Some rays of hope

Amidst the despair currently being experienced on the local sporting landscape, there was something to smile about last week in St Lucia.

A group of volleyball players, representing St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), was able to come out winners of Group E of the second round of the World Championships qualification round for teams in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA), at the Beausejour Indoor facility.

But it was not just a win, obtaining a trophy and some medals, as the team will head to NORCECA continental championships, from September 24 to October 24, in Colorado Spring, USA.

Indeed, this is an achievement, given that the team consists of five players, who were part of the CBN/Winlott Inc Windward Islands Schools’ Games last month.

Additionally, two of the players are still of school age.

Winning the title was more than getting on to the court and executing their skills; but to overcome the more experienced teams such as St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica, twice, spoke volumes for the very small talent pool among the male volleyballers here.

Significantly though, the SVG team, for their sheer talent, was the talk of the tournament.

This has been so since 2014, when the core of the team was part of the ECVA youth tournament in Antigua and Barbuda.

While they did not come out winners then, they were the best team on show.

One year later, basically the same team won the title in St Maarten, which earned them a place in the Under-21 NORCECA Continental championships in Canada last year.

In 2017, again the core of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 age group teams, have done it again at the senior level.

The recent St Lucia outing underscored a subregional reputation that the young volleyballers are etching on the minds of those who got the pleasure of seeing them.

It is, however, unfortunate that Vincentians, except for snippets, will not get to have an appreciation of the showing by the senior men’s volleyball team.  

The results would speak that they won, beating St Kitts and Nevis 3-1 (25-23, 26-24, 14-25, 30-28); Dominica, also 3-1(25-18, 24-26, 25-14, 25-18), beaten by Antigua and Barbuda 3-2 (25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 12-15) in the preliminary phase.

Then, in the final, another 3-1 win over Dominica, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21.

However, the scores and the accolades which followed would not reflect on the focussed nature of the players and their will to win and do their country proud.

As a result, many present at the venue were singling out the Vincentians’ attitude towards the sport, hailing them as an emerging force in subregional volleyball.

Hence, if there were a prize for the Most Disciplined Team, the Vincentians would have been the obvious choice.

Heartening it was, as oftentimes, our young sportsmen at that age group are often ridiculed for being erratic and the worst of impressions, but this was not the case this time around.

Congratulations are in order for the young team, who have earned the right to face the real forces in volleyball in NORCECA.

The fearless Vincentians will have to encounter the likes of the USA, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, among others.

Such an outing would augur well for volleyball in St Vincent and the Grenadines.