Joey Payeur
The gauntlet has been thrown down and Amy Wilson-Hands’ troops are ready to pick it up and smack someone upside the head with it.
Leading the Region 1 girls volleyball as head coach along with assistant coach Terry McMahon, Wilson-Hands has heard ad nauseum the history of the squad’s performances at the Ontario Summer Games, the latest edition of which get underway tomorrow in Mississauga and run through Sunday.
It’s a history that includes the Region 1 team having never won a match and capturing a single, solitary set in its previous appearances at the games against teams from mostly more highly-populated regions with far deeper talent pools from which to select.
That has left the Fort Frances resident with no shortage of motivational material to get her troops in the right mindset to change the script.
“The goal of winning one match is certainly obtainable,” declared Wilson-Hands.
“The drive the girls have is exciting,” she added.
“They want to succeed. They want to be the first (Region 1) team to win a game and to even bring home a medal.”
Pasquel Shortreed from Emo, one of three players from the local district on the team along with Adyson Wilson-Hands and Alex Spuzak from the Fort, is onside with her coach’s comments.
“We know we can win one,” she emphasized.
“If we go further, that’s awesome—and we really believe we can go further.”
Adyson Wilson-Hands agreed with those sentiments.
“Region 1 hasn’t won a game and it would be cool for us to beat that first team.”
Shortreed said it’s been an adjustment playing along teammates she has never had before.
“At first, the Fort girls all were in one group, the Kenora girls in another and the Dryden girls in another,” she recounted.
“But then we were all split up during our practices and it got easier after a few weeks,” continued Shortreed.
“We got to know each other as friends. We’ve come a long way as a team.”
Spuzak echoed Shortreed’s thoughts.
“Everyone has improved in their own way a lot, not just their volleyball skills, but in coming together as a team,” she analyzed.
“We’re at the point where we’re one big, happy family.”
A major portion of the nine weeks of preparations for the team has been a focus on proper conditioning and nutrition, led by certified trainer McMahon.
“Getting the conditioning up is hard when you can only work on it half an hour a week,” pointed out McMahon.
“But at that age, they’re just starting out, so we’re giving them the basics to build on,” he commented.
“We’ve talked about nutrition a lot because when you’ve got three, four practices and then have to go to a big tournament, the nutrition has got to be at a high level.
“Hydration and rest are really important, too. They’ve picked up on everything we’ve talked about pretty fast.”
Wilson-Hands said converting the group from individuals to a single unit has taken plenty of effort, but that the work in process has been worth it.
“Sometimes, they’re lacking in their communication, but there’s also been improvement in that area,” she said.
“In nine weeks together, they have exceeded my expectations and we’re looking forward to what the Ontario Summer Games will bring us.”
