Due to the closure of the Kelvin Hall the format of the Senior Schools Festival had to be modified. The event was moved to the fantastic facility of Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, with the boys and girls competitions taking place on separate days.
Eastwood High School, Castlehead High School and Cleveden High schools all partook in their first festival and the spirit and buzz that they brought to the event was tremendous. At the other end of the spectrum some of the established volleyball that was on display in pool A was impressive. It’s fantastic that we are able to cater for all abilities at festivals and allow newer participants to view a high standard of 6v6 volleyball and then try to recreate it in their own pools.
In the girl’s tournament, the top pool was fierce with all five teams full of players with exposure to Junior National league which was evident to see. However, the competition within all pools resulted in a big improvement in some teams by the end of the day. In the end it was Marr College who came out victorious in the top pool after an extraordinary comeback against an impressive Belmont Academy side.
In the boy’s competition the level of play was competitive from the start. All teams took to their duties of officiating, scoring and line-judging with great enthusiasm, which allowed for a great platform for the players to just enjoy playing. The top pool was as close as could be, with an epic encounter between Ayrshire powerhouses Belmont Academy and Kyle Academy as the deciding match. The teams could not be separated as it ended in a draw, with Belmont Academy winning the pool on point’s difference.
For the teams learning the game, the rallies went back and forth
with all teams adopting a never say die attitude to keeping the ball in play. Teachers and coaches were stood at the side of the court encouraging their players to play the right way at every opportunity.
A massive thanks is due to the teachers, active school coordinators, coaches and school staff who gave up their time and organised for the schools to participate in the festival.
West Regional Development Officer, Andrew Fleming, stated that the tournaments were great with the new schools doing really well in this environment. They were very enjoyable days.
Players and schools went away very enthused and hopefully the enthusiasm will carry forward to the next festival on Tuesday 25th November for S2/3 at Grangemouth Sports Complex. If you want to get involved in future festivals then please get in touch here.
Graeme Spowart
Club & Participation Development Officer