The new club will be led by (from left): Ryan Kirkham, Kia Kenolio, Keolani Hill and Sarah Risser (Annalisa Figueroa is not pictured).

WEST MAUI — Longtime educator Ryan Kirkham is heading up the formation of the Kahalawai Volleyball Club here on the West Side.

Formed to provide opportunities for all West Maui kids, the program will focus on girls and boys ages 10-18 to develop volleyball skills.

Kirkham notes that youth volleyball is seeing unprecedented growth across the nation and particularly at the high school level.

According to NFHS statistics, girls volleyball has the highest participation among all high school team sports, and among boys is the second most.

“Kahalawai Volleyball Club aims to build on this momentum to give West Maui kids, boys and girls, the opportunity to grow as players, athletes and people,” he said.

According to Kirkham, the program will run from Jan. 10 through March 18, with a possible extension to April.

Training sessions will be twice a week with the mentality to develop a format that mirrors a volleyball camp with strong focus on skill development with some competition later in the season.

Participants will be divided by age and ability with younger athletes, ages 10-13 years old, maximum of 24 kids, practicing on Tuesdays (3:15 to 5:15 p.m.) and Saturdays (1 to 3 p.m).

The 14-18 age group, also with a maximum of 24 participants, will practice on Mondays (7 to 9 p.m.) and Saturdays (3 to 5 p.m.). These schedules are tentative.

Club dues of $315 includes a T-shirt, USA Volleyball membership, gym rental, coaching stipend and other costs.

Coach Kirkham is a former volleyball player at CCAA Trinity Western University with 12 years of high school coaching experience.

He is joined by assistants Sarah Risser, former NCAA player at Seattle Pacific University and a longtime high school and club coach; Lahainaluna High School graduates and volleyball players Keolani Hill and Kia Kenolio; and Annalisa Figueroa, Physical Education teacher and player at the high school and club levels.

For more information on Kahalawai Volleyball Club, e-mail rkirkham@mauiprep.org.