Last week saw over 200 young athletes finish off their 2018 volleyball season, with a Grade 4/5 volleyball jamboree held at Gibsons Elementary, and the 6/7 Play Day hosted by Elphinstone.
Nine teams of beginner volleyballers descended on the Gibsons gymnasium, where an afternoon of spirited play was enjoyed for most of these first-year players. Under the able officiating of the Grade 7 students of GES, over 80 students enjoyed learning the game and competing against other school teams in the district.
Friday saw 18 teams of boys, girls and mixed teams assemble at Elphi, where the Grade 8 and 9 high school girls refereed a full day of competition. After a full morning of round robin games, teams were seeded into three flights with all 18 teams contending for the district hardware. In the A flight consolation final, it was Langdale squeaking out a 25-22 victory over West Sechelt 1. District Champions on the day, however, taking home the Lee and Janice Brown Memorial Trophy, were back to back champs Cedar Grove 1, defeating Gibsons 2 by a score of 25-17 in the final.
In the B flight play-offs, the consolation final saw the Cedar Grove 3 team and Davis Bay teams square off, and need extra time, with the Cedar Grove squad edging out the Davis Bay Tugs 27-25 in a thrilling final. The B final saw the Gibsons 1 team win in another thriller, 25-22 over Roberts Creek.
Finally, the C flight consolation game had to be defaulted to Roberts Creek 3 by the first-time attendees, Pender Harbour, who brought two teams down to the Play Day, and won their share of games on the day. Winners of the C flight in 2018 were the West Sechelt 2 mixed team defeating Roberts Creek 2 by a score of 25 -21.
Thank you to the principal, staff and students of Elphinstone for giving up your gym for the day, and to PE teacher Owen Schutz and his excellent organization of officials, and their able assistance throughout the day.
Elementary basketball will be starting up shortly after Christmas break, so it is a good time for schools to plan and seek out coaches for their schools to take part in the extracurricular basketball developmental program.
– Submitted by Jim Gray
