Last year not only did I have the opportunity to win the OCAA Championships and placing fourth at the CCAA Championships but I had the pleasure to play with Terrel Bramwell. I grew up in Mississauga and attended Rick Hansen Secondary School a few years ahead of Terrel, who attended a rival high school, Mississauga High Secondary. I can recall in my OAC/ Grade 13 year, hearing about this young athletic phenom down the road from our high school that could dunk a basketball and jump out of the gym. Playing REP basketball and playing volleyball I knew lots of athletes that could jump well and could dunk a basketball, but most were my age. Terrel at the time was only in GRADE 9! A few years past and I've just finished my third year playing at Humber College, the volleyball team is coming off an underachieving year where we failed to make the playoffs and I wasn't sure if I was going to play in the upcoming year. After speaking with the coaching staff, Wayne, Hank, Bart and Ellie, I decided I was going to play in my fourth year. During the many conversations over the summer they told me that we had an amazing rookie class coming into the season headlined but guess who, Terrel Bramwell. In my head I thought to myself, "OK, now I really get to see how good this guy is" and witness him live because we're on the same team. Well, not only was he good but he is the most amazing athlete I have ever played with or played against. Terrel is what you might call a 'athletic freak'. He's around 6'1-6'2 depending on who you talk to but he possesses a 45 inch (or more) vertical jump. Along with his physical tools, he has a competitive edge that only a teammate could love. His desire and drive to win is what makes Terrel such a special athlete. Not only did he carry our team all season but he is the the main reason why we won the Ontario Championship this past year and finished fourth in the country. This past summer, Terrel made Canada's National Volleyball Team in Ottawa, where he spent the majority of the summer training. If your bored one night and are looking for some entertainment go check out Terrel and the rest of the Humber Men's team at one of their home or away games. Here's a quick link to what you might expect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00JsGWxqdm0
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Typical Season
I want to first start out by stating that this is my first ever blog so if I'm terrible at it, I apologize in advance. Good thing I have all semester to get used to writing on here so with that being said on to my first blog.
September 2010, marked my first year at Humber College (I've been here since 2006) not playing on the Men's Volleyball team. I have one semester to finally finish my post secondary education and playing one semester doesn't really make a lot of sense. For the volleyball program, the year starts off in September and ends if your lucky in March when the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships take place. It's definitely a grind, not only physically but mentally to make it through the long season. If you've ever placed varsity sports, you know that the season is actually broken up into two seasons (or semesters). First semester starts off with training camp, exhibition games and tournaments, seven or eight league games and when we're not playing, practices three or four nights a week. Life of a varsity athlete is very time consuming to say the least and when you finally make it to Christmas, everyone is dying for a break. For some, Christmas break marks the end of the road for the players who have not focused in the classroom. Over my four year career at Humber, I'd say on average the team losses one player at Christmas due to grades. It's always an interesting practice walking into the gym and seeing Coach Wayne Wilkins with 'the white sheet' with all players grades on it. If he calls your name, you know you have some explaining to do. It's always a sad time saying goodbye to a teammate who you've spent countless hours with.
Second semester starts out usually with a trip to Quebec City to play in the Limoulu Tournament and maybe another exhibition tournament (Seneca Sting Invitational) before league games start. All the players usually seem more focused because playoffs and the OCAA Championship are within reach. Practices are taken up a notch and the games are all taken more seriously as your trying to secure not only a spot in the playoffs but a better seeding for the Ontario Championships. The OCAA Championships is bracket, seeding the top eight teams to play off for a gold medal. It's three games to gold matching 1 vs.8, 2 vs.7, 3 vs.6, and 4vs5, so it's crucial to go into OC's (as the players call it) on a roll. OC's is a fun tournament with a great atmosphere that in the end separates the great teams from the good teams, eventually crowning the Ontario College Champions. Last year, I had the privilege of being the captain and a member of the 2009-2010 Ontario Men's Volleyball Champs.
September 2010, marked my first year at Humber College (I've been here since 2006) not playing on the Men's Volleyball team. I have one semester to finally finish my post secondary education and playing one semester doesn't really make a lot of sense. For the volleyball program, the year starts off in September and ends if your lucky in March when the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships take place. It's definitely a grind, not only physically but mentally to make it through the long season. If you've ever placed varsity sports, you know that the season is actually broken up into two seasons (or semesters). First semester starts off with training camp, exhibition games and tournaments, seven or eight league games and when we're not playing, practices three or four nights a week. Life of a varsity athlete is very time consuming to say the least and when you finally make it to Christmas, everyone is dying for a break. For some, Christmas break marks the end of the road for the players who have not focused in the classroom. Over my four year career at Humber, I'd say on average the team losses one player at Christmas due to grades. It's always an interesting practice walking into the gym and seeing Coach Wayne Wilkins with 'the white sheet' with all players grades on it. If he calls your name, you know you have some explaining to do. It's always a sad time saying goodbye to a teammate who you've spent countless hours with.
Second semester starts out usually with a trip to Quebec City to play in the Limoulu Tournament and maybe another exhibition tournament (Seneca Sting Invitational) before league games start. All the players usually seem more focused because playoffs and the OCAA Championship are within reach. Practices are taken up a notch and the games are all taken more seriously as your trying to secure not only a spot in the playoffs but a better seeding for the Ontario Championships. The OCAA Championships is bracket, seeding the top eight teams to play off for a gold medal. It's three games to gold matching 1 vs.8, 2 vs.7, 3 vs.6, and 4vs5, so it's crucial to go into OC's (as the players call it) on a roll. OC's is a fun tournament with a great atmosphere that in the end separates the great teams from the good teams, eventually crowning the Ontario College Champions. Last year, I had the privilege of being the captain and a member of the 2009-2010 Ontario Men's Volleyball Champs.
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