Search for:
Oct 28 2024
When water is more important than volleyball…

Our old SW junior kit has served us well over the years, but being used for only a few days each year, there was still plenty of life left in the four complete sets of kit (total: 50 team shirts and 50 pairs of shorts). Looking around for a second life solution, SW Juniors, Hannah and Millie Cuthbert arranged for us to donate the kit (plus other donated volleyball items) to the students at Lasso primary school in Tanzania, as part of their overseas summer project, their summary and full report below:

Thank you from the SWVA

We would like to thank South West Volleyball Association for donating their old junior kit and spare equipment (balls, training net) to take on our trip to Tanzania in June 2024. We spent a week at Lasso primary school which is an extremely remote part of Tanzania.

As the priority was to get access to running water to the school, we had a packed schedule of digging a pipeline and working in the school gardens and there was unfortunately no time to play volleyball! However, there was a formal ‘gift exchange’ ceremony at the end of our stay where we handed over the kit and equipment we had received from others, as well as a new outdoor net we had bought from the funds we raised prior to the trip.

The children and teachers were extremely grateful and knew about volleyball (even in this very rural part of Africa). We hope they will manage to have more time to play once they spend less time fetching water!

 

Volunteering at Lasso Primary School, Tanzania

In the summer of 2024, my sister and I spent 3 weeks in Tanzania as part of a True Adventure project. The first week was spent volunteering in Lasso primary school in the rural community of Kirua Vunjo Mashariki close to the city of Moshi. We worked with the charity Better Lives to build a water pipeline for the school. The children have had a few years of hardship because of the lack of water for the irrigation of their Grow-your-own-Breakfast (GOB) gardens. They were spending a lot of their time walking long steep distances for water. So, whilst we had prepared to spend time with the children teaching volleyball, giving access to clean water became our group’s top priority.

 

However, this didn’t mean that we didn’t spend lots of time with the kids as the children themselves were very involved in the project and were eager to interact with us even though their knowledge of English was very limited. Luckily, we were accompanied by Faith and Ali who were the group translators. Despite the language barrier, we were still able to communicate through song, dance, games and sport. The children enjoyed teaching us playground dances and games and laughing at our poor attempts at dancing.

 

With the volunteers from Better Lives, we also planted vegetables in the school gardens and banana trees which would provide food for school meals and created fertiliser and insect repellent using natural resources such as ginger and guava. The Better Lives project team were very keen to use our time wisely and had planned a jam-packed schedule.

I spoke to the True Adventure guide about finding time to teach some students some volleyball skills and about donating the equipment to the school. This was seen as a good idea as volleyball is becoming an increasingly popular sport in Tanzania and when speaking to the kids and teachers about my interest in volleyball, they had a good understanding of the sport even in such a rural community. However, whilst the project team tried to find time to incorporate some volleyball, it was not possible in the end. On the final day there was an opportunity to present the volleyball equipment along with other donations which was greatly appreciated by both the teachers and the students.

 

Whilst we didn’t have time to play volleyball or coach volleyball skills, it was clear that the school valued sport and physical education as the children often enjoyed playing football games in their lunch breaks. From this we could see that the students were not afraid to get involved in a game and we were able to see a competitive side to both the boys and girls.

We hope that the team managed to make a positive difference, however small, to this beautiful community and that they manage to put the equipment to good use and keep up their enthusiasm for sport. We are extremely grateful to South West Volleyball for donating the volleyball kit and equipment and giving us the chance to share our love for Volleyball with the Lasso students!

 

By Hannah Cuthbert and Millie Cuthbert (Royal Wootton Bassett VC)

 

 

 

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Sep 10 2024
My IRC Experience 2024 – Maddie Brandon

Each year we ask a number of our youngsters to report back on their SW IRC experience, today we focus on Maddie Brandon, SW Number 5, from our U17 Squad.

This was my first year going to the Inter Regional Championships, with the previous year I was named as a reserve for the squad. This was my last year playing for the under 17s, so I knew I had to make the squad to be able to play in Inter Regional Championships.

The weekend started around 2pm on the Friday where floe our assistant coach picked me up from subway, where I met Molly, Heidi and Katie who were already in the car. We all grabbed some cookies from subway before our very long journey ahead. The journey consisted of great music from Floe and a fair amount of stand still traffic. Eventually we made to Kettering, thankfully we were all still friends

Once we got there, we met the rest of the team and had a team meeting, Floe then announced who we would be sharing a room with. In mine I had Katie and Tilly. We then all headed out, along with the under 15 squad to Pizza hut. It was just the Southwest team in Pizza hut, everyone was ravenous and excited for the tough games ahead. We consumed many refillable drinks and many refills of the endless salad bar before I tucked into a large BBQ pizza.

Once back to hotel with bellies full of pizza we had an official team meeting in which we were presented with our very smart kit and a photo of the team for everyone to cherish and remember this special time. We were encouraged to get an early night although everyone was so excited about the next day it took a while to get to sleep.

Then the excitement came when we woke up and came down to a lovely hotel breakfast which fuelled us for the long day of volleyball we had coming up. Our first game was against Yorkshire at 10am in which Yorkshire took the first set 25-23. Then in the second set I came on from the bench and the team won 25-22. Therefore, leaving it to the final set where we won 15-11, and so we won our first game sending us off in good spirits for the rest of the day.

Our second game, we faced Northeast where I played all of the game and we won 25-13 in the first set, 25-17 in the second and therefore winning our second game against Northeast. Now we faced the tough opponents, London. Unfortunately, London won that game where they took the first set 25-20 and the second 25-18 in a close game. I came on towards the end of the first and the whole second set.

Straight after this we faced Southeast in our last match of the Saturday. We won the first set 25-21 and the second set I came off the bench and played, we managed to win 25-21 confirming our win and putting us in a comfortable position for the Sunday.

After a long day of volleyball, the Southwest team headed to the pub near our hotel and feasted on gammon steak and chips then a very chocolatey cake with ice cream. Later that evening we had a team debrief then everyone managed to fall asleep very quickly all exhausted from the hard work the whole team put in today.

Sunday was semifinal day. Our alarms went off, and we were all eager to play and with making the final set in our mind. In the semi we faced East in a very tough match. East managed to take the first set 25-20 but the team had more fight in them. The second set Southwest stole the set 25-19 meaning all was at stake in the third and final set. The Southwest proved everything in this final set showing everyone drive to win, all the hours of training paid off and the whole teams’ strengths were used in this game enabling us to reaching success. The Southwest won the match, 15-5 in the final set.

Now all that sat between us and victory was London in the final. Having already faced London previously on the Saturday we knew how tough this match would be. Everyone was nervous but ready to go. After a long exhausting match, London unfortunately were the better team on the day, with a very well-trained team. London took the first set 25-17 and the second set 25-18. Finally, we had a final team meeting then the presentations took place where we collected our runners up medals.

Although sad from our defeat in the final we were all proud of how far we had come and what we achieved. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but I am so grateful of the opportunity to represent the Southwest and play with such a fantastic group of people.

Although I cannot continue in the team next year the past two years have been such a fantastic opportunity for me where I have grown as a volleyball player and left me with so many great memories for which I am so grateful to the whole team. I would like to give a special mention to Dave Gunter and Floe who made this possible for me, providing me the opportunity to play at internationals. I also want to thank Dave Reece for all the support and hard work he puts in behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Thank you to the whole team including those who did not make the final 12 you have created such a special memory for me, and I am sure I will get to play alongside or against you all one day. Good luck next year you all will smash it!

Maddie Brandon

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Sep 6 2024
My IRC Experience 2024 – Jessica Hughes

Each year we ask a number of our youngsters to report back on their SW IRC experience, today we focus on Jessica Hughes. (SW Number 6, centre back row) from our U15 Squad.

On Friday the 24th of May we travelled to Kettering for the Inter-Regional Volleyball Championships, I had been selected to represent the Southwest of England U15 girls team. After arriving at the hotel around 5:30 the team and coaches went out for dinner, played some team games and had a quick meeting before bed.

On Saturday we woke early to eat breakfast and headed to the National Volleyball Centre. We had a long day playing against other teams, in between games we played some team building games. We all went out for dinner and then back to the hotel where we had another team meeting and did some team bonding games.

On Sunday we woke up knowing it was going to be a tough day. By the end of the weekend, we had won 4 games and lost 2, leaving us in 5th place overall.

It was a wonderful experience playing as a team, I was lucky enough to play with a group of very talented players, and we helped each other to build on our skills and strengths, and as there is always room for improvement! A massive thank you to Janna and Jeremy for coaching us and helping us grow individually and as a team.
It was a fantastic weekend of volleyball and spending time with the girls on the southwest squad this year, great fun and great memories.

Also, a big thank you to all the coaches at Torexe, without their support and coaching I would not have had the opportunity to try out for the Southwest for the IRC.
Thank you for all the opportunities and the fantastic experience.
Jessica Hughes.

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Jan 28 2024
My IRB Experience 2023 – Harry Brett

Each year we ask a number of our young athletes to report back on their experience, today we focus on Harry Brett, who was selected to represent the SW at this summer’s U18 International Beach Championships.

On the 8th and 9th of July 2023 I was selected to Represent my region Southwest at the U18 Inter Regional Beach championships. Last year I also competed in this event however, this time I was pair one which showed my improvement from the previous year.

We travelled up to Cardiff the day before to ensure that we all had a good night’s sleep before the long day of playing on the next day. We also used this time to go through the teams that we’d be playing and what strategies to use against them.

An early rise the next morning would prepare us for games starting at 9am so we were wide awake and sharp to give our best performance. We would need this as we were matched up against the South East region who looked like the team that would cause us the most problems all weekend.

The beginning of the match was tight, points were 1 at a time and the score was even for most of the first set. However, as the end of the set approached the opposition stepped up a gear pulling our advanced b1’s which is a quick set to the pin which both defenders and blockers struggle to counter. This gave them the push they needed to take the first set and this caused our heads to drop slightly. The second set started badly going 7-2 down within a short space of time and this led to us calling a timeout. This ended up being a smart move as we stepped up now and brought the score to 10-11 and a side change moving us to the better side. The rest of the set reflected that of the first with back and forth but a slight drop from us with a close finish of 19-21 to South East. Losing 2-0 wasn’t ideal but we knew the game was much closer than the scores said, and we made sure to keep our heads high going into the second pool match.

Now because we had lost our first match it was very important that we went into the second game with a win at all costs mentality. It was against London’s second team which was still strong saying it was the second pair. Further more the conditions had worsened so we would have to play in the wet and windy. The start of the game was excellent going up 14-10 early on before the other team calling a timeout. This further propelled us into taking the first set 21-15 a comfortable take. Going into the second our game became much sloppier as we were giving them easy points which made this set much closer as we came close to 21. But in the end, we lost the second set in a closely fought 23-21. We took the break between sets to reset and get ready for the final set. Coming out strong we presented a lead as the score was 7-4. We made sure to put our all into this and through this determination we won the game in a 15-11 final set.

The penultimate game of day 1 was against a tough opponent, Yorkshire. We came into this one needing to win if we wanted an easier route out of the pool stages. Knowing this we put all our effort coming out of the start being close having the scores be 17-17 our opponents were tough being well practised and precise with their shots which meant we were becoming really tired really quickly. Our fatigue got to us in the end of this set leading to them taking it 21-18 which was unfortunate saying our strong start. Going into the second we dropped our heads because of the unlucky loss and this caused us to become sloppy and the opponent ran away quickly.

This meant that we now had our crossover game to end the day, this was against South Wales. This game was tight and after an unfortunate 23-21 first set we lost our momentum and unfortunately ended the second set 21-19 which was an unlucky result. However, due to our second pair winning we got into a golden set which was one short set to 15 points, and this was for the match. Unfortunately, yet again we lost but this time it was only 15-10, and that was it for day one.

The next morning began with an opener against the East of England. We went into this game confident from the underwhelming performance of the previous day and started off with a bang, taking the first set 21-12. As a result, the opponent stepped up their game and took the second set 21-16 which lead to a final set. We took this with confidence and a 15-12 score line.

Because of our loss in the crossover, we had matched up against London A, the winners of the other pool, knowing that we had to play our best to have a shot at winning. The first set began with some big blocks from my teammate and the scores were tight until around 12-12, where they made a few less errors and went off where we eventually ended at 21-17. Using this momentum, they made an early push to 19-11 however we made a comeback to 19-18 but a timeout from them disrupted our momentum and they took the set.

From this we were into our final game, the 5-6 playoff which was against London B. Between out last game and now, a huge storm had come over and it was now torrential rain which means the balls were heavy and slippery which lead to sloppy gameplay, we won the first and last set against London as we anxiously watched our second pair lose in a tight battle, however they unfortunately lost a close one which meant it was a golden set. It was the end of a long weekend, and both teams were tired which lead to long winded points and the golden set was 11-11, and in a close fight they took a short lead and took the game for 5th place.

This Tournament was my last opportunity to play in IRB and it was a memorable one with some wild weather and amazing volleyball even though it wasn’t the result I wanted. It was a great experience that I’ll for sure remember!

Harry Brett

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Jan 25 2024
My U19 Beach International Experience 2023 – Louise Wiener

Each year we ask a number of our young athletes to report back on their experience, today we focus on Louise Wiener, who was selected to represent the SW at this summer’s U19 International Beach Open Championships.

Representing Southwest in the 2023 U19 international Beach Open Championship was my second time playing beach volleyball competitively – the first being just a few weeks before in the Inter regional Beach Championships. During these few weeks, I felt I have improved massively in my beach volleyball skills as before this summer, I had only ever seriously played indoor volleyball (which all players know are two very different sports).

Firstly, I want to say how grateful I am to Southwest and my coaches for allowing me a chance to take part in this amazing experience and develop as a volleyball player.

My partner for this weekend was Charlie Chambers, a wonderful talent who I had previously had the privilege of playing with in the U17 Inter regionals Championship in May of 2023. Therefore, we already knew each other well and I was extremely excited to be able to play with her again.

On day one, the sun was out, and we were both excited / nervous to begin playing. Our first game of the tournament was against Ireland, in which Charlie and I were able to come out with a successful win (21-9, 21-14) which gave us plenty of confidence as we headed into game two. Playing Northern Ireland was a tough one but despite the challenge, we triumphed in two sets (21-18, 21-17)!

The last game of the day was against Scotland, which proved to be a very demanding one. After narrowly losing the first set 20-22, we had a little pep talk and were ready to go on to the next set. This one we won 21-17, meaning we had a third set to play for the win. Unfortunately, Scotland were able to win 15-7. Nevertheless, I was extremely proud of Charlie and myself for being able to battle through!

Together with the success of our second pair – Alexia and Heidi – this meant that we topped pool B at the end of the day!

On day two however, the weather was not on our side. Playing in the pouring rain (which I actually began to quite enjoy) meant that we had to adapt as a team to the new conditions and the heavier ball. Now, it was time to play England in the semi-finals – who were at the top of pool A. We knew that this would be a challenging game as we had watched this pair play throughout the weekend. After a hard-fought game, we ended up losing to England which left us in the 3rd/4th place playoffs.

An unfortunate injury to Alexia meant that to win bronze, Charlie and I would have to win both our game and the golden set, as Alexia and Heidi had to forfeit theirs. Therefore, our last game of the championship was against Scotland, the same pair we had already played and lost to the day before. Charlie and I were both more than exhausted at this point and thoroughly soaked by the rain, but we were determined to beat this pair – and we did! Taking it to another 3 sets, we were able to persevere and win which portrayed just how much we had evolved as a pair in such a short time. Now for the golden set to 15 points. After leading by 10-2 at one point, Scotland were able to catch up point-by-point and we ended up losing 14-16 in a gut-wrenching last set (leaving Scotland about 5 minutes to catch their plane home). However disappointing it can be, it is important to learn from these experiences and take them with you for the next time.

 

 

To conclude, I massively enjoyed this weekend and can confidently say that I feel like a beach player at the end of it all! So much love to Charlie for being the best partner that I could have gone through this experience with and for being by my side throughout the games. Thank you also to Southwest’s Dave Reece, Dave Gunter, and our coach Abbie Sinclair-Thompson who supported us throughout!

Louise Wiener

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Jan 7 2024
Cultivating SW Beach Champions

SW Boys coach, Dan Mrowiec gives us an insight into the SWVA Beach development work over the last few years. Our current Beach Program is built around the U18 Inter Regional Beach Championships (IRB) and the U19 International Beach Open. Where a total of 15 players represented the SWVA during the 2023 summer beach program.

In the dynamic world of beach volleyball, the South West Volleyball Association (SWVA) has established itself as an example of excellence, nurturing young talent and propelling them towards the pinnacle of the sport. Over the past three years, I have had the privilege of coaching SWVA’s junior volleyball teams, witnessing first-hand the unwavering dedication, passion, and resilience of these aspiring athletes.

 

Dan (second left) working with the boys at Weymouth

My journey began in 2021, with a group of enthusiastic individuals eager to hone their skills and compete against the best. We embarked on a challenging training schedule, post pandemic, conducting sessions across various locations in the South West of England, including Cardiff, Croyde and Weymouth beaches. Our focus was on developing a comprehensive skillset, encompassing technical prowess, tactical awareness, and mental fortitude.

As the season progressed, our pairs blossomed, their collective talent and teamwork evident in every training session and match. The Inter-regional Tournament, held annually at Cardiff Beach Volleyball Club, became our ultimate test, a platform to showcase our hard work and determination. And in 2021, our efforts were rewarded as we emerged victorious, claiming first-place.

The following years saw our team maintain its competitive edge, consistently reaching the finals of the Inter-regional Tournament. In 2022 and 2023, we secured consecutive second-place finishes, cementing our status as a force to be reckoned with in the under-18 beach volleyball arena.

Furthermore, we were able to continue challenging ourselves with the introduction of the Inter-commonwealth tournament. Whereas we represented the South-West of England against travelling countries the likes of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Gibraltar. A fantastic opportunity to showcase beach volleyball and its global community.

Achieving such remarkable success is a testament to the dedication and talent of our athletes. Their commitment to training, their willingness to push boundaries, and their unwavering support for one another have been instrumental in their achievements.

As their coach, I have witnessed first-hand the transformative power of this sport. It has instilled in them discipline, perseverance, and a strong sense of teamwork. These qualities will undoubtedly serve them well in their personal and professional endeavours long after their volleyball careers have concluded.

Reflecting on our journey, I am filled with immense pride and admiration for the SWVA Junior Beach volleyball team. Their achievements have not only brought recognition to the association but have also inspired countless young athletes across the South West to pursue their dreams in this rising sport.

As we embark on the next chapter, I am confident that our team will continue to excel, pushing the boundaries of excellence and inspiring generations to come. The future of beach volleyball in the South West and across United Kingdom is undoubtedly bright, and our junior athletes stand at the forefront, ready to conquer every challenge that lies ahead.

Dan Mrowiec
SWVA

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Dec 31 2023
My U19 Beach International Experience 2023 – Charlie Chambers

Each year we ask a number of our young athletes to report back on their experience, today we focus on Charlie Chambers, who was selected to represent the SW at this summer’s U19 International Beach Open Championships.

Louise Wiener (Left) & Charlie Chambers (Right)

The U19s International Open took place on the 29th-30th July 2023 at the Cardiff Beach Volleyball Centre. We drove up early on the 29th, for our team briefing before our first match that morning. My partner was Louise Weiner, who I played alongside at the U17 Inter-Regional Championships, Beach Regionals and all of the SW training camps over the season. Louise is a player who is incredible to watch on court, and whom I have the utmost respect for- so I was very excited to be her teammate.

Pulling up to the venue, I was expecting the International Open to be the same as Beach Regionals the month prior, however seeing the other teams and the older players, I knew the standard would be very different and each game that much more competitive.

Our first game was against Ireland, and with that, mine and Louise’s first match together. We started as we meant to go on, with a convincing win of 21-9, 21-14! I’m sure many players can understand the nerves and apprehension before a match, especially when representing your region on this level, but coupled with playing with a new teammate, its always going to be that much more daunting. But winning our first game definitely shook off the nerves and filled Louise and I with confidence that we aimed to carry with us for the remainder of the tournament.

We then played Northern Ireland- which was a challenging game. Louise and I had to really work hard for the win, and pulled it off with a 21-18, 21-17 result. After all that hard work, we felt we deserved a reward, so we headed to the local bakery- well known amongst the Cardiff Beach Volleyball community!

We picked up a fresh cinnamon bun each (the first of many for the weekend) and ate it whilst watching the other SW pair (Alexia and Heidi) play against Scotland, in our final pool match of the day. They beat the first pair easily at 21-7, 21-10, which bode well for us.

Unfortunately we lost the first set against Scotland’s second pair 22-20, in a tough fought set. After a pause in between sets and some encouragement to each other, Louise and I played hard to win the second set 21-17, meaning the game would go to a third set to 15 points.

Louise and I were exhausted and we lost 15-7 in the final set. However, not all hope was lost, since Heidi and Alexia won their game it meant our teams were drawn 1-1, which would be decided by a Golden Set. Heidi and Alexia were set to play, with Louise and I doing our best cheerleading impressions on the sidelines, and ultimately beating Scotland 15-12! This meant we finished top of our pool, and in the best possible position for the knockouts the next day.

We headed back to our accommodation for the night, where Dave cooked what seemed to be an infinite amount of pizza. After recovering from the carb overload, a game of table top volleyball took place amongst a few of the teams staying in our accommodation. Whilst seemingly making up the rules as they went along, it was very entertaining!

By this time, the days activities were physically taking its toll so we headed up to bed- I wanted to get a good night’s sleep so I wouldn’t be too tired for the second long day of matches, especially if we were aiming for the final.

After a deep sleep that could be otherwise described as a mini coma, I was energy-filled and ready to take on Wales in the knockouts. Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn, and an almost biblical amount of rain decided to descend upon us for the entire day. Feeling more prepared than most, and never having been more grateful to live in a seaside county where the weather likes to take a dramatic turn, Louise and I were ready (unlike the poor boys from Gibraltar, who had never played in the rain before).

After emerging victorious with a 2-1 win, and Heidi and Alexia winning their game, we were through to play England in the Semis. We knew this would be a tough game, as one of the pairs from England was South West’s very own Katie and Molly. Whilst Louise and I talked strategy in shelter out of the rain, Alexia and Heidi took on England’s first pair. Things took a turn for the worse when Alexia injured her hand and could not continue, meaning they had to forfeit the game.

Louise and I knew this would be a challenging match, and after struggling to keep up morale in the game against Wales, we were desperate to overcome this learning curve. We went back to basics and focused on communication between each other, gradually bringing in more technical plays in order to try and eliminate mistakes. Despite losing to England, we felt we had developed as a pair more in one match than over the entire weekend, leaving the game with a completely different mindset than the one we went in with.

So, we’d ended up in the 3/4th place playoffs against Scotland, a team we’d taken to a Golden set the day before. It was going to be tough. Despite Alexia insisting she’d be able to play, the officials would not let her due to the severity of her injury. This meant the forfeiture of the first game, meaning Louise and I had to win our game and then the Golden Set in order to keep our medal chances alive.

A short slow Mo video with Charlie Chambers (left) and Louise Wiener showing us all how to play in the rain.

Still in the torrential rain, and face to face with the one pair we’d lost to the day before, we knew we had to win. Our determination was evident in the way we played, and after some tactical serving we obtained the advantage, took Scotland to three sets and won our game 2-1. After a short break, it was time for the Golden set, against a slightly different Scotland team. It came down to the wire, and we gave all we could, relying on and trusting each other in what was possibly the most intense set of volleyball I’ve ever played. In the end we lost 16-14, which was utterly devastating. But sometimes that’s how a game goes, there’s no point in thinking of ‘what ifs?’ or blaming yourself for a point lost. All you can do is reflect, appreciate the good and learn from the bad, and move on.

Ultimately, we finished 4th, and for the only region taking part in the u19 International Open, I’m happy with that, maybe not satisfied, but there’s always next year.

We left blood, sweat, tears (and a lot of rain) on those courts, and made memories I will never forget. It was an honour to play with Louise, I’m proud of her and I’m proud of us as a team. None of this would have been possible without coaching from Abbie Sinclair-Thomson, Dave Gunther and Dave Reece. And a massive thank you to SWVA, for their sponsorship and selecting me to represent them for all the events I took part in this season.

Charlie Chambers

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Dec 19 2023
My IRB Experience 2023 – Rosie Miller

Each year we ask a number of our young athletes to report back on their experience, today we focus on Rosie Miller, who was selected to represent the SW at this summer’s Inter Regional Beach Championships.

Freya Astbury (Left) & Rosie Miller (Right)

I first played beach volleyball just after my GCES roughly a year ago. I was honoured to be chosen to play as part of the SW squad for the Inter Regional Beach Championships in July. I had an amazing weekend and learnt new skills and tactics throughout the tournament.

I played with Freya who had more experience than me and we quickly worked out how to play as a team. I learnt a lot from Freya and I was lucky to have a partner with such patience because I’m so new to the sport. We didn’t win any games but we scored some great points, I was particularly proud of a solid block I played against one of the better teams.

I learnt that there are many parts of beach volleyball that I can develop and improve on with time and training. Something that I won’t forget is seeing the wide range of experienced players, the techniques they use and their teams tactics. Some of the skills they demonstrated that I would like to work on include perfectly executed jump float serves, cut spikes and some incredible dives.

The Cardiff Beach centre was a great place to play because there were so many matches to watch In a relatively small area and the pavilion provided great protection from the torrential rain shower that hit us on the second day. It was fun to spend the weekend with players my age and to get to see what Cardiff Mets accommodation was like.

All in all it was an amazing experience. I came away motivated and inspired to become a much better volleyball player. I would like to thank all the coaches and volunteers who made the tournament possible for us to enjoy and special thanks to Torexe for sponsoring me.

Rosie Miller

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Oct 30 2023
My IRC Experience 2023 – Alex Johnson

Each year we ask a number of our youngsters to report back on their SW IRC experience, today we focus on Alex Johnson (SW Number 10) from our U15 Squad.

Early on the 27th July: Everyone being picked up from Tiverton (2 fellow U15 players, me and 5 of the U17 players) arrived before 10:15AM, but because of traffic etc the bus ended up arriving over an hour late to our stop. This did cause everyone else to be picked up slightly late, but we managed to make it to Bristol (the final pick-up point) by the planned time.

When we arrived at Bristol where we picked up the last people, we had a 20-minute stop to get food etc, and then we were off in our own buses (1 U-15 bus and 1 U-17 bus). Now we were in our separate bus we blasted our music in the bus as we sang along. After what felt like a very short 2 and a half hours we were at Kettering where we went straight to the hall without dropping our stuff off at the hotel. While we were there, we watched both Southwest girls’ teams play their last pool matches.

Once their games were over, we jumped back on the bus and headed to the hotel (a 5-minute drive from the hall) where we got our room keys, unpacked and then we headed straight backout to eat dinner at a restaurant nearby. The food was great. Once we had finished, we headed back to the hotel.
When we got back to the hotel, me and some of my teammates went to raid the local spar (around the corner from the hotel). We then had a few hours of social time and a meeting where we received our kit for the next day before we settled down for the night.

The next morning, we woke up at 8:15 where we went down to the lobby to fill up on a great breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and baked beans. After that we went backup up to our rooms to grab our stuff and we were off.

Next, we headed to the hall. When we arrived, we watched both the U15 and U17 girls’ teams play in 3rd to 4th playoff, both teams sadly lost and placed fourth in their age groups. A pretty great placing. We then got our teams pictures taken by professionals and got prepared for our pool games to start.

Our first game was against Northwest where we sadly lost the first set through lots of mistakes, but then quickly stepped up and got our heads in the game before easily winning the next 2 sets, overall winning us the match. We then had a quick chat about the game before we scored and refed our first game of the competition.
Straight after that game had finished, we got on the court, and warmed up ready for our second game against Yorkshire. We went in expecting to win but sadly went on to lose straight sets against their fast-paced playstyle. Non the less we had our heads held high ready for our next day of games.

After another quick briefing we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before leaving for the restaurant. We then spent the rest of the evening in the restaurant (eating, talking and taking turns playing on the pool table they had). Once we arrived back at the hotel at 10:30 we all went back to our rooms to settle down and go to sleep.

We woke early the next morning for a quick breakfast and to pack our bags before checking out of the hotel. Once we had checked out, we headed to the hall to finish our last pool game. After arriving we warmed up and played our first match of the day against West Midlands. We easily won the first set 25-18, lost the second to a close 23 – 25 and finally won the 3rd set securing our place in the semis. Extremely happy we went upstairs to eat lunch (sandwiches with crisps, biscuits and granola bars). As we ate, we watched London play Southeast as we were eager to see who we would play against in the semi-finals. After a very intense game between the two. London won.

We knew we would have to step up our game and give it our all to beat London, the reigning champions, so after an hour-long break we went into the next game against London ready to give it our best against the giant players and the favourites to win the whole tournament.

We started the match strong winning the first 3 points. Unfortunately, they then started to rack up the points but at that moment we took a great time out at 9-4 shutting down their streak and putting us back in the game. They then got another streak turning a score of 11-8 to 18 -11. Where we took another well-placed time out. After trading points, they won the set by a close 25-22.

After the tight set we knew we would have to reduce our serving and server receive errors to win. Still believing we could beat them as we were playing the best, we had so far in the tournament we started the next set. But sadly, after an even tighter second set and almost making it a deuce after getting 3 points in a row from 24-20 we sadly lost the set 25-23 sending us to the 3rd 4th playoff against West Midlands.

After the devastating loss against London, we watch the U17 team beat East and make their way to the final against London. We then headed into our next game against West Midlands not feeling too positive after missing out on the final. This stopped us from playing our best, but we still gave it a go but sadly lost the first set (28-26). The second set wasn’t as close as we ended up losing (25-21) putting us in 4th place out of 9 teams.

After the game we had a chat about our performance and what we had achieved, and how we had improved greatly from last year’s placing of 7th. After this we watched the finals of the U15 and U17 boys. It was a great achievement by the Southwest U17 team to come 2nd.

After the achievement ceremony we got changed and headed back to the southwest on a very quiet bus. We were all worn out from the 2 days before and some of us even slept on the way back. Overall, 4th is a pretty good position. Even though we were distraught at us missing out on the top three we were overall proud of what we had achieved and delighted at our improvements since our first outing at Exeter challenge. I can’t wait to play with the U17’s next year and I aspire to do even better.
I would like to thank the people who planned for training, transport, food and where we would be staying. And another thanks to the coaches for the opportunity and helping us improve and prepare for the tournament.

Alex Johnson

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Jul 20 2023
My IRC Experience 2023 – 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 7) from our U17 Squad.

Back again, but this year was my last. The weekend started around 1pm on Friday the 26th of May when our assistant coach, Floe, picked me up in her fancy new hire car. On our journey to Kettering , we stopped at Tiverton services to pick up Heidi and Katie. Whilst waiting for them, Floe and I had a Burger King break. Here I grabbed matching Burger King crowns for the three of us. The rest of the journey consisted of fun conversations and a lot of singing (mainly from me).

We arrived in Kettering around 6pm that evening, just in time for our large reservation consisting of both the girls u15 and u17 teams. I ordered a meat feast pizza, had many glasses of apple tango, and had a large ice cream for dessert. Finally, we got to the hotel and had a quick team talk where we had our brand-new kit presented to us and signed the team photos that Floe and Dave so kindly made for us.

We woke up early the next morning to have a nice filling breakfast to provide us energy for the busy day ahead of us. Our first match was against Yorkshire, setting us off to a good start with our 2-0 win. We then played against Northwest and East, winning 2-0 and 2-1. This left us at the top of our pool. We finished the day with another team meal in a family friendly pub, where both boys teams had eaten just before us. Here I had a chicken and bacon burger, and a delicious brownie. Leaving the restaurant almost in a food coma, we came back to the hotel for our evening debrief. After that we had a bit of time to relax and hang out with our teammates before we went to sleep.

Luckily, this year my alarm went off, so my room had plenty of time to pack up and eat breakfast. Our first match was at 9am in the semi finals against West Midlands. Whilst we tried our best, we lost this match 1-2. We then played in the 3-4 playoffs against Northwest. Despite having won against them in the pool matches, we finished this one 0-2. Everyone played their best and the whole team, bench and coaches included, were part of the game happening on court. All the teams this year were incredibly talented, we placed 4th out of 9. This is an amazing result.

We finished our day with a final debrief, the last one of the season and with my south west team. We all said our goodbyes, a few of us with teary eyes, and went our separate ways. Whilst I’m sad that I can’t return next year, these two years were an incredible opportunity and have left me with memories I will never forget. I have loved every moment of it, from the monthly training sessions and meeting talented players from all over the southwest, to cheering my team on and playing with them in competitive matches.

I want to say thank you to Dave Gunter (head coach) for having me on his team for these past two years, it was a pleasure to be taught by you. Thank you, Floe, for supporting our team as our assistant coach and teammate from my home team, and for driving us to and from Kettering. I also want to thank Dave Reece for all his commitment behind the scenes. Finally, a massive thank you to my team and those who didn’t make the final selection.

You guys made this experience happen and I’m so grateful to have met you all. Especially our captain, Ena, having played with you last year, it’s amazing to see how much you’ve progressed. Congratulations to you all for being the best team out there, I hope to see you all again soon. Whether that’s on the same side of the net or the other. Good luck with your volleyball futures, and next year’s team, you’ll smash it. I love you all.

Vakare Zalieckaite

Dave Reece 0 Comments
Copyright © 2024 Exeter Challenge