Volleyball camp ends on a high note
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- Published on Thursday, August 27, 2015
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
Young athletes from across the westman region recently gathered in Neepawa to hone their skills at the Beautiful Plains Extreme Volleyball Camp. About 60 participants between the ages of 11 to 17 took part in the tenth annual event, held from Aug. 17 to 21 at the NACI gymnasium.
Co-coordinator and volleyball coach with the Vincent Massey [Brandon] Vikings, Al Hart, has been involved with the event since its inception. He said it’s been incredible watching this training and development camp expand over the past few years from its humble beginnings.
“When [the camp] first started, there were just a few athletes from Neepawa involved, but over time, it has grown to include youth from across western Manitoba,” said Hart. “Around the region, we have people from Stonewall, the Russell area, Carberry, Minnedosa. You name it. It’s been very good to see it branch out as it has, because the goal when we started this was to give kids in the westman area an opportunity for a high level volleyball camp so they didn’t have to travel as far to Brandon or to Winnipeg.”
Along with Hart, other coaches who were a part of creating the camp in 2006 were Bill Gadd and Krista Carlisle. Additional coaches who helped the event to flourish over the years include Kurt Hunter, Pat Thompson and Kelly Deroo.
Carlisle, who is not only a co-founder, but has also served as coach for NACI’s varsity girls volleyball team, said that it’s been very gratifying seeing the skill of local players blossom throughout the past 10 years.
“Myself, along with Bill [Gadd] and Al [Hart] thought that having a week of volleyball training would really help the players from across the region and it has,” said Carlisle. “It’s really made volleyball better in our town. It’s been really great.”
This is the last year of the Beautiful Plains Extreme Volleyball Camp, as Carlisle is moving on to another opportunity in a different community. Carlisle said it’s difficult to step away, it is very gratifying to see the camp end on a high note.
“Really appreciate everyone who has been involved over the past decade. The coaches throughout the years, Bill and Al’s ongoing dedication and of course the athletes.” noted Carlisle.
