Van Tech Girls Make Provincials for the First Time, in a Long Time
Since 1940, when girls were first allowed to attend Vancouver Technical Secondary School, very few Senior Girls Team has ever made it to the BC High School AAA Volleyball Championships.
This year’s Van Tech Talismen had their best year since the 1963 team that won the Provincial Championships over Abbotsford Secondary, and enter the BC High School Girls Volleyball AAAA Provincial Championships as the No. 10 seed.
But like Rome, this team wasn’t built in a day, with many of these girls starting out together as Grade 8 players.
“They all started out young together with a good coach in Glenn Wheatley (Grade 9 Girls coach) for their first few years,” said coach Thi Nguyen, as he explained what was different with this year’s team, from teams in the past. “We kind of got a little lucky as well, with having a good group of kids this year.”
Grade 12 player and team captain, Meaghan Smith has been a key part to the team’s success this year and thinks it’s exciting to be a part of the first Talismen team to make it to Provincials in a long time.
“We knew from the beginning of the season what we wanted to do this year (make it to Provincials),” Smith said. “We were pretty close to making it to Provincials last year, so having those types of goals this year is what is different from last year’s team.”
Team hustle has also a been a big component of the team’s success, as rarely a point goes by that this gritty team doesn’t have someone diving and ball or leaving everything they have on the court.
Grade 12 player, Natasha Tierney, believe this team has great chemistry and that is why we see so many players committing to hustling on each play.
“I think it comes from playing to win for ourselves, but also to win for our teammates,” Tierney said.
And as for expectations this year’s team, Nguyen believe his team has played well so far, with the goal of finishing in the top-8.
The Talismen went 2-1 on Day-1 of the AAAA Senior High School Girls Volleyball Provincial Championships.
For the rest of Day-1’s AAAA Senior Girls results, CLICK HERE.
WEEK 5 2014 High School Boys Provincial Rankings
[yasr_visitor_votes size=”large”]
| 2014 Provincial Rankings (Week 5) | |||
| A | AA | AAA | |
| 1. | ABBOTSFORED CHRISTIAN | MEI | KELOWNA |
| 2. | CREDO CHRISTIAN | LANGLEY CHRISTIAN | FRASER HEIGHTS |
| 3. | CENTENNIAL CHRISTIAN | FULTON | EARL MARRIOT |
| 4. | CEDARS CHRISTIAN | PRINCESS MARGARET | OAK BAY |
| 5. | BULKLEY VALLEY CHRISTIAN | WOODLANDS |
|
| 6. |
|
SURREY CHRISTIAN | DOVER BAY |
| 7. | VERNON CHRISTIAN | DP TODD | DELTA |
| 8. | KELOWNA CHRISTIAN | OKM | PENTICTON |
| 9. | FERNIE SECONDARY | LANGLEY FUNDAMENTAL | GP VANIER |
| 10. | CARVER CHRISTIAN | GEORGE ELLIOT | REYNOLDS |
| HM | UCUELET SECONDARY | PACIFIC ACADEMY | VAN TECH |
| HM | GAGLARDI SECONDARY | COLLEGE HEIGHTS |
|
| HM. | HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | GLADSTONE | SEAQUAM |
| HM. | |||
Strike brought extra stress for coaches with dual roles
Story by Bob Carter
Paul Thiessen, the long-time senior boys’ volleyball coach and athletic director at Kelowna’s Okanagan Mission Secondary, spent the last day of September working at his school. Hardly work as usual, though, since he left after 2:30 a.m.. The impasse between British Columbia’s government and teachers, which delayed the start of school by three weeks, had much to do with that.
When the teachers’ strike ended on Sept. 18, Thiessen and other high school athletic directors knew their work load would explode when students returned full-time the next week. Especially those who serve both as coaches and athletic directors.
“It was like being shot out of a cannon,” Thiessen said.
Many forces suddenly were working against the ADs, who raced into overdrive. They immediately had to grow comfortable with BC School Sports’ new website and registration system. “It actually was easier than before,” said Delta coach and athletic director Shell Thompson. “But it took time to learn.”
When they opened their laptops, they often didn’t like what they saw: an avalanche of e-mails from coaches, ADs, school officials, parents and others, all hoping that fall sports schedules could be assembled in record time.Thompson said that leagues wanted to be playing games two weeks after classes began – “a really tight timeline.” Thiessen’s in-box had 285 e-mails one night, about 200 more than his normal amount. Thompson now typically turns off his iPad at 10 p.m., goes to bed and wakes up to 50 new e-mails. By the time he arrives at school, wham, 25 more, and by 3 o’clock another 50. “It’s a non-stop, e-mail nightmare,” Thompson said.
The squeezed time frame demanded not only longer days in September but quick decisions and strong organizing skills. Thiessen said he had 11 teams to mobilize, but only three head coaches in place at OKM, a school that had just undergone its third addition since 1992 and was now serving Grades 7-12. “The other coaches were hard to find,” he said.
Scoping out prospective coaches normally takes time, a commodity the athletic directors lacked this year.
“It’s a reality of the times, and we’re looking at 70 percent community coaches now,” Thompson said. “If you don’t talk about potential people for coaching, talk to people who might work out, it just won’t happen.”
Somewhere between all the e-mails, scheduling and pursuit of coaches, many athletic directors had to start coaching as well.
Thiessen, a 25-year coaching veteran who led OKM to fourth place in AA last year, had only eight players for his senior boys’ volleyball team as they prepared for their first matches Oct. 1.
“I didn’t work that much with my team at the beginning,” he said. “There was just so much to do. Instead of building a team like normal, we had to start condensing things and got into survival mode fast.”
Delta’s senior boys made the AAA BC’s last year with Thompson as head coach, but this fall he’s directing the Grade 8 boys and expects to assist the senior team with a pair of younger coaches whom he is mentoring.
The late start has him concerned about the players not having enough time to get into proper physical shape, and the lack of skill-building the first few weeks in practice.
“We focused on more simple skills and getting their attention, so they can function,” he said. “We couldn’t spend time on blocking or many offensive schemes. That may not come until the end of October.”
By mid-October, Thiessen thinks his work load may regain some normalcy, though Thompson sees the fast pace continuing.
“Volleyball won’t settle down until mid-November,” he said. “And as an AD you’ve got to have all the basketball stuff set and ready to go by then.”
However long the process takes, there will be little rest for the strike-tested souls doing double duty.
For More Information-
bchighschoolboysvolleyball@gmail.com or
Contact Bob Carter at mrrobertfcarter@gmail.com
Big Kahuna BC High School Boys Volleyball Championships introduces New Scholarship
This year’s Big Kahuna BC High School Boys Volleyball Championships will introduce a new scholarship.
The BC High School Boys Volleyball Championships Alumni Scholarship is being established for two main reasons. One, to benefit current and future tournament players in their education, and two, to provide an opportunity for past participants to help those who follow, strengthening the unique fellowship of the volleyball community.
By making a donation to this scholarship, former players and coaches of the BC’s can also help make a youngster’s dream happen. For many students, the post-secondary experience is priceless.
Those interested in helping can make a donation by using this website, or by contacting Tournament Director Sharon Carter at mrssharonlcarter@gmail.com
Your support is greatly appreciated.
PRESS RELEASE: Big Kahuna becomes Title Sponsor for High School Boys Volleyball
[yasr_visitor_votes]BC High School Boys Volleyball ANNOUNCEMENT:
Big Kahuna Sport Co. will enhance its strong commitment to Canadian athletics this fall by becoming the title sponsor for the most significant event in British Columbia boys’ volleyball. The Big Kahuna BC High School Boys Volleyball Championships will be held Nov. 26-29 at the Langley Events Centre. The four-day event, which features both AA and AAA tournaments, is moving to greater Vancouver after a successful 20-year run in Kelowna.
We are extremely excited to partner with this great event, Volleyball is an extremely important category for Big Kahuna, and we are proud to support Canadian amateur athletes in every way possible.” Big Kahuna’s Craig Preece, Vice President-Marketing.
The company, a Canadian leader in team and institutional sporting goods, has been a longtime supporter of numerous college and university teams as well as provincial and national sport organizations. Tournament committee chair Sharon Carter is enthusiastic about the new partnership with Big Kahuna.
“Big Kahuna has had strong ties to the volleyball community for many years,” Carter said, “and our tournament committee is excited to have them as our lead sponsor.” Headquartered in Surrey, B.C., Big Kahuna Sport Co. has eight locations across the country and carries equipment and apparel for multiple sports, including volleyball. It also features a variety of corporate apparel and promotional products. Big Kahuna serves as Adidas Canada’s lead partner for team apparel, uniforms, footwear and accessories and is a preferred dealer to many other major brands.
A total of 36 boys teams – 20 in AAA and 16 in AA – will participate in the high school volleyball championships. The two tournaments will run concurrently in adjacent sports centres at the spacious LEC. The complex is located at 7888 – 200 Street in Langley, just minutes from Highway 1.
For More information: bchighschoolboysvolleyball@gmail.com or
contact Bob Carter at 778-888-3352
