My IRC Experience 2022 – Derin Canbulat

Each year we ask a number of our youngsters to report back on their SW IRC experience, today we focus on Derin Canbulat  (SW Number 4) from our U15 Boys Squad.

I represented the South West at the Inter Regional Championships in Leicester, competing in the U15 boys category. We were picked up by a minibus to take us up to Leicester, where we would be playing. Halfway through the journey we switched players with the other minibus who had picked up a mix of U15 and U17 players. When everyone was on the right bus, we resumed our journey with music being played and enthusiastic singing all the way up.

When we arrived at the hotel we were allocated our rooms, but we all pooled together in one room to chat and have fun. We were called down for dinner at eight, and afterwards the kit was allocated, so as to not waste any time in the morning sorting it out. Everyone then went to bed, excited for the next day.

The next day we energetically woke up at around eight, straight away putting on our kit before heading down for breakfast. After breakfast we collected our bags and headed to the venue in which we were going to be playing. Our team had been put into Pool B, with North west, East, and East Midlands. As we were going to be playing the first match of our pool, we got warmed up promptly after the game before us ended. We were going to be playing North West first.

In the first set against them we lost the set 20-25 due to frequently occurring errors such as service mistakes or net touches. In the second set we improved but still lost 23-25. Considering this had been the first match our team had played together I thought it was a good result. We then played East, managing to steal the first set from them 25-18 . We lost the second set but fought fiercely for the third, losing it only by 2 points. Upon our return to the hotel , I saw a lot of tired and disheartened faces at dinner and in the evening.

On Monday morning, we reluctantly woke up at six so that we could get an early start on the matches because our team had been scheduled to play 4 that day. Our first match that day we played a tough and close game against East Midlands with a similar result to the game against East, losing the first set but winning the second and losing the third. We had already lost three games since we arrived, and we were finding it hard to stay motivated. It was now time for the Knockout phase. As we had lost all our games, we were bottom of our pool and were playing the top of Pool A: London, a team notorious for hard attacks.

Everyone expected us to lose, which we did but only did so by a few points in both sets. The whole team agreed that although we lost, the flow was better, and it was a lot of fun playing them. We then heartbreakingly lost a playoff against East for 5th place. At this point in the day we were quite mentally defeated, but I still tried to have hope in the last game.

After a motivational talk from our coach, we proceeded into the first set of the playoff for 7th place against East Midlands. This was the last game that we would play so we needed to put everything into this game. Although I didn’t play in the first set, I led the cheering and the chanting from the side. We swiftly won the first set 25-18. We were halfway there. The second set begins and the cheering and chanting continues. The tension rises as we take the lead at 19-17. The coach then subs me in. I switch with the other outside hitter and walk onto the court receiving high fives from each side. A few mistakes from both sides lead the score to 24-21 to us. A great hit from the middle wins us the game, securing us 7th place.

Although we might not have won, the atmosphere was amazing, and it was great playing people on different skill levels and I will certainly be using this experience for future games. A big thanks to the coaches for preparing us and advising us. This was certainly a great experience where I got to meet a lot of new people and bond with my teammates.

Derin Canbulat

My IRC Experience 2022 – Vakare Zalieckaite

Each year we ask a number of our youngsters to report back on their SW IRC experience, today we focus on Vakare Zalieckaite (SW Number 6) from our U17 Squad.

On Friday the 29^th of April, we left Exeter St David’s Station carpark at around 2pm. Whilst travelling to Leicester, was filled with fun conversations, singing, and music from our very own u17s playlist, a journey that should have been around six hours ended up taking a lengthy eight and a half hours. After arriving at the hotel at 10:30, we had a quick team talk before settling down for our games the next day.

Waking up early on Saturday morning, we filled our stomachs with a fulfilling breakfast of eggs and bacon for the busy day ahead of us. The hotel by Leicester Stadium was only around 15 minutes away from the sports hall, so after a short journey, we reached our destination. It was filled with teams from all over the UK. Our first match was also the first match of the day, against North West.

After a slightly rough start, the match ended, giving us our first win. The rest of our day was filled with successful games and checking out our opposition’s gameplay. We finished the day winning every match in our pool. Heading back to the hotel after a long day, we arrived an hour before our joint dinner with all the South West teams and all of our coaches. Due to the large size of our group, we had a special room booked for us and a small buffet provided with a delicious chocolate torte for dessert. Once dinner was finished, we had a couple hours of social time before we settled for bed.

Unpredictably, my room’s alarms didn’t ring on Sunday morning. We woke up with ten minutes to get dressed and make sure everything was packed. Thankfully, a couple of our team mates had taken us some breakfast for the coach ride back to the sports hall. Once again, the first match of the day was also our first match against West Midlands. We won 2-0! The finals was against London, the girls played extremely well and had incredible plays and saves; however, in the end, London won this match. After this long weekend, we placed second in the u17s girls IRC, an incredible outcome!

After the small celebration ceremony and our last team meeting, we all said our goodbyes. Whilst I didn’t get to play much that weekend, this was an unreal experience, and I loved every moment. I spent part of my time on the side-lines with my fellow cheer squad, supporting my team and ending the weekend with a lost voice. Over the weekend and previous SW training session, I met so many new people and made some friendships I never thought I would have. This was my first year attending anything South West related but luckily not my last. I hope to get this experience again next year as I made an abundance of long-lasting memories.

Thank you to Dave (our head coach) and Laura (assistant coach) for leading us over the past year and all the hard work you put into our team. I would also like to say thank you to Dave Reece, for organising the weekend, driving our minibus all the way from Exeter to Leicester and back, documenting the weekend through some great photos, and making this opportunity possible for me. And finally, a massive thank you to this year’s swu17 team. You all made wonderful contributions and we couldn’t have gotten this far without everyone. It was lovely to meet every single one of you, although some of you aren’t able to come back next year, hopefully we get to play with or against each other soon. Congratulations, you were amazing, and good luck in your future volleyball endeavours!

Vakare Zalieckaite