St. Lucia Volleytalk - March 2014 by Shane Roachford

March 2014

EDITOR’S PASS

happy and prosperous 2014 to you all. 2013 was a busy and productive year for us and one would think 2014 would be a little lighter. Think again because 2014 has more volleyball, more volleyball and, yes you guessed it more volleyball. Peak performance coach Tony Robbins has a philosophy; “People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more, they find a way to succeed.” This simple philosophy drives the St. Lucia Volleyball Association, it drives the players, coaches, officials and administrators. With this in mind and at heart we begin to share with you St. Lucia Volleyball 2014. Brian Louisy President

In This Issue 2014 Recognition Evening Secondary Schools Volleyball ECVA Congress SLVA Congress

In this Photo: Skye Mondesir 2013 Youth Player of the Year Youth Beach Volleyball Olympian

U-20 Secondary School’s Volleyball

The annual Volleyball Recognition Evening was

vides opportunities for coaches, players and administrators to further their knowledge and skills. President Louisy also reported on the thanks and praise that St. Lucia received at the 2013 NORCECA Congress for outstanding performances in competition and hosting. St. Lucia received the “Flame of Volleyball” at the congress.

another success for the association. The Recognition evening which took place at Bay Gardens Hotel, highlights the importance of recognizing the hard work put in by the players, volunteers and sponsors over the years. The players shed out blood sweat and tears in the pursuit of excellence, the volunteers selflessly contribute to ensure the events of the association succeed and the sponsors give gracious to help see the sport thrive and that the players are afforded the opportunities to excel and mature.

The highlight of the evening is always the awards which capture the achievements of persons in the sport, in particular the players of the various age categories. This year, in addition to those prestigious awards was the recognition of the persons who succeeded in the various coaching courses held throughout 2013. Fourteen level one coaches along with nine level two coaches were inducted into the coaching ranks, with desires to be inserted into the various development programs. The aim is to continue building and improving on the coaching structure to give maximum support to developing players.

Six players were recognized for their outstanding performances in 2013. In the Youth category; Andre Marquis – 2013 Youth Male Player Skye Mondesir – 2013 Youth Female Player President, Brian Louisy highlight he achievements In the Junior Category; of 2013 and shed a little light on the vast number of Augustin Faulkner - 2013 Junior Male Player opportunities that are available for players and admin- Dala Noel - 2013 Junior Female Player istrator in 2014. The success of the youth, junior and In the Senior Category; senior teams qualified them for a number of high level Joseph Clercent – 2013 Senior Male Player tournaments and NORCECA’s development plan pro- Natalie Edward – 2013 Senior Female Player

The sanctioning of the U-20 Inter –Secondary

Schools Volleyball Competition is always a privilege for the association, as it encourages the youth in sports and sparks their competitive nature and encourages a healthy lifestyle. The association also donated 12 volleyballs to the games and the expertise of its officials to ensure the tournament ran smoothly. The competition comprised of teams from various secondary schools across the island. In the male division stood Soufriere Comprehensive, St. Mary’s College, Clendon Mason Memorial, Gros-Islet Secondary, Sir Ira Simmons Secondary, Anse Ger Secondary, Vide Boutille Secondary, Micoud Secondary and Ciercon Secondary. The women’s division was graced ny St. Joseph’s Convent, Clendon Mason, Sir Ira Simmons Secondary, Soufriere Comprehensive, Anse Ger Secondary, Vide Boutille Secondary, Micoud Secondary and Ciceron Secondary. The teams were place into two (2) groups and competed in round robin competition in the first round of competition. Second round of play ws the Quarter-Final Round wehere the winners advanced to the Semi-Finals.

St. Mary’s College - Gold Medalist

In the Female Semi-Final Divison St. Joseph’s Convent had a walk off win vs Clendon Mason and Micoud Secondary defeated Soufriere Secondary in straight sets. In the Men, Clendon Mason fought to best Soufriere 2-1 in sets and St. Mary’s College has a tough battle dismantling Gros-Islet Secondary.

Games.

The female finals matched St. Jseph’s Convent agaiunst Micoud Secondary where the undefeated Convent maintained their streak and claimed the second consecutive gold at the Secondary School

The male finals set St. Mary’s College head to head with the athletic Clendon Mason Secondary and as the battle ensued no clear winner could be predicted. The match went the distance with St. Mary’s emerging victorious.

ECVA CONGRESS - Antigua The St. Lucia Volleyball

Association held it’s Biennial Hotel, March 1, 2014 with (7) member clubs. Reported 2012 – 2013 with President where hard work has taken even further.

Congress at the Bay Gardens the participation of seven were the activities and success Brian Louisy highlighting the sport and the potential go

Beach Volleyball, being the fastest growing sport in the world and the many successes St. Lucia has enjoyed over the years, gave rise to a special presentation highlighting the journey for qualification of teams to the CAC Games and the 2014 Youth Olympics. The congress spoke to the need to change the dynamic of how the various aspects of the association is run in order to hold the course it is on and to chart new courses for opportunity and success. The final order of business was the dissolution and election of a new executive to guide the association and the sport forward. The new executive for the 2014-2015 period are as follows:

SLVA President - Brian Louisy

President Brian Louisy attended the Eastern Carib-

bean Volleyball Association (ECVA) biennial general assembly on February 14-15, 2014 in Antigua where all 14 National Federations participated. The General Assembly was chaired by NORCECA President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz and ECVA President Glenn Quinlan. It was an extremely interactive meeting with dynamic exchanges between the members who discussed all items related to development plan of the NORCECA Confederation and how it related to ECVA. President Marte Hoffiz reported on his annual activities, the qualification process to Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and updated members on progress towards the FIVB World Championships in Poland and Italy. During the two-day meetings members were informed of additional technical assistance to the ECVA National Federations with coach Ramón –Monchito- Hernandez of Puerto Rico joining Joao Campos Morales of Brazil, as supervisors. A calendar of activities for ECVA was also developed at the meeting showing an increase in the number of tournaments. The members of ECVA also expressed their gratitude and continued support for President Cristobal as the support to ECVA by way of equipment, and World Championship and Youth Olympic Beach Qualification was at an unprecedented level. Members pledged to continue working together to develop volleyball in the Zone.

President Brian Louisy 1st Vice President Florian Combie 2nd Vice President Hervon Brown Secretary Jean Morille Treasurer Shane Roachford Assistant Secretary / Treasurer Shayne Felicien Public Relations Officer Elvin Germain Floor Representatives Kashima Noel Keam Charlery Augustin Faulkner Kaji Charles

Tel No. : (758) 452-3165 Fax No. : (758) 453-6907 Email: blocksetspike@yahoo.com