Rising Star / Coastal Georgia / October 2013
Anna Bolch
Coach Dale Parker and Coach Bobbi Mock
Savannah Country Day School
Savannah, Georgia
Great Players Come In Small Packages.
Anna Bolch is a firecracker of young lady proving herself to be quite the star on the playing field. A 13-year-old eighth-grader at Savannah Country Day School, she plays volleyball, basketball and soccer all while making honor roll grades. She has been playing soccer since the age of five and says it is her favorite sport. Even though she is only in eighth grade, she is trying out for the junior varsity basketball team at SCDS and looking forward to being a part of the team.Bolch has played volleyball for the Lady Hornets the past two years. Last year, her team won the Savannah Parochial Athletic League championship, one of the highlights of Bolch’slife. “It was against one [of] the teams that beat us earlier in the season. It was the last point, I served it and no one hit it. It was a really great feeling.” Standing barely five feet tall, Anna is vivacious on the court. In spite of her size, she’s determined to score points and will do what it takes to make it happen.
“I’m kinda short, so I have to be aggressive to get the ball.”This past season Bolch was one of five middle school students chosen for the junior varsity volleyball team. Her coach and teacher, Dale Parker, had lots of opportunities to watch her play at camps and practices over the summer and said she really stood out from her peers. “She’s a good hustler and has a great attitude. Her excitement is contagious and she rallies the team around her. I started her out as setter but quickly moved her to libero, a defensive specialist. That made all the difference in the team. She shows great leadership skills for an eighth-grader and that would seem to be difficult on a team of mostly ninth- and tenth-graders. If you look around the court and don’t see her, it’s probably because she’s on the floor – seems that she’s diving for the ball every other play,” says Parker .Added to her list of awards is Coaches Award for both volleyball and basketball.
Her mother, Lou Bolch, says she is most proud of these awards as it acknowledges her daughter’s greatest personal characteristics. She says her daughter always gives her all in everything she does. “She’s a team player, an amazing little Christian, very involved in her youth group, she’s always on honor roll and she tries hard in every area of her life.”Her father, Jeff Bolch, is also impressed by her individual drive and her determination to do all things well, whether it is sports, school, friends, or family. “She’s remarkably responsible and she keeps up with her day-to -day life better than any other child I know. She’s kind, very happy with life, always smiling, never wants to sit around, does her homework Saturday mornings, goes to all of her church functions without fail. There’s never a time where she says ‘Nah, I really don’t want to go.’ She’s always up, ready to go and engaged with life.” When asked what it is like to watch Anna Bolch play, her father says, “Stressful, but she is a joy to watch.”
He is very involved in her athletics and was her coach in soccer when she was in elementary school. He said she grasped the concepts of the game at a very young age. “She was always learning and paying attention. She seemed very quick to grasp the concepts of being a team player – always did whatever she was asked.” Her father is proud that Bolch has been on championship teams and is happy they win a lot but also says that when they do lose, Bolch shows remarkable sportsmanship. “She doesn’t get down on herself or the team, rather it bolsters her drive to do better the next time. She deals with the loss gracefully and moves on.”When Bolch isn’t on the court, she is drawing and hanging out with her orange rabbit, Pumpkin. Her passion and favorite way to spend her day unwinding is creating art in pencil and charcoal. Her most recent achievement was an award for Honorable Mention in a National Scholastic Art contest. She said she caught a blue crab and following the guidelines of the competition, stippled the crab in grayscale. She says she looks forward to art at school and hopes to continue to take it throughout her schooling. In asking her father what he sees for her future he says, “I hope she doesn’t change – that she continues along the path and trajectory that she’s been on, and foremost, that she’s happy in whatever she does.” Her mother is proud of her art talent and thinks she could have a career in the field, if she wants. Bolch is not sure what her future holds, but she is certainly looking forward it.
Favorites:
Subject: Art
Snack: Popcorn
Healthy Food: Watermelon
College team: UGA
College Player: Todd Gurley
ProTeam: USA Women’s Soccer
Pro Player: Abby Wambat
Who would you most like to meet: Kerry Walsh-Jennings
What Sport do you wish you could play: Tennis
Where would you like to travel: Costa Rica
Superpower? Lightning fast speed
Who is your inspiration? Jesus
