The St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks Grade 9 boys’ volleyball team capped off an undefeated season by winning its first Calgary Catholic Junior High School Tier 4 City Championship in nine years, with a victory over the École Ste-Marguerite Bourgeoys on Nov. 5.
“These boys really work well together,” said head coach Edmund Crame. “They’ve been friends since elementary school and many of them play on the same hockey team outside of school. Our greatest strength is our ability to use a variety of attacks not commonly seen at this age group. Our setter Ty Kehoe has worked hard this season to learn a variety of quick sets to all hitting positions, giving our hitters a total of 280 kills.”
The team won all its matches until falling in the Tournament of Champions – a competition amongst the city champions in all four tiers held at St. Joan of Arc School in Calgary, Nov. 8.
Crame says he is proud of the team’s effort, its four tournament wins and, of course, the Tier 4 title.
“It has been so much fun to have been part of this team,” Crame said. “The parents, fans and school staff have really rallied behind us. Their support gave the boys focus and inspiration to be the best volleyball players they can be.”
The Airdre Edge Gymnastics club has sent three athletes to the world championships and world age group championships in Metz, France.
Corissa Boychuk and Julie Warnock left Airdrie last week to compete in the women’s double mini-trampoline event at the Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships, Nov. 12-13.
Warnock, in her fifth worlds, won silver in 2008, while Boychuk, in her second worlds, won bronze last year.
In addition, Janelle Desmarais-Moen left Airdrie Nov. 11 to compete in the 17-18 age group double mini-trampoline event at her second World Age Group Championships. She finished 10th in Portugal’s Loule Cup event in September.
The Airdrie Edge also began an online auction at www.airdrieedge.com, featuring items from local businesses, on Nov. 11, to raise money to further enhance their facility in Genesis Place.
Airdrie and District Tennis Association president Chris Simnett is now a certified facilitator for Tennis Canada’s Community Tennis Volunteer (CTV) Course.
Simnett received his certification in Toronto on Nov. 5 during the Tennis Canada Building Tennis Communities (BTC) Conference at the Rexall Centre, home of the Rogers Cup ATP and WTA tournament.
Simnett will now offer the course to people in Airdrie and surrounding communities who are interested in creating a healthier community through the sport of tennis.
“It’s a great course and lots of fun,” Simnett said.
The six-hour course gives people the ability to assist a certified Tennis Professionals Association instructor in running programs such as Community Team Tennis, lessons and tournaments. It focuses on progressive tennis, which uses modified racquets, balls and courts to make tennis easy to learn and play for young children and beginning players of all ages. Participants don’t have to know how to play tennis to take the course.
“The only thing people need is to know that tennis is a great vehicle for creating a healthy community,” Simnett said. “It’s a life sport that is great for fitness, friendship and developing athletic skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, speed, balance and agility as well as life skills such as fair play and sportsmanship.”
Simnett, community champion for Airdrie, plans to expand the ADTA in 2011 to include a winter lesson and Community Team Tennis program in local gyms, as well as a spring lesson program, adult league and spring and fall community team tennis leagues for kids under 10 and under 14.
