Attack Black 15U Girls assistant coaches Julie & Tom Clarke never
seemed very far away all weekend, even after a fourteen hour drive
across the Trans-Canada Highway to Moncton, New Brunswick, May
11-14 for the Volleyball Canada-East Championships. All one
had to do was glance over at the players' bench to see their
smiling faces - wait, was that only a framed picture propped up on
that chair? Good things come in threes - we received the
news from back home that Hanna Chloe Clarke was born the morning
of our first matches; a Good omen, everyone agreed. A 3-0
record on Day 1, matched by a 3-0 record in the Power Pool Day 2
put the team squarely on track to repeat as Canada-East Champions.
Three more convincing wins on Super Sunday nailed down Good Thing
#2 - a Canada-East Championship. Good Thing #3 is a wish
reserved for the Canada-West Championships upcoming May 20-22,
Calgary, Alberta. After winning in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
last year and Moncton this year, this exciting team is packing
their bags to go west, young...women. The trees and
volleyball players grow a little taller there and this group that
has not lost an age group competition in two years will rise to
this new challenge.
Representing a Durham Attack club that can boast Tier 1 Gold at
14U, 15U & 16U, it becomes clear that there must be a secret to
such success. And the answer isn't hard to see. When
Julie & Tom could not make the trip down east, for obvious
reasons, Head Coach Evan Williams was able to call upon Lindsay
Gosse, former Defensive Player of the Year in Atlantic CIS
University play for St. F-X, to assist in coaching the 2006 Canada
East & West tournaments.
You see, many sports rely on interested parents to step up and
provide coaching support for their children and the children of
their friends. The Durham Attack Volleyball Club
consistently exposes players to coaches of exceptional ability,
experience, commitment and drive. Eventually, the players
exhibit these same qualities, which results in multiple
championship teams.
As a team sport, individual accomplishment is a secondary rather
than primary goal. However, Volleyball Canada does recognize
an MVP and All-Canadian All-Star Team at the nationals, which is
noteworthy. Setter Jordyn Moloney and excellent Middle Block
Rebecca Glancy were named 2006 All-Stars. And the youngest
player on the team, thirteen year-old Outside Hitter Ali Goc,
proved she is "da bomb", taking home the 15U Girls MVP Award.
Three awards, Hanna Chloe & a 2006 Canada-East Championship leaves
only the upcoming Canada-West title to complete the trifecta. Good luck out west, girls - er - young women!
Hannah Chloe Clark
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