Photo courtesy of 3Step Sports
A volleyball club that started in Grand Rapids has been sold to the nation’s largest youth sports club and event operator, 3STEP Sports.
Joe and Roxane Steenhuysen formed the club in an era when opportunities for volleyball occurred only in the winter. In their first year, the Steenhuysens established 16 teams from two high schools alone.
“It was something new at the time,” said Joe Steenhuysen. “The best thing to happen was (that) a group of kids who were competing against each other as rivals, began playing together and became friends.”
Today the FaR Out volleyball club has more than 50 teams, including a youth academy, summer camps and a junior league for kids in grades 4-6.
FaR Out Volleyball started in 1997. The club’s name is a mashup of the mascots of the two schools attended by the girls who played on the inaugural teams: The East Kentwood Falcons and the Forest Hills Central Rangers. Together, they combine to create FaR Out Volleyball Club.
“We’re very excited to take the next step and join a who’s who of volleyball clubs and coaches,” said Joe Steenhuysen. “A lot of the clubs that are with 3STEP have done business together and now we can do bigger things, too.”
3STEP spans 43 states and serves more than 3.2 million athletes in nine different nationwide sports programs. One of the 3STEP missions is to bring consistency to the industry and set the standard for the youth sports experience.
“FaR Out embodies hard work and it shows on and off the court,” said 3STEP founder David Geaslen. “Joe and Roxane Steenhuysen have built a tremendous culture and I have a lot of respect and admiration for what they’ve done. They will fit seamlessly in our volleyball group.”
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