Volleyball Nationals 2018 were held from May 16 to May 22, in Edmonton, Alberta. This huge event took place at the Edmonton Expo Centre, which has more than 50 full-size volleyball courts! There were around 1000 participating teams from all over the country, from the Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador. For the first time in 3 years, everyone from both Western and Eastern Canada attended the same nationals competition at the same venue, so there were tens of thousands of people in the building! All age groups, from U14 to U18 played in this 6-day event, with most age groups having more than one division and each division having 4 tiers. Every gym was filled with anticipation, cheer and hype!
My team is called Canada West, and I am in the U15 Division 1 category. We played really well the second day, but had a close and tough loss in an important match. We were eliminated, finishing around 20th out of the 50 teams.
In addition to all the volleyball club teams playing each other, Team Canada was also there (both the Men’s and Women’s National Team)! The Men’s National Team played an exhibition game against Mexico’s National Team, and won 4 sets to 0, which was incredible. We were able to witness some of the best in the world compete at an international level!
Also, the Team Canada Paralympic volleyball teams played “sitting volleyball” in front of large crowds. This sport was really interesting to watch, and looked so difficult! Canada’s Men’s Team played Team USA, but lost in the final set.
In summary, the tournament was awesome! Whether teams finished their season with a medal around their neck or not, everyone had a great time. Personally, I really bonded with my team and made new friends. See you next year at Nationals 2019 in Toronto!