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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
Good coaches make better players.
Those words have rung true throughout the ages ever since athletes developed a desire to improve, coupled with a zest for knowledge.
Of course, that sparks yet another conversation. When does too much coaching become confusing for the athlete and ends up being a hindrance.
It’s a delicate balance athletic clubs have grappled with since overrated teams began losing unexpectedly and underrated teams triumphed against all odds.
Since Mississauga Pakmen founder, president, and initial head coach Kelly Smith hit a home run by hiring Orest Stanko as the club’s new head coach three years ago, the volleyball club has reached new heights challenging for greater provincial and national glory.
Now, the club is about to add to the coaching mix with the hiring of Michael Amoroso.
Breaking away from the norm that most other clubs subscribe to, the former professional player will serve as a roving instructor, rather than a team head coach, filling in where needed to add another set of eyes and a different sounding voice, while Stanko will continue to oversee the entire program.
“It’s not as complicated as you might think,” explained Stanko, about the possibility of having too many coaches in the players’ ear. “Going forward I will be meeting with all of the coaches to prepare yearly training plans for their respective teams. The plans will obviously be specific for each age group, gender and level of ability. The plan will outline training priorities, including individual team objectives and associated key performance indicators and measures. Both Michael and I will engage with each coach to determine priorities prior to engaging in practice sessions.
“Observations in competitions and tournaments will also help to identify any deficiencies and areas that need to be addressed whether technical skills or team tactics,” added Stanko, stressing, there will be no stepping on the toes of the full-time team coaches. “Any participation or input will be done in a collaborative manner.”
“There will be some coordinating,” agrees Amoroso. “Ultimately my place is where I am needed most by the club. The idea at this point is to work with as many groups as possible, to both help athletes and learn from different coaches. But I’m leaving that aspect to Kelly, as he sees all the moving parts of the club better than anyone.
“As for specific training,” added Amoroso, “every team will have different needs. That will ideally be coordinated with the head coaches in the club. But I think there is a lot of value in running sessions different from those that teams will see on a regular basis — different drills, some different verbiage — ultimately it should make athletes more malleable to new ideas and concepts, and make them more complete players.”
As for the chance of interfering with the team coach’s relationship with his or her players, Amoroso stresses, “That is the last thing anyone wants to (have) happen. We are looking to provide support for the system already put in place by team head coaches. With that in mind, everything we do is for the athletes in Pakmen, and their best interests. I hope to add as much value to their volleyball careers possible, and be a resource for whoever wants it. I look forward to meeting all the coaches and players from the club, and being part of such an incredible family.”
Both Smith and Stanko are excited to have Amoroso joining the Pakmen clan.
“Michael embodies some key attributes that will make him an outstanding coach,” said Stanko of Amoroso’s appointment. “He has played the game at a high level; he is an excellent communicator; he is competitive; and he is an excellent motivator.”
Special words indeed for the former Queen’s Golden Gaels middle blocker, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Gender Studies and was a member of Canada’s Junior National Team in 2008-09.
“I’m glad to be a part of an awesome club,” said the just turned 27-year-old, who helped coach Mississauga’s VCCE (Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence) program for the past year, and will continue in that vein next year.
“The idea is to be able to work with a number of teams and levels, both on the girls’ and boys’ side, and to really be involved with all of the club’s players, as opposed to just one small group, or level.
“Kelly and Orest will ultimately point me where they think I can help the most,” added Amoroso. “I’d like to connect with every team in the club at some point, but they have decades of experience and the right vision for the club and athletes, so I have complete trust in their direction.”
While Amoroso had much experience at the instructional level, he has little background as a team head coach, and will not be required to do so in his new position.
“I have worked training athletes for years, so that aspect will not be too much of a shift,” agrees Amoroso. “Every athlete around the world needs something different, so as a coach you always have to be malleable.
“With that in mind, the closest I have come to a consistent face with a team was with the Ontario provincial team this past summer, and that was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. My strength lies in the training aspect of the game — I do not have deep experience on the bench of a club team. I think for that reason as well, there will be a ton of value in being able to spend time on the benches with many different coaches in the club, and to have mentors like Kelly and Orest available for guidance.”
The 6-foot-6 Amoroso, who previously played for the Orkelljunga Volleyball Club in Sweden, the Panathinaikos Athletic Club in Greece and the Chemie Volley Mitteldeutschland in Germany, feels he already has a head start when it comes to coaching in the Pakmen system.
“The players in this club are incredible,” says the Toronto native, who graduated from Dante Alighieri High School before moving on to Queen’s for five years. “(They have) so much genuine love for the game. That’s what keeps me motivated to get better as a coach, and I am looking forward to seeing more of those players. This game grows and changes every year, with new styles, techniques and methods being used all around the world. Every coach has room to keep learning more. As for a style, I do my best to present new ideas, drills and concepts to athletes, and also to create scenarios that encourage them to think outside of the box that they have played in — to really access the many other ways to find success in the same sport.”
Away from the court, Amoroso is an employee of eLTee Consultancy, a professional organization of agents and consultants, dedicated to helping athletes from around the world pursue their professional and international careers in both men’s and women’s volleyball.
“Our busiest period is just about to start as teams start shopping for their next season’s rosters. For even the most elite of athletes coming from the Pakmen club however, a professional career is still a long ways away.”
Upon joining the VCCE program last year, Amoroso said, “I learned from an early age what it meant to play every day to win. For young athletes, it’s extremely important to understand the difference between playing and competing. Internationally, athletes make a clear distinction between playing for fun and working to get better, and this is something I hope to help instill in young athletes.”
“My father was a very talented soccer player growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, competing at the highest level the country had to offer at the time (early to mid-50’s) and always pushed me hard to be the best I could be, while my (Irish) mom worked hard to make sure I kept my priorities in order to get to the level I needed to get to.”
And, as a “talent scout and manager of the athletes,” for eLTee Consultancy, “helping guide them through the process, advocating for them on every level and advising them from a position of recent experience in their shoes,” Amoroso can prove to be a good sounding board for late teens considering their futures after graduating from university.
“Whether young athletes work with me and eLTee Consultancy, or another agency, I’m always available for advice and guidance in this field — my interest remains in the growth of the sport, and helping players achieve their dreams above all else.”
With so many Pakmen dreams having already come true, both indoor and outdoor, provincially and nationally, Amoroso would love to help set the bar of learning and succeeding a couple notches higher.
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