Local volleyball athletes have busy summer

PROVINCIAL - The New-foundland and Labrador Summer Games 2008 was hosted in Corner Brook from Aug. 10-16. The Central Region had a good representation in all the sports at the games and the Central Beach Volleyball Team consisted of two local athletes, Holly Patterson and Kelsei Rogers.

Despite finishing the tournament winless, the tournament was a rewarding one since it marked only the second time they played in a beach volleyball competition.

Holly and Kelsei have had a very busy "volleyball" summer. They traveled to St. John's for training with the Provincial Elite Team from July 22-26 in the newly opened PowerPlex Newfoundland Training Center. On July 27, the Provincial Teams (male/female) left St. John's via bus to travel to Moncton, New Brunswick to attend the Eastern Provincial Challenge.

The girls Provincial Team played well together but was winless during the tournament - which was held at the Moncton Coliseum.

The beach volleyball tournament was rained out and cancelled but the "tough Newfies" headed to the beach volleyball courts to play anyways - as they didn't have to catch the North Sydney ferry back home until the next day as the other teams (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) didn't live far and traveled back home.

The Newfoundland and Labrador team had fun competing against themselves in the hard rain. Holly's team was put out early and Kelsei's beach volleyball team made it to the semi finals. Fun had by all. They returned home on Aug. 6.

The following Wednesday, Aug. 13, the girls were catching a bus to take them to the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games in Corner Brook - where they represented Central Region in Beach Volleyball. They played their matches at a new venue in Corner Brook at the Wellington Street Complex.

On Aug. 16 Holly and Kelsei attended the NL Summer Games closing ceremonies. The girls carried the Central banner as they entered the stadium. A proud moment for them. Another great memory for them was to see Jamie Korab, Olympic gold medal curler, emcee closing ceremonies. He gave the athletes great encouragement and told his story, telling them to work hard to attain their goals. After the closing ceremonies they walked out of the stadium onto their buses for their journey home.

This summer has been a great experience for Holly and Kelsei. They have traveled to St. John's, Moncton, and then on to Corner Brook. They have made friendships and being exposed to the quality of volleyball, both male and female, has made them want to become better players.

Holly and Kelsei have both been playing volleyball since Grade 6 under the coaching of Dean Catling. They have attended many tournaments and Volleyfests during the past three years with their school team, the Junior Lynx. They have now also had the opportunity to have been coached by other Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association coaches as well. The girls have seen improvement due to the constant training all summer.