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| Published November 15, 2003 :: Home 
Mike |
Cullen Binds Chelan, RC
Players The Class B and 2A state championships -- played out less than 20 feet apart in the spacious SunDome on Saturday night -- were a tale of four women. Three of them -- Chelan’s Sarah Schramm, and Riverside Christian standouts Erin Shively and Sharelle Wells -- were teens battling for what all high school volleyball players dream of -- a state championship. Pacing on the periphery was a woman old enough to be their mother who had played a significant -- if brief --- for all of them in the formative years of their careers. Sue Cullen coached Schramm at Chelan when Schramm was a freshman. She coached Shively and Wells for two years at RC before stepping down last summer so she would have time to watch her daughter Abby complete her volleyball career at Gonzaga. Saturday night, Cullen -- working as one of the legion of volunteers assisting in putting the three tournaments on -- stood along the boundary between the two courts -- Court 3 in the center and Court 1 on the Southwest end of the building -- pacing nervously and going through a repertoire of movements, twists, kicks and hoots through some rolled up paper. All the while, she seemed to be trying it seemed to will her former charges into being able to hold up the big gold ball that rests atop the state championship trophy. That trophy was something that eluded Cullen in her 15 years at Chelan and two at RC. She took the Goats to state frequently but never finished higher than fifth. She got Riverside to the state tourney last year but the Crusaders didn’t make it out of pool play. “I’m jealous,” she admitted at one point as she nervously watched the B match wind to a conclusion. Saturday she seemed to alternately revel as the Crusaders outlasted Almira/Coulee-Hartline for the Class B title and suffer along with Schramm as Chelan was beaten for the second straight year in the state title match. All three played big roles in their teams’ success throughout the year, including Saturday night. Wells and Shively, it seemed, gave the Crusaders too much firepower for the Warriors to handle. Their combined 43 kills helped RC turn the tide after losing the first game and come up with the big plays needed to snatch the state title. Schramm put forth a mighty effort for Chelan, with 11 kills and 6 blocks in a losing cause. One of just three seniors for Chelan, Schramm has played for the state championship three times in the SunDome. Three times she has gone back up the hill with a second-place trophy. “I’m sick of this,” she said afterwards in a clear forceful voice. “I love it here but I’m tired of finishing second.” Schramm shared a lengthy hug with fellow senior Stephanie Witsil at the opposite end of the bench area from where Chelan sat for the final game. She finally turned, walked over and sat down. As she did so, her resolve seemed to crumble and she began to cry. Cullen, standing at the end of Court 3 for a better view of the RC match, diverted her attention long enough to walk over, crouch down and spend a few minutes consoling her former charge. Moments later, Behind Wells’ powerhouse performance at the net, Riverside finally vanquished ACH. Cullen lingered with a big smile on her face along the bleachers for a moment as the players jumped up and down and screamed just 10 feet in front of her. Then she turned and walked back to the tournament office. A dream for her former players had been achieved. In a way it was her dream, too.
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