By Ryan Nagelhout Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Mon Oct 17, 2011, 11:20 PM EDT
NIAGARA FALLS — In almost every regard, a seventh-grader doesn’t belong on a varsity sports team.
Funny thing is, Charlie Palka does. The Starpoint boys volleyball team could certainly exist without him, but thanks to a welcoming senior class and an impressive family tree, coach Kirk Spitler decided the kid everyone calls “Chaz” deserved a spot on the roster.
“He’s the only guy on our team who can hit over the net and walk under it,” Spitler said.
Palka has played club volleyball in Eden since second grade, longer than Starpoint has had a boys volleyball team. With Palka in the district’s middle school, Spitler decided the youngster deserved a shot at the varsity roster.
“When he came out for practice I said ‘This guy’s ready to go,’ ” Spitler recalled. “He would have a good time on JV but this is the kind of kid who loves a challenge.”
That’s exactly what he’s getting as the Spartans’ defensive specialist. With teams aiming spikes at the five-foot, sub-100 pound libero you’d think the rookie could get discouraged, but Palka does nothing but smile when he’s on the court.
“The net he’s playing on now is eight inches higher and he’s playing against guys that are five years older than him,” Spitler said. “But he never backs down, he never shies away and he’s got such great fundamental skills.
“His head is in the right place, he’s ultra competitive and the guys have really taken to him,” he continued. “He plays hard, he plays with a lot of confidence.”
Palka credits three seniors, middle hitter Korey Schwab and Nick Garbacz, both captains, and Mackenzie Spencer for making him feel welcome.
“They’ve really done a nice job, I think,” Palka said. “They treat me well and they’ve accepted me.”
A quick look at the excitable seventh-grader bouncing around the court and it’s easy to dismiss him. Until, of course, you watch him play.
Spencer said his teammates were skeptical at first, but Palka’s play at libero and his attitude quickly gave him reason to accept him.
“At first we were a little skeptical because we didn’t know if the older kids who were on JV would be frustrated or feel bad,” Spencer said, “But he’s really stepped up.”
Schwab said his experience in Eden is impressive and the team has played well together.
“He has the most experience out of all of us, he’s been playing club volleyball for years,” Schwab said. “He’s a good player to have on the team and he’s only going to get better as he gets older.”
Spitler talked to Palka’s dad before bringing him to varsity and said he’s proud that his team has made him feel welcome on the varsity level.
“We have a good core of senior leadership and they’re taking Chaz in and he really feels like he’s a part of the team,” Spitler said. “A lot of seventh-graders think they’re a little freakish, when they’re on the periphery and they’re not accepted. Our guys accepted him.”
If Palka’s energy on the floor doesn’t turn heads, his last name should. The Palka family volleyball tree is nothing short of spectacular. His father, Bob, played at Lackawanna and was an All-American at Penn State. His mother, Jeanne, was part of a Sweet Home team that didn’t lose a game in 11 years, then played at West Virginia.
A pair of older sisters were Starpoint standouts as well, with Samantha playing a Coastal Carolina and Sydney currently a sophomore at Canisius College.
Palka’s parents didn’t even tell the kids about their volleyball careers until a cousin got them interested in the sport, but Charlie took to the game right away.
“My parents really didn’t tell me at all, they wanted me to choose what I wanted to choose,” Palka said. “I was just around volleyball so much and they couldn’t keep me from it.”
With strong fundamentals in place, expectations are about as high for one of the shortest volleyball players in the area.
“His volleyball IQ is really, really mature for his age and he’s a great kid to have around,” Spitler said. “He gets everyone pumped up, which is fun.”
Palka, who also plays basketball and baseball, said he had no plans to try cracking any of those varsity rosters this season.
Then again, he has plenty of time.
Copyright 2011 Niagara Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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