Chargers primed for national volleyball championships
March 9, 2009
Following a whirlwind week which included winning the BCCAA provincial title and receiving Coach of the Year honors, head coach Charles Parkinson and his Camosun men’s volleyball team are primed for this week’s CCAA National Championships hosted by Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alberta, March 11-14.
Coach Parkinson was thrilled with his team’s performance at provincials and made special note of the three five-set matches the squad won to bring home the gold medal. “I couldn’t be any happier with the performance of the team,” he stated. “To win one five-set match in such a pressure filled situation like the Provincial Championships is a great accomplishment, but to win three in a row is simply remarkable and shows how much the team has grown and how much the players trust each other. Some people might have seen it as an upset, but we went into the tournament believing that there were four teams with a legitimate chance of winning the tournament, and that to win, every player would have to have outstanding performances.”
While bringing home the BCCAA banner is what every squad in the league strives for, Coach Parkinson recalls several other highlights that made the BCCAA league season a very special one.
“The highlight of the league was being able to see the team improve every weekend, especially after Christmas when we really began to cement our position as a definite medal contender,” said Parkinson. “The other two highlights that stand out for me came about when we were at Provincials. As we prepared to play Douglas College as the #4 seed in the quarterfinals, I couldn’t help but think back to the disappointment of last year when we were unable to qualify for post season play. It was Douglas College that grabbed the last playoff spot last season with an upset win in the final match of the year. The second highlight was our 15-13 fifth set win over VIU in the semi final. All season we have battled them, but we had never been able to break through until when it really counted. I have so much respect for VIU coach Chris Densmore and his athletes; it was fitting that the match went the absolute distance.”
While the team hasn’t made any major changes to their game, the Provincial Champions have spent the past week refining the way they do things in preparation for Nationals. Fifth year left-side and team captain Dan Goodburn is thrilled about having a shot at the title in his final year with the Chargers.
“The fact that we've managed to win Provincials and are on the way to Nationals in my last year makes this victory just that much better,” commented the four-time National Scholar Athlete and three-time BCCAA All-Star. “At the same time, it's disappointing knowing I can't come back and play for another year.”
When asked if the team had any superstitious feelings about the big event, Goodburn replied, “We’re on week six of growing our playoff beards. It seems to be good luck which is nice, because they definitely don't look good!”
The Chargers board the plane tomorrow bound for Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Find the schedule, results and more on the championship website
Contact
Bonita Joe
Camosun College Chargers Athletics
joeb@camosun.bc.ca
250–220–2502
