Female Development Coach of the Year: Lorraine Facca, Storm VBC

• Lorraine started coaching while her daughter Louise first entered the OVA competitive stream.
• Lorraine values true sport and fair play and focuses on these two values in her every day practice and game play situation.
• Lorraine coached her 17U Girls B team and then moved with them for their 18U season. At 17U, they played equal playing time and everyone was happy and learned a lot from her and her co-coach Don Morton. In the second year with the girls, Lorraine asked them if they wanted to play equal playing time again and the vote was unanimous “yes”.  Lorraine decided that the team would play this way all season long, to further develop the girls playing skills. They played that way all season, including at the Ontario Championships where they not only had a great time, but they finished 2nd in Division 2 Tier 1!
• On top of her team coaching duties, Lorraine also runs Setters Clinics for the Storms younger athletes throughout certain stages of the season to further hone their skills.

Male Development Coach of the Year: Paul Langan – Hespeler Scorpions VBC

• For over 17 years, Paul has helped with various sports organizations in a variety of functions.  In 2010, his goal was simple when he started the Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club – get kids off the computer and have them physically active playing volleyball in a fun, safe, affordable environment.
• His MONSTER and SPIKES programs, are a fun way to teach young people about volleyball.   The clubs purpose is simple, to provide community based learning to young people about volleyball.
• The Scorpions follow and support the Volleyball Canada Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model and they use parents, local competitive high school and university players who are trained by OVA staff to help run their programs.
• In their first year of existence, the success of the program has been remarkable:
  • Their Grade 7/8 co-ed Developmental House League Program was the largest in the Waterloo Region, with plans to expand it to include Grade 9 in 2012.
  • Their OVA SPIKES Learn to Play Program was the largest program in Ontario – they had over 200 children playing in their house league!
• Their U15 competitive girl’s teams won four tournament medals including a OVA Provincial Division 2 Tier 1 Silver Medal in their first year.
• In the summer of 2011, the Scorpions delivered two camps for indoor and beach volleyball and have seven of their teams participating in the OVA Beach Tour circuit.  Their goal is to have a development program in place for the general public in 2012.
• On top of indoor and beach volleyball, Paul recognizes the importance of inclusiveness and is currently working with the OVA staff to deliver one of the first sitting volleyball house league programs in the province of Ontario.

Female Coach of the Year: Laura Inward

• She started her involvement with the Ontario Beach Provincial program in the summer of 2007 and continued through 2008 and 2009.
• In 2009, Laura was the Head Coach for Team Ontario at the Canada Games in Prince Edward Island. Her team of Caleigh Whitaker and Dianne Burrows won the bronze medal after a summer of consistent results and improvement. Whitaker is now a national team athlete within our beach program and Laura continues to serve as a mentor and trusted confidant as she continues her pursuit of sporting excellence.
• Laura coached, mentored and guided her team of Charlotte Sider and Alexandra Hudson to a 9th place finish at the FIVB World Junior Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2011. Earlier in the summer she coached them to become U21 Provincial champions as well as U21 National champions.
  • These accomplishments in and of themselves are truly outstanding, but when one considers that Charlotte Sider was competing in Beach Volleyball for her first summer of competition, these feats really speak to Laura’s role as coach, mentor and friend.
• Laura has developed a unique holistic approach to coaching and mentoring young female athletes that makes her a positive role within our volleyball community. Laura considers the whole individual before developing an integrated program of physical training, mental preparation and emotional control. Her compassionate, understanding nature allows her to connect with her young female athletes and develop a relationship of trust and respect that fosters a productive learning environment.
• When Laura is not on the beach she is never far from the game she loves. During the indoor season, she volunteers her time at the University of Toronto as an assistant coach under the tutelage of Kristine Drakich. Laura is a former Varsity Blue herself and giving back to the program is another way that she positively affects the young women she coaches.
• As a mother of two young boys aged 3 and 7, Laura has proven to be a tireless and committed coach and mentor to the young women she takes under her care. The passion and compassion she has exhibited in her role makes her an incredibly positive role model.

Male Coach of the Year: Rob Fernley, Defensa

• Rob Fernley is the head of Defensa VBC and acted as the Head Coach between two teams in the past 2010/2011 season.
• Since the club began four years ago, Defensa teams have consistently competed in provincial championship matches and earned top place finishes across Ontario, Canada and in several tournaments in the United States. Some of their team highlights include:
  • Both teams winning the national championships
  • 18U won the provincial championships
  • 16U earned bronze at provincials
  • Both teams earned medals at all of the OVA tournaments throughout the season
• His coaching abilities have helped his players achieve:
  • 2 Defensa players receive the title of National MVP’s at the 2011 National Championship in the 18U and 16U division
  • For the past three years, consistently 2 or more Defensa players (in both 18U and 16U) recognized as OVA All-Stars at the Provincial Championship
  • Three players (one 18U and two 16U) received All-Star recognition at the 2011 National Championships
  • One player won the Evelyn Hollick Award at the 2011 Provincial Championships
  • 10 Defensa players to made the Provincial team in the past two years, where both times the MVP recipient of the NTCC was a member of Defensa
  • 6 players are members of the Provincial Beach volleyball team
  • An 18U player made the National B Team
• Outside of Defensa, Fernley:
  • Coaches the boys volleyball team at the local high school (Assumption SS in Burlington, ON)
  • Encourages athletes to train in the ADP development program for indoor and beach (ADP, Regionals, HPC and the Provincial Team) and organizes workshops for athletes to train at a higher level.

John started playing volleyball in his native Switzerland. In Canada, his playing experience includes setting for the U of T Varsity Blues, playing in the Ontario A/AA leagues, and, finally, competing at the Golden Masters level in the USVBA National Championships.

After graduating from the University of Toronto, John taught physical education for 31 years in Etobicoke Middle Schools, coaching numerous volleyball, track & field, cross-country championship teams before retiring in 1998.

John and his wife, Valerie, founded The Etobicoke Volleyball Association – Toronto West in 1969. Since then, John has spent much of his time managing the club and coaching male and female teams from Age Division 12U to Sr. AA calibre. John’s program of effective club funding has made it possible for Toronto West to maintain membership fees at a reasonable level during times of escalating costs.

Over the decades, John has also served on the OVA Region 5 Board of Directors, conducted clinics for referees, and officiated at competitions ranging from local to international levels of play.

Since his retirement from teaching, John has had more time to focus on elite club development and administration. John and Val also run the Islington Youth Club, which offers yearly youth programming in various forms of art as well as cross-training for aspiring volleyball players and other athletes. During the summer months, John and Val also run volleyball and multi-activity day camps.

The 2011 Achievement Award Winners are:

Denis Levesque

• Denis has been coaching for over 15 years in the Golden Horseshoe region and has been an integral part of the development of female volleyball players between the ages of 12 to 17
• Since 2006, Denis has been part of the coaching staff of first the Mountain Athletic Club and most recently, the Mountain Volleyball Club (MVC) where he currently coaches the 15u team.
• Denis is heavily involved in the administration of the club as an executive member, Denis has run leadership sessions for club coaches and athletes, a job he also dedicates himself to in the summer at the Ministry of Education Leadership Camp (OELC) at Lake Couchiching.
• Denis has extended his coaching involvement beyond the MVC club system, coaching both junior and senior boys and girls at the elementary school where he has taught and coached for fifteen years.
• In addition, Denis often volunteers a portion of his summer assisting athletes at Madawaska Volleyball Camp or at the Elite Centers run by the Ontario Volleyball Association and has acted as coach for the regional team for Region 3.
• Denis is also an integral part of the developmental side of the Mountain Volleyball Club where he helps design and implement LTAD friendly curriculum that is used in both our house league and summer camp programs

Cathy O’Doherty

• Cathy has been coaching for over 26 and is recognized as a coach and leader of athletics not only at the High School level in Ottawa, but for the volleyball in the Province of Ontario.
• She is a founding member of the national Capital Volleyball Club, now known as Ottawa Fusion, and continues as a coach and board member.
• She spends countless hours counseling and advocating for players as they move on to post-secondary institutions. Her philosophy of coaching is not that much different than what she uses in her classroom — respect, dedication, teamwork and fair play.
• Cathy is a Learning Facilitator and runs Coaching courses for the OVA in the Ottawa Region.
• Cathy was also a member of the 2009 Canada Games Team Coaching staff, which won a silver medal at the Games in PEI.

Mike Russell

• Mike has assisted the OVA by hosting OVA Tournaments, Coaching Clinics and Officials clinics for many years and has been a part of the Region 5 Executive
• Mike was the Manager of the Boys Provincial Team in 2011
• He has helped to develop countless number of players to achieve higher levels of success in volleyball.
• Current Assistant Coach at Sheridan Men’s and former Head Coach of Sheridan’s women’s program, and the former Assistant at McMaster University
• Mike has hosted many OFSAA Championships, including the first ever all-in-one Boys event at one location in 2010 – creating one of the biggest events for boys volleyball that was truly province wide (A to AAAA)
• On top of his OVA volunteerism, Mike is currently coaching at Rick Hansen SS and Applewood ES

Beth Schulz

• Beth is the past president of Niagara Rapids VBC and currently serves as the registrar for the Club.
• She is currently coaching the 15U Black Niagara Rapids Girls Team for the 2011/12 season.
• Beth has set up and delivers SPIKES volleyball house league programs in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls for children in grades five and six and has even begun a mini-SPIKES program to deliver the fundamentals of volleyball skills to children in grades 1-4.
• On top of her duties with Niagara Rapids, Beth has assisted the OVA over the years by delivering SPIKES On the Road volleyball day programs throughout schools in Ontario as well as by coaching at Regional Team Training Centres and FUNdamentals Centres.

Andrew Robb

• Andrew is a National beach referee and an International Candidate for indoor volleyball.
• For the past six years, Andrew has also contributed to the sport of volleyball through his work as the Region 5 Officials’ Chair, as well as the Senior Assignor for Region 5.
• Andrew actively evaluates Regional Upgrade candidates as an assistant to the Regional Upgrade Program Chair and provides the candidates with valuable feedback to further develop and hone their officiating skills.
• As Region 5 ROC, Andrew also oversees the Provincial Mentorship Program and is responsible for assigning a mentor to each Provincial candidate and monitoring their progress each season.
• Final confirmation of Andrew’s promotion to International referee is expected from FIVB in early 2012.

John May

• John, the founder of Crush Volleyball, is currently the head coach of the Crush 18U Boys team.  Crush has won 10 National Indoor Championships and 8 Provincial Indoor Championships since it was founded 6 years ago. On the beach Crush athletes have won Provincial, National, and World Championships.
• Coached Mark Heese and John Child at the Olympics in 2004 and coached Child/Heese and Ahren Cadieux and Mark Heese on FIVB World Tour.
• John is a 3-Time OUA Champion as a player and a member of the York University Athletic Hall of Fame.  He has also coached the U of T Women’s Team to an OUA Title.

Yolanda MacKinnon

• Yolanda has developed the volleyball community at the grass roots level in Thunder Bay including starting an OVA SPIKES program.
• Yolanda has worked in many capacities with the OVA’s Athlete Development Programs helping to further develop athletes and coaches  in the Region 1 area and across Ontario.
• Yolanda is a former OVA Region 1 President

Kevin Hellyer

• Kevin is currently the head coach of the Durham Attack U17 Black female team, but has coached teams at the U13-17 level, achieving medal success at Provincial and National Championships.  Kevin is also the lead coach at the Durham Attack Summer Camp.
• Kevin has also been a member of the Region Coaching programs.  He has coached both at the Regional Games and the Ontario Summer Games, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Games.
• His ability to work collaboratively with others has allowed him to develop a number of coaches, while also developing his coaching.

The 2011 Recognition Award recipients are:

Chris Dunn – Durham Attack VBC

• He is presently a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club and prior to that a member of the DRVC program.  He has worked with a number of age groups, but devoted much of his energy to building strong U13 and U14 programs, emphasizing the development of strong basic skills.  As both a teacher and club coach, he takes pride in developing athletes and providing them with the foundation for future success.
• In his years with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club, Chris has worked diligently to improve the experience for all athletes in our club.  It was his leadership that lead to a more “athlete friendly” tryout experience, encouraging all coaches to make individual contact with athletes and assist them in their growth with more contact and feedback.

Lorraine Facca  – Storm VBC

• Lorraine has been involved with Region 5 in some capacity, where she currently stands as the Secretary/Treasurer for the past 15+ years and is still active in volleyball
• During the 2010/11 OVA season, Lorraine made her way out of the gym to a board room, where she worked closely with the OVA’s Strategic Planning Committee to deliver the 2011-2015 OVA Strategic Plan
• In May 2011, tragedy struck the Facca family when Lorraine’s husband, Adrian Facca lost his battle with cancer. In his memory, Lorraine has spearheaded the Adrian Facca Leadership Fund to provide financial support to the Dalhousie University student-athletes on the men’s hockey and women’s volleyball teams.  The Adrian Facca Leadership Fund is an outstanding contribution towards the development of future leaders through varsity hockey, volleyball and scholastics at Dalhousie University.

Lawrence Flynn – Durham Attack VBC

• Presently he is the lead coach for the U14 boy’s team, but he has worked with a number of age groups, both as an assistant and a head coach.
• Lawrence joined Durham Attack when his son was an athlete, but has remained long after his son has left the sport.  He is eager to share his love of volleyball with others, but also embraces the opportunity to learn more about coaching and developing his skill.
• Lawrence is an ambassador for sitting volleyball and has been an inspiration to our club.  He has exposed our young athletes to another aspect of their sport and has encouraged partnerships between our club and the National team program.  His desire to have athletes of all abilities playing and enjoying volleyball together has been instrumental in our club’s recent grant and inclusion of sitting volleyball in our recreational programs.

Howie Grossinger – Storm VBC

• Howie has been coaching his OVA team, Storm Avalanche since they started in 2006 and have had  a very impressive track record:
  • In 2006, 12U Team winning the Ontario Championships
  • In 2008. won the 14U West Nationals
  • In 2009. Placed 3rd at 15U West Nationals
  • In 2010, placed 2nd at 16U West Nationals
  • In 2011, won gold at the 17U Nationals
• On top of OVA accomplishments, Howie is the owner of Camp Robinhood – a day a sports camps where children can further develop their athletic skills by selecting from a variety of sports that are offered each session and is owner of Madawaska Camp.

Ish Joseph, B-Fitt Thunderbolts

• Ish Joseph has had a long and very successful history of volunteer involvement and coaching, as well as promoting the sport of volleyball, both at the grassroots level, and the competitive OVA level.
• Ish is a well-known leader in the community who has often been lauded for championing no-cost programming for at-risk youth. He has worked with the Toronto Police Services to establish programs in areas plagued by violent crimes. For many of those young people, Ish’s programs have been their lifeline, helping them to stay positive, focused and hopeful about the future. He continues to be dedicated to helping youth empower themselves to make positive choices and become leaders in the community.
• Ish has coached the B-Fitt Thunderbolts 18U Boys team, 18U Girls Toronto Diamonds VB, has been the Elite training coach for the Scarborough Falcons VBC and Scarborough Titans VBC, and worked with Region 5 Beach teams since 1997

Denise Klenk

• Denise is a level 3 regional official and she currently works as an assignor for R5 for OVA youth indoor events and also assigns officials for the entire OVA Beach Tour each summer
• Denise is a respected official in both the indoor and beach game by both athletes and officials alike.
• Denise is also a mentor for young officials looking to upgrade their badge level – for indoor and beach officiating programs and is a role model for those involved in the sport of volleyball

Dave McAllister

• Provincial Men’s Team Head Coach 2011 & 2010
• Former Region 5 boys head coach
• High school coach at Rick Hansen  and won the OFSAA Leadership in School Sport Award in 2010
• Current Head Coach Sheridan College and a former Assistant Coach McMaster

Arif Nathoo - Eclipse

• A two time OUA Coach of the Year, Arif has been the head coach at York University and led the York Lions to 2009 OUA Provincial Championship. Prior to that, Arif coached at Ryerson University where he led the team to their first ever OUA playoff appearance, their first ever OUA medal and led Ryerson University to its only appearance at a CIS Volleyball championship.
• In the summer of 2009, Arif led the 2009 Ontario Provincial team to a silver medal at the Canada Games.
• In 2007, Arif coached the Ontario Provincial Team to a bronze medal at the National Tournament, and in 2005, coached the Region 5 team to a gold medal at the Ontario Regional Games.
• With the younger athletes, Arif was head coach of the Durham Attack 14U team and during the 2009-2010 season, Arif led the 14U team to an impressive season culmination with an OVA Ontario Provincial Championship and to a silver at the Canadian National East tournament.
• He continued coaching a young group of girls, and in 2011, won the Ontario Championships and Canadian National West Championship banners.
• Arif is a fully certified Level 3 Coach and promotes volleyball both within the Ismaili community and outside their community.

Karen Pak – Toronto Premier Youth VBC

• Karen has been involved with Team Ontario Beach as assistant coach between 2007-2009 and attended the U19 World Championships as an Assistant Beach Coach between 2009 and 2010.
• In 2011, Karen began the Toronto Premier Youth Volleyball Club running a 14U Girls team
• Outside of the OVA stream, Karen is a teacher and coach at Victoria Park CI and in 2010, she started the first ever annual Toronto District School Board Beach Volleyball Tournament. In 2011, she brought 81 junior and senior boys and girls beach teams down to Ashbridges Bay to compete in her day long tournament.

Mike  Richardson – Durham Attack VBC

• Mike is a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club, working with the girl’s and boy’s programs, offering to assist or head coach if needed and has also worked with the Region Four Boys Summer Games program as an assistant coach.
• He is an eager participant in all coaching development session, embracing new opportunities to learn from others.
• For Mike, the needs of the athletes comes first and it is this belief that has seen him take on a variety of different coaching roles, all in order to better meet the needs of the athletes.
• Mike is always willing to lend a hand and assist wherever he is needed.    Mike is willing to volunteer to improve the club, assuming more than coaching roles if that is what is needed.

Meghan Boyle – MVC

• Meghan coaches at Mountain Volleyball Club in Hamilton, ON. She is currently the assistant coach with the 15U Girls team.

Linda Naccarato – Durham Attack VBC

• Linda is presently an assistant coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club at the U14 level, but she has worked with a number of age groups, both as an assistant and a head coach.
• Linda has stepped forward on a number of occasions to offer her services so that there will be teams for athletes to play.  She has carried this same attitude into the public school setting, working as a parent-coach, so that teams could be created at both the elementary and secondary level.
• She has mentored a number of young coaches, providing valuable leadership and a positive role model for their coaching development.  She is a constant positive source of inspiration and her desire to help athletes develop is evident in everything she does.

Rob Piccione - Durham Attack VBC

• Rob is presently a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club and prior to that a member of the Titans program.  He has worked with a number of age groups, but devoted much of his energy to building strong U14 and U15 programs, emphasizing the development of strong basic skills.  As both a teacher and club coach, he takes pride in developing athletes and providing them with the foundation for future success.
• He has coaching certification in both the indoor and the beach programs and is committed to LTAD, working collaboratively with other coaches to develop more successful programs.
• He has mentored a number of young coaches, providing valuable leadership and a positive role model for their coaching development.

The Guelph Gryphons men’s volleyball team is pleased to announce the addition of Guelph native Tim Warnholtz to the program for the 2012-13 season

“Tim is a very gifted volleyball player and an even better man. His work ethic is second to none and he plays with unbelievable passion. We recruited Tim because he is the type of player that is not only a great talent but also a player of integrity and player that has a deep desire to play at the highest level possible,” said University of Guelph head coach Cal Wigston who feels Warnholtz is a top five recruit in the country.

“Tim had opportunities to go where ever he wanted to play but ultimately chose to stay in his home town to play in front of his family and friends.”

“Being from Guelph had an impact in my decision because family is important to me and being able to be close to them will be very nice,” said Warnholtz.

Warnholtz, a 6-5 right side comes from Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) where he played volleyball for four years. He was three times named the men’s volleyball MVP at GCVI and the junior male athlete of the year in grade 10.

Additionally he competed club volleyball for Forest City in London, Ont.  This past summer he competed with the U18 Provincial Team and won bronze at the National Team Challenge Cup (NTCC). He hopes to make the Canadian junior team next year after attending camp with the team this past year and looks forward to playing for the Gryphons next season.

“I chose the University of Guelph because the volleyball team has a very high potential for the next few years and I would love to be involved in that process and hopefully in some way help the team towards an OUA title,” said Warnholtz. “Also, the level of coaching that will be available to me will help in achieving my personal goals as well as team goals.”

Warnholtz hopes to pursue a Human Kinetics degree at the University of Guelph.

“Our program is committed to building a team that will compete at the CIS level and in order to do that we have to focus on skill and quality of character. Tim is a model for both,” said Wigston.

Athletes who commit to any Guelph Gryphon team will be eligible to compete provided they are academically admissible and eligible to the University of Guelph.

Story submitted by Michelle Pino for Gryphon Athletics, University of Guelph |Gryphons.ca

The Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club had the largest winter Ontario Volleyball Association SPIKES Learn to Play Program in Ontario. They had also had the largest winter house league program in the Waterloo Region. The clubs registration is on track for over 350 girls in 2012.  There was a strong need for a coach to coordinate their SPIKES and House League Developmental Programs.

Mark Frayne played volleyball at the University of Guelph for 4 years. He has coached Ontario Volleyball Association U16 boys teams. For the last 5 years Mark has coached the senior boys and junior girls volleyball teams at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School.

Mark is also a teacher at Jacob Hespeler.

Paul Langan, founder of Scorpions Volleyball Club states, “I have watched Mark coach both at the high school level and at our summer camps. His professionalism both on and off the court is commendable. He will bring out the best in each player he trains.”

Story from the Hespeler Scorpions Website.

The winners of the Paul Brownstein Award for Male Camper and the Nicole Schwertner Award for Female Camper at the 2011 Madawaska Volleyball Camp were announced at the end of the camp’s summer session on September 3rd, 2011.  This year’s recipients of the prestigious awards are Jake Nothdurft and Victoria Ho.  Both Nothdurft and Ho demonstrated the spirit and values of Madawaska Volleyball Camp including leadership, positive nature, team building  while playing and learning competitive volleyball skills and making the best of their  experience at the camp.

Congratulations to Victoria Ho and Jake Nothdurft on this wonderful achievement!

Story submitted by Ray and Joanne Nothdurft.

The lake waving to you from your south side, the fine granules of Ashbridge’s sand squeezing through your toes and, before you for one brief moment, a Wilson ready to be overkilled into your opponent’s territory.

For the past year, the Ontario Volleyball Association has basked in the free access to one of Canada’s finest beaches for its sport.

And it’s the nation’s net gain, says OVA technical director Jason Trepanier, as he thinks about what uninterrupted access to the Beach means to Canada’s chances of medaling at the London Olympics in 2012.

The OVA has partnered with Volleyball Canada and Canadian Sports Centre Ontario to create a world-class training program for beach volleyball.

“That’s one of the great things for us, is we’re partnering with the national team and bringing them here,” Trepanier says. “All our players are exposed to the national team players.”

During the last games in Beijing, Canada’s beach volleyball did not have a structured program in place.

“All the Beach teams were their own islands,” he says. “They were all separate, with their own coaches, and trained in their own cities.”

Now, Toronto has become the epicentre of volleyball activity.

“I think we’ve done a better job of bringing in all of the top athletes,” Trepanier says. “Having them compete and work with each other has benefited all of them.”

Some of those who have reaped the rewards for the first time in Canadian history are under-19 World Championship bronze medalists Aaron Nusbaum and Grant O’Gorman.

With them in Umag, Croatia were the then-16-year-old tandem of Andrew Kocur and Danny Demyanenko. The two finished fifth, a great result considering they were a year younger than their opponents.

Already hard at training, the two, officially turned 17 in July, took time out at a busy schedule at the University of Toronto.

“We have access to such an amazing beach and an amazing venue to practise in on a regular basis, whereas other provinces will maybe not have this privilege,” Demyanenko says. “It gives us that advantage over some countries and other provinces.”

The two St. Michael’s College School students joined forces in grade 7 and haven’t looked back since. With the national team now training in their backyards the excitement is volleying higher.

“There are a lot more programs that are developing for younger athletes,” Kocur says, adding Team Ontario introduced new age groups in under-16, 17 and 18.

Team Canada has also expanded their age limitations, allowing players even of Demyanenko’s and Kocur’s ages to join.

“It’s helping us develop not only for the Worlds but for the Olympics as well,” he says.

Their first Worlds appearance, the fifth place finish, provides added confidence considering the depth of competition at that level.

Read the complete story.

Story by Brian Baker for Toronto Today | MyTorontoToday.ca

While his classmates were at the prom, dancing and discussing dreams, Jacob Siekierski was in a Rexdale gymnasium making his own dreams come true.

Being a few hours late for graduation paid off for him on the weekend when he was selected by the Ontario Volleyball Association to represent Ontario at the National Team Challenge Cup (NTCC) in Gatineau, QC.

It didn’t happen overnight. In fact, KDSS’ athlete of the year admitted he had been waiting for this open tryout for nearly a year.

He did not receive an invite to the OVA’s High Performance Centre (HPC) at Humber College, so on prom day, he travelled to Toronto to the open tryout (which was also held at Humber) and did eight hours of drills for the coaching staff. A few days later, his sacrifice paid off when he received an invitation to last week’s HPC as a virtual unknown.

“Coming from a small town, and being the only guy who didn’t play club, I found it pretty hard to fit in,” said Siekierski. “I didn’t know anyone and they all kind of hung out together. I didn’t see myself making it, I was really just happy to make it through (the open tryout) to the main camp itself. It’s nice to know what really is possible if you work hard and just get out there.”

The HPC Ontario tryout began on July 4th at Humber, and included three two-hour sessions of training each day, in addition to physical fitness and strength testing. The first four days consisted solely of drills and strategy. Friday and Saturday, the athletes were split into four teams to play a tournament and be seen in game action.

Saturday night when it was all said and done, the provincial coaching staff held exit interviews with each of the players who attended the main camp.

“I was the second last guy to be interviewed, so it was a little stressful,” smiled Siekierski at The Independent Sunday evening.

“And then they told me I made Team Ontario.”

The coaching staff told the 6’2” left middle they liked his athleticism, his vertical leap and his speed. For not having played club volleyball, they saw potential in his defending, and think he might be able to lead an attack. Siekierski said his game has already improved from being coached by, and playing with, Ontario’s best. He says he has learned to relax on the court, and has a new defensive system down pat.

Monday morning, Siekierski left for the University of Toronto for a week-long training camp with the 21 other players selected to play for Team Ontario. At the end of the week, he hopped on a bus to Gatineau, QC, for  the NTTC. The NTTC pits Ontario’s best against other provincial teams in front of college and university coaches from across North America. It’s a welcome look for Siekierski, who has led KDSS to consecutive Bluewater Athletic Association titles and one OFSAA tournament. He has hopes of playing collegiate volleyball of some sort, and this is his chance to be seen.

“I’m hoping if I can play well (this week), I’ll get a chance to play (at the NTCC’s). I want on the court, I just want to play,” he said. “Either way it’s going to be a great learning experience and it should really help my game playing competitive with high-end players.”

He’s not the first Siekierski to fall in love with volleyball. There’s been a long line of family ties that have bolstered the KDSS volleyball program over the years, and Siekierski even has a court in his backyard. He also plays at the beach a few hours each week and has been working out his lower body to increase his power.

“My family is pretty happy about it,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re more surprised than me or not, but it’s pretty exciting stuff for us,” he said.

Read the complete story.

Story submitted by Parish Offer.

Story by Josh Howald for The Kincardine Independent | Independent.on.ca

He had no idea if it would be a success or a flop.

“Basically, my thought was I just want to get the kids off the computer and off the couch, and give me something to do when I retire,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just taken off in a way we totally didn’t expect – in a very positive way.”

Besides having a very good competitive team, the house league program housed 140 kids in the first year, with eight teams of seven players.

This season, Langan has already expanded the competitive program. Last year’s under-15 team has moved up to an under-16 squad, but he will keep an under-15 team alive and add an under-13 team. His plan is to also increase house league to 10 teams. Langan said while he doesn’t want to stymie the growth of the program, he’s moving ahead cautiously.

“The key for us is to grow the volunteer base with it and to grow slow so we minimize our mistakes, acknowledging that they’re going to happen,” he said. “As long as we don’t go fast, I think we can control it.

“There is demand for more but we want to grow our house league program first and have our foundation first. We’re really focusing on getting kids in the sport for the first time, as opposed to taking someone from somewhere else to play competitive.”

The demand is definitely there, as Langan held two week-long summer camps – one indoor and one beach volleyball. He had 130 kids in total over the two weeks. He is hoping many of those make their way under the Scorpions umbrella.

“We had the largest house league program for Grade 7 and 8s in Waterloo Region last year. I have a strong goal of having a huge house league next year. But most importantly, my number one goal in the learn-to-play and house league is that I want kids from every school in Cambridge. I have them from 20 different schools right now.”

Besides wanting to get more kids from the 11 to 16 age range, Langan will start the Monster program for the upcoming year for kids born in 2002 and 2003. Through a grant from True Sport Foundation, he’s offering the Monsters program for free.

“That’s another way to say, come on, try it; it’s safe, fun and it’s affordable, and there’s no other strings attached’. You don’t have to sell tickets, you don’t have to do anything else,” he said.

While some sports in the city are seeing registration numbers dwindle, Langan admits he’s been lucky enough to find his niche and offer a sport in Hespeler that people want. In one year, he already has a success story.

“The need is definitely there. People have said to me, ‘Paul, if your biggest problem is that it’s too popular, than that’s not a problem’. I think the fear of failure stops us from doing so many things. What’s the worst that could have happened? I had just 20 kids in the program? That’s still not a failure. It gets 20 kids off the couch.

“We’re just getting kids physically active and excited about a sport. That’s what we’re here to do.”

Story submitted by Paul Langan for the Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club.

Article written by Bill Doucet for the Cambridge Times | CambridgeTimes.ca