It’s shaping up to be a busy year on the volleyball courts for Edwin Parr Composite’s junior teams.
This year’s EPC Predators junior volleyball program will feature two girls teams and one boys team.
Girl’s coaches Kerstin Bennett and Charlene Visser will split the big group into two separate teams. The more advanced team will be a traveling squad.
“(Having two teams) works better for the developing grade eight’s,” said Visser. “Hopefully they’ll make the traveling team next year.”
When asked what qualities they were looking for in this year’s crop of volleyball players, Visser and Bennett agreed that the mental part of the game is just as important as the physical aspect. They cited good attitudes, coachability, teamwork and leadership skills as just a few of the things they want to see.
On the boy’s side, coach Sean Morrison is making due with one team. Having formerly coached the senior team alongside fellow coach (and one of his former athletes) Chad LeMessurier, this year Morrison is stepping down to guide the junior team.
His goal, aside from crafting a competitive team, is to reignite the junior program.
“The program is not where it used to be,” he said, citing decreasing turnout and a revolving door of coaches among the problems the younger team has dealt with. But Morrison intends to coach the team for years to come, and he hopes to grow the program once again.
Obviously, a strong junior program can only mean good things for the senior program.
Though Morrison intends to ensure that all of his players get their court time, he also wants this to be a competitive team. When the team competes at big tournaments, therefore, he’ll be going with strength.
“At zones, the best players will be on the court. That’s the nature of sports,” he said.
But there’s a long way to go before zones, for both the boys and girls teams. Both groups will work on their skills so they’ll be ready for tournaments, including one at EPC on October 3.
All three teams are sure to be ready when the real games begin.
