When the Battlefords Volleyball Club started up six years ago, they just had a pair of teams competing on the provincial club scene.
Now, their fleet of squads has grown rapidly to 14 in a number of boys and girls age group divisions.
鈥淚 think a lot of it has to do with parents who want to see their kids involved in sports and to having a board that鈥檚 very entrenched in the community,鈥� BVC president and coach Paul Sarsons said.
鈥淚 know at the high school level, it鈥檚 important to have players who play on a regular basis and have a love for the sport built in as we go up against teams from Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Swift Current. If you don鈥檛 have that passion for volleyball at a young age, it鈥檚 much harder to get involved as you get older.鈥�
The club鈥檚 growth was seen first hand this past weekend at North Battleford Comprehensive High School as they held their first large scale summer camp.
The 41 participants on hand were split into two groups, with 12 players from Grades 1-5 taking part in the club鈥檚 Atomic program, which is a youth recreational program put together through Volleyball Canada.
鈥淲e broke the kids up into groups based on the grades they are in and had them play on the badminton courts so they can learn the basics of the game,鈥� Sarsons said.
鈥淭he goal of the program is to have the kids learn the sport but have fun at the same time. You don鈥檛 want them running through a bunch of drills at that age where they end up getting bored rather quickly.鈥�
Over in the big gym, 29 students from Grades 6-12 went through a more competitive camp, which saw some help from Prince Albert Volleyball Club coach Rene Quintal.
鈥淯nless they were at summer camps, this would be the first time many of our players have been on the court since the club season ended in the spring,鈥� Sarsons said.
While the club has been expanding in short order, it鈥檚 been important for them to make sure that their costs are kept in check.
鈥淪ince we been expanding on average to two new teams a year over the last few seasons, it costs roughly $850 dollars just to equip the teams,鈥� Sarsons said.
鈥淲e really rely on the business around town to help us. Owners Management Group, Scott Campbell Dodge, Western Financial and Richardson鈥檚 play a huge role in making sure we have enough funds to pay for equipment, especially with the weighted balls we use for the Atomic program this year.鈥�
Once the high school season wraps up, tryouts for the competitive club programs will take place in either the last week of November or the first week of December.
鈥淭he season will run until May with the Nationals taking place in Edmonton,鈥� Sarsons said.
鈥淲ith it being there, our goal is to have as many teams as possible at that tournament.鈥�
