Experience at Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta by Kali Baker, 16U St. Thomas Express Bullets Team Member This past May, our team, 16U St Thomas Express Bullets, had the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Volleyball Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta. This was an opportunity of a lifetime— from travelling as a group on the plane to the excitement of winning matches, and so much more, these are all things we will never forget. We arrived in Edmonton early, which allowed us to adjust to the changes in time and settle into our surroundings. We spent our first day at a ‘Team Day’ event hosted by Sportchek. We met a few professional volleyball athletes there, took some shots in a 360° photo booth and received some amazing swag. Soon after, we headed over to the Edmonton Expo Centre to have our very own practice. We used this opportunity to discuss game plans strategically and to strengthen ourselves for the next three days of play. I remember first walking into the venue and it was massive. There were tons of food places, ‘merch’, and a DJ booth, which was so much fun as the hall we were playing in was right near it, making us want to dance or sing past it, every time lifting our spirits. From the start, our coaches would tell us, ‘This is what you have worked for all year,’ and they were right. This was our time to shine and to get that medal we wanted! Our first day of playing was a round-robin style, which continued for two out of the three days. Playing these games would help determine our ranking for playoffs. The days would consist of three full games against
three different teams. We fought hard through those days, with some solid wins, helping us to prepare for the final day. These wins helped us grow and work together as a team to achieve our goals. For my team, we strive to come together in the middle no matter what and say something positive like, ‘It’s okay -- you’ve got the next one,’ or, ‘Shake it off, you’ve got it.’ On the night before playoffs, we found we had to start our first game around 8:00 am. This meant a very early curfew to rest up for the big day! But before going to bed, we had to celebrate a parent’s birthday on our team. Her one request was to have a dance party in the lobby to a specific song. As we like to say, we ‘hyped’ ourselves up with that dance. We then had some cake and went to bed. I remember waking up so nervous, as this was ‘do or die.’ If we lost, we were done, and no one
“Improving mental health is our priority”
PRE-HEALTH SCIENCE CLOSE TO HOME
Local campus Small class sizes Experienced Professors Hands-on Experience Local campus Small class sizes Experienced Professors Hands-on Experience
(519) 633-4423 www.mediationcentre.on.ca • medicationcentre@rogers.com Accessible & Affordable • Client Centered Collaborative • Compassionate Virtual, Evenings & Weekend Appointments Available Call, Email, or visit our Website! Elgin Counselling & Mediation Centre has been helping clients navigate mental health for almost 30 years.
Wayne Miller Program Coordinator T: 519-633-2030 Ext: 30040 E: wmiller@fanshawec.ca fanshawec.ca/stthomas Wayne Miller Program Coordinator T: 519-633-2030 Ext: 30040 E: wmiller@fanshawec.ca fanshawec.ca/stthomas
Page 12 Hometown St. Thomas • July-August 2024
To advertise here, please contact Geoff@VillagerPublications.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs