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This past weekend as a big one for Pat Alexander and his volleyball club as they showcased their skills in Edmonton, gaining valuable experiences and memories.
"There were just over 100 teams in our category, which this past weekend as 18U boys," Alexander detailed after returning to the province. "We were divided into pools of four, so you play three matches on day one and then re-pool into day two, where you play three more matches and then the playoff rounds are day three. We had a pretty good day one, we finished 2-1, which got us second in our pool and we moved up a category in terms of what we were fighting for in the power pools for the second day. The second day, we didn't win our matches but we played really, really close games. The third day, we lost a heartbreaker 28-26 and 27-25 in the quarterfinals of our playoffs. It was a hard loss but overall it was a great weekend of competition facing awesome teams. The guys had a really good experience."
Results aside, Alexander is proud of how his team handled everything. "We're basically a bunch of local guys competing against some all-star teams from other areas. It was great, high caliber competition, it was exactly what we wanted. Every match we had all weekend were tight and you can't ask for anything more than that. It was great."
Watching his team battle their hearts out on the court was something Alexander won't forget but perhaps his biggest takeaway was watching the group come together throughout the event. "It's obviously an awesome experience to be a part of and we tried to keep them entertained off the court, so we had little challenges for them to do and so they could kill the downtime and stay invested in the event. Talking to the players, they really enjoyed that. They got to meet some celebrities, a couple guys got to meet Gerry Dee and some of the other people around. They also got to meet some of the top talent volleyball players and coaches. Overall, it was great to see them mature and handle the situations, coming together as a group of friends, it was a special few days."
Alexander says getting to see the level of talent at the event first hand is only going to help the younger players in the future. "We happened to be paired with the 16U boys event and for the guys, it was good for them to see that next step of what it's going to take to get to the next level and see the size and speed and what they're getting into if they want to stay committed to the spot. For that, it was a great event and Volleyball Canada does a great job of putting on the event."
A loud cheering section meant a lot to Alexander and the team, something they've gotten used to thanks to amazing parents and supporters. "I couldn't have had a better group of parents to support the guys and the coaching staff throughout the season. They were awesome. They stepped in and did whatever we needed to do whenever we needed to do it. They even got involved with our challenges and scavenger hunts, it was a great experience."
There will not be any rest for Alexander, but he wouldn't have it any other way. "Nope, no breaks ever," he says with a laugh. "That's the life we choose. Zone 4 track starts now and we had canceled flights and craziness happening, so I'm hoping everyone got home. We have guys gearing up for track here, so hopefully they got some rest and they'll be ready to go as we switch sports."