OVA News

The Jason Senechal Memorial Award is presented to the Youth Beach Athlete that best demonstrates the qualities of honour, fair play, and sportsmanship. What makes this award even more special is it is voted on by your peers of the beach tour. Athletes such as Lance Reynolds, Eric Kuld, Sam Schachter  and Katie Jenkins have all won this award. The 2009 recipient Victoria Altomare demonstrated all of these qualities and more.  Vee’s outgoing personality and passion for the sport make her stand out as a quality role model for every young athlete on the tour.

Aside from her outgoing personality Victoria’s results also make her stand out from the crowd. In 2009 she was a member of the Women’s Provincial Team, Youth Open Provincial Gold Medalist, 18U Nationals Gold Medalist, and represented Canada at U19 FIVB World Championships.

OVA: What do you like most about Beach Volleyball?
Vee: I can’t say enough about this game. I love everything about it! However I think when it comes down to it, it’s amazing because it is only you and one other person on the court. You have to trust heavily in your skills, have an in incredible mental game, and must learn to work through everything…there are no substitutions!

OVA: Why did you start playing Beach?
Vee: I started playing beach volleyball because I wanted something to help my indoor game during the months I had off. Also, a good tan was an incentive.

OVA: What are the advantages to indoor athletes who play beach volleyball?
Vee: Beach volleyball allows you to work on all your skills. Actually you have to work on all your skills. For the person that never sets on the indoor game, they must develop that skill on the beach. You learn to develop  court sense, meaning a better understanding of the overall game. You begin to read play’s better and make better decisions.  After a couple months of jumping in the sand, your jump improves, and the game is less strenuous on your body.

OVA: How did the Youth Open division help prepare you for playing in the OUA?
Vee: I began to familiarize myself with older players, and therefore they weren’t strangers to me when I stepped onto the indoor court. It also assured me that if we were competing with girls in their fourth and fifth years of university, then the transition to the OUA wouldn’t be as overwhelming as I had originally thought.

After one year of playing in the OUA Vee has decided to move back to Toronto and train full time as a Beach Athlete with the National Team Training Centre.

OVA: Where do you see Beach in Canada going in the next 5 years?
Vee: In the last year , Beach in Canada has just taken huge steps in terms of developing our athletes. We now have a National Beach Volleyball Practice Centre in Toronto, that trains athletes all year round, as well as development programs for our younger athletes. This sport is only going to grow, and now with young athletes deciding to train full year round for this sport… we can only hope for spots on the podium in the future.

OVA: What message would you give to any young beach athlete wanting to play for the National Team?
Vee: Just keep working hard. The last two years I have learned that it isn’t the players that practice two times a week that succeed; it’s the ones that are out there every single day constantly working on their skills.  Get involved in the game as soon as you can! It’s amazing the opportunities that are available!

OVA: Describe what it was like playing at Worlds? How was it different from an OVA event?
Vee: It was the greatest international experience I have had so far. In the OVA you see pretty much the same teams every-weekend so you develop game plans and are familiar with certain players tendencies, strengths, and weakness. At worlds, you had no Idea what the Australians weaknesses or strengths are, or what the Italian’s could be expected to do. You had to develop strategies and read the plays as they went on, the only thing you could control was your personal game.

OVA: Best memory from playing?
Vee: Against Germany, in a very important match, the stands were packed with people from all over the world chanting ” CANADA,CANADA!”,  I realized that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.. travel ,train and represent Canada.

We would like to thank Victoria Altomare for all of her help with this article. If you would like to recommend someone for PROfiles please contact Josh Nichol jnichol@ontariovolleyball.org | 416-426-7233

A year after reaching the national final for the first time in seven seasons, the Laval Rouge et Or are heading into the CIS men’s volleyball championship as tournament favourites for the first time in a decade.

The seedings were announced Sunday evening for the 2010 CIS tourney set to kick off Friday at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. The gold-medal final of the eight-team competition is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. EST

Rounding out the seedings are the No. 2 and reigning two-time CIS champion Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions), No. 3 Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions), No. 4 Trinity Western Spartans (Canada West finalists), No. 5 Queen’s Gaels (OUA champions), No. 6 Calgary Dinos (Canada West bronze medallists), No. 7 Thompson Rivers WolfPack (championship hosts), and No. 8 Montreal Carabins (QSSF finalists).

SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all main-bracket duels, including the bronze-medal match.

photo courtesy: gogaelsgo.com

Get your Canadian volleyball fix online.

Volleyball Source magazine, a Canadian volleyball online magazine, was launched on Monday, March 8, by long-time touring beach player Ahren Cadieux, who knows just about everyone in the sport. Veteran volleyball writer Larry Humber handles the editorial.

They are joined by some winning correspondents, notably three-time Olympian Mark Heese, as well as fitness, mental conditioning and nutrition specialists. Source covers the Canadian volleyball scene and looks at the bigger picture, too. An interview with Canadian men’s National Team coach Glenn Hoag is a highlight of the inaugural issue.

You will also meet Tiffany Dodds and other Canucks who are having an impact internationally, even Jason Haldane, who may yet realize his Olympic dream. Not to forget two-time beach champion Matt Zbyszewski and two-sport sensation Paul Rosen, who is currently tending net at the Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

Source also looks at the next generation, Canada’s upcoming college and pro stars.

What more could you ask for?

Volleyball Source press release

The new magazine is colourful with plenty of photos, comes with embedded video and even has an audio component for those too lazy to read. You can become a Facebook fan and follow them on Twitter too. Best of all, it is free to those who sign up.

It is available online at www.volleyballsourcemag.com

DHS Senior Girls Volleyball team is ready to hit the Championship road.

The Dryden High School Senior Girls Volleyball team arrived in Perth Monday to compete in the “AA” OFSAA championship. The team has been ranked third in the province and will face some tough competition from the best teams from across Ontario. They are but one team among many seeking championships at four different levels of competition at four corners of Ontario. The hunt for “A” champions will take place in Kenora, “AAA” in Stratford and quad “A” in Barrie.

Some tournaments opened Monday with an athletes banquet, but all play begins today Tuesday, with finals taking place Wednesday, March 10.

The DHS Eagles play on Tuesday at 10:30 vs Don Bosco HS. The girls continue at 1:30 vs Perth, 4:30 vs De La Salle and 7:30 vs Beamsville.

Follow your girls team Official websites

photo courtesy: dhseagles.kpdsb.on.ca

In Hamilton at McMaster University, Queen’s Gaels completed an exciting men’s volleyball OUA Final Four tournament on Saturday winning a five set thriller over the Guelph Gryphons in the championship match 25-22, 17-25, 17-25, 25-22, 15-13. It is the third Gaels men’s volleyball conference title in five years.

Joren Zeeman recorded 24 points for Queen’s; Bryan Fautley added 11 kills while Niko Rukavina had 10. Winston Rosser of Whitby, Ont., was the leading hitter for Guelph with 14 kills

With the win, Queen’s advances to next weekend’s CIS Men’s Volleyball Championships at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.

CIS

Get the full story from Jamie Howieson www.gogaelsgo.com

Dustin Reid has a passion for volleyball, and his peers know it. The 35-year-old former resident of Orono was named Coach of the Year for the East division of the Ontario University Association (OUA), an honour bestowed on him by his fellow university coaches.

Reid just completed his first full season leading the Ryerson Rams women’s volleyball team, after being named head coach in November, 2008. The team has made a marked improvement since Reid took the helm. The Rams finished just out of the playoffs with an 8-11 record, but recorded their highest number of wins in five seasons.

A native of Newtonville, Reid grew up in Orono, attending Kirby Public School and Clarke High School. His contribution to the sport of volleyball started early, standing out as a top player on his high school volleyball team while also playing high school basketball, rugby and hockey.

“He’s had such a long career,” said his mother, Cheryl Reid. “It started at Clarke High School.” She said her son decided to concentrate on playing volleyball after his friend and mentor Ken Davies – a volleyball player at Clarke, four years Reid’s senior – was killed in 1989 by a drunk driver.

“Ken had some goals in mind for his own career,” explained Cheryl Reid. “Ken always wanted to play for Team Canada, and that prompted Dustin to pursue volleyball almost exclusively.”

Read more Sue Weigard

If Jeff Vermaas’s plan comes to fruition, a new Ontario Volleyball Association-sanctioned boys club will be starting in Halton this fall.

Citing the region as “underserved” in terms of opportunities for young men to play the sport, the 45-year-old father of two is hoping to get enough members for one or two teams at the 14-15 age group.

Vermaas says the club is designed for players who have already played volleyball in school who hope to reach the ultimate goal of the national championships.

“It’s not only an experience to reach the upper echelon in volleyball, but I think it’s a positive life experience,” he said. “It’s positive in terms of health and fitness in their future endeavors down the road. Hopefully it teaches them discipline and time management, and teamwork, all those things that will come into play during their lives.”

Vermaas, who has lived in Burlington for seven years, says he started noticed continuing requests for a boys league from other parents at his daughter’s volleyball club as far back as four years ago.

And while he doesn’t rule out the possibility of a more “grassroots” type club in the future, Vermaas says for now there will be three training camps held in the summer before the next OVA season begins.

Vermaas played the sport while attending the University of Toronto from 1984-88 and has coached at Ryerson and Upper Canada College. He currently coaches a girls team at the Halton Region Volleyball Club in Burlington.

For more information, contact Jeff at jeffv@hofland.com.

Once again, the sporting gods throw McMaster a karmic curveball.

In a fitting twist to the OUA volleyball campaign, the Marauders will meet the Guelph Gryphons in their semi-final encounter this Friday, March 5. The Gryphons have been a perpetual thorn in Mac’s side this season, beating the OUA leaders in both of their previous games (3-1 and 3-0). Considering that the Marauders lost only three games in total, Guelph’s achievement is both impressive and puzzling. Either way, Mac will have the chance to redeem themselves in elimination play and put an end to the giant-killers.

Read more from Fraser Caldwell, the Si.ca

Queens University punched in its ticket to this weekend’s conference Final Four men’s volleyball tournament eliminating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 25-15, 25-14, 27-25 on Friday night in OUA Conference quarterfinal action.

The Gaels, vying for their third Ontario university title in five years, were led by Joren Zeeman with 15 points, one of four players on the team to score in double digits. Mitchell Woodside and Adam Palmer had eight points each for Toronto.

McMaster has a bye to the Final Four as the top regular season team.

Read more including CIS West ,Volleyball Canada

University of Toronto Varsity Blues

In the 2007-2008 OUA championship final it was the McMaster Marauders defeating the Varsity Blues at the University of Toronto. The Blues returned the favour Saturday night at McMaster’s Burridge Gym, sweeping the OUA final 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-19). They are heading west to the University of Alberta in Edmonton to compete for the CIS Championships to be held  from Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7.

- Follow the Blues… http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball
- TV: Bronze-medal game and final on Shaw (local) and Star Choice (across Canada)
- Webcast (SSN Canada): All games (main bracket & consolation)
- Live stats: Available on website
- Berths (8 teams): Host (Alberta), CWUAA (3), QSSF (2), OUA (1), AUS (1)