OVA News

Sam Schachter with partner at U21 FIVB World Champioships 2009

When you watch National Team Member Sam Schachter play beach volleyball you would never guess that four short years ago he was battling in the OVA 16U Tier 2 division.

“The biggest contributing factor to my change in success was the experience I gained from playing with different partners and learning from Elite players and coaches. I also increased the amount I played in both Indoor and Beach,“ said Sam.

Sam has been fortunate to work with some of the best coaches in Ontario over the last few years. When he first started playing beach he trained with Hernan Humana, followed by Provincial Team Coach Jason Hubbard and, most recently, he has worked with Volleyball Canada’s newly appointed Beach National Team Coach Lennard Krapp.

On the indoor side Sam plays at Wilfrid Laurier University for Shayne White – Head Coach 2009 Team Ontario – and during his OVA Club career he played for Mike Chumbley at the Toronto Volleyball Club.

Sam’s long-term goal is to play professionally on the FIVB World Tour and ultimately to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. When asked if he would stop playing Indoor to focus on Beach, he wasn’t sure it was the right time in his career.

“I have considered giving up indoor to pursue beach several times, but it is not the direction that is right for me yet. I still have a lot to learn from my indoor coaches and it will still help me improve physically.”

What advice would you like to pass on to any young athlete hoping to play on the National Team someday?

“My advice to players aspiring to play on the National Team would be to keep training hard and not to get discouraged by losses. Trying to train with the best players and learning as much as you can is the best way to get better!”

We would like to thank Sam for taking the time to share his path to the National Team with us; we all wish him the best of luck in the future.

JN