3 minute read
Belleville Volleyball Club, Belleville Ravens
THE ULTIMATE TEAM SPORT
Belleville Volleyball Club, Belleville Ravens
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By Terry Boyd
When you walk into a volleyball tournament game or practice the first thing you notice is how loud it is. That’s right, I said it – loud. Not just a little, a lot. My daughter plays with the Belleville Volleyball Club (B.V.C.) on the Raven’s girl’s u-13 rep volleyball team. They are much more reserved and quieter, shier than the older girls. Somewhere in the next couple years these young demure girls transform into beasts. Before I have several angry people wanting to know why I called their daughter a beast, let me explain. They seem quite normal walking into the gym with their high ponytails and sweats. Somewhere between putting on knee pads and tying up court shoes they transform in front of your very eyes. They seem to grow taller, they are meaner, they jump serve, spike, jump set, and block all in unison, like they all know what the other is thinking. They are passionate about the game and even more so about their team. Volleyball on the beach or on the court is a fast-paced game of skill, determination, and teamwork. I would add that volleyball might just be the most positive game for athletic performance development I know of. Pre-pandemic, every time the ball hits the floor for your side or against it, the team immediately meets in the centre of their side of the court. The team “groups up” and either congratulates for a great play or boosts each other for a lost point. I don’t re-call ever seeing a tantrum with a volleyball player at an amateur or professional level, no smashing sticks, rackets, yelling at other players or kicking balls away, just a return to play with the support of your team. Volleyball players are loud, they cheer for everything, they have clever ways of celebrating plays like an ace serve. With the return to volleyball and precautions with health and safety they have now found a way to cheer without touching hands but rather they stomp and clap etc., as loud as they were pre- pandemic. The governing body for International play and rankings is F.I.V.B. (Federation Internationale de Volleyball) it includes an International tournament that is challenged every 4 years. Canada’s women’s best performance was a 7th place finish in 1973. The past three F.I.V.B. tournaments have Canada placing in the top 10. In fact., since the beginning of volleyball in 1900 it has rapidly become one of the more popular sports in Canada. The volleyball school can be credited in part for developing a program that has competed on the world stage successfully at Women’s National Indoor Volleyball tournaments. Highlights include 3 Olympic Game top ten finishes, 8 World Championships, 4 World Cup appearances, and 11 Pan American Games appearances. By all accounts Canadian Women’s Volleyball is growing exponentially. Behind every successful program is a group of dedicated professionals. And all sports must have grassroots beginning and a successful youth program, luckily for us in this area we have such a program. The Belleville Volleyball Club (B.V.C.) under the Ontario Volleyball Association (O.V.A.) was founded in 2006. Since it’s beginning the B.V.C. has taught volleyball to hundreds of children ages 8 and up. They have competitive teams called the “Belleville Ravens’ with tryouts in September. The mandate of the B.V.C. is “ensuring that the youth in Quinte Region receive qualified and appropriate instruction so they can excel at the game and become lifelong lovers of volleyball.” I couldn’t agree more. As with all parents I worry about my child, what the future holds, what I can do to help without smothering. I’m sure there are many who would agree. In the arena of sport there exists opportunity to grow, learn and socialize, it’s not just about winning or losing it’s also about becoming more, and learning life lessons. I joke about young female volleyball players becoming beasts, but the truth is they do. Volleyball is a team sport with a group of peers who no matter what you do on court they have your back. Every few seconds or longer depending on the rally or serve they pick each other up, cheer for each other – it is the ultimate positive team sport for young athlete’s development. The confidence level garnered through the sport of volleyball helps a young person become more confident (beasts). They work hard for each other and when it’s all said and done walk away with sweats and high ponytail knowing they have been a part of something special – a team.
