Program works to keep momentum

After two seasons of competitive volleyball in the RSEQ, Quebec’s main interschool league, local schools weren’t able to put together a squad this year.

“It’s a real bummer, with the headway that we were making. Now we’re doing just regular practices,” said coach Jeff Nelson.

Forming the community’s first RSEQ team in memory two years ago was a significant achievement given the small size of local schools. This is especially true of Ratihén:te High School, whose girls’ volleyball team defied expectations and gave students an opportunity to grow that young athletes outside the community might take for granted.

Previously, the program was able to put together an RSEQ team by combining students from the Benjamin and Cadet age groups, but with some of those players now aging into the Juvenile category, the math just didn’t make a team possible.

“I knew we were going to have a problem this year because I knew everyone’s age,” said Nelson. “Even before we started, I was trying to push the girls to go try out for club teams because I knew there was that age difference with all the girls.”

Nelson hasn’t given up on the program, however. The coach, who has done so much to make volleyball one of the games at the centre of athletic life in the community in recent years, is still working on putting together exhibition games with an early eye toward the First Nations Education Council (FNEC) Inter-School Games in May.

“I want to make sure the program keeps going as best as possible,” he said.

Just a couple weeks ago, Ratihén:te went up against Lake of Two Mountains High School, winning four out of five games. But interest in the sport is not as high given that most of the activity revolves around practices this year.

That hasn’t deterred Nelson in his bid to keep the program afloat, however.

“It’s all about making sure these kids have something to look forward to,” he said. “They just enjoy the sport, the game of volleyball. It could be any sport. I like giving back to the community and the kids, and it’s a passion of mine just to help each and every child, youth, teenager, and just enjoy it.”

He is hopeful about the possibility of sending a Cadet girls’ team to the RSEQ next year on behalf of Ratihén:te.

Meanwhile, he was disappointed with the RSEQ’s elementary school offering after putting together a team at that age level for the first time last year. This time around, he is focused on nurturing an appreciation of the sport to prepare the students for the FNEC Inter-School Games and, potentially, to play in the RSEQ when they get to Ratihén:te, where there are already Benjamin and Cadet girls waiting in the wings for more eligible players to join them.

The elementary program will start practicing next week, with 14 students expected to participate.

A new volleyball club in the region, Lotus, is giving three student athletes a chance to keep playing competitive volleyball this year, including Nelson’s 16-year-old daughter Kaliyah Nelson, who is playing on a Division 2 team. Marion Caron, 13, made a Division 1 U15 team, while Eden Simon, 11, is playing U14 volleyball.

[email protected]

Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter