When people look back at Eric Simon’s impact on volleyball during the 2009-2010 season there will be some obvious accomplishments that pop out. Eric was a huge part of The University of Western Ontario Mustang’s success. He was recognized for his individual success when he was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian, this season’s OUA Player of the Year and an OUA First Team All-Star. What many people won’t remember is how fast he transitioned to the beach. Eric made the Men’s Provincial team and was a runner up for representing Ontario at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. He skipped playing in the youth division to compete in the Elite Men’s Division, where he and partner Shaun Furneaux finished 5th at the Ontario Championships.

OVA: Why did you start playing Beach?
Eric: I started playing beach to get contacts in for indoor.

OVA: What do you like most about Beach Volleyball?
Eric: There are numerous things I like about beach volleyball, but I guess my favourite part would have to be the fact that you can beat a team [utilizing the] mental aspect of the game.

OVA: What are the advantages to indoor athletes who play beach volleyball?
Eric: Generally in beach volleyball the opposing team will discover your biggest weakness and try to exploit it. So as a volleyball player getting numerous reps in your weakest skills is the best way to improve them. That’s what happens on the beach.

OVA: Where do you see Beach in Canada going in the next 5 years?
Eric: There is a plethora of young talent on Canadian beaches, as can been seen with younger and younger teams competing in the Elite open divisions of Nationals. I think the program can only continue to go up.

OVA: What message would you give to any young beach athlete wanting to play for the Provincial Team?
Eric: Work hard, persevere, trust yourself and your love of the sport. Ultimately that is what it’s about. Don’t be so concerned with the end goal, enjoy the process, enjoy the friends you make and the lessons you learn on and off the court. Your summer of training will only last for 4 months, but your friendships last forever.

Eric was a coach at the Beach Volleyball Academy in Port Stanley last season. The club has some great coaches including Geoff White, Matt Zbyszewski, Shaun Furneaux and David Cousins.

OVA: What was it like coaching at BVA
Eric: It was a great experience. I’ve always enjoyed teaching the different skills of volleyball, and at the BVA I had a little more freedom to begin teaching some strategies and tactics of beach volleyball. Plus the kids we have are exceptional volleyball players so it’s always great to work with a talented group of athletes.

OVA: What was the hardest part transitioning from a player to a coach?
Eric: The hardest transition would be keeping your composure when things are going wrong. I try to think back to the best coaches I’ve had and most of them would always have a calm demeanour, even when things were going awful. I try to replicate that.

OVA: Best memory from playing?
Eric: There isn’t one that stands out in particular. I just enjoy playing at a competitive level, it is always exhilarating.

We would like to thank Eric for his help with this article. Good luck this season on the beach and with your future goals of playing indoor volleyball professionally in Europe.

If you would like to recommend someone for PROfiles please contact Josh Nichol | 416-426-7233 | jnichol@ontariovolleyball.org

On Friday November 27, the Mustangs cruised to a straight-set win over the Waterloo Warriors (25-22, 27-25, 25-20) to improve to a 8-1 record. Left side hitter and team captain Eric Simon led the way with 15 kills. Their 3-1 victory over Guelph the next day puts them in first place in the OUA standings at the season break and edged them to tenth spot in national CIS rankings.

“We were pretty consistent,” Simon said. “We had one or two lapses where we dropped our play. But other than that we played full sets, which is what we set out to do.”

On the other sideline, Waterloo coach Chris Lawson was far from impressed with his Warriors.

“For us it was a disaster really,” Lawson said. “Western played well, but we did absolutely nothing. When your outside hitters have an efficiency of zero, you’re not going to beat a girl guide team let alone a nationally ranked team.”

Read more from Steven Howard, uwogazette.ca

(with additional notes from OUA.ca)

The women’s final was a tightly contested match played in front of a large crowd on centre court at Ashbridges Bay, Toronto. After winning the first set, Whitaker-Burrows began the second set on a mission and continued their steady play. It appeared the match would end on a hard driven ball to the corner. But challengers Rebecca Crosier and Kate Eckhardt made their last stand. Kate miraculously lunged toward the ball and made a superb dig. This was the shift in momentum and Crosier and Eckhardt tied the match at 20. Borrows-Whitaker, after several more exciting rallies, scored the final point and were crowned champions.
“I am really excited to get a chance to represent Ontario at the Canada Summer Games, and am especially honoured given all of the great athletes that we had to compete against to get here,”Burrows said.
“I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to have qualified to represent Ontario at the 2009 Canada Games in PEI,” said Whitaker.

Laura Inward, the head coach of the Women’s Onatrio Team, had this to say, “Working with these 12 athletes for so many weeks in preparation for this event, I developed a connection with each one of them.  In the end, it is akin to watching one of your children play against the other. Ultimately you hope for a good match and that each competitor can feel good about their performance. For me, that sums up this weekend. Every one of the athletes played well, fought hard and improved significantly over the process.  I am proud of every one of them. A special thank you for all the support we received on the weekend from the OVA staff, the referees and the beach crew.”

On the men’s side, Adam Podstawka and Reid Hall defeated Sam Schachter and Eric Simon in two straight in the final. The second set was tight but some timely serving and great transition play separated the champions from their challengers. Both Adam and Reid will be returning to Canada Games after participating in the event in 2005 as indoor athletes.
“Canada Games means a lot to me,” said Reid. Adam was quoted as saying, “This is a great opportunity to participate in Canada Games again.”

The road to PEI started in early May with a tryout followed by several consecutive weekend training camps. The Men’s Provincial Team head coach, Jason Hubbard, had this to say about the lead up to the tournament.
“All the athletes should be commended for their hard work and dedication during this process.” When asked about participating in Canada Games Jason said, “It is a privilege to represent Ontario.”

JT

Who will represent Ontario on the beach at this summer’s Canada Games? Last weekend’s tournament has shown us, there is no easy answer.

Twelve of the top women’s beach athletes participated in the first official Canada Games qualifying event. Last weekend’s tournament was an opportunity to play with their new partners and battle for the seedings in this weekend’s final selection tournament. The winners will earn the privilege of representing Ontario at the Canada Summer Games in PEI.

Caleigh Whitaker and Diane Burrows looked as though they had been playing together for years as they tore through their pool and seemed unstoppable in the playoffs. They won the right to be ranked #1 going into this weekend’s final event after beating Melissa Humaña-Paredes and Victoria Altomare in two games. Humaña-Paredes/Altomare had the match of the weekend in their semi-final against Kate Eckert and Rebecaa Crozier. They won the first set 21-18 then dropped the second 21-16 to Eckert/Crozier. Both teams battled in the third set, but Humaña-Paredes/Altomare experience as a team proved to be the key factor as they finished the match winning15-12.

After just one round of competition, a lot is still up in the air as all six teams prepare to compete this weekend. Pool play takes place on Saturday with the single elimination playoff being held on Sunday, when the Provincial Team Rosters will also be announced. Coaches Laura Inward and Jason Hubbard have some tough choices ahead of them, as Ontario has no shortage of depth when it comes to our beach athletes.

On the men’s side, five out of the six male hopefuls participated in the Men’s Elite OVA tournament June 6 at Ashbridges Bay. Reid Hall teamed up with Adam Podstawka, Cam Wheelan with Steve Kung, and Eric Simon partnered with OVA veteran David Holmes. National Team member Sam Schachter was unable to participate because of a shoulder injury. He hopes to be healthy enough to compete this coming weekend.

Simon-Holmes had a good showing but were eliminated after a tough third set loss to Moser-Benn 15-13 in the quarter finals. Wheelan-Kung were flying high all day but also lost in the quarters when they faced the talented team of Hauser-Redmann. Anton Hauser won the first OVA event with Matt Fugard while Christian Redmann is just back from his 17th place finish, in Poland on the FIVB World Tour with Rich Van Huizen.

Hall-Podstawka had the best day out of the Team Ontario hopefuls, as they beat Moser-Benn in the semi-final to advance to the finals against Hauser-Redmann. They battled for every point as both teams found a way to win a set, leading to an exciting third and final set. Hall continued to serve tough and Podstawka was making plays at the net, but the international experience of Hauser-Redmann came into play as they pulled ahead to win the third, 17-15.

JT

Western faces winless Royal Military College on Friday and a strong Queen’s side (13-3) on Saturday.
Both matches start at 8 p.m.

London Free Press