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It happened in the Gold Medal game between Pakmen 17U Gold and Phoenix Legacy (17U) at OVA Challenge Cup, on Dec 2 2023, in Oakville:
By DAVID WINER Special The Pakmen have drawn a line in the sand that may never be crossed. Competing at the Ontario Volleyball Association Beach Provincials, the Pakmen Volleyball Club prevailed with a flurry of gold medal performances that would confound the most optimistic prognosticator. “It was a record performance!” said ecstatic Pakmen director Kelly Smith. “These were the most Tier 1 gold medals at a Provincial Championship in OVA history.” Many of the 200 enthusiastic youngsters, who took to the six regulation sized courts this summer to participate in Elite Beach training, competed at an unworldly level resulting in 10 out of a possible 15 Tier 1 gold medal showings. “We are especially proud of head coach Jessy Satti after coming off a record-breaking indoor season,” said Smith. “His 18U boys won Provincials and Nationals, and he became the first coach to ever win three consecutive 18U national titles. Now, his male beach athletes performed so well, winning almost every single event, including several all-Pakmen finals, and in some cases, winning gold, silver and bronze. “Also, Arjun Selhi, who played for Jessy as an indoor player and was one of Jessy’s assistant coaches on the beach for three years is now in charge of the girls’ program and they also enjoyed a lot of success.” Assisting Satti on the boys’ side were Omar Abu Jazar, Saad Shaikh and Kadeem Clarke, while Selhi was assisted by Osemi Efosa. “Across the board on the boys and girls side we’ve had a tremendous amount of success, said Satti. “I give a lot of credit to the athletes, who make the conscious decision to stick with their teammates and do beach volleyball with the club. It creates a really good dynamic and team culture. There’s lots of opportunities for players to do different beach programs with other coaches, but I’ve found our athletes enjoy our beach program. It shows that the club is able to offer high quality programming 12 months of the year, and our results from indoor and beach proves that.” Setting the tone were Pakmen trailblazers Salma Abdelrazak on the girls’ side and the tandem of Misha Panasiouk and Aleksa Rakic on the boys’ side who worked overtime to collect two gold medals apiece. Panasiouk and Rakic mastered the 15U and 16U Tier 1 age groups that were chock-full of Pakmen teammates. “I think Misha and Aleks had a great summer. When they played up (16U) and won, it was definitely a special moment,” said Satti. “I think they showed people that the way beach volleyball is played can outweigh factors like size and athleticism. We make sure to teach beach the way we feel it should be played, and we’ve done that since the inception of our club. By getting athletes to buy into the training and structure, it puts them in a position to have a lot of success.” The 15U division, contested August 12-13 at Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay, was swept by Panasiouk and Rakic, followed by silver medalists Davis Hinshelwoods and Spencer Ham and bronze medalists Cooper Spehr and Jonathan Sousa. Pakmen inhabited two of the three podium placings in the 16U competition on August 5-6 with Yahia Elsayed and Chris Tang securing the bronze. The highlight of the tournament for both Panasiouk and Rakic was beating Elsayed and Tang in the 16U semi-final. “We lost to them in the final at an earlier tournament and they became the duo that we always wanted to play and beat,” explained Rakic. “While we lost to them in the first set, we fought through it and eventually won the third set 18-16.” “Even though we were ranked No. 1 entering the competition, the favorites were Yahia and Chris, who are both really good beach players and were also the tournament winners last year,” added Panasiouk. “We are also a year younger than them. But in a really close third game we were able to win, despite the fact the majority of the audience supported the opposing team.” A lot of planning had to go into Rakic and Panasiouk’s style of play considering there would be extra wear and tear on their bodies competing on back-to-back weekends. “Having to play multiple games a day with only about an hour of time for a break, it came down to how efficiently we used our time to rest and recover,” explained Rakic. “Sitting in the shade, and wearing towels and shirts to conserve our energy, was a must. After finishing each day we used our time to recover using ice, a roller and massage gun to prepare us for the next day and stay as fresh as possible.” However, the biggest reason for success, other than talent, is the rapport the two have developed. “Since Misha joined our rep team two years ago we’ve stayed close friends,” said Rakic, who attends Mississauga’s Applewood Secondary School. “Being able to connect easily from this friendship, it was easy to play together. All the time that we spent practicing on the beach and indoors made our basic skills better and helped us learn how to help each other through our struggles. If I’m struggling Misha is there to help me, and if Misha is struggling, I am there to help him.” Panasiouk, who attends Earl Haig in North York, says there’s a number of factors for their success. “The first is, of course, trust. We know that at the most crucial and stressful moment we will make the right decision that will lead the team to success. The second is communication. We are good at making our jobs easier and more efficient by communicating on the court; and the third is we are strong players in terms of set of skills no matter who the opponent serves, we know that we will definitely score a point.” “We are able to adapt and learn from our opponents,” added Rakic. “We understand how our opponents play and not only play to our strengths, but to their
By DAVID WINER
The one pitfall to being the favorite is that anything short of absolute success is often regarded as a disappointment.
The Mississauga Pakmen endured more disappointment than anticipated during the first two weekends of OVA Ontario Volleyball Championship action prior to the 14U boys taking to the floor for their gold medal match at Waterloo’s RIM Park.
Of course, one has to take into consideration that what the Pakmen deem as a letdown, is a categorical success in the eyes of others.
The Pakmen had already scored a quarter-final result in 14U girls’ play and gleaming silver medals in 17U girls and 17U boys action. But in Pakmen culture, a gold standard is just that, a standard of excellence for which all other volleyball programs are compared.
That is why the Pakmen entered this year’s Ontario Championships ranked first in 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U boys’ and the 18U girls’ categories. Meanwhile, the 17U boys and 17U girls were seeded second and third respectively throughout the province.
So, with the club’s first gold medal on the OVA championship calendar still unclaimed, the Pakmen 14U boys placed the proverbial monkey on their collective backs and delivered a boost in confidence to their fellow clubmates with a convincing straight-set 25-20, 25-17 victory over the Ottawa Maverick Bandits on last Sunday (April 10) afternoon.
“We would like to wish all of our boys teams competing for the rest of the Ontario Championships great luck to bring home some more banners!” said 14U head coach Thomas Leca.
“We know how much of an honor and a privilege it is to be an Ontario Championship team and we will wear the title with pride,” added Leca, who described his feelings as, “Overjoyed, surreal, and thankful.”
“Getting the big win in the finals was one of the biggest moments of my and my teammates’ volleyball careers as we worked seven tough months with a lot of adversity along the way,” said captain Harjas Chahal. “But it didn’t stop us, as we persevered, and the victory couldn’t have felt better!”
With the word ‘negativity’ absent from both his character and vocabulary, Leca offered nothing but positive energy throughout the year, and his messaging seemed to hit a chord with his charges.
“Heading into Provincials our coaches were very purposeful in how they prepared us,” said 6-foot middle Ishaan Thandi. “Some of the best practices we had were leading up to provincial weekend.
“The coaches had us play an U15 tournament a few weeks prior and a few of our players also played an extra warm up tournament leading up to provincials the week before,” added the Grade 8 student from Mississauga’s Lisgar Middle School. “All of this, combined, had us ready to take on the best teams in the province last weekend. Mentally our coaches also had us prepared. Even after losing a match on Saturday evening to Aurora Storm, we were able to re-group and come back stronger on Sunday. Our coaches spent lots of time on the mental aspects of the game. For example, Saturday night before championship Sunday, they sent us a letter that talked about not being fearful but rising to the occasion with courage.”
“Both our coaches (Leca and assistant James Gomez) mentally and physically prepared all of us,” chimed in left side Dan Torres. “Before each game or practice they always gave each player a pep talk to build their confidence. They both also promoted positivity which was key in our win over the weekend. To play without pressure is another thing they told us because, since we thought of ourselves as No. 1, we seemed too uptight and nervous for each game, thinking we would lose everything.”
And if anyone was allowed to be nervous, it would have been the 13-year-old Torres, who was playing up an age group.
“Of course heading into the finals of the OVA championships, I definitely felt the pressure to perform well and make my club proud,” said the 5-foot-8 Torres. “I feel like with this win, we inspired other teams to play their best to get a provincial medal around their neck.”
“Dan Torres is playing up an age group and dominating the competition,” said Leca of the player he calls a superstar. “He is, in my opinion, the best left side hitter in the OVA. Teams fear his power arm, his smart offensive decisions, and his consistent passing. Any of the teams in the OVA would vote him the No. 1 left side attacker in the province…and he is in Grade 7!”
“That comment coming from an amazing coach really means a lot and gives me the confidence to perform to the best of my abilities,” said the Grade 7 St. Raymond Catholic School student from Mississauga.
“It was an incredible tournament,” summed up Leca. “We have been working towards this as a team for the entire season.
“The first practice of the year we set a goal to win a Provincial Championship this year. We read this quote to the boys that day in September: ‘Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill’. We came back to that quote last week as we tried to peak at the right time and encourage them on how much that is true. Everyone has skill at Provincials, but something deep inside has to drive performance in a tournament like this….and that’s exactly what happened.”
Having a desire to leave no stone unturned when preparing their players for an important competition, Leca, and Gomez, are consumed with ingraining their youngsters with positive messaging.
In a letter they wrote to the boys on the eve of the championships, Leca and Gomez stated, “The pride we feel for being your coaches, that washes over us like waves, is incredible,” began the message. “The seven-month journey we have been on is a privilege and is special in our hearts. On the eve of the OC Playoffs, we want you to feel calm, confident, and full of desire. A desire to go out and take what you want. To earn what we have spoken about all year.
“There are so many emotions at the end of the year. One of them is fear. Fear that you have come this far and it could all end, fear that your dream could die. But you have to love that fear….Because it means you’re close…. It means you’re ready.
“So breathe in courage and exhale fear. We know you are all skilled. But tomorrow is about will. The will/want/desire to win. The internal desire to be champions. The will has to be greater than the skill.
“Come with us, where dreams are born and time is never planned. Come with us, where champions are made. We are not what happened to us. We are what we choose to become. That is what tomorrow is about. will and confidence.
“Fear whispers: you can’t withstand the storm.
“The warrior replies: I am the storm. Be the warrior. Stand up. Stand out. Stand tall. Conquer from within. Tomorrow is another day. But tomorrow is your day. Take it!”
Whether those words resonated with the players, the end result was what was intended by it.
“And that is exactly what we did,” said Thandi. “We took it! Our team was able to peak at the right time on Sunday because of all this preparation. Every single player on the team had a role to play and every single player rose to the occasion. Our coaches talked a lot about how we just needed one big play/run to really gain momentum.
“The big play in the finals,” added Thandi, “was when Jamie Ha, one of our left sides, went on a nine-point serving run. Our coaches are always talking about ‘dropping the match’ to light the fire, and I think Jamie ‘dropped the match’ in the first set of the finals. The rest was easy – because the fire continued to grow.”
“They played like a team possessed,” agreed Leca, “and all of their dreams came true. They went undefeated in the playoffs having not even dropped a set and played the best volleyball of the year right when it mattered.
“A lot of people do not understand the thousands of extraneous variables and latent details it takes to win a championship and bring a team together in unity at the right time and we are so proud of our boys for accomplishing that. The cheering, the warm ups, the decision making, the adjustments, the mental training, the volleyball IQ, the matchups, the ball handling, the tactical/strategy, the cohesion, the attitude, the respect, the passion. The puzzle pieces came together at the right time.”
The Pakmen ended the first day of pool play with straight set wins over Unity Markham, Leaside Thunder and the Scorpions. In day two round robin action, the Pakmen swept Sky Volley and Niagara Rapids, before ending the day with a sobering 25-23, 25-11 loss to Storm Voltage that Thandi earlier alluded to.
But being the positive influence that he is, Leca turned the loss into an emotional win.
“The loss to Storm was something the team really needed as fuel to compete harder for the rest of the tournament,” said Leca. “Because we have been battling adversity and persevering through challenges all year, it was a welcomed conclusion to Saturday.
“The team understood through our team meetings and discussions that every single game they had to be better than the last game and more focused on the ‘details’.”
“Experiencing a 2-0 loss to Storm really gave us the advantage of adversity showing us that we aren’t untouchable,” added Chahal. “No one is, and teams out there want it more than us, so we really thought about this when we got home and that if we don’t want it on day three we would go home early. The moment we walked in through the doors, we were focused just on winning, having a thunderous warm up every game and staying focused and ready!”
And, sure enough, Pakmen swept Kitchener Waterloo Chaos 25-21, 25-15 in the round of 16; Georgetown Impact 25-22, 25-22 in the quarters; and Oxford Crush 25-20, 25-23 in the semis, before finishing off the Bandits.
Teaming with Torres, Thandi, Ha and Chahal to bring Pakmen their first gold of the championships, were setter Davis Young, middle Alec Loney, setter Owen Jacobs, right side Alex Szolno, middle Sebastian Mawhiney, left side Marko Fleger, left side Matthew Tint, middle Kevin Leo and Darrin Harnandan-Wang.
Loney stood out over the weekend, earning tournament MVP honors.
“Alec ‘stepped up’ in this tournament and took on an important role as a middle blocker,” said Leca. “He was voted our MVP by his coaches because of his positive attitude and vocal leadership; because of his service ability, and because of the ‘big plays’ he made in our playoff matches on Sunday, which turned the tide in many of our sets to help lead us to victory; including some massive blocks against Oxford and Ottawa, and a crucial dig at a crucial time versus Ottawa in the final.”
Leca also spoke glowingly of Thandi, who was given the team’s Award of Excellence two days after provincials.
“Ishaan was the obvious choice for The Award of Excellence, which is presented to the player on every OVA team who displays the best commitment and passion to the sport,” said Leca. “Ishaan had an injury on our team last year, which prevented him from playing at Provincials. It motivated him to work extra hard over the summer in beach volleyball. He made a full time commitment to volleyball, quit playing rep basketball, and worked hard all year battling through more injuries, to become one of the most dominant middle blockers in the OVA for his age. He is the emotional leader of our team and solidifies the ‘soul’ of our group, which ignites the passion to win a championship!”
“When Coach Tom explained why I got the award he talked about me being injured last year at provincials with a broken arm, and then working hard at beach all summer where I was fortunate enough to win six medals, four of which were gold and one provincial bronze,” said Thandi. “He talked about my commitment to working hard since last year and overcoming adversity this year as well. I played rep basketball last year for one of the top teams in the province, CIA Bounce, and I gave up playing it this year to focus on volleyball. This was a major decision and a big sacrifice I had to make. For all of these reasons, Coach Tom said he and Coach James felt I was deserving of this award. I was very surprised in receiving it, however, I know I have worked very hard this year and I was determined to improve as a player so I could help the team win a provincial gold. At the end of the day my personal goals around getting better are all connected to winning as a team.”
And Leca and his charges hope the winning continues May 5-8 in Ottawa at the National Championships.
“If we stay focused and stay on track and not get carried away with winning Provincials, then we can continue to improve and get better and there will be less of a margin for error,” said Chahal. “As coach Tom always says:
‘Somewhere, someone is working harder than you, and when you face them, they will win’. Keeping that in mind, we will continue to work harder and harder to be a force to be reckoned with in Ottawa!”
“We will definitely try to relay how rare and special this accomplishment actually is to the team this week,” said Leca.
In reference to the Nationals, Leca said, “We will be adjusting a few things with our offensive system to throw something new at the competition in our nation’s capital.”
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