Haldane to Play for GB
Volleyball star Jason Haldane made his Great Britain debut on the May 30th weekend with the remit of helping prepare the squad for the 2012 Olympics. Haldane, a former Canadian national team member and one of the most decorated players on the international circuit, has received clearance to play for Britain at the age of 37.
“I have a three-year program to improve the level of volleyball and increase the interest in the sport in Great Britain,” he said.
“I knew that GB had the Olympics in 2012 and that was a key factor behind me deciding to play for them. I’ve had a British passport since 1996 because my father is British. I felt that this would be a great opportunity for me to play and help out the GB team and help them compete at a higher level before the Olympics.” …..
“I played for the Canadian national team for 12 years and I played professionally for different clubs in Europe for the last 13 years. The main thing for me is to get out there and start to play with the guys.”
Haldane’s arrival on the British scene has been welcomed by Britain’s coach Brokking, who is hopeful that the Canadian’s attitude to practice can have a positive impact on some of his other players.
Brokking points to Haldane’s willingness to work on the basics of his game as a major example being set to the younger members of the squad.
“He brings everything you need to be a top professional player,” he said. “He has the right training mentality and the right physical possibilities. He knows what is needed to stay at the top. He has a lot of experience but despite his age, is very eager to train.
“If I tell him to serve for half-an-hour, he will, and eight out of 10 will be good. With our guys, if you ask them to serve they will for five minutes and then they will try something else.
“They now see what is needed. Jason can say ‘I don’t need the training anymore’ but he does and he does it good. And they can see he’s 37 and doesn’t need it but is still training at that level. He will help them see that way of thinking.”
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