Jr. Lakers Volleyball league

The Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team is pleased to announce the creation of the Junior Lakers Volleyball League. This league has been created to give young athletes in grades 4, 5 and 6 the chance to work on their skills while having fun playing volleyball.

“The idea of doing this has been around for a while now, but it never seemed to get off the ground,” said Lakers head coach Grant Ross.

“While we have been getting some great athletes involved in the North Bay Volleyball Club, with great results, however some years the numbers were a bit low for the tryouts. There are quite a few clubs around the province who have started leagues like this. It gives kids a head start before they’re able to register with the OVA club volleyball programs, which begins at grade 7.”

It really hit us at our last recruitment weekend for our men’s volleyball program when the overwhelming majority of student/athletes were looking at going to teachers college. We thought this league would be a great fit as it would give these guys an opportunity to get some relevant experience in a sport they all enjoy."

The league will run Sunday afternoons from September 27th to December 13th, 2009, and will offer each age group one hour of volleyball, mixed between learning new skills and playing games. The league will feature one hour for each grade level which will begin at 1:00 and end by 4:00. Smaller courts will be used and athletes will play 4 on 4 which will keep everyone involved. A lighter ball along with a lower net will be used for the younger groups to ensure the skills are learned properly.

Ross hopes the league becomes another way for young athletes to learn the game. The athletes graduating from this program will be able to step right into the North Bay Volleyball Club if they so choose which will help bolster the club’s programs as well. At the very least it should help players when tryouts begin in January for their school’s team.

Athletes looking to register or wanting more information can check with their coach or principal at school or they can download the necessary forms at www.nulakers.ca. Only the first 48 per age group will be taken, and there is a cost savings if registrations are received prior to July 1st.