A group of girls from Wawota, Maryfield, Redvers, Carlyle, and Midale have come together to form an 18U girls club volleyball team. Based in Carlyle the new club has been formed by Coach Bree Ryan with the assistance of her brother Blake Slykhuis.
"There's a lot of work to be done when trying to build a strong club in the area," Ryan explained.
Blackout, as the team is called was formed at the insistence of Ryan's senior girls high school team.
"A lot of the girls wouldn't stop hounding me," Ryan laughed, "which is good for me because I love it too much not to coach."
Not only does it benefit Ryan who will have extra time to train some of her girls on G.F. Kells High School team she will be able to offer her experience and knowledge of not only the game, but of her time playing in the States. Whether on her high school team or not, Ryan is determined to offer what she can to the players on the newly formed club team.
"It does help to build my high school program though and some of these girls are hoping to play volleyball after high school. Through working with my connections in the States I'm hoping to help."
Ryan demands a lot of her players, with high expectations she hopes to build an elite team of already skilled individuals who will benefit under her guidance.
"We're excited to get a reputation for ourselves," Ryan stated. "The goal of the season is to finish in the top half of Tier 1 at provincials, I'd say that's the ultimate goal and I'm sure there will be a few losses and lessons to get there."
Members of the team include Amy Jackson, Katie Matthewson, Jayda Bieber, Moiraea Bieber, Michaella Trombley, Madison Boon, Alaina Hoff, Renae Fafard, Nicole Brown, and Karlie Jackson. All of the young women are extremely skilled athletes who stood out during their high school seasons at their respective schools.
They will attend tournaments in Saskatoon, Yorkton, Weyburn, Lloydminster, Regina, and will be holding a home tournament as well. They are hoping to hold their home tournament at the beginning of April and once the plans are solidified more information about the tournament will be available to the town and surrounding communities.
Not only is Ryan building a skilled volleyball team, she is building character in her girls. When asked about a team captain Ryan simply stated, "I don't think we need one. Everyone's equal, being captain is sort of bragging rights and on this team I want everyone to have the captain qualities. They [captains] only really take a few seconds from their warm-up for a coin toss."
Currently they are holding a pizza fundraiser until Jan. 6. For more information contact Bree Ryan.
Starting a new club team is costly. From jerseys to travel and lodgings they are starting from scratch. Assistance regarding this burden has been alleviated somewhat by sponsorships from Cathedral Oil Services and BS Trucking.
