About High Line Beach Volleyball The goal and underlying philosophy of High Line Beach Volleyball is to provide a positive learning environment for every athlete we work with. Success is not only measured by results. To us, it also means that those who train in our programs finish the summer more confident than they began. Along with its partners: Beach 4 Life and Volleyball Manitoba, High Line Beach Volleyball is dedicated to the development of beach volleyball in Manitoba and it all begins in the sand. Benefits of Beach Volleyball Whether you are trying to improve your skill as a beach volleyball athlete or using beach volleyball as off-season training, this sport provides advantages to athletes in many ways. The fundamental skills of volleyball, whether in the sand or on the hard wood, are consistent. Volleyball athletes must acquire skills to bump/ pass, set and hit. Some of the distinct advantages that beach volleyball provides for indoor volleyball athletes and for overall fitness are as follows: • More touches • With only 2 athletes on your side of the court, you are always involved in the play. • Improve defence (reading and anticipation) • While beach volleyball can have a focus on shot and angles when attacking, in order to play defence you must be able to read and anticipate shots, serves and attacks more often. Reading the game is one of the most important aspects of defence in beach volleyball. • Self management • Because coaching during play is limited (as a rule), athletes must learn to make decisions during play to adjust or find momentum. • Player height at provincial and national level is less influential • Whether you are short or tall, beach volleyball doesn’t care. Ideally, it is best to set teams with a blocker and a defender (this is not guaranteed to be determined by height). Speed and accuracy account for many many points in the sand. The tall athlete can benefit by having to learn the skills of passing, serving and playing defence. While a middle blocker may only play front row indoor, they are required to play all positions in the sand. • Ball control will improve • In beach volleyball, you are no longer allowed to receive serves with the overhand pass. This will force you to move your feet and pass the ball more accurately. • Increased vertical jump and conditioning • As the sand under your feet shifts and you are forced to jump higher to hit over the net and having to cover the entire court with only two people, your volleyball conditioning will improve. • Better team communication • Communication between beach volleyball partners is crucial. With only 2 athletes on the court, if communication breaks down, so does the play. The more talk between players, the better. Our Coaches and Our Team Wanda Guenette - Head Coach Wanda’s experience in the sport of volleyball (both disciplines) has spanned over 35 years, with her greatest accomplishment being her participation with Team Canada’s Indoor Volleyball team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. After spending 9 years with the indoor team, Wanda’s love and passion for the other volleyball discipline in the sand came to light and was able to achieve further success on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. In 2006, Wanda retired from International competition and began exploring her role as a coach. Working also as a strength and conditioning coach, Wanda has found a balance and true calling to help young athletes reach their dreams and goals. Wanda, a level 3 NCCP and level 1 FIVB international certified beach volleyball coach, has worked with such notables as Gold Medal Olympian Natalie Cook and Tamsin Hinchley (AUS) and mentored under Olympic coach Steve Anderson. Wanda was also the 2009 Canada Games coach, the 2011 Western Canada Games Coach and has been recently named the 2013 Canada Games Beach Volleyball Head Coach. Other Coaches: Erin Visch-Krahn, Chloe Reimer, Ryan Munt (Canada Games), Catherine-Grace Peters (others to be confirmed) Administration: Catherine-Grace Peters A Few of Our Highlights 2008 - 16U National Champions: 2009 - 18U Silver Medalists: 2010 - 18U National Champions: 2011 - Western Canada Games Gold Medal: Taylor Pischke/Rachel Cockrell Chloe Reimer/Rachel Cockrell Taylor Pischke/Rachel Cockrell Ozana Nikolic/Shanlee McLennan 2008 - 16U Silver Medalists: 2009 - Canada Games 4th place: Chloe Reimer/Brittany Habing Chloe Reimer/Rachel Cockrell 2010 - 21U National Champions: 2011 - Western Canada Games Bronze Medal: (played as 18U in 21U competition) Ryan Munt/Jason DeRocco Steve Guenther/Shane Derooy Testimonials “I’m going into my third year playing with the program and each year I’m more and more excited for the summer season! I couldn’t ask for better coaches; they’ve given me a love for the game and helped me improve my skills all while making it a fun environment” - Shanlee McLennan, 2011 WCSG Gold Medallist “Playing beach has given me the opportunity to compete at a high level of volleyball in a much more relaxed and constructive environment. Mistakes cannot be dwelled on, so it is a much more positive, athletic experience.” - Chloe Reimer, Brandon Bobcats, 16U, 18U National Beach Volleyball Silver Medalist, 2009 Canada Games Beach Team “Beach Volleyball has helped develop every aspect of my game, in particular, amazing ball control. This is a result of only having 2 players on the sand on your side of the court.” - Ryan Munt, University of Manitoba Bisons &16U, 18U, 21U National Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist “I love beach volleyball because it forces me to be dominant at every skill: passing, setting and hitting.” - Rachel Cockrell, University of Manitoba Bisons, 16U, 18U Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist, 2009 Canada Games Beach Team “Beach Volleyball is a fun sport that has helped me with my vertical and defensive skills (reading the attacker). Beach volleyball was a great experience that helped me with my indoor season” - John Sedor, 2010, 2011 High Performance Team Beach volleyball has helped me improve so much as a player. In just one summer, I was able to improve my overall volleyball skills more than I have in 3 years of only playing indoor volleyball. Because it is just you and one other person, that means that you have to touch the ball a lot more; this gives you all the more opportunity to improve your skills. This program was such an amazing experience, not only were the coaches great to work with, but teammates were also involved in helping one another get better. What I loved about it was getting the opportunity to practice with older, experienced players; in doing so, I was able to learn from them and I think that made a significant improvement in the way that I played. The atmosphere at tournaments (Beach 4 Life), was always fun, yet competitive and who doesn’t like spending the summer in the sand and sun?!?” -Brianna Solberg, 2011 16U Beach High Performance Team Summer of 2012 Whether you are just starting out on the sand or you are hoping to develop your skills in our high performance training program, we will have a place for you. Our programs are sanctioned by Volleyball Manitoba as the high performance beach volleyball training program in Manitoba. A Few Things You Need to Know • Age categories in beach volleyball differ from indoor volleyball in that athletes are separated by age every 2 years: • 14U: born 1998 or later • 16U: born 1996 or later • 18U: born 1994 or later • Like tennis, coaching in beach volleyball is limited during play. • Coaching is only allowed during a match in the 14U and 16U age categories; however, coaches are NOT permitted to call timeouts on behalf of their athletes and communication between coaches and athletes can only occur during timeouts and between sets. • Coaches must make themselves known to the scorekeeper prior to the beginning of each match. • With this in mind, athletes are taught about self management on and off the court as the game of beach volleyball offers athletes a more autonomous feel than indoor volleyball. • It is imperative that athletes know and understand the rules of beach volleyball. • As the sport of beach volleyball grows in our country, the opportunities and demand for officials development increase. • Athletes are often expected to act as player officials and scorekeepers during competition (between matches) • All High Line athletes will be given instruction by some of Manitoba’s top beach volleyball officials to assist in this area • Daily Preparation is Required • As we love to enjoy the summer, we have to be aware of the elements in which we play. • We ask that all athletes be prepared for practice/camps/play each time they come to the court. • Athletes should have a bag at all times that contains: • sunscreen, water (lots of water), sunglasses, hat, long sleeve shirt, sweatpants, shoes, socks, towel **All High Line Beach Volleyball athletes MUST be Volleyball Manitoba members: nrs.volleyball.ca. If you are a club athlete, your membership is VALID through beach volleyball season. Summer of 2012 Camps for Beach Beginners 14U-16U This is the quick study of beach volleyball before Beach 4 Life youth tournaments begin, before Nikki Redekop Tournament. Discover the sport and discover your love for beach volleyball in a few short days. Get out of the gym and get get to the beach courts! (Partners not necessary) Camp #1 (Girls) • June 5-7, 2012 • 4:00pm-6:00pm • Melrose Community Centre, 488 Kimberly Avenue, Winnipeg • $150 • Registration Deadline: June 1, 2012 Camp #2 (Boys) • June 12-14, 2012 • 4:00pm-6:00pm • Melrose Community Centre, 488 Kimberly Avenue, Winnipeg • $150 • Registration Deadline: June 1, 2012 Camp #3 (Girls) • June26-28, 2012 • 4:00pm-6:00pm • Melrose Community Centre, 488 Kimberly Avenue, Winnipeg • $150 • Registration Deadline: June 22, 2012 Please see Registration Information at the end of this document Summer of 2012 Training Opportunities for Beach Beginners 14U-16U Learn the tactics and techniques of beach volleyball, work with Wanda Guenette and her team of coaches through 15 sessions of beach volleyball training through July and August.