Webmaster pushes Sky High to stratosphere

Julie Anderson is pro at connecting Chicago-area volleyball club's athletes to college recruiters

Webmaster of the Week: March 6-12

NAME:
Julie Anderson

SITE:
Sky High Volleyball

POSITION:
Marketing and Recruiting Manager, Webmaster

USE OF PLATFORM:
League, Registration, Sitebuilder

BACKGROUND:
Anderson, who stands 6-foot-1, played basketball while growing up in Lake View, Iowa (population 1,278). She spent two years studying graphic design at the University of South Dakota before getting her degree in graphic design/visual communications/photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Anderson began working in marketing part-time for Sky High Volleyball in 2009, just as her daughter, Amelia, was emerging as a dominant player in the Chicago-area club that has 72 girls teams. “I started doing the marketing because I was taking all the pictures anyway because (Amelia’s team) was winning National Championships.” Anderson became immersed in the recruiting process as Division I schools showed heavy interest in 6-foot-2 Amelia, who eventually accepted a scholarship offer from Indiana. “I learned the ins and outs of being a parent in the recruiting process,” Anderson said. 

WHAT SHE DOES:
Anderson began working full-time for Sky High three years ago and, as recruiting manager, one of her jobs is to help connect college recruiters with the club’s players. “I’m like a matchmaker,” she said. “I work with college coaches to match everything they want in a volleyball player. And I work with our athletes to match everything they want in a college and a volleyball program.” The Recruiting page touts Sky High Volleyball as being ranked No. 2 in the nation for the number of athletes it has sent to the collegiate level since the club’s inception in 1989. Anderson uses the tab element on the page to list the steps athletes should be taking to prepare for college each year from ninth grade to graduation. Unsigned athletes and college commitments pages make it easy for college recruiters to search for potential players. Anderson uses the table builder page element to list players, and they can be sorted by position or height. She groups players by graduation class using the table element.

MAKING HER MARK:
The graphics and many of the photos on the Sky High Volleyball site come courtesy of Anderson, who also created the home page’s banner and background.

FUN FACT:
Anderson has two more daughters, twins Victoria (5-11) and Olivia (6-1), who play volleyball for Sky High and are freshmen at Crystal Lake Central High School in suburban Chicago.