer – definitely not. All-OCC? I was thinking that … hoping at least.”
Even WHS coach Jen Snowbarger had to admit her surprise, but with a major qualification.
“I know people say we were eight-and-whatever and how can you be All-Ohio, but when you look at our record against good teams, yeah, they’re not wins, but we hung with good teams,” said Snowbarger. “Look at who was at State. We scrimmaged or played most of them, so that tells you something. We’re not playing teams that roll over and we’re winning. We’re taking our losses, but we’re getting noticed. They recognize good players. We see Cincinnati teams … and teams all over (the state) to get our players out there and help get them recognition. That does help come postseason awards.”
DalPra played freshman and JV ball as a first-year, but was called up to the varsity for tournaments. She played right-side hitter on the varsity as a sophomore and moved to middle hitter the past two seasons.
“Having Snowbarger as a coach and her seeing potential in me as a freshman and bringing me up, that’s what made me realize, ‘You can do this.’ I’ve grown into my height and skill level. That gave me confidence,” said DalPra.
“Her sophomore year she had a role to play,” said Snowbarger. “She was behind in fundamentals and ball control – she wasn’t in control of her body yet. As a junior she was by far my most improved player. She grew into her body and coordination happened and she became a good player. Obviously, since she played up as freshman in tournaments … I saw something. Along way, an athlete has to decide they love it as much you do, and she decided to click. It was something she decided.
“When she came in, the program was real good. She had seniors she could look to. They weren’t just saying they loved volleyball; they showed her how to play it and correct mistakes. Coming in as a freshman, that speaks volumes. This is what a coach wants. She respected them and went with it.
“I think a lot of athletes might want to be good, but when it comes to working hard and putting in the work, that’s where Cameron jumped over others’ abilities.
“She not short, but she’s not real tall. She’s worked on her vertical (jumping), and I think there is a lot of maturity that will come out of her with four more years. She offers a lot. She didn’t play until seventh-grade, and a lot of girls start at 10, so she was behind them.
“We all can work hard and get better at what we want,” concluded Snowbarger. “On top of working hard, she loved it and made sacrifices. There was a lot of time that went into getting better. She’s going into a great program right now. I’m excited for her. Not every girl wants to continue to play four more years and I’m glad she has the opportunity – and for free.”
DalPra is looking to major in business management and “become an athletic director either in college or high school,” she said. She is excited for the next stage of her life.
“The university is … really expanding,” she said. “When I’m a freshman, it will be the fifth year of volleyball and the first year for baseball, tennis and softball. Sports are new to the school,” she said. “I knew talking with the coach right away I had a connection with him. It’s important to have that with the coaches and players. I saw the campus and it felt very family-like and welcoming. That caught my attention and stuck with me.”