1997
The Durham Attack Girls Volleyball club
was an idea born in January 1997 by a group of young coaches that loved
volleyball. Their plan was to bring volleyball to the girls of Durham
Region, building on the enthusiasm and success achieved at the elementary
school level. Try-outs were held in April and May and three teams were
selected.
In September 1997, the Durham Attack Girls
Volleyball Club entered their first competitive season with one Bantam
team and two midget teams. 36 girls and 6 coaches were wearing the
familiar red, white and black of Durham Attack as the season began. At
the end of the season, all three teams were in Tier One, ranked within
the top 16 teams in Ontario. Not only had the club been born, but
the winning tradition had begun.
In
season two, the club expanded again, adding one more bantam team and one
more midget team. This growth would continue as the club grew to include
12 competitive teams, ranging in age from 11-18. Girls on their assigned
teams practice two nights per week and train from September until May for
a very physically and emotionally demanding season.
Success
has appeared in many forms, with the girls gradually developing into a
powerful force in volleyball in Eastern Canada. In May 2002, the
Midget Black team captured Bronze at the Eastern Nationals and then
traveled to Calgary where they won Gold at the Western Nationals. Our
first National Championship! This was followed in 2004 and 2005 with
back-to-back Canadian Eastern Bantam National Championship titles.
Up until 2005 the club had won five Provincial titles: Bantam in 2001, 2003, 2004,
and 2005, and Midget in 2004. In 2006 the girls added another five
provincial titles and four National titles, making us the most successful
club in Canada for the season.
House League
took roots in 2001. In
hopes of exposing more girls to the game of volleyball, a
house league
program was started. Players between the ages of 9-15 are taught
the skills of volleyball and exposed to game situations to improve. The
ten-week program has grown to include more than 250 girls and 80 boys in the 2005-2006
season, and recently earned Durham Attack an award from Volleyball Canada
for innovation and leadership.
Camps
The success of the house league program
has also led to the
summer camp program, where players spend five days
learning and improving their individual skills on both the court and the
beach. For many this is their first exposure to the beach program and
athletes are thrilled with the challenges presented to them. What makes
the house league and summer programs even more exciting are the number of
veteran and alumni players who “give back” to the game and their club and
come to help coach. Over 60% of the house league coaches are Club players
who remember their beginning days with the Club and enjoy the opportunity
to work with younger athletes.
2005
was a banner year with the girls winning five out of seven Ontario
championships (12U/15U/16U/18U/20U) along with a Silver (14U) and a Bronze
(17U), all in Tier 1; the Quebec 14U Championship; four National
Championships (14U East, 15U East & West, 16U East) a National Silver
medal (16U West), a National 4th place finish (18U), and a Tier 2 National
Championship (15U East).
2006
Today the Durham Attack Girls Volleyball Club is stronger than ever with
eleven competitive
teams, spanning the ages of 13-18, and over 200 girls in our House League
program. As the club continues to grow, the hope of exposing more and
more female athletes to volleyball remains at the forefront. By providing
a solid framework to introduce girls to the skills and nuances of the game
of volleyball, we also hope to develop stronger, more successful athletes
who will in turn return their passion for the game to assist more athletes
with their development.
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