Kelly, a member of the provincial U-16 elite team, was named tournament all-star, while Pinksen, a member of the provincial U-17 developmental team, was named captain of her squad.
Both athletes said their individual recognition was a pretty big honour.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was definitely an honour to be named captain, and it was definitely a learning experience at the beginning,” said Pinksen. “You learn everybody’s weaknesses and skills, and you learn to help people in the right way.”
Kelly, a 6’3” middle hitter, was happy with the way he played in Moncton, and when it was time to announce the all-star selections, thought he had a pretty good chance at making the prestigious list.
“I played pretty well, and I was very happy to be named an all-star,” said the 15-year-old. “I thought I had a shot at being named all-star, and I would say I was more happy than surprised.”
Kelly’s team went 0-3 in the tournament, and bailed out in the semifinals against Nova Scotia, 25-11, 25-20. Pinksen’s team lost in the consolation semifinal to P.E.I., 25-20, 25-23.
The losses hurt the competitive athletes, but didn’t get in the way of them enjoying a few out-of-province days playing the sport they love.
“Oh yeah, it’s a great experience. You learn a lot, and by playing against such elite players, it makes you realize how good you can be. Besides playing volleyball, the socializing aspect is so much fun because you get to meet a lot of great people,” said Pinksen. “We went to the beach to play beach volleyball, which was awesome, and we also went to the mall. Our team went out every night for dinner, and made our own warm-up t-shirts out of gel and stuff.”
“You learn a lot, and by playing against such elite players, it makes you realize how good you can be.” - Victoria Pinksen
“It was a good trip. We could have done a little better in the tournament, and the team never played as well as we should have, but it was still a good time,” added Kelly. “The team that won the tournament (Nova Scotia) beat us 25-18, 25-20, so that wasn’t too bad.”
Pinksen, who turns 16 next month, was happy with how her U-17 team played. Although the squad was termed developmental, the group of girls showed the elite squads a thing or two about the way volleyball is played, and where hard work can get you.
“NLVA (Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association) split the teams into elite and developmental teams, which is a team they expected to compete and a team they were preparing for next year, but it didn’t end up that way,” said Pinksen. “The developmental teams ended up beating the elite teams (laughs). Our coaches were amazed how close our team was.”
Both players are eligible to return to the provincial elite program for years to come, and plan on doing so. Next year will be their third year at camp, and if everything goes according to plan, both will continue to improve on their already elite skills.
“I was more prepared for the intensity of the tournament. A lot of people aren’t used to the changes when they go for the first time, and they’re not used to the way the coaches coach,” said Pinksen. “You have to change your old habits, so when I got there this year, I was used to the changes, and I was used to starting over.”
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