Former pro v-ball players and MCS alum host 2-day clinic

Over the course of two days, Mar. 31 to Apr. 1, South Korean coaches, including Mount Carmel School alumnus Seokjun Yun, brought the art of volleyball to life for local youth at the Marianas High School Gymnasium with their first-ever volleyball clinic.

The clinic, organized with the NMI Volleyball Association, featured Seoul-based ASTROHIGH Volleyball Club and two former professional players—Hyo-Dong Lee, the club’s head coach, president, and founder of the KORYVA Korea Youth Volleyball Association, and Yuri Kim, a former national team libero—who brought their experience from South Korea’s top competitive leagues straight to local athletes. ASTROHIGH and KORYVA focus on youth volleyball development both locally and internationally, offering training, clinics, and tournaments for age groups like U15 and U18.

Lee played in the Korean V-League, Korea’s top volleyball competition, as a setter. Over his career, he appeared in more than 120 matches and 29 tournaments, earning the Best Setter award in the Korea Corporates Volleyball Federation 2016/17 season. Kim, meanwhile, competed as a libero on the women’s national team, including appearances at the 2014 FIVB Women’s World Championship.

With such experienced coaches, the clinic offered youth players an inside look at professional-level training right at home. The program ran four sessions over two days, with U15 and U21 groups of 20 boys and 20 girls in each session, and each session lasting about two hours. The younger group focused on fundamentals—passing, footwork, and basic positioning—while the older players learned advanced systems and training methods used in Korea.

Yun, an MCS Class of 2018 graduate, former CNMI National Team member, and MCS Varsity Captain who now manages ASTROHIGH, said before the clinic that his main mission is to give back to the place that raised him. With the first clinic on Saipan done, he said he was proud of how quickly local players picked up the drills. Many adapted well despite being new to this style of training, and said they responded enthusiastically, often asking for photos and social media contacts after sessions.

For Yun, some participants had trained at his parents’ old dojo, making the experience of giving back to the island’s youth both rewarding and unusual. “It felt really strange because I was a student here and didn’t have the chance to learn from others,” he said. “But coming back and having my coaches teach my friends felt both good and strange at the same time.”

Following the strong turnout and positive feedback, Yun said the team is already planning future visits. They hope to return to Saipan regularly—possibly two to three times a year—and bring additional coaches to expand the program and accommodate more participants per session.