Ratihén:te travels to town

Last Thursday, Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) hosted the first-ever Krissy Goodleaf Memorial Volleyball Championship, memorializing a beloved teacher who unexpectedly passed away late last year.

Among the four teams who were invited to compete in the memorial tournament was Ratihén:te High School, which sent six of its RSEQ (Reseau du sport etudiant du Quebec) volleyball players, along with assistant coaches Kahsennine Nelson and Amber Simon, to take part.

“The experience felt like home, super welcoming,” said Nelson. “Normally our girls are super shy, but they were all excited and honoured to attend the tournament dedicated to Krissy. Although they didn’t know her directly, the words and song shared before really moved us all.”

Goodleaf counted volleyball as one of her passions, taking the time to coach KSS students in the sport, and she was fondly remembered at the event.

“We heard wonderful words about who she was. From what we heard, she was a wonderful woman,” said eighth grade Ratihén:te student Skanaie:’a Serena Ionescu, who played at the tournament. “I’m so sad that she passed away early, but we’re so thankful for the opportunity from our sister community to be invited to go to her tournament, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to play in honour of her.”

The team had their work cut out for them, with so few players on the roster meaning endurance was the name of the game.

Ratihén:te went undefeated through the tournament, earning a 3-0 record, but lost in the third set against Howard S. Billings High School in the final, with a narrow 15-12 finish.

The RSEQ season has come to a close for Ratihén:te, offering a moment for reflection.

“Especially coming from like two years ago, I think we’ve grown a lot,” said Ionescu. “And I think as a team and as teenagers and just as people, we’ve grown to work together. Even if we had differences between each other, I think we really put that aside walking onto the court, and we just had a lot of fun playing.”

The exhibition tournament in Kahnawake will not be the team’s last for the year, however.

“Although the RSEQ tournaments are done for the year, the girls have really amazed all us coaches,” said Nelson, adding that she’s seen players come out of their shell and take leadership roles on the squad, and that there has been a lot of positivity on the team.

“I couldn’t be prouder of these girls,” Nelson said. “They’ve shown true dedication to the game, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming for us next season.”

The team’s head coach Jeffrey Nelson was in Ottawa the day of the KSS tournament, but he noted how pleased he is to see the team grow into a squad that focuses on the fundamentals and the complexity of the game, not just a style of volleyball that he has often dismissed as a “ping-pong” approach to the sport.

“It was a fantastic season, I’m so proud of all the girls,” he said. “They have truly become volleyball players and not just getting the ball over.”

The RSEQ team will compete in exhibitions on April 26 in Montreal and May 10 in Vaudreuil.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter