MUSKEGON — Hundreds of people made their way onto a World War II ship Tuesday and Wednesday to begin what the participating schools hope is a new tradition.
Whitehall set foot on the deck of the LST 393 Tuesday, along with Mona Shores and Western Michigan Christian, for the first Steel Deck Showdown. The exhibition matches didn't count for the teams' record books - matches consisted of three 15-minute games, regardless of how many points were scored - but the novelty of the event ensures that the memories of them will stick around far longer than just about any regular-season match will.
A portable court donated to Whitehall by Inside Out Volleyball's Rick Rykse lined the weather deck of the LST 393, and there was room for enough chairs that a few hundred people were able to enjoy the first-of-its-kind event. Netting lined the edges of the deck to limit the number of volleyballs that went overboard, and a volunteer patrolled the dock in a kayak to pursue the ones that did.
"Not everyone can say that they've played, but (also) not everyone can say that they've watched, on top of a boat, these girls play volleyball," Viking senior Aaliyah Jamison said. "It's everyone's experience here."
It wasn't just any boat, of course; the LST 393 has a fabled military history. According to the veterans museum that operates out of the ship, it's one of just two out of over 1,000 Landing Ship Tanks (LST) that were built for service in World War II that still exist. The LST 393 was one of many ships that aided in operations that became D-Day, the storied invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944. Befitting the wear and tear the ship has weathered over the years, the weather deck wasn't fully level, and there were slight but noticeable dips in footing, even with the court laid down.
The ship is now docked in Muskegon, and a preservation association works to restore the ship, which it says is in danger of sinking if not, at some point, moved to land.
It's that association that will receive funds from the Steel Deck Showdown, which morphed from what was a simple idea from Vikings' coach Claire McGrew into a two-day, six-team event. Reeths-Puffer, Fruitport and North Muskegon stepped aboard the ship Wednesday for another tri.
Whitehall athletic director Christian Subdon said McGrew and himself batted around multiple ideas over the summer for a potential outdoor event for the team. Similar events have grown in popularity nationwide, especially at the collegiate level, where the University of Nebraska set an attendance record by hosting a match at its football stadium in 2023. This weekend, four programs from the Big Ten and SEC will participate in another event at Wrigley Field.
"We were like, 'We want to do something cool. We don't know what that looks like. Is it on the football field or not?'" Subdon said.
McGrew eventually approached Subdon with the idea, aided by LST 393 event coordinator Cindy Beckwith, to play aboard the ship. It wasn't the first time the ship has hosted a sporting event. The Shipyard Slam wrestling event last year matched the Muskegon Community College team and Grand Valley State University's club team, and museum manager Ryan Lancaster, who runs the GVSU club team, was enthusiastic about bringing more sports on deck. (There will be another edition of the Shipyard Slam next month.)
"It was a great turnout (last fall), and people seemed to have a lot of fun, so (we thought), 'Let's take it to the next step. There's other sports that could do this,'" Lancaster said. "Volleyball seemed like a good fit. As you can see, we've filled our entire weather deck of people enjoying watching volleyball on a Tuesday afternoon."
Lancaster said he hopes the event continues to build awareness for the ship as a site for community events. He mentioned weddings and Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournaments as examples of other events the ship could host.
The event was not only a fun opportunity for the players, but a chance for people to learn about the ship. Subdon himself, who's lived in Whitehall his whole life, said he'd never been on board the ship until this idea came together.
The Vikings were clearly appreciative of the chance. Jamison recalled that she first heard that the event was a possibility during preseason tryouts and was immediately enthralled by the idea. Junior Peyton Schultz added that she loved that McGrew sought out the event in order to give her players a memorable experience.
"She really cares about us, and I think that's really amazing that she wants to give us these cool opportunities that no one's ever had," Schultz said.
The results didn't count, and with the wind obviously a factor, the matches were different than indoor volleyball, but the Vikings did still take the opportunity to work on different lineups to see what worked. The team dropped the matches to Shores and to WMC.
"We talk about the wind exposing our flaws," senior Clare Westerlund said. "The wind's bringing the ball over, and we're standing straight up. We're, like, 'Oh, shoot. We've got to be in ready position, because the wind's pushing the ball ways that we don't expect it to be.'"
Preliminary plans are already in place to bring the event back next year, with the event described over the public address as the first annual. McGrew, as likely most people aboard the ship Tuesday, was thrilled with how the event turned out and credited the many collaborators with helping it come to fruition.
"It's a lot of work, so we're just really grateful that everybody was willing to be a part of this," McGrew said. "All the other schools were willing to help, the ADs, Christian Subdon at Whitehall, it's been amazing, everybody working together for this."
