By DAVID WINER Mississauga Pakmen officials were ecstatic with the club’s medal sweep at the OVA 18U Ontario Beach Championships August 6-7 at Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay. Unfortunately, with the second- and third-place finishers being as proud and talented as they are, winning a silver medal, as Jordan Pereira and Tomas Sorra did, or a bronze medal, earned by Pranshu Patel and Harnoor Grewal, only served as reminders that they didn’t win the gold. Instead, that honor was shared by Pakmen’s Xander Ketrzynski and Toronto’s Jack McBain, who teamed up to defeat Pereira and Sorra in the final, 21-13, 21-19. “I was really impressed to see five out of six Pakmen players on the podium for 18U,” commented Pakmen beach head coach Jessy Satti. “I watched all weekend and there was some fantastic volleyball. They did a great job representing the club.” Ketrzynski and McBain, both 16 and playing up two age groups, reached the final with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) win over Patel and Grewal in the semi-finals, and a 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-3) decision over eventual fourth-place finishers Nico Duke and Mitchell Neuert of Leaside in the quarters. “The podium finish seemed to be right in my opinion,” added Satti. “It was an interesting summer with most of the boys playing indoor volleyball, (so) a lot of them hadn’t had much formal beach training this summer. Any of those three teams could have come out on top, so the results seem pretty accurate.” Asked what separated Ketrzynski and McBain from their Pakmen challengers, Satti said that there was very little. “I watched them play all weekend and they were definitely a physical team,” summarized Satti on the winners. “They had a strong presence at the net with solid blocking and effective attacking.” According to Ketrzynski, “What makes Jack and I a successful team is probably the fact that we have been playing together for around four years.” The 6-foot-9 Ketrzynski, who will enter Grade 11 at Toronto’s York Mills Collegiate in the fall, added that he and the 6-foot-4 McBain seemed to find an extra gear in the quarter-finals. “The team that gave us the most trouble was Neuert and Duke,” said Ketrzynski. “Everything really started to click in the third set against (them) when we came out, after a shaky start, and beat them 15-3 in the third.” Ketrzynski and McBain, who doesn’t play indoor volleyball, but instead excels in hockey having starred for Don Mills Flyers and became a first-round pick of the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts earlier this summer, let it be known that their jubilation for winning was met with some relief as well. That’s because Xander’s brother Cole held all the family bragging rights after winning the Provincial 15U title the previous week along with teammate Peter Rugosi. “(It’s) definitely (a relief) for me and for Jack because his sister also won 18U gold the same weekend,” said Xander. “(Although) I don’t think (my other brother) Trent brought home a medal because he wasn’t very enthusiastic after the tournament.” All three brothers initially took up volleyball because of their dad Alex’s involvement in the sport. Alex, a member of the Pakmen’s coaching staff, was a member of Team Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. He was also a member of the Junior Men’s team that won the first-ever gold medal for Canada in a sanctioned international tournament, the 1978 NORCECA Junior Championships in Mexico. “(Dad’s success) is what started (my interest in volleyball), but now I just really enjoy the sport,” said Xander. Pereira and Sorra reached the championship final with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-14) victory over Adam Child and Chris Dorsey of Toronto in their semi-final, and a 2-0 (21-3, 21-6) decision over Anthony DeGirolamo and Logan House in the quarters. Meanwhile, Patel and Grewal had beaten Justin Lui and Mathew Ganzhorn 2-0 (21-18, 22-24) in their quarter-final confrontation. “Pranshu and I lost in the semis to a bigger team,” explained Grewal, who along with Patel, stands 6-foot-1. “It was (also) our first time playing together since 14U Grade 8. “(But,) it was easy to play with him,” added Grewal, who will be attending Grade 12 at Mississauga Secondary School in the fall, “because he is my close friend and we are both left handed, which threw teams off a bit.”

By DAVID WINER Whoever said, “It’s so hard to find good help these days,” didn’t travel in the same circles as Matthew Rugosi and Arthur Bento. Although only 13 and 12 respectively, Rugosi and Bento have a wealth of experience to rely on when preparing and competing at volleyball tournaments. And, the OVA U13 Beach Championships on August 6 at Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay was no exception. Rugosi, an indoor champion with the Mississauga Pakmen, and Bento, an indoor star with the Aurora Storm, are always in earshot of an expert’s voice, from Matthew’s father Franco, Bento’s mother Adriana, and Pakmen head beach coach Jessy Satti. Rugosi instructs at the Toronto Volleyball Academy and is a coach with the Pakmen; Satti advanced through the Pakmen ranks as a star player before becoming a pivotal member of Pakmen’s coaching staff; and Bento played indoor and beach for Brazil, and currently coaches for Volleyball Canada, and for the U of T women’s indoor team. When it came time to put that extensive coaching knowledge into practice, Rugosi and Bento proved great listeners as they excelled in capturing the U13 age group at the OVA championships with a straight-set victory over Aurora Storm’s Mitchell Law-Heese and Brandon Nichol in the gold medal match. “We had three great coaches – Jessy from Pakmen, Adriana and my dad Franco, who is also a Pakmen coach,” said Rugosi. “They all helped by teaching us different things, fine tuning our technique and giving us great hints during the matches.” Rugosi and Bento entered the championships as the No. 1 seeds with identical 1,000-point scores to Law-Heese and Nichol from earlier tournament action this summer. “Since we beat Law-Heese/Nichol in other matches, we were seeded ahead of them,” explained Rugosi, adding fellow Pakmen Kenneth Mann and Abinesh Ravendra were seeded third, and indeed placed third to win the bronze over Ottawa’s J. Rainville and Samuel Deschenes. In all, there were four teams entered in the tournament featuring players from the same winning 13U indoor Pakmen squad. Along with Rugosi, Mann and Ravendra, other Pakmen participants included Carter Chan and Anshul Keswani, as well as Benjamin Zhang and Aaron Torres. But, whether facing teammates from indoor play, or foes, Rugosi gets just as emotionally charged for a match either way. “To me, it doesn’t matter who I play,” said Rugosi, who will be attending Grade 8 at Etobicoke’s Our Lady of Sorrows in the fall. “I am always excited to play and look forward to a great match and hopefully win. I (just) love playing beach volleyball.” Rugosi, who previously played with Bento for one indoor season with Leaside Thunder, feels having two seasons of beach play behind them as a duo is helpful. “Since we have been playing together for over two years, we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and have learned how to motivate each other to improve our play,” said the 5-foot Rugosi. “We also complement each other – Arthur is great at the net, and I love to dive and dig up balls.” “I think it is our passion to play beach and we really play as a team, with Matthew making the backcourt digs; and myself as a blocker and cover the front,” chimed in the 5-foot-8 Bento, who will attend Grade 7 at Markham’s Sir John A. Macdonald Public School in the fall. Of the five matches the gold medalists played, Bento felt, “The final against my teammates Markus and Brandon was the toughest (match). We were very focused on what to do, also very open to listening to Franco’s instructions. We won silver last year and we really wanted the gold this year.” Bento is delighted with the coaching setup he and Rugosi have. “We practice four times a week,” explained Arthur, “with two practices at Pakmen with Jessy, and two practices with my mom, Adriana. Franco was our coach during the tournaments, and I was very fortunate to have all three coaches helping us to improve our game.” “I help coach the boys during pre-games and timeouts identifying the strategic direction against each opposing team and how to capitalize (on) their weaknesses,” confirmed Franco, “and of course helping them to focus on what is required to win. “All the coaches certainly have their strengths,” continued Franco. “I can’t speak for them, but for me, I always encourage my players to strive for perfection because it is their desire for perfection that will take their game to the next level. And always execute with 110 per cent effort – you (should) play how you practice.” Satti was certainly pleased with his charges’ play at the OVA championships. “Arthur and Matthew played really well all day,” said Satti. “They truly peaked at the right time…their positioning was great, they were being aggressive at the right times, and they were solid defensively. They were putting a lot of pressure on teams by serving tough and playing good defence. Their opponents really needed to earn (their) points against them.” One familiar face who couldn’t be on hand for the U13 championships was Bento’s mother Adriana, who was in Rio de Janeiro working as an assistant coach for Canada’s beach volleyball teams. “I will be back this Friday (Aug. 19) and I will be there to see my son and my daughter play in the Beach Nationals,” promised Adriana. “(While) I saw my son play the U14 provincials and my daughter play in the U14 in the same week, I was not there when my son won the U13 Provincial gold medal. “Normally I coach Matthew and Arthur two times a week and I bring Arthur to work out with Jessy two times a week with the other Pakmen players. My son likes to work with Jessy and I don’t mind that he practices with Pakmen, (even though) he plays for Storm in Aurora.” Bento feels the working arrangements she has with Satti and Rugosi introduces her son to more than one voice and one

Pakmen Volleyball Club club president Kelly Smith is thrilled to announce the addition of CIS standout coach, Dustin Reid, to their coaching staff. Dustin is widely considered to be one of the top coaches in Canada, both on the girls side and the boys side, and comes with an impressive history, both as a player, leader and coach. “Dustin will act as a mentor for both our athletes and coaches. He will be leading on the court during practices and helping our athletes, coaches and teams achieve their goals” commented Smith. “Together with head coach Orest Stanko, Dustin will help us offer the right leadership to continue to attract and develop the best young coaches. I have known Dustin for 12 years and I do not know a more widely respected coach and person. Today is a good day for Pakmen”. Dustin Reid is the head coach of both the mens and womens volleyball teams at Ryerson University. They are both coming off one of their most successful seasons in school history. A former Canadian national team player, Reid represented Canada in more than 120 international matches including two World cups, the 1994 World Championship and two Olympic qualification attempts (1996 and 2000). He also played professionally for four years in Germany and Switzerland. Reid played one season with the University of Toronto men’s volleyball program and was a captain of Ontario’s gold medal winning team at the 1993 Canada Games. A NCCP certified Level 3 volleyball coach, Reid served as Technical Director for the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) for four years prior to coming to Ryerson. From 2001-2004 he coached Professionally in Switzerland winning four different national championships including leading the MTV Naefels VC professional men’s team to back-to-back Swiss League championships in 2003 and 2004. Reid remains very involved in Long Term Athlete Development initiatives both provincially and nationally. He is an active coach and learning facilitator in the OVA ADP and Coaching programs, is a volunteer LTAD committee member at Ontario Volleyball and currently serves as the chair of Volleyball Canada’s Domestic Development Committee.

By DAVID WINER Volleyball Canada bestowed upon the Mississauga Pakmen the greatest compliment an organization can ever hope to receive when the 2016 National Junior Team was unveiled in June. Of the 14 stars named to the squad, not one, not two, but three members of the 18U Pakmen men’s team were included. Left sides Sharone Vernon-Evans and Taryq Sani and libero Jordan Pereira were rewarded for their long hours of sweat and dedication, when Canadian head coach Gino Brousseau and his assistants Jeff Chung and François St-Denis, selected the trio. They were joined by fellow Ontarians, right side Charlie Bringloe and middle Matthew Mawdsley of the London VC, middle Daenan Gyimah of the Scarborough Titans and left side Matthew Passalent of the Mountain Athletic Club. The Ontario Seven will be joined by University of Saskatchewan teammates and setters Derek Epp and CJ Gavlas of Saskatoon, middle Pearce Eshenko (Banff), left side Jacob Kern (Edmonton) and middle Max Vriend (Barrhead) of Alberta, left side Eric Loeppky of Steinbach, Manitoba and Libero Eli Risso of Kelowna, B.C. They will comprise the hosting Canadian team at the U21 NORCECA (North America, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Federation) Continental Championship from July 5-10 in Gatineau, Quebec. And, as Pakmen club and U18 head coach Orest Stanko is anxious to point out, Pakmen’s representation at NORCECA came tantalizingly closer to becoming four, five, or even six strong. “Not only are there three Pakmen athletes on the Junior National Team, three other athletes from the 18U team were recognized for their talent and were invited to the Youth National Team tryouts, including Jak Paterson, Jordan Figueira and Xander Ketrzynski,” explained an euphoric Stanko. “Unfortunately, none of the three were selected.” However, Stanko added, “I’m exceedingly proud of the three athletes and their selection to the team.” Stanko couldn’t say enough about the individual strengths of the three players who helped the Pakmen win the OVA championship and come within a set of winning the National Championships. “Taryq’s athleticism immediately stands out,” says Stanko of Sani. “Despite being only 6-foot-2, his spike touch is an impressive 12 feet. Taryq has a bright future as an outside hitter whether LS (left side) or RS (right). What also stands out about Taryq is his relentless work ethic and dedication to becoming a better player.” “Sharone has been on Team Canada’s radar screen for several years. He has the prototypical volleyball physique; he is tall (6-foot-8), has an incredible reach (216 cm), and an outstanding, world-class vertical (spike jump touch 12-foot-3). What is especially attractive for the National Team is that Sharone has been trained as an outside hitter. He has the potential to become a ‘go-to’ hitter in the same mold as current Team Canada senior team stalwart, Gavin Schmitt.” “JP established himself as one of the best liberos in the the country,” said Stanko of the 5-foot-11 Pereira. “JP’s best skill, by far, is his defensive play. Many of his digs are jaw-dropping and are a direct result of his fearless attitude.” So, considering Pereira, Sani and Vernon-Evans’ many strengths, Stanko was the least bit surprised that so many Pakmen and Ontario-area players were selected to the team by Canada’s braintrust, that also included Senior men’s coach Glenn Hoag. “Pakmen Volleyball Club and (President) Kelly Smith are dedicated to athlete development and providing the best possible supportive environment for athletes to achieve their goals,” explained Stanko. “It is a privilege to be a part of the best volleyball club in Canada.” According to Stanko, the improvement of the sport in this province is largely due to the implementation of more full-time staffers “Many of the clubs, especially the larger ones such as Aurora, Ottawa Mavericks, LVC…and of course Pakmen, have attracted, and in some cases retained, full-time, high-quality coaches,” explained Stanko. “Additionally, many of the clubs are developing relevant yearly training plans, which have had a direct impact on technical skill development. And as the skill level of the athletes increases, the quality of the competition increases, which has an additional, direct impact on the ability of the top athletes to compete at the next level.” All the coaching in the world couldn’t prepare the players for the excruciating wait each had to endure before learning whether they were a part of the national team, or not. Pereira gave a description of the stress each of the Pakmen must have felt before learning of their fates the second week of June at an invitation only tryout in Gatineau. “Before my meeting I was extremely nervous,” admitted the Eden High School graduate from St.Catharines. “Probably the most stressed out I’ve ever been. I was sitting and waiting for my meeting outside of the (coaches) room with all the other liberos, since they went by position. (And) out of the liberos, I was the second last to go, so whenever a libero finished their meeting, I covered my face with my shirt so I couldn’t tell if they made the team or not. They were only picking two liberos and I didn’t want to know if I made the team before my meeting started. My meeting was conducted by Glenn Hoag and Gino Brousseau and was very brief. They told me I made it, said a couple things, and I left. The whole walk back to my room I could not stop smiling. Luckily my roommate, Sharone, also made it so I told him the good news and the mood in our room was very happy.” “I was really excited and immediately contacted my family to share the good news,” said Vernon-Evans of his reaction. “To conclude my club career by making the national team is a perfect ending,” said Pereira, who added that the coaches’ decision regarding liberos came down to, “passing and defense. So they really relied on the stats. They also looked at who could control the defense and passing…something I am still working on.” While Pereira’s and Sani’s time with the Pakmen was relatively

By DAVID WINER Life has come full circle for Mississauga’s Niko Rukavina. Beginning his club volleyball career at the relatively late age of 17 with the Mississauga Pakmen, Rukavina is returning to the fold to serve as a coach beginning next fall. Since leaving Mississauga, the 27-year-old St. Paul Secondary School graduate has excelled as a player, despite the late start, starring for five years with Queen’s University Golden Gaels before traveling overseas to compete professionally in Jonkoping, Sweden for Habo Wolley and near Stuttgart, Germany for TV Rottenburg. Coinciding with his playing career, Rukavina graduated from being an ardent student of the game, to a star on the court, and finally, an astute teacher and coach off of it. And now the Pakmen are about to benefit from Rukavina’s expertise and vast experience after initially giving him the technical tools to carve out a niche in the sport. Rukavina’s meteoric rise in volleyball has certainly been matched by the Pakmen in his absence. Winners of seven Provincial and two National indoor and beach titles before he joined the Pakmen, the club has since become the envy of the nation, capturing 50 Provincial and 21 National titles. And 2016 has been the most successful year to date. With the outdoor season expected to bring in more gold on the beach, the indoor season resulted in five Provincial and two National titles. Now, Rukavina and the Pakmen hope to build on that success and expand exponentially on an already winning tradition. Rukavina is certainly eager to get started. “When I spoke with (Pakmen founder and President) Kelly (Smith) at U16 Ontario Championships I couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic with him,” recalled Rukavina of their meeting in April. “Its been almost 10 years since I played with Pakmen and I can’t believe how things have changed. What Kelly and his staff have done with this club is incredible and I feel privileged to be able to join that coaching community and learn from some of the top coaches in the province. “I need to do some digging in my closet at my parents house to find some of my old Pakmen gear,” he kidded. Returning to Canada from Europe after the 2013-14 season, Rukavina completed his Bachelors of Education degree at Queen’s, and now works as a teacher. “I spent five years of Undergrad in Kingston (prior to making my pro debut) and I fell in love with the city,” explained Rukavina. “It was a very natural move for me to go back to Kingston and help with my old Queen’s program (as an assistant coach) and start some programming with (Kingston’s) Pegasus club. I love that I started my coaching career in Kingston, but am now ready to move to Toronto where there are some more opportunities for me to be in the gym coaching and teaching. Most of my family is in Mississauga so that will be a nice change from living three hours away.” Smith, who considers Rukavina one of the best players the club has ever produced despite playing only two seasons on the beach and one indoors, is tickled pink to add to an already talented pool of mentors under head coach Orest Stanko. Smith said Rukavina made himself into an eventual rightside starter and by season’s end the best player on that U18 team, through hard work and a “natural aptitude” for the game. “Pakmen is thrilled to welcome Niko aboard as a full time coach in our club this fall,” said Smith. “He was an outstanding player and is already a highly regarded coach. He is very technical and has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the players.” “Our goal is to build the best youth volleyball club in the world,” continued Smith. “In order to do that, we have to attract the best coaches in the sport. We feel we are doing that and are excited about the future. We have the sign out; if you are in coaching for the right reasons, love kids, and want to work in an environment which promotes excellence, give us a call. The calls are coming.” The addition of Rukavina comes on the heels of another hiring of a former professional player and former Queen’s star, Michael Amoroso, who was hired to be a roving instructor. And the hirings coming immediately after one another is no coincidence considering how well the two are familiar with one another, both as teammates and competitors on either side of the net. “Niko has been one of my closest friends for 10 years,” began Amoroso. “Niko and I first met in the summer of 2007 with the provincial team program in Ottawa. We were teammates that summer, before heading to Queen’s University together for our first year. We both coached at Queen’s Volleyball Camp (that summer) and stayed at the same house with a veteran player. For both of us, it was our first real experience coaching volleyball.” In fact, Rukavina and Amoroso were Provincial team teammates for five years and Canada Games teammates for two. Later, after graduating, Rukavina and Amoroso were opponents with two different Swedish clubs. “As an athlete,” continued Amoroso, “Niko was a committed teammate, who was able to connect with all players on every team that we played on. His ability to relate to and bond with all of our teammates was integral to our team unity, and without Niko I doubt we would have had any success. As a person, Niko is humble and easy to get along with, qualities that allow him to interact with different ages of athlete seamlessly – athletes of all ages and levels trust him and are eager to learn from him.” Amoroso fully expects those strengths will be valuable to the Pakmen program moving forward. “To the club, Niko brings a strong technical base that all athletes need in order to make the jump,” said Amoroso. “Niko is one of the most natural athletes

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

By DAVID WINER It’s a case of deja vu all over again. Fresh off a gold medal showing at the OVA Ontario Championships in Waterloo over the weekend (April 15-17), and in search of a medal at next month’s Nationals in Edmonton, Pakmen 18U girls head coach Michael Albert has agreed to return to the 18U team for next year’s indoor season. Current 17U head coach Tyler Robinson, who led the Pakmen 17U squad to silver at the Provincials after entering the tournament as the third seed, is expected to join the boys’ side. During his 15 years of coaching at the club level, Albert has been no stranger to winning. The graduate of Sheridan College, has seven Ontario championships to his credit as a coach as well as two silver medals. He also has two National Championship gold medals, and a silver. Two of those Ontario medals have come at the 18U level, having won silver on the boys’ side and the recent gold on the girls’ side.   Albert also has substantial experience at other age levels, having won gold medals in the 13U, 14U, 15U and 17U divisions. “The wide range of age groups have been so valuable in developing my skills as a coach,” said Albert. “I’ve trained male and female athletes from Grades 5-12 and enjoyed my time assisting a talented college team at Sheridan. “Skill development is a key component for me as a coach,” added Albert, who has been at the helm of three teams in the 18U level. “I believe this is the foundation in preparing (players) for higher level competition from university to college and on to the international level. Additionally, I believe athletes need to develop their own self awareness with every aspect of the game. Developing their ability to self correct when required, learning to evaluate and react to opponent tendencies during competition and have the freedom to make mistakes through supportive coaching staff and teammates. “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to coach at Pakmen,” he added. “The deep resources available to me as a coach, combined with the many training programs offered to players, have created an exciting and effective environment to develop high performance athletes and teams.” Before graduating from Sheridan College, Albert enjoyed a successful career as a setter, winning four OCAA titles, a National silver medal and a National bronze medal. Albert also competed for Team Ontario, winning yet another National Championship. As an assistant coach with Sheridan, Albert enjoyed more success, including a number of gold and silver medals at the provincial and national levels during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. Albert also has experience as a middle, having played the position for nine years on a men’s team. Albert says taking over a new team entering its final year of club competition, poses both advantages and disadvantages. “Advantages are the ability to quickly impact players with your coaching style,” explained Albert. “You are new to the athlete and your coaching methods, can be an exciting change for both the players and coaches. “This disadvantage,” he added, ” is that you are limited to a short period of time to make more difficult changes. Based on their performance this season in 17U action, Albert has a strong nucleus to mold into an instant winner.