The 16U Junior Pilots volleyball team has had a wonderful season and new head coach Nate Martin couldn't be prouder of the team.
"It's been an eventful year, that's for sure," Martin says with a chuckle as he reflects on the season. "There was a lot of turnover from last years team that was very competitive. We had five players out of twelve, so the group looked a lot different from the beginning of the year. We set out to build a culture, wanting to win together and play for each other. We took 15 guys from tryouts, a full roster and we wanted to change the dynamic with the team, have that competitive fire within the team the whole year. We built from that right from day one."
Having the group gel and come together as a unit was very important to Martin and the group didn't disappoint. "In any sport, that's what you want, that helps build a winning culture. A team with true character that plays for one another, plays for that brother beside them, that builds a winning culture. For sure the players need to have that mindset but as coaches, that was our goal. Beyond success, if guys are building and growing as young men off the court, it'll translate on the court. It absolutely did and I couldn't be prouder of them."
Developing as a team was great but another point of pride for Martin and the coaches was the individual development that took place throughout the year. "There was a lot of opportunity for guys coming into this year, whether it was guys returning or new guys, I wanted to have a team that nothing was given to them, they had to work for it. So, having that mindset and never being satisfied with where you're at and always wanting to improve was huge. It pushed everyone to a new level. Individually, everyone has taken big strides. Sometimes it takes half a season then all of a sudden you see it at practice or in a game, everything just clicks. You can just see the game slow down for guys and it just becomes more fun. The team as a whole, we've taken massive strides even from training camp when we thought we might be a competitive team, we've gone on to win provincials and really having no fear and total belief in ourselves. As a coach, it's unreal to see those guys take those steps."
Going into provincials ranked third, the 16U Jr. Pilots pushed hard and made it to the top of the mountain, something Martin says he'll never forget. "We have been pretty consistent the whole year, so going in as number three, we had true belief in ourselves, for sure. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. I preached to the guys that success isn't given, it's earned. We adopted that motto, nothing was going to be given to us. In the pool play, we played the number one ranked team, then the number five and number seven. We went through pool play 3-0, defeated two teams in three sets, which was huge for us, coming out of that power pool out of the first day. That translated to day two. We had a tight quarter final, hard fought semifinal and in the finals, we went down but we managed to take it home in three. Unreal way to respond through adversity. It showed the true character and to grind that out, never getting to high or two low, it says a lot about the team."
This year has been extra special for Martin as he took over as head coach after being an assistant, he says it was a change but he's loved it. "I mean, there are differences, as an assistant coach, you're more, I don't want to say likeable, but you gel with the guys more," he says with a laugh. "As a head coach, you have more responsability. I'm proud of the guys that returned. I wasn't here to just have fun and go through the motions, I saw something special in this group and the guys that we brought in. I believed we could do something special and that was the mindset right away. It's been a good transition, it's something I wanted and even though there was a lot of turnover, I believed in this group. Not just me, the other coaches, huge shout out to them, it wasn't a one-man show, they have been amazing and I couldn't do it without them. It's taken all of us to get here and we believe our best is yet to come."
Martin wants to take those same characteristics to Edmonton for Nationals later in the month of May.