We have been back playing for four weeks now and it has been fun .. and challenging. It has been fabulous to see everyone again and great to get on court, but it has taken quite a bit of organising. Like clubs up and down the country, we are working hard to create COVID-safe environments for our players and coaches:
A huge thank you to the coaches who are trying hard to keep sessions fun and effective. A huge thank you to our venues who are working with us to make sure everyone is safe. And a huge thank you to the players who are coping with the different sessions and to those players are taking responsibility to self-isolate or shield if they need to. I have no idea what the new traffic light restrictions will mean, but I hope we manage to continue. There is no doubt that training is providing a mental health boost to our players. Who would have thought that one of the most important bits of kit for a volleyball session was hand sanitiser and wet wipes?
0 Comments
During these difficult times, I wanted to say a big thank you to those people who give up their time to make our club work.
Here, at Leicester Athena, we are really fortunate to have a group of people who are committed to helping us grow. As a player, you can sometimes have no idea of the amount of effort that goes on behind the scenes. I am going to mention. Few of our fabulous volunteers here: Sarah is one of our founders. She is captain of the NVL squad, she is club secretary, she coaches the regional league squad and is the one people turn to when they want a sensible answer. Charlie is captain of the local league squad and she is our player engagement officer 9i.e. if anyone has a problem, they can go to her). Sarah and Charlie have been working REALLY hard recently to make sure we can get back to training. They have bene contacting venues and Volleyball England to clarify what we can and cannot do. Without them, we would have no volleyball right now. Sam is our safeguarding officer. With our growing junior section, having someone like Sam around helps enormously and makes sure we have the right behaviours and processes in place to keep our juniors are as safe as possible. We have our coaches, of course. Steve Jones brings a huge amount of experience and, this year, is being supported by Roli and Kim. As I mentioned, Sarah coaches who regional league squad supported by Petra. Paul coaches the local league and the junior squad. Alongside Sarah and Charlie, as captains, we have Edyta who is the new regional league captain, helped by her vice-captain, Ioana. Then we have committee members such as Alysia and Kristy who look after our finances and arrange social events. But they are also part of the soul of the club as they have been with us from the start. That is an impressive cast list, but we would always welcome more support. Personally, I would like one or two of our parents to get involved as well as a couple of juniors to make sure juniors have a voice when we make decision. But that is just me .. always wanting a bit more. To those people mentioned above and to all the others who help in other ways such as arranging nights out, line-judging, asking questions, being engaged … THANK YOU!!!!!! Yes, we are back playing volleyball.
We started on Saturday with juniors at DMU Watershed. We had 4 new faces and one of the new girls was asked if she wanted train with the regional squad as well because she impressed that much. On Sunday morning, Sarah took charge of the regional squad for the first time, alongside new captain, Edyta. A total of 9 players came along which is a good turnout considering another 3 were at the beach tournament in Kettering. In the afternoon, Paul ran the first local league training at New College and we had 8 players turn up. Again, we had 2 new faces and we had 3 juniors who cannot make Saturdays so will train with the local league squad. Finally, Steve Jones took training for the national league squad, There were 11 players there and they experienced Steve's brand of high intensity and highly technical coaching. I heard that there were some very tired people at the end of the day. No matter which squad you were in, whether coach or player, one thing that united us all ... it felt AMAZING to be back on court! Yes, we are BACK!
After an eternity (actually 6 months), we are starting training again. Juniors Our juniors are going to kick things off at DMU Watershed on Saturday 19th September. They train from 10 am until noon. Regional League Our new look regional squad, complete with new coaches Sarah and Petra, start on Sunday 20th September from 10 am til noon at New College. Local League Our local league group will train from 2 pm until 4 pm on Sunday at New College. National League Finally, the national league squad meet up with their new coach, Steve Jones, on Sunday from 4 pm until 6. A huge thank you to the venues for working so well with us, and a thank you to Sarah and Charlie for all the planning, especially Charlie for her work in developing our COVID-19 risk assessment and policy (click here to see our COVID-19 documentation). Lastly, we are recruiting. We are looking for regional league, local league and junior players. So come join us and get into volleyball. The growth of our junior section has to be one of the most exciting aspects of the 2019-20 season.
We started the season with 6 players and, by the end of the season, we had 18 players ranging from 11 years old to 18 years old. They have been brilliant. They train on Wednesdays alongside the local league team which means we have to manage with two squads, but they turn up, have fun and take part. It has also been great to see people from the Regional League and National League squads get involved and give up time to train the juniors. A huge thank you to Eli, who has been wonderful and to Alexandra and Thereza who have helped deliver training to the juniors too. Every single one of the juniors have improved. From the raw beginners to those who have played before, they have worked hard and got better. We have even started to introduce some of the juniors into the local league team. Nikki has been in the team for a year, but it has also been rewarding to see Evie and Emily and Barbora starting to make the step up. We even had our first Juniors social event when we took 6 players to Boost Trampolining for a bit of team bonding. When the Coronavirus lockdown is over, we will organise a big party for the juniors to celebrate the season. Next season We have talked to the more experienced players and we have agreed to create a second Regional League team next season. It will be very hard work and they will be up against much more experienced teams. They will lose a lot of matches, but we veleive it will help them grow as indivduals and as players. By the end of the 2020-21 season, they will be winning sets and pushing other teams hard. At the beginning of this season, we were still coming off the high of winning Division 3 last season. We knew that this new league would bring about it’s challenges, but we were ready to put in the work in order to be successful. We sat down as a team at the beginning and created our goals for the year. Our top goal? Be placed at least mid-table by the end of the year, if not higher. New faces/Strong core We gained quite a few new people at the beginning of the year. This included Saffron, Michelle and Amy as players who helped us widen our team, create range in playing abilities, and important inter-team competition. It was nice that they all seemed to fit into our crazy, loud, and weird team with no issues. Another addition to our team was that of an Assistant Coach, Roland Szucs – a Men’s National League Player and Captain here in Leicester. He came onboard to help Coach Gordon continue to coach us throughout the season. With their help, we began to prepare for what was to become a mentally and physically challenging season. A tough beginning We began the season playing against what it is now the Leagues undefeated winners in the Volleyball England National Cup. This showed us that hard times were to come, but to also have hope tht, with a bit of training, we wouldn’t be that far off. The first half of the season was rocky, and we played 8 games in 9 weekends of both League and Cup games. A tiring affair for all. We were able to come out having won 4 games and losing 4 games. Cup run One highlight of this year is that we were able to go farther in the National Cup and Shield competition then we have ever done before. We made it to Round 2 in both the Cup and Shield Competitions, which was a success in our eyes. Finding our feet After Christmas returning from our homes and holidays abroad, we started playing again and won 3 out of our 4 next games before the season ended abruptly. A much better percentage than the first half of the season. We seemed to be getting back to our previous motivated and winning ways – a recollection on where we were this time last season when we had won Division 3. It’s a shame that we couldn’t finish the season properly, with 5 games still left un-played. However, we achieved our goal. We are currently 5th place – exactly mid table, in Women’s Division 2 North National League. The secret ingredient Don’t get us wrong, we’re all crazy volleyball players, but do you want to know the best part about this team? We’re friends. We’re mates, as Coach Gordon always reminds us during games and training sessions. We play for our friends. We win for our friends. It’s as simple as that. And that – that is what makes this team as great and as successful as it is. That’s the ethos that this club was founded upon, and it lived through us this season more so than ever. The crazy and, slightly unhinged at times, love and passion that we show towards each other can be extended to all. Whether that be our teammates, coaches, club members, fans, or friends – it’s a definite in saying that we would not be where we are without the help from everyone else – especially in those challenging sets! Thank you, Gordon This love extends to arguably one of the most important people we’ve had with us throughout the last 2 years. Our Coach, Gordon Macdonald who has been with us from the beginning of National League. He has seen us win Division 3 and achieve our goal in Division 2. He has helped us to be the best players we could be, and has helped to achieve our goals in both years. He has been there through those hard sets. He has had a go at us when we needed it. He has been a beacon of calmness during those frantic games – despite being yellow carded once! He has let us dance and laugh things off when we needed to – as long as it didn’t involve any singing! Most importantly, he’s been our friend. Gordon has a busy personal and professional life and trying to juggle that with the time needed for a Division 2 National League team has been difficult, therefore he has made the decision that most of us would make in his shoes. With a heavy heart, he has made the decision to step down from Athena. Although all of us will be sad about this decision, this won’t be the last time we see or speak to him though, as it is still very much expected that he cracks open a few beers with us from time to time! Looking forward And now, we look onto next season. When it will start, who it will bring us, or where it will take us is still unknown. But what we do know, is that we will get there together. “Be confident in your abilities. Work through the challenging sets and never give up. Mindset is everything. You are part of an exceptional team. I know you’ve got this”. – Gordon Macdonald. Thank you to National League captain, Sarah Booth, for the end of season review This season was definitely good for Regional Team. We ended up 2nd in the league with 22 points. We won 6 matches and lost 4 - which was far above our goals for the season. The team grew stronger throughout the season. After a disappointing loss to Ashfield Vipers, we managed a few wins in the row which really helped with confidence. Although defeats were hard to take, we worked harder at training and came back stronger. Every single player improved significantly over the season but, most importantly, we learned how to work together. Sometimes we faced lack of communication on the court and a lack of self-belief meant that we weren't able to play at our best. This season definitely helped every one of us to develop our skills and grow individually but most importantly it helped us to bond together and grow as a team. We learned to help each other overcome issues and came out with friendships stronger than ever. Despite season being cut short, we had a lot of fun and made so much memories. We can’t wait to play together and have a laugh at trainings again. Thank you to Regional League captain, Julia Golinska, for this end of season report. The Local League team has made amazing progress this season. We have seen players return and had new players arrive. The spirit of the team is something that has developed the most and in the best possible way. We have not won a single match this season - but that didn't get us down. We have played some excellent volleyball during our matches. In previous seasons, we have had much more experienced players step in to play with with us in matches when we have struggled to get players together. But this season, each and every one of our matches has had the same "core-team". Because of that we have developed a very good team spirit and a feeling of camaraderie. The commitment from the Local League players has been amazing throughout the whole of the season with players regularly turning up to training and helping out to referee and score matches for both the Regional and National Teams. Teamwork Despite starting the season by losing match after match 3-0, we have slowly begun to turn the tables and managed to take a set from our last two matches. This is the proof that our teamwork is beginning to come together - to gel and solidify. I genuinely believe that, had we not cut the season short - there was a good chance we could have won one of our last matches this year. Grit and Determination Not only have we developed as a team, we have also developed as individuals. Some of the Local League are beginning to show signs of potentially moving up into the Regional League squad thanks to their regular attendance and hard work. It takes grit and determination to progress - and that is something that the Local League has buckets of. Thanks to Charlie for the end of Local League season review Leicestershire League
Monday 9th March 2020 Loughborough Students 2 Leicester Athena 1 (25-19, 25-22, 25-18) Decked out in the super new kit from Sportsway Management, Athena’s local league team took on Loughborough Students on Monday night and showed how far they have improved this season. Athena started with Charlie and Rachael setting, Alex and Anna middle hitters and Ioana and Maria as outside hitters. Athena started nervously and the first set was a story of little mistakes and errors. The first pass was wayward and there were a few serve errors, but when the ball was in play, Athena’s movement and precision was very impressive. Anna, in particular, caught the eye with excellent serving and strong passing and Ioana’s covering was excellent. Sadly, there weren’t enough fluent periods and the Students won the first set 25-19. The second set was completely different with Athena playing with confidence. Alex was dominating play in front and back court, Maria was hitting well and the whole team clicked. Their movement and cohesion showed how hard they have been working in training. Athena were well ahead in the set when they had a little wobble. After losing so many sets and matches, it was to be expected for them to get a little excited as the finish line appeared, but they calmed themselves down and won the set 25-22. The final set began in much the same vein, but with the scores at 9-9, one of the Students started serving and her hard, low, accurate serves caused problems for Athena. She took the set to 17-9 when she was substituted by the Student’s coach, but the damage was done. Athena traded points with Loughborough as Rachael showed how much she is developing in her first year and Charlie was there urging players on. However, Loughborough saw out the match by winning the final set 25-18. Coach Paul was delighted with the overall performance. It was a clear demonstration of the effort in training and they are developing into a good team that plays well-structured volleyball. Junior players, Evie and Barbora got some valuable court time as did Sab, who was returning after a stiff shoulder. East Midlands Volleyball League Sunday 8th March 2020 Leicester Athena 2 Lincoln Cannons 3 (25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 12-15) Leicester Athena’s regional league team blew a commanding 2 sets lead to lose to a well-organised Lincoln Cannons side on Sunday. Playing in their fabulous new black and red kit from Sportsway Management, Athena started with Eli setting, Ioana opposite, Sam and Tereza middle, Edyta and Allie as outside hitters. With Joy injured, they played without a libero for the first time this season. Athena cruise into the lead Athena started well, they showed great defensive organisation to overcome a stubborn Cannons side who, themselves, repelled some great attacking plays from Edyta and Tereza. Allie was hitting really well, connecting with some fabulous wide sets to hit down the line. The first set was a little scrappy with passes going awry, but Athena worked their way through it to take control. Coach Paul had the luxury to blood debutant Emily who, despite only playing for a couple of months is showing a wonderful ability to learn. They won the first set 25-20 and looked even more fluent to win the second set to 21. The wheels begin to fall off Athena started the third with Julia replacing Edyta as an outside hitter. They continued to plug away as Lincoln Cannons upped their game and made some more dangerous attacks. Athena’s focus was beginning to wane as the set continues. Things looked very finely poised when a moment of misfortune seemed to change the momentum of the match. Tereza fell in back court and twisted her ankle. Emily was brought on again, but this time into the more complex middle hitters position and Edyta was brought back on for Julia. However, the disruption affected the concentration and Cannons won a very tight set by 2 points. Lincoln grab the initiative With their tails up, Cannons began to punish Athena errors with Athena looking tired and disorganised. Tereza was back on but her ankle was hindering her. Sam, though, was beginning to hit very well and won some crucial points, but Cannons greater consistency helped them pull ahead to level the match with a 25-18 set win. For the final set, Julia replaced Ioana as outside and Emily came on again for Allie but Cannons were not to be denied. They quickly forged a strong 7-3 lead and, although Athena rallied, they sealed the match. Well done to Lincoln who played really well and created a fabulously entertaining macth with long rallies and lots of skill and endeavour. There were some high points:
|
Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|