Citizens of Wisconsin, Distinguished Visitors and Fellow Volleyball Fans...

When we started this here blog exactly one year ago today (happy birthday to us), we really only had two very modest goals in mind: Learn more about blogging and put in one place all the links we were clicking on anyhow.

Hopefully, the site has become more than that. Of course, we realize that it's also less than what it could be. In this first annual state-of-the-cheese address, we definitely want to talk about where the blog is heading, but before we do that, we'd also like to share a thought or four about what we feel this blog has been good (but not great) at:

• We feel this blog has been good (but not great) at following teams you wouldn't typically follow. Quick, can you name which two Wisconsin teams remained undefeated longer than any others? We'd like to think our regular readers can, even those who don't typically follow WIAA Girls Division 3 volleyball. (The answer is, of course, Grantsburg and Sheboygan Lutheran). Having said that, we also realize our coverage might not always have been as representative as it could have been concerning all the great things that are going on across the state. We'll keep working on that.
• We feel this blog has been good (but not great) at promoting Wisconsin volleyball nationally. We get visitors and e-mails from all across the country. And we love it. When that happens, it means others are learning what we already know: Wisconsin is a great volleyball state. There are a lot of Wisconsin players and coaches who are doing great within our borders. And the ones who do leave us, for whatever reason, are often finding success wherever they go. We like promoting both facts.
  
• We feel this blog has been good (but not great) at keeping things positive. A lot of message boards and other sites tend to turn into a cheering section for one particular team, region or level. We like to think we've been able to put a positive spin on the great things that are happening everywhere without devolving into negative comparisons or circular "this player or team is not as good as that player or team" arguments.
• We feel this blog has been good (but not great) at giving boys volleyball some much-needed press. From a numbers standpoint, it's no secret that most volleyball in this state is played by females. As a result, most of our readers follow girls or women's volleyball much more closely than boys or men's. With that in mind, we feel it's been a great thing that many of our readers now know a little more about high school player of the year Alex Becherer, Middleton's upsetting of Marquette early in the season or Daniel Mathews' success at The Ohio State University. Having said that, we also realize our coverage has often been spotty at best. Our bad. We'll try to improve.
  

At the risk of boring you to tears, we would now like to turn everyone's attention to where we see things headed:

• We're gonna get just a little more help. During the height of the fall seasons, we had to choose between the blog and our sanity. We still have a calendar down there that should be more robust. There's that 20+ digs list that we let languish. Not to mention our ill-fated attempt at an "all-cheese" list. Since our current, er, staff really can't handle any more duties and stay coherent, we might be pulling in some extra help. (We should point out that we're extraordinarily grateful to RN, onpackerland and the many, many others who have been helping with various lists and information all year. It's very much appreciated.)
  
• We're gonna try to make a few nickels off this thing. We hear you groaning. But hear us out first. For starters, by nickels, we more than likely will be talking nickels. And we're not gonna start putting those silly little "get volleyball kneepads cheap" or "add six inches to your vertical" ads at the side of the blog. We were thinking more in terms of something that might actually help promote the sport, the state and, well, us. So within a month or so, we're gonna set up a little online store with Cheese & Volleyball mugs, t-shirts and other stuff. That way, if you're opposed to us making those few nickels, it'll be easy enough for you to ignore that part of the site altogether. But if you do want to spread the word about volleyball in Wisconsin (and support us) you'll have that option as well.
• We're gonna try to remain anonymous. From everything we've read about such matters, the first rule of blogging anonymously is that anyone who tries to blog anonymously won't be blogging anonymously for long. Nevertheless, we're gonna keep trying. And there's a reason. Even though we hope it's abundantly clear by now that we're not favoring any one particular club or team, there are still (as you may have guessed) some particular clubs and teams in which we have more personal interest than others. And by not revealing who we (or they) are, we can keep the focus where it belongs--on Wisconsin state volleyball. Hope everyone understands. You see, it's not that we're trying to be secretive. Not at all. It's just that it's not really about us.

Thus endeth the first annual state-of-the-cheese address. It's been fun putting together various lists of state recruits. It's been fun tracking the success of club teams at the NIRSA finals. It's been fun reflecting on one kid's final club season. It's been fun trying to name memorable Wisconsin "sister acts." It's been fun being the first to announce a verbal commitment. It's been fun trying to be funny.

It's been just plain fun for an entire year now.

And we're definitely planning on more fun times to come. If you have any feedback (positive, negative or anywhere in between) don't hesitate to shoot us an e-mail at vbuberalles@gmail.com or simply leave a comment.

Thanks so much for helping to make all of this so much fun.