HORSHAM College Under 16 boys and girls have come back from the Australia Volleyball Schools Cup reinvented from the week long experience.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There was one boys side and one girls side who traveled to Melbourne as development squads and both played in the third division.
Horsham College Volleyball coordinator and Under 16 boys coach Paul Denson said that the experience was a very steep learning curve for the students.
“The whole atmosphere with thousands of people everywhere all the time, the noise level was unbelievable,” he said.
“The boys ended up making great friendships with another school called Greenwood.
“The competition was structured so everyone ended up playing another side at a similar ability to each other.”
Both the girls and boys under 16 sides were playing for 17th and 18th spots.
The Horsham College boys were put to the test by Greenwood while the Horsham College girls were challenged by St Ives.
“We also had the children gain their refereeing certificate so they could referee the games they weren’t playing so you get to see a lot of players that you have seen before,” Mr Denson said.
“The girls made life long friends with a team from Tin Can Bay in Queensland.
“This competition was really an eye opener for our kids and you could see the growth they did over the five days.”
There were 503 teams competing in the nationwide competition with more than 5000 students taking part.
Mr Denson said that this year was a way to reinvigorate the junior participation in volleyball at the Horsham College.
“Now these kids have seen what it is like and have experienced it they will constantly be talking about it until the next time it comes around,” he said.
Gareth Lane stepped up to the plate to coach the Under 16 girls for the first time and said that the whole experience was mind blowing.
“I came down here to support my daughter Paige but adopted a family of eight incredible girls,” he said.
Mr Lane went from referring to all the girls names on a sheet of paper to having a special bond with a side that matured over the five days of playing netball together.
The side won four games for the entire week with girls ranging from 13 to 16 years old.
“The girls started with nearly nothing and came away as a confident and well poised team,” he said.
“It was an honour to be a part of the Horsham College Under 16’s girls volleyball team that played at the 2016 Australian Volleyball Schools Cup and I will be back next year if they want me.”
