Pursuit is a sports feature series highlighting athletes, coaches, and staff and significant sporting events from North Bay and the surrounding area.
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Vision Volleyball and Panthers Volleyball are joining forces. The youth program is adopting the college programs name and team colours says Club President Anthony Fletcher.
“We’re very excited about this partnership,” he says. “Vision Volleyball will now be known as the Panthers Youth Volleyball Club, and I think it will be great for our players to be associated with the college program.”
Fletcher says they have already had a working relationship in the past, including being somewhat of a feeder system to the Canadore Panthers program.
“Many of our players have gone on to play and excel, at the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) level, including with the Panthers over the years and this will continue to improve that pathway for local players to see that end goal of where they could be playing one day,” says Fletcher.
Longtime Volleyball coach and club executive Danny Gosselin says, “We are always looking at ways to improve the club and strengthen its reach for our athletes. I knew the youth in our volleyball community could benefit greatly from having a strategic partnership with a community leader like Canadore.”
Gosselin says the club was looking at various partnerships throughout the community to build this program with, but he says Canadore is the “obvious and best choice.”
“This past year we spent time exploring partnerships with various community organizations, seeking an opportunity to increase our community connection and preserve our legacy. Canadore was a very strong match with our core goals and values. They have been wonderful in helping us pull this together, allowing us to rebrand to show our connection with them, and working collaboratively to navigate this has been a wonderful and seamless process.”
Fletcher says their current players and parents are excited about the potential of this partnership and adds it should help them continue to recruit players as well.
“Knowing that we are affiliated with a college program I think brings some pedigree to the club,” he says. “Prospective players and parents will see coaches working collaboratively throughout the ranks, and older players will be able to mentor the younger players. It will really feel like a cohesive unit and a very welcoming atmosphere.”
Gosselin echos that sentiment, “Having a strategic partnership with not only a well-known entity in North Bay, but one that is continually focused on growth and expansion is a culture we very much align with. We believe the support and collaboration with Canadore will assist us in continuing to expand our club and culture also. We are always focused on providing youth with numerous opportunities to grow as athletes and as people, and we know this partnership will positively impact that.
Fletcher adds, “I know from the conversations I’ve had with the group at Canadore College, they want to be seen as a leader for sports and educational excellence around North Bay and area, so having their logo out there and their name out there will continue to increase their presence, especially as they are building bigger and better facilities in the community.”
Gosselin says, “Canadore College has just built a world-class facility - the new dome will allow athletes access to top-tier gyms and equipment that our community has been desperately needing for a long time. The College saw the growing need for this kind of athletic support and filled it. The city needs more of that for athletes in this area, and we are extremely excited to offer our athletes access to such resources.”
Those resources will get plenty of use as Gosselin says the volleyball season can be a grind for parents and their players, especially in Northern Ontario.
“Tryouts generally begin in early September, followed by preparation for preseason events in October, with the season beginning in November. Teams generally have one road trip a month, most often in southern communities with just a few occurring in northern communities.”
Gosselin says, unfortunately, it is rarer and more dependent on the level of play for events to occur in the north.
“In terms of tournament preparation, there are generally three practices a week, in various community schools. Depending on age level, athletes may also participate in off-court training. Gaining access to Canadore’s upcoming dome will help to alleviate some of that stress by providing an all-in-one training space for our athletes. The season generally ends with the Ontario Championship in April, which has most often occurred in Waterloo. However, due to the growth in volleyball in Ontario over the last three years, they now find themselves needing to use multiple sites to host the athletes. This past season, Rim Park in Waterloo, the E Y Centre in Ottawa and Conestoga College were all used to host OC’s.”
Fletcher says another big development for the club is they now own the outdoor volleyball courts just off Main Street in downtown North Bay.
“A lot of our players will play year-round. On the court inside in the fall and winter and then they’ll play in the beach volleyball league as well during the summer. It’s great to have this facility under our ownership because it will help continue to grow our players' skill set and might even get more casual players interested in trying out for the club level if they enjoy playing beach during the summer,” he says.
Gosselin says, “The outdoor courts, in our opinion, were an underused facility. Retaining the courts has given us an opportunity and responsibility to continue growing the beach community for youth, providing them with more opportunities in beach development. Being able to step out of the indoor environment and spend time outdoors with the kids is truly a great experience, the courts are a great place to be. We will move it forward in every sense of the word. Running more programming and beach events this year is just a start! Our strategic start-up plan includes a variety of facility upgrades including a permanent fence, as well as incorporating more beach programming and leagues.”
Gosselin says at the end of the day, the hope is that all of this will lead to a continuation of the growth of the sport of volleyball in North Bay.
“North Bay has always had a massive volleyball community. I think we’re certainly seeing the growth on the club/competitive side of it as most communities of a similar size generally only have one club. It can be tough having two clubs vying for kids because it spreads out the talent and different skill levels. The upsides however are that volleyball is not a violent sport - it’s the ultimate team sport and there are plenty of opportunities to play at the next level,” he says.
“It provides another option for competitive play beyond sports like football or hockey. There’s a ton of development opportunities in North Bay, which is incredible, and we believe partnering with Canadore further improves the development opportunities we can offer. Also, Volleyball is relatively inexpensive, especially compared to other youth sports. Generally, volleyball events only require a one-night stay at hotels, rather than two or three nights, so a typical season is not very expensive. The equipment cost is also low so it’s a good alternative to some of the more expensive competitive sports”
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