The 17U Toronto Element Girls Volleyball Team travelled to RIM Park in Kitchener- Waterloo this past weekend along with 52 other teams from across the province who gathered to compete in the 2010 Ontario Provincial Volleyball Championships and vie for the 2010 Ontario Provincial Championship Title.

Friday April 30th, 2010 – Pool Play
The first match of the tournament for Element would be against the Fire and Fury team out of Burlington. Element started the match with vigor winning the first set 25-9 leaving no doubt what they were here to do this weekend. Set two however found Element making numerous uncharacteristic unforced errors causing them to drop set two 25-23. Slowly getting back into their rhythm Element won set three and the match 15-10

Match two would be against the Selects team out of Brampton. Unfortunately the Select team was no match for the more dominate Element team who handedly won this match in two straight sets 25-16 and 25-14.

The final match of Friday’s pool play would pit the Element team against the Fusion Team from Ottawa. This match would be the best match of day with some great rallies and good plays on both sides of the net. In the end Element came out victorious in two straight sets 25-22 and 25-21 to finish day one with a perfect record.

Saturday May 1st , 2010 – Power Pool Play
The first match of the day would be against one of the home town teams, the Predators from Kitchener Waterloo. It was a great way to start the day with some really hard fought rallies and some spectacular displays of sheer determination to win single points. In the end Element won in 3 sets 25-22, 24-26 and 15-10

Match two saw Element take on the 17U Forest City team out of London, a very quick and talented defensive team. Element dropped the first set 25-21 but came back with vengeance in set two to win 25-15 and then took set three 15-9.

The final match for power pool would be against one of the top 16U teams in the province, Durham Attack Black out of Oshawa, a team we met once before and handled rather easily, however this time that would not be the case. Set one of the match would probably be one of the best sets of the entire weekend for both teams. The younger team took the court with confidence and soon had the older Element team taking them much more seriously and paying much more attention than they had since the last time these two teams met. Both teams played hard and treated spectators to some incredible displays of sheer talent both offensively and defensively on both sides of the court. Both teams traded point for point however in the end, after an exceptionally long hard fought first set Element came out victorious 30-28. Set two would not be nearly as intense as the first set and Element, with momentum now on their side, quickly took set two 25-13 finishing day two undefeated.

Sunday May 2nd, 2010 – CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF
The final day of the 2009/2010 OVA indoor season, the day that every team in Ontario trained and worked so hard for, the day that would determine what team would ultimately stand on top of the podium and be the Ontario Provincial Champions. This would also be a day where the Element team would be battling “Purple ALL DAY” – GO GREEN!!!!!!!

Quarter Finals
Element having gone undefeated in the tournament had earned a bye into quarter finals and would match up against yet another top 16U team in the province, the 16U Predators from Kitchener-Waterloo (in their purple, black and white uniforms). This match would be eerily similar to the last match played the previous day with the other 16U team. Set one would be a long hard fought game that went back and forth; point for point, but this time Element dropped the first set 28-26. Not happy with losing in the first set, Element took the court for set two and with precision and skill won 25-17 and left no room for doubt in set three taking it 15-10.

Semi Finals
This match would be a rematch of day one as Element would once again face the home team, the 17U Predators from Kitchener- Waterloo (in their purple, black and white uniforms). This match started out fairly strong with Element winning a close first set 25-23. Set two however was Element all the way as they quickly and decidedly took set two 25-13 to earn them a spot in the GOLD MEDAL match.

THE 2010 ONTARIO PROVINCIAL GOLD MEDAL MATCH
Toronto Element versus Defensa from Burlington (in their purple, black and white uniforms). It goes without saying that this final match up came as no surprise to anyone as these two teams, without a doubt, were two of the strongest teams in this age division all year and it was fitting that they would vie for the provincial title.

Set one saw Defensa jump out to an early lead that they were not about to relinquish and they won set one 25-20. Set two saw Element storm out to a quick lead that they were not about to relinquish either and they won set two 25-19. It all came down to a final set between two very strong, determined talented teams both hungry for the win. Element with determination, skill, precision and sheer will jumped out to an early lead of 7-2 and remained in the lead at the switch 8-3. The change of sides, the constant colours of purple, black and white or whatever the reason saw Element lose concentration and that translated into a heart pounding moment where the score was tied at 10-10. This was indeed a game that was worth watching and one that could indeed be called the GOLD MEDAL match as both sides fought as hard as they could for every point. In the end Element (when it was needed most, and like all true champions do) found that inner strength and determination to ultimately win the final set 15-10 to win the match and become the 2010 17U Ontario Provincial Champions.

Coaches Corner
What a fitting end to a long and tough provincial season! Each Element player has been through their own set of ups and downs this season and like all teams we were not immune to the rollercoaster of elite competition. Through the struggles of countless practices, meetings, tournaments and team time I saw a group of girls truly become a team and learn what it means to fight for what you want, do it together and for each other.

Every single player in an Element jersey contributed to this Championship. It took 10 athletes to believe and do the work to achieve what they wanted this season. There were a lot of lessons learned by everyone (coaching staff included) and they are lessons I can only hope that will serve these girls throughout their lives.

I am proud that we finished strong and that each match got better and better as the tournament progressed. We found our rhythm, played with heart and that is all a coach can really ask for. This win is about the team and there is not a group that I feel deserves it more.

A huge thank you (and we couldn’t have done it) to a few people, first my Assistant Coach Rob Argalis. He has been my right hand support and strategic mind giving plenty of personal hours to help these girls improve. To Eric Seifert for devoting his time to educating and keeping the team healthier than any other team this year (which often goes unnoticed when you aren’t hurt!) And of course a big thank you to the parents for their unwavering support of their daughters, helping to keep the team well fed, watered and rested (not to mention the endless cheers and voices in the crowd!).

This is another goal we set out to attain and achieved. A couple of days to enjoy the feeling then right back to work for the next on the list – Nationals. You can bet we are going to work harder than ever to finish up on a gold medal note again!

GREAT WORK EVERYONE!

Written by Sharon Simons

Thiessen and the rest of his Riverside Rage boys 14-and-under volleyball team were in Waterloo for the Ontario Provincial Championships.

So was Harper, who came to see his son Ben, play for the Ottawa Fusion.
“It was pretty cool getting our picture taken with him,” 13-year-old Thiessen said. “We didn’t expect him to be there.”

Harper was originally scheduled to be in Poland for a memorial service honouring that country’s deceased president but Iceland’s ash-spewing volcano cancelled his overseas flight and left him with some free time.

“He was there all three days along with about 15 body guards,” Riverside coach Shawn Lippert said.
Harper posed for pictures with several teams, including the South County girls 14U team.
During the tournament, the Rage played Ottawa Fusion and lost.

Thiessen said the Prime Minister’s son is “a really good player. He’s really good at digging the ball when it’s in the backcourt.”

The Rage finished fifth in Ontario out of 22 teams while Ottawa wound up third.

“Getting their picture taken with the Prime Minister is a once in a lifetime moment for our athletes,” Lippert said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Riverside’s Kevin Hillman received an Ontario Volleyball Excellence award. Matt Pe Benito had a team-high 57 kills and Justin Fisher had 22 blocks.

The girls posted the best finish ever by a South County travel team. They were fourth out of 67 teams.

Courtesy of the Windsor Star

Libero Mikaila Nederveen is leading the MAC initiative

Her call for athletic tape, bandaids, gauze or other medical supplies that can be spared to donate to the Haiti disaster victims and for a village in the Dominican Republic has been inspiring. Athletes and participants are contributing to the Medical Aid Campaign ( M.A.C.) that Mountain Athletic Club Volleyball 18U Girls libero Mikaila Nederveen is organizing.

Mikaila is asking athletes who will be attending MAC Volleyball hosted tournaments to donate medical supplies for disaster relief in Haiti and for the Dominican Republic. The Red Cross, Canadian Food for Children and Moms for Haiti will benefit from the donations.

She will be traveling on the March break to build homes in a remote village in the Dominican Republic as a participant in the St. Mary Secondary School D.R.E.A.M.S. (Dominican Republic Educational And Medical Supplies ) Project. Their airline has allowed the students extra suitcases for medical supplies only and Mikaila hopes to fill four suitcases with donated supplies from athletes participating at MAC Volleyball hosted tournaments.

MAC Volleyball recently hosted the 18U Boys and Girls Bugarski Cup — Premier at McMaster University as well as the 16U Boys Challenge Cup — Championship West at St. Mary’s Secondary School in Hamilton. Despite local retailers being open on campus, athletes, coaches, parents and tournament spectators not only supported the volunteer run concession but also filled one suitcase for M.A.C. Cares including a pair of crutches and a walking cast.

“This is really encouraging” said Mikaila “ We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to play the sports we love. There are young people like us who have had their lives destroyed and may never reach their full potential because of extreme poverty. This is one way we can help out and I am proud to do this with the support of my volleyball community.” She is also planning on bringing along some volleyballs to leave with the children.

Look for the Medical Aid Campaign (M.A.C.) Cares suitcase at the MAC Volleyball hosted tournaments (Feb. 20th and 27th, March 6th) and give generously.

Submitted by Mountain Athletic Club (MAC) Volleyball

Durham Attack and Pakmen Final action

I watched my first Triple Ball Tournament this past Saturday. It was a 14U boy’s tournament at Saint Jean De Brebeuf in Woodbridge. I was very curious to see how the game would be received by the athletes, parents and coaches. I also wanted to take statistics and gather some objective data that would enable us to compare the differences from a serve-initiated rally versus a coach-initiated rally.

I was both encouraged and concerned after watching the first few pool play matches. The stats were indicating that the coach-introduced free balls were dramatically lengthening rallies and giving the athletes a chance to perform all the skills but the new format was causing some confusion. The athletes seemed to have difficulty adjusting to the new flow of the game and some observers also felt that the ability level of the athletes was higher than the level where Triple Ball was needed.

One key reason Triple Ball was introduced was to reduce the influence serving has on the game in this particular age group. Previous studies had indicated that rallies at this level were extremely short and would often be terminated by either a missed serve or an ace serve.
Having free balls entered by coaches forced teams to: set, attack, block and play defense much more often, which dramatically changed how matches were being won. It became apparent to me early on in the day that the well rounded teams would be successful with this format and that the more “one dimensional” teams would struggle.

By the end of the day teams were becoming more comfortable and seemed to be adjusting to the new format. The finals featured a Pakmen team that had a lot of success during the day converting on their free ball opportunities with big hits. I wasn’t convinced that any other team in the tournament would be able to block and defend well enough to slow them down. But apparently I was wrong, as the Mississauga team met their match in the final.

Pakmen’s opponent for that match was a quality Durham Attack team that had quietly played well all day. I thought a key to Durham’s success during the finals was their ability to extend rallies. For the first time, Pakmen’s big hits were being defended and in some cases blocked. This seemed to frustrate Pakmen and motivate Durham just enough to push them to a third set 15-13 victory in front of an excited group of parents.

For anyone who is interested, I’ve put some of the data that was collected into chart form. I thought it would be beneficial to compare this data with statistics taken from an international match. The international match I chose to study was this past summer’s Men’s World League Final between Brazil and Serbia.  Both charts illustrate the outcome of a serve at each level.

I took a look at all 10 World League playoff matches from the summer and the 6% ace rate is consistent with those matches as well. This is the area that seems to differ the most when it comes to serving outcomes at the different levels.  14U serves result in aces 4.5 times more often then international serves.
The following chart examines the percentage of second contact volley attempts by the designated setter and the percentage of third contact attack attempts in three different situations (14U coach toss, World League Final and 14U serve).

The results indicate that the structure of a 14U side out rally performed after a coach toss is very similar to that of an international standard. The outcomes recorded after 14U serves were much lower.
Over the past couple of days I’ve thought a lot about the comment that the skill level of these athletes was beyond Triple Ball and that this change is unnecessary.  From my perspective, there are 2 statistics that would heavily influence my response. The first is the percentage of serves that result in an ace or error; and the second is the percentage of volleys the designated setter performs.  These are two categories that indicate what impact serving is having on the game and whether or not the players are able to incorporate all the skills into their game play.
I plan on visiting a 13U girls Triple Ball event in January and taking a similar look at how the game is being played by those athletes. Stay tuned……

by Jason Trepanier (OVA Technical Director)

Jim Cooke

On Thursday, November 28, 2009, Jim Cooke was awarded the Leadership in School Sport Award, sponsored by OFSSAA. The award is given to a teacher coach who has made a significant contribution to the educational athletic program. The recipient of this award exemplifies the values of fair play and good sportsmanship, while promoting enjoyment, personal growth and educational achievement through school sport.
Jim received his award as part of the opening banquet for the boys AAA volleyball championships being held in Stratford….
“Most of us are not destined for Olympic glory but we will faced with many challenges and choices that define our character. It is gratifying to help an individual grasp the importance of commitment to both themselves and their teammate. Guiding players in developing focus, self-reflection, and risk-taking skills makes coaching the rewarding experience it is; all of these skills transfer into so many other areas of their lives, as they do in my own.” JC

Read more CHSS Chronicle

Two Ontario volleyball clubs were included in the 12 Ontario community sport clubs who received a Coach Grant of $2,000 each from Chevrolet, as announced this week by the Coaching Association of Canada.

Forest Hill Volleyball Club from London and Northumberland Breakers Volleyball Club of Cobourg were among 51 clubs from across Canada who will put the grant to good use for coach training and development activities under the Chevrolet Making Dreams Possible program. Over the past three years, GM’s direct support of coach education and development through this program has impacted over 18,000 coaches and 196,000 athletes in 165 communities across the country.

Good news for coaches, the Chevrolet Making Dreams Possible program will continue in 2010 and application forms are now being accepted for the next round. Applications for the Club Grants are due February 22, 2010. In addition, 10 high performance coach grants worth $10,000 each will be awarded to high performance athletes and their coaches.
Applications for the high performance grants are due January 18.

Visit makingdreamspossible for more information.

“It brought back some great memories from when I competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles,” said Hitchcock, who was recently on the Team New Brunswick mission staff for the Canada Games in PEI. “It was also great to see the excitement of the other torch bearers in the van we were traveling in before we got dropped off. We shared some great stories.”
…Hitchcock was a national team member from 1977 to 1983. She also competed at one world championship and three Pan Am Games and World University Games. She was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

Three other Canadian Olympic volleyball players will be also participate in the Torch Relay later as it criss-crosses the nation over the next few months culminating with the lighting of the Olympic flame at the Vancouver\Whistler Winter Games.

They are: Terry Gagnon of Edmonton of the 1992 Olympic men’s team who’ll run in Windermere, B.C., on January 22, Paul Gratton of Ottawa of the 1984 Olympic men’s team who’ll run January 3 in Thunder Bay, Ont., and Lori-Ann Mundt of Winnipeg of the 1996 women’s Olympic team who’ll run January 9 in her birthplace Yorkton, Sask.

“It brings back the whole fever of the Olympics,” said Hitchcock.  “The players are going to enjoy it tremendously. It promotes unity, friendship and health.”

VC

The bid involves 50 venues in 17 municipalities stretching in a broad swath across southern Ontario. The overall budget is $1.43 billion, with the federal and provincial governments promising $500 million each.
New venues proposed for construction include the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario (CSIO) at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, the site for volleyball and fencing at the Games and a multi-purpose training site for high performance athletes afterward. These major new sport and recreation facilities, will further the momentum for the University’s high performance sport agenda.

The announcement means that for Hamilton, it will get a cash injection of about $170 million for needed sports facilities, including a long-awaited new 15,000-seat stadium that can be expanded to accommodate the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a velodrome, and an aquatics centre at McMaster University.

Existing venues will be used for many of the events.  An upgraded Copps Coliseum in Hamilton will host the volleyball. In downtown Toronto, the Rogers Centre (the Skydome) will be the site for the opening and closing ceremonies, BMO Field will host the soccer events, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will be the broadcast centre. Roy Thomson Hall is to be used for weightlifting, and the Air Canada Centre for basketball.

On the eastern lakefront in downtown Toronto the athletes village will be constructed on the West Don Lands. While this community development was planned to take place over the next 15 years, it will now be accelerated to provide accommodation for 8,500 athletes in 2015.

Many people are hoping the games will boost transit expansion plans in the city. A proposed new LRT transit line extension to the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, for example, might now be built sooner than scheduled in time for 2015.

files from: CP, Stoney Creek News, Canadian Consulting Engineer

Lelliott and Saxton defeated Roman Sutter and Martin Sutter of Switzerland 23-25, 21-17, 15-10 in the championship final. Lelliott and Saxton made the right adjustments after dropping the first set.

“In the second set, we changed to a more basic defensive strategy,” said Lelliott.  “That worked nicely because we were able to start digging some balls and transitioning them for points. We also turned up the pressure with our serving in the last two sets.

“Ben was the star of the third set with his serves and blocks.  It was just wonderful to get the gold.”

In the women’s bronze medal match, Bansley and Rodrigue defeated Marie-Christine Mondor and Isabelle Rancourt of Canada-Quebec 21-17, 19-21, 15-12.  Switzerland beat France in the gold medal final.

VC

Jos Nederveen is the man of the hour for St. Mary's. (Cathie Coward, The Hamilton Spectator)

Lately, Jos Nederveen has spent more time than Taylor Swift accepting awards.

Last night, St. Mary’s skipper Nederveen was named the winner of the the Wismer Award for High School Coaching Excellence.

Nederveen finished ahead of Sean Kiely (St. Mary’s), Frank Hayes (Delta), Jim Weatherbee (Saltfleet) and Stefano Giovannangeli (St. Thomas More).

“It’s an honour beyond belief to be selected from a great group of people,” Nederveen said. “This award has got to be at the top. I got into coaching because of high school. My coaching expanded because of high school. “The opportunities it provided me, the contact with the kids. Nothing compares to high school sports.” He says at the high school level kids are playing in front of their friends and they’re passionate. “To be part of that is incredible,” he said.

Recently, Nederveen has been honoured by the Coaches Association of Ontario and the Government of Ontario. He was named the Developmental Coach of the Year by the Coaches Association of Ontario for his work in developing athletes and coaches through high school and club programs, including the Mary Volleyball Program Developmental House League and Summer Camp Program for elementary school-aged athletes.

He was also awarded the Syl Apps Special Achievement Award for volleyball from the provincial government in recognition of his ongoing volunteer contributions to the development of sport in the province.

Two years ago, he won the Peter Beach Award from the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations.

He is the director of player development for Mountain Athletic Club volleyball, where he has coached for the past three years. He coaches the MAC MVP 13U and 14U developmental girls teams and is the head coach of the developmental MVP summer volleyball camp for athletes in grades 5 to 8.

Nederveen started coaching volleyball at the club level when he was a graduate student at York University in 1982.

He was the assistant coach of the Ontario Women’s Provincial silver-medallist team at the Canada Games in 1987 and since then has coached various club teams of both genders to Eastern Canadian championship medals.

He was the Ontario Volleyball Association chair of athlete development programs for 10 years and has remained actively involved on the OVA executive as its vice-president of indoor competitions.

He started coaching at St. Jean de Brébeuf in 1974 when his brother came home from school and asked him if he would coach the boys’ volleyball team. He stayed at Brébeuf for six years, winning 15 volleyball championships before leaving for St. Mary’s and the opportunity to coach his son, Josh, and daughters Meagan and Mikaila.

Tony Fitzgerald, Hamilton Spectator