Barry Wright
Competitive volleyball is alive and growing in the Sarnia area.
Case in point is the Twin Bridges Volleyball Club, which has begun a new season that will culminate with the provincial championships at RIM Park in Waterloo in April.
“It's a tournament-based season,” said club co-president Barb Rigg-Garbaty. “They have four tournaments set up by the Ontario Volleyball Association and they're divided up into tiers.”
The teams are ranked for the provincials based on their success at tournaments.
Twin Bridges now has six travel teams for girls ranging in age from 13-18, and a 15-and-under boys team, along with an estimated 40-45 players from Grades 5 to 8 who will develop their skills in the house league co-ed program Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 16.
That’s a far cry from the two teams the club began with in 2004, said Rigg-Garbaty.
She said the level of play in our area continues to improve, and points to the growing popularity of beach volleyball. Many players from the club now play both indoor and outdoor versions of the sport.
The Thunder program has produced post-secondary athletes at the OCAA and CIS levels, and in one instance a player at the NCAA level in the U.S. But the main purpose of the club is to help kids develop a life-long love affair for the game, Rigg-Garbaty said.
“We just want them to be active and participate and continue to play as long as they possibly can.” Meantime, Twin Bridges' other co-president, Lisa Bennett, was recently honoured by the Ontario Volleyball Association with its Recognition Award.
Bennett has been a player, coach and administrator for various teams in numerous leagues since 1978.