The Calgary Flames might be on fire in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but a volleyball team from the Coast is also on a hot streak of their own as they head to "Cow Town" this weekend. The Chili Peppers volleyball team, a squad with the Sunshine Coast Volleyball Club (SCVC), is in Calgary this weekend for the Western Canadian Championships.
The squad of 15-year-old players from the Coast left Friday for Calgary. They start pool play today (May 22) and will continue with games right up until the finals on Monday.
The event is an open championship featuring 224 teams from across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
"It's our first road trip and I think the whole team is pretty excited," said coach Jan Richey, who shares coaching duties with Barry Krangle.
The Chili Peppers have had a great season so far. They qualified in tier one for the provincial championships, which were held two weeks ago in Port Coquitlam. The team placed sixth out of 64 teams.
"Our goal at the start of the season was to get into the top 10, and we did that," Krangle said. "We encountered some very high-powered teams at the provincials. The team that finished second we beat in the round robin, so we know we can compete with the top teams in the province."
Krangle said this weekend's trip is icing on the cake for a terrific season.
"This is an opportunity for the kids to experience the tension of a high-powered tournament," Krangle said. "The more experience you get at events like this will only benefit the players in the future."
Krangle and Richey have been grooming this squad since the players were in Grade 5. Team commitments include attending a variety of high-powered training camps during Christmas break and the summer.
"The team shares a very strong commitment to eventually win a provincial title," Krangle said. "Many of the players have been buddies since preschool, so it's a very close-knit group.
"As for my fellow coach, Jan is a volleyball hall of fame player from UBC and has earned the respect and admiration of club coaches around B.C. for the fantastic job she has done with this team."
Following this weekend's event, the season isn't quite over for Richey and her daughter Kyla, who plays on the team.
Kyla has been invited to play with a Lower Mainland team, which Jan will help coach, to attend the Volleyball Festival event in Reno, Nevada this summer.
The event will attract more than 16,000 female volleyball players between the ages of 14 and 17 from around the world for a week-long tournament.
