MEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM BONDING IN RUSSIA

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010
RUSSIA UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM BONDING IN RUSSIA

LANGLEY, British Columbia – When the TWU Spartans men’s volleyball team looks back on their trip to Russia, they’ll have plenty to recall.

They’ll be able to remember the bonding moments as a team, the life stories told by their fellow teammates and the cheeky little volleyball tricks taught to them by the savviest of Russian veterans.

The Spartans, who are working with Athletes in Action, have only been in Russia for six days, with nine more to go, yet it’s already been a wildly valuable experience.

Upon arriving in Sochi, the team has been working with AIA leader Dave Johns and has spent time going through Psalm 133 and discussing the concept of unity; something coach Ben Josephson said will be a focal point for the Spartans all year.

“This, for the Spartans men’s volleyball culture, is one of our central themes to what makes us, us.” Josephson said. “It was great to get that stuff on the table early in the tour. Up to this point we have had a number of athletes share their "story" or testimony with the rest of the team as we begin to prepare ourselves on how to share with some of the Russians we will come in contact with.”

While the team has taken some time early to relax on the beaches of the Black Sea and swim in the picturesque waters, they’ve also had several quality opportunities to connect with some of the local people.

During an intersquad beach volleyball tournament that saw some locals join in and several more watch with intrigue, the Spartans were able to make connections through the common thread of volleyball.

It was here where the TWU players learned the tricks of the Russian volleyball trade.

“We had a little dose of humility waiting for us when we played some very crafty old Russian men and woman who had every trick in the book,” Josephson said. “Some great conversations popped up throughout the morning and a small following began to take shape.”

As for the beach tournament itself, when the sand settled, it was the tandem of Ben Ball and Daniel Jansen van Doorn beating Marc Howatson and Aaron Vandenbrink in the final.

In the evenings in Sochi, the team went indoors where they got a chance to play a local squad made up of several veteran Russian players. Although the Spartans won both games, it was another learning experience in Russian volleyball.

Following the games, a few of the Spartans players had the opportunity to share their testimonies with those in attendance and discuss the team and the purpose of their trip to Russia.

Currently, the Spartans are in Anapa where they will reside for the next three days.

For more information on the Spartans trip, follow the Men’s Volleyball Blog or follow them on Twitter.

-TW-

About TWU:

Trinity Western University, located in Langley, B.C., is a not-for-profit Christian liberal arts university enrolling over 4,000 students this year. With a broad based, liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University offers undergraduate degrees in 41 major areas of study ranging from business, education and computer science to biology and nursing, and 17 other graduate degrees including counselling psychology, theology and administrative leadership. For more information, visit TWU's Official Athletics site at gospartans.ca.

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport:

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit www.universitysport.ca.

About CWUAA:

"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from Manitoba to B.C., the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in events such as the Olympics or Universiade Games."

-TW-

Last Updated: 2010-09-03
Author: Mark Janzen