Welsh Juniors play in the UK School Games in Sheffield 1st - 4th Sept 2011

Both teams arrived in Sheffield yesterday to start their campaign in the UK School Games tournament.  This is the third time that Wales has taken part in the competition and look to improve their positions from last year.  The other teams participating are England North, England Central, England South, Northern Ireland, Scotland East and Scotland West.  Last year saw the welsh boys win two games whilst the girls performance improved although they were not able to convert this into any wins.

First games are being played today with the Girls playing first against England Central, and the Boys playing against England South.  For more information about the schedule, check out the UK School Games website on www.ukschoolgames.com.

This year sees some additional Welsh participation with both Nicky Stallworthy and daughter Alex take on different volunteer roles. Nicky is training to be a statistician during the event whilst Alex is learning the ropes as an Assistant Court Manager.  Volleyball Wales continues to develop volunteers in as many roles as possible, so if you would like to get involved in future events, get in touch to offer your support.  Volunteer roles vary and may require training which VW are pleased to be able to offer.

St Davids College win  Silver at the British Colleges Championships

On the 8th of April 2010 St Davids College, Cardiff attended the British Colleges Championships in Bath. After making the short journey to Bath the Welsh representatives at the tournament had to play their first game with 4 men against the South West team. Despite having to concede the game prior to the first whistle due to not fielding a starting 6 the Welsh team battled hard through the game and showed great character to lose 2-1 narrowly with 28-26 in the final set. This was an eye opener for all teams watching and showed St Davids intent on the tournament. After their opening game, the team went to the opening ceremony where their captain Aiden Lewis was also representing Wales Colleges as captain for all sports.

The 2nd annual Volleyball Wales Youth Awards night was held in Cardinal Newman School on the 15th Oct 2010, and was a celebration of the hard work by players and coaches alike.

2009/2010 saw two new youth teams join the development squads of Volleyball Wales.  The biggest junior trails since the association reformed were held in January 2010 and players were selected for all 4 age groups (U17/U15 boys and U16/U14 girls).  With regular squad training sessions, training camps and even a development tour to Germany, the teams were ready to take part in both the Inter Regional competition in Kettering in May, the first time Wales has provided teams in all four groups, as well as competing fully in the UK School Games in Newcastle in Sept.

The awards night is a way to celebrate these successes with player awards chosen by the squads for both Inter regionals and UKSG's, and the Coaches awards dontated by Merlin Sports Ltd, for the same two tournaments.  The night began by a welcome message from the Chair of Volleyball Wales, Yvonne Saker, who touched on the achievements made not only by the players, but by the work that goes on behind the scenes also.  Representation on several National and International Boards and working groups means that Volleyball Wales has now situated itself in the right places to begin moving forwards in the direction chosen by the Board. 

Head Coach, Sandra Stoll, outlined the amazing achievements of the whole squad not least commenting on the better than expected performance at the UKSG's by the U17 boys team who managed to win two games including the eventual winners, Northern Ireland, who had beaten every other team until Wales.  Furthermore, she outlined potential future developments including European tournaments and the subsequent need to continue working hard to achieve full potential.

 The winners of the awards were:

Coaches Awards	U14's	U15's	U16's	U17's
Most Improved Player	Atlanta Taylor	Tom Dacey	Lucia Strinati	Ollie Smith
Player of the Season	Sinead Kirwan	Matt Perry	Vicky Kirwan	Aiden Lewis

There was also a special achievement award for Excellence for 2009/10.  This went to Aiden Lewis for his wins at two junior beach competitions and his commitment to the team throughout the year.

Well done to all the prize winners

The night ended with a performance by Chris Patrick and Ollie Smith on guitars and vocals, showing how multitalented the team is. 

Germany 2010 Reviews

Girls Coach 

Both Squads can take a lot of confidence away from the trip In Germany. It was aimed at preparing players for the Inter Regional Championships and the UK School Games. Like the boys, the girl's team were introduced to a new playing system allowing them to begin playing a more an advanced style of volleyball. By the end of the week they felt a lot more confident playing as a team and also as individuals. Lots of positive outcomes have come from the Development camp. This was noticed both on and off court with teamwork activities providing some great memories. Overall a successful trip!

 Jack Allman

Assistant Coaches

The focus of the camp was to develop individual skills, game awareness, team building and communication, from our perspective it was a success in all areas. A good balance of court time, downtime and organised activities allowed the whole squad to develop significantly. The week started with an introduction of a new system which will provide the foundation for more advanced performances. Both teams we able to grasp it quickly and we look forward to progressing it from now until the UK School Games in September. Some of the highlights of the week included:

• The impromptu German lessons from our host Dietmar. Many of the calls are now being used by the teams in training and matches.
• One to one interviews which gave a real insight into the many individual characters we have in the squad
• One coach getting stuck 50ft in the air after some over enthusiastic squad members pulled her up so high on the free fall swing that the release cord got jammed.
• The final evening, catered for with wonderful food by our hosts VSC Guldental, an amusing awards ceremony, new friendships and even a little romance.
• Mumma Stoll! Loved by everyone for her humour, hospitality and helpfulness.

All players were well behaved and keen to learn which made for a pleasant and successful camp. Next stop Inter-regionals, see you in Kettering.

The Webbs

The players thoughts