History will be made on September 6 when the Frontier High School Varsity Volleyball teams play host to rival Hamburg in the first sanctioned high school boys and girls volleyball match to be held outdoors in New York State. It is also believed to be the first sanctioned high school boys volleyball match to be played outdoors in the United States.
The football field will be overlaid with a sport court for the afternoon contests.
“We’re going to be making history here at Frontier,” said Frontier Athletic Director Jim Helmicki. “This is unique -- 99.9 percent of high school volleyball players will never have this opportunity.”
The event, being dubbed the “Frontier Volleyball Stadium Series,” stems from the August 30, 2023 historic outdoor volleyball match between Nebraska and Omaha held at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, in front of 92,003 fans, the largest crowd to see a women’s sporting event in U.S. history.
Helmicki discussed innovative ways to continue to grow volleyball with Frontier Boys Varsity Volleyball Coach Nick Penberthy and brought up the idea of hosting an outdoor match at Frontier. That led to Penberthy initiating conversations with athletic directors and volleyball coaches from around the country to learn more about hosting an outdoor volleyball match.
“The volleyball community is amazing. Everyone has been very receptive and helpful in sharing their experiences to ensure that we can host this event successfully,” Penberthy said.
Extensive research led Penberthy and Helmicki to pitch the idea of a community event to Superintendent Christopher Swiatek and the Frontier Board of Education in an effort to bring students of all ages together to kick off the new school year and celebrate the school district’s “Falcon Pride” on the new Frontier Athletic Turf Complex.
It was approved by the Board of Education recently and unveiled to the Frontier Volleyball teams in a presentation Wednesday morning in the High School auditorium.
“This is going to be an annual event here at Frontier. This is not going to be a one-and-done thing,” Helmicki said. “We’re going to own an outdoor court and start doing this on a yearly basis.”
Frontier officials hope to fill the stadium bleachers. There will also be a seating area around the court. In addition to the volleyball matches, there will be a Kids Zone featuring “Touch a Truck,” bounce houses, face painting and food trucks.
“We’re writing a new and exciting chapter in the history of Frontier Volleyball,” Penberthy said. “The District has made a significant investment in this event and the Frontier Volleyball program.”
Helmicki and Penberthy are counting on Frontier Volleyball players to get as many people as possible to Frontier on the big day.
“I’m super excited. This is history – the first boys program to do this in the whole United States is pretty cool,” said Frontier Boys Varsity Volleyball player Quinn Brodie. “I think we will get a lot of people to watch.
“I’m excited to see the environment that we can bring. It’s going to be very cool being first in the nation to do this,” said teammate Brayden Dunz.
In the last five seasons, the Girls Varsity squad has been to four sectional finals and won three titles, while the Boys Varsity squad has been to two sectional finals.
Volleyball in the United States is the most popular team sport for girls in high school while boys volleyball has grown by 40% since 2017 and is the fastest growing team sport nationwide, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
“The sport of volleyball is experiencing extraordinary growth nationally and locally, especially within our Frontier Central School District,” Penberthy said. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the sport on this big stage while uniting the school community for this historic event.”