North Tama Schools rising 8th grader Addison Hochstetler photographed in Orlando, Florida this past summer where she played for one of two Iowa High Performance volleyball teams in the USA Volleyball (USAV) All-Star National Championship. Photo submitted.

Addison Hochstetler is setting herself up for success.

The North Tama Schools rising 8th grader spent several weeks this past summer at Iowa High Performance volleyball camp in an effort to improve her already stellar libero and defensive specialist skills, as well as her ability to adapt to different coaching styles.

“[Camp] was intense and fun at the same time,” Hochstetler said via an email interview. “Definitely very competitive. It was fun to learn the different ways people coach and the intensity of it.”

According to its website, Iowa High Performance (Iowa HP) is a “three-tier program consisting of tryouts, an individual skills camp and selection to our Iowa HP travel teams. Through these programs, we are charged and committed to select, develop, and help support athletes who will represent the Iowa Region.”

Back in May of 2021 — thanks to the encouragement of NT Volleyball Head Coach Channing Halstead — Hochstetler was one of 500 young female athletes to try out for Iowa HP volleyball training camp. Fifty athletes moved on from the May training camp to a June camp in Bettendorf, Hochstetler being one of them.

“At this camp [in Bettendorf] she trained with Olympic volleyball coaches and multiple college coaches,” Hochstetler’s mother Sarah Hochstetler said.

It was a high stakes environment, but Hochstetler thrived and found herself moving on to an even bigger venue in Florida.

“They take nine girls out of [the Bettendorf] camp to represent Iowa and play in the All Star National Championship in Orlando, Florida,” Sarah Hochstetler said. “Addison was chosen to be one of those nine girls.”

Hochstetler was one of the only athletes to come from a small school, her mother said. She was up against athletes from much larger communities including Bettendorf, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Moline, and Sioux City.

Once in Florida — as a member of one of two Iowa HP teams — Hochstetler spent three days in intense training with her new team.

“Some of the days were long,” Hochstetler admitted. “We would play, then be off and watch other teams play — like the older girls and boys teams — then play again in the evening.”

“It was tough at first. I had to learn a whole new position and play with all new girls … the coaches ran a different pace then I am used to. I was very nervous at first just because it was all new and I was worried about [making] mistakes, but [I] learned we all still make mistakes even at a bigger level.”

One of the fastest growing sports in the state, Iowa Girls High School Volleyball will kick off a new season in just under a week and Hochstetler is looking forward to using the skills she gained in Florida right here in Iowa.

“I play volleyball because it’s fun, and I am a very competitive person … I have played volleyball since fourth grade starting in our North Tama AAU program.”

Hochstetler’s mother couldn’t be more proud of her daughter for the small town tenacity she displayed in Florida.

“This is such a huge accomplishment for such a small town girl and should be heard about — [but] this accomplishment wouldn’t have been made without her coach Channing Halstead and Madonna Madorin! Her teammates at North Tama are a team of seven … [Halstead] runs a great volleyball program and this opportunity for Addison wouldn’t have come about if it wasn’t for her.”