Written by: Lily S. and Brooklynn S.
KCI’s senior and junior boys volleyball teams are off to strong starts this year. They have truly hit their stride with an unstoppable nine-game winning streak for the seniors and a comparable five-game stretch for the juniors. The Edge went behind the scenes and reached out to coach Mr. Smith of the senior team, as well as Amit Shrethsa from the junior team to learn more about the players, the games, and how the teams work together.
After speaking with Mr. Smith, one of two coaches of the senior volleyball team, The Edge received some compelling insight into the team from a coach' perspective. Coach Smith started by sharing some new strategies he and his fellow coach, Mr. Radstake, and the team are bringing to the table this year. Coach Smith mentioned that this year the senior team lost some of their “more established middle players” and have more utility players in their arsenal. He stated, “This time, we have more players who are good volleyball players, but aren’t necessarily assigned to one specific position, so we’re changing lots of people around to suit the needs of a particular game, which we didn’t do a lot last year.” He continued to explain that the core strength of the team has moved from the more experienced grade twelves to the new grade elevens coming from the junior team, which is encouraging for when they come back next year.
Mr. Smith also revealed that after coaching for around ten to fifteen years, he has found that the KCI teams have their best matches against Cameron Heights and Grand River Collegiate Institute. He expresses excitement and enthusiasm for playing against teams that challenge KCI and push them to give it their all, including teams such as Cameron Heights, Grand River, Huron Heights, and Waterloo Oxford.
Additionally, Coach Smith informed The Edge that his preferred style of coaching is to be instructive, aiming to help his players be their very best by teaching and helping them learn, while also remaining supportive and engaging. This helps the team with the mental aspect of the game.
Coach Smith was asked if his team had a pump-up song, and if not, what it would be. He proceeded to explain that his team has not yet found a pump-up song and that he would not be the best person to ask about it. He stated, “I’m too old to pick an appropriate song for teenage boys, so you’d have to ask one of them; they would probably have a better crack at it than me.”
Student Amit Shrestha, from the junior boys volleyball team, gave us his input on what goes on during practices, some of his own personal goals he is working towards, and how he feels the junior group works as a team. Amit began by sharing his thoughts on how the team works together both physically and mentally. He expressed his feelings of satisfaction he has with the vibe, feeling, and relationship of the team. He explained that they are a very encouraging group, mentioning how he has already made some friendships and connections within the team.
Amit explained that physically, the junior boys volleyball team is extremely talented. They warm up before every practice, they do drills such as passing, setting and serving, and they work on their skills to improve their strength for games.
Amit also informed us that he is happy with the coaches and their style of training. He said that both of his two coaches are very inclusive and supportive, and are always wanting what is best for their team.
He then carried on to talk about some team goals and personal goals he has in mind. As a team, he wants to improve communication and collaboration, as he feels that sometimes they are disconnected in games. For some personal objectives, Amit aims to spend more time improving his setting abilities to ensure that he is at his best for upcoming matches.
The Edge continued by informing Amit, who is currently in grade nine, about the end results from the junior boys volleyball team last year - fourth overall. When asked whether or not he thinks his team will have better chances this year, Amit answered “Maybe? I don’t really know. We’ve lost some games, and we’ve won a few. Maybe? There’s a chance.” Raiders hope his prediction is right and the KCI junior volleyball team has a chance at getting into the championships and coming in at the top this year.
Amit was asked whether or not the team has a pump up song, and if not, what it would be. At first, he explained that his team almost never listens to music. When asked if he had a song in mind for a hype song, he acknowledged that he had no idea of something they could use. All he wanted was “something good.”
Both the Jr. and Sr. Volleball teams are currently in the playoffs right now.