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Coastal Cup to give Gibsons volleyball team a taste of home

Elphinstone Secondary
coastal cup
The Coastal Cup will take place on Nov. 3 and the finals will be broadcast live on Eastlink Community TV.

After nearly two years of almost-all away games, Elphinstone Secondary School’s bantam girls volleyball team is finally coming home.

“We’re basically a travel team,” said coach Andrew Appleton. “All of our games, every single one of them, is travelling to North Van to the North Shore league.”

The Grade 8 Elphinstone team participates in the North Shore Secondary Schools Athletic Association, and Appleton said it’s a challenge to convince mainland teams to make the journey to the Coast. “It’s kind of just a fact of life, where we live, we have to go over to the North Shore to play,” he said.

That also means covering the expense of ferries and factoring in late nights during the week. “I kind of wish we had a couple more home games so we weren’t coming back on the 9-something ferry every week,” said Elphinstone volleyball player Emma Doyle. While players get vouchers, the team must cover the cost of cars and drivers. To help with expenses, the team is sponsored by Local 1119, the union representing Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, which provides $500 towards travel.

The conundrum has led Appleton to create a solution of his own. On Nov. 3, Elphinstone Secondary will host the inaugural Coastal Cup – a bantam girls exhibition volleyball tournament meant to give what the girls rarely get during the regular season: a chance to play on home turf.

“I really wanted to set this up so our girls could know what it is like to play in front of their home crowd with their grandma and grandpa and their parents there. That’s really what started it,” Appleton said. “Now it’s turned into something bigger.”

Teams will represent both Upper and Lower Coast, including Brooks Secondary in Powell River, Pender Harbour Elementary/Secondary and Chatelech Secondary in Sechelt. The finals will be broadcast live on Coast Cable. Appleton has also invited Powell-River Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons and Canada’s women’s volleyball team captain Kyla Richie. He expects about 200 people to attend.

Appleton also invited eight Lower Mainland teams but all of them declined. “That worked out because now it’s a real, true Sunshine Coast battle,” Appleton said.

“I’m excited about playing Pender Harbour and making new friends and all that,” said Elphinstone Secondary player Maria Relova at a practice in Gibsons, adding, “You feel more comfortable when you’re playing on your home turf.”

Elphinstone Secondary Principal John Brisebois said it’s common for Coast teams to host exhibition tournaments to encourage mainland teams to make the trek, but he said it’s still difficult to get those teams out for regular season play. “Truth be told, the Coast schools need North Shore schools more than they need us. Some North Shore schools travel to the Coast and value the experience as a team building opportunity during the ferry ride. Most teams do not travel to the Coast for various factors that are simply stated as ‘inconvenient’,” wrote Brisebois in an email.

The last time Elphinstone had a regular season home game was in 2016, when they played Collingwood. Elphinstone won, 3-0. Since 2014, Elphinstone bantam girls volleyball team has won all of its home games.

This year Elphinstone will face off against North Vancouver’s Seycove Secondary in the league’s quarterfinals. And even though Elphinstone is the higher seeded team and should have home advantage, it will be another travel game, Appleton confirmed.

As for the tournament, Appleton hopes it will give the girls more than just a chance to keep up their home-game winning streak. “The whole goal of this thing was to get some hometown crowd and for the girls to be proud of their school and where they live,” Appleton said. “I just want them to know it’s really a special place and you should be proud of where you go to school and where you live.”

The tournament will also fundraise for KidSport Sunshine Coast and the local food bank. Non-perishable food items or a donation for KidSport will be accepted for admission. Leftover funds will go towards the team’s travel expenses.