The SVA Regional Development Programme for 2016-2017 continued
with a 2 day volleyball camp for junior boys and girls from the Islands of Orkney & Shetland, taking place @ Stromness Academy on 14-15 January 2017.
The objective of the SVA Regional Development Programme is to create a “community of practice” for coaches to share ideas and to provide young athletes with the opportunity to become better volleyball players.
The Stromness camp certainly achieved both with SVA Scotland East U17 boys head coach Ian Brownlee travelling north to lead the camp, joined by Scotland East & Scotland U20 assistant coach Doug Crockart, Stromness Academy head of PE Belinda Warnock and Shetland Men’s head coach Ben Laurenson.
The coaches spent much of the weekend comparing similarities and differences in volleyball and sports opportunities for young athletes on the mainland and on the islands, and the camp provided the perfect opportunity to get to work with the enthusiastic and talented young volleyball athletes from Orkney and Shetland.
The athletes made new friends and worked hard and by day 2 the progress in defence, setting and spiking was clear to see.
The next steps for the young athletes from Stromness Academy will be to play their qualifying round matches in the SVA Scottish Schools Cup for boys and girls S4-5-6. 2016-2017 is the first year that Stromness have entered following the restructure of the Scottish Schools Cup to create regional pools with multiple qualifying matches.
Meanwhile for the Shetland athletes the next volleyball competition will be their home fixtures in the SVA Scottish Volleyball League 2, where they will take on NUVOC II and Edinburgh Jets II in Lerwick on 11-12 February.
Well done to everyone who took part in the camp and good luck with your up and coming competitions.
Ian Brownlee
