Erika Morris is excited to have a new place to improve her spikes and digs.
"It'll get us some more coaching up in P.G. and give us a lot of help up here," said the Grade 12 volleyball player for the Prince George Polars. "It would have been nice to have at a younger age."
The 17-year-old said she'll sign up for the Volleyball Canada centre of excellence camps that will set up in P.G. starting next month. The camps will be held Sundays - Oct. 18, Nov. 13 and Dec. 18 - at the College of New Caledonia and is open for boys and girls in Grades 8 to 12. There will be three sessions offered in the second school semester as well.
The program will focus on individual skill development, emphasizing on training for specific positions, strength and conditioning and skill assessment in a group setting. It's designed to complement the high school and club season, allowing athletes to take their skills to a higher level.
The performance of excellence began as a pilot project last year at the Richmond Oval and is expanding with centres in the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, Thompson/Okanagan and Northern B.C. this year.
Dan Drezet, head coach for the men's centre of excellence program in the north, said it gives serious athletes opportunities to gain more practice and teaches them Volleyball Canada's systems and strategies.
"It exposes our athletes to a high level of training," said Drezet. "I think overall it will eventually allow us to produce higher level volleyball in the north."
Already the northern half of the province is producing good volleyball players, having placed six athletes on provincial teams - under-16, U17 and U18 for boys and the Western Canada Summer Games girls team and the U16 girls team.
Morris won gold with Team B.C. at the Challenge Cup - a national tournament - in Winnipeg and then went on to claim gold at WCSG.
"I think the level of athlete is getting better in the north,"said Drezet. "We've always had really good athletes, but I think we're seeing a larger number [achieve big things] each year. That has a lot to do with the amount of programs that we're being able to offer - like camps and clinics."
In addition to Drezet coaching the boys, Mark Lafleur will coach the girls, while Kris Brand of Quesnel and a former University of Saskatchewan, national team and professional player will be offering his expertise.
"We're hoping to have about 40 athletes [20 girls and 20 boys] per session," said Drezet, adding they want to keep the four-hour sessions small so there is more opportunity for one-on-one instruction.
The cost of the program is $150 plus HST. Athletes can pre-register at www.pvsvolleyball.com. The deadline is Oct. 7.
