CRU's Story

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On March 25th 2024, my wife and I were blessed with our son Cru Thomas Porter.  Entering the world two months prior to his due date and on a weekend when we were preparing to head to the Red Rock Rave volleyball tournament in Las Vegas, life got scary and chaotic really fast. With mom being bedridden and a baby on the way, making it to our team's tournament there was out of the question. Luckily we had the support of our team's parents and players (Family). Because of them, we were able to provide the girls with a successful tournament. As our Team mom took the head coach role on the sideline, and with our hearts full, we were able to coach via live stream and communicate from the hospital in Arizona. We were able to be there for our team and our newborn son. A hard time that took a volleyball family to achieve success. 

The team went on to break huddles and cheer the name Cru for the rest of the season. Cru on 3. 1, 2, 3 CRU! The meaning behind the name Cru, a name we just chose for our son, soon had a higher meaning. As Cru spent 36 days in the NICU, you can imagine he went through a lot. Needing oxygen, steroids, blood transfusions, and much more, not even a month-old Cru showed us toughness. To fight and not give up even when life gets tough. A life lesson from a boy just 4 weeks old, this is a lesson we will live by and will forever try to pass on to our young athletes. Life will get hard at times but you can always Rise Up and we will do that together. 

The name Cru arising from the word crew meaning a group of people who work closely together. In our case a family. We want to create an atmosphere much greater than just showing up to volleyball. We want to create a large family. A place full of trust and full of love, not only for the sport but for each other. A community where you know your child is safe and there is nothing but her best interest from within. 

TOGETHER WE WILL RISE UP AND BECOME ONE CRU.