The men's varsity volleyball team at George Brown College is entering the most demanding part of their season. Six games into the season the Huskies are at .500 with three wins and three losses. The remainder of the season is very critical for a team with playoff aspirations.
With the most recent game against Trent University, the team faced one of their most challenging opponents so far. It was a tough loss for the Huskies, but despite the outcome, the game provided the coaches with more insight on how to improve their communication and performance for future matches.
"We have to train harder. The focus of practice is always skill development," said Josh Nichol, head coach. "We also continuously focus on serving, passing and mental toughness [during practice]." Incorporating distractions into practice is also a training mechanism that Nichols applies towards training, "there is no short cut to mental toughness. For our athletes to be at their best they need to manage their focus, fatigue, and technical skills."
In addition to training, the coaches also incorporate a support system within the team. With seven new players this season, the Huskies have introduced a "Big Brother" program where every new player is paired with a returning player. This allows the team to work on individual skills as well as group support and to ask any questions they may have volleyball related or study strategies that will assist in their academics.
"We believe the Big Brothers will provide motivation for learning, work ethic and act as a role model to fellow teammates, as Big Brothers are viewed as significant contributors to the Husky community," Nichols believes.
For rookie hitter Pradeep Bhogal in the Bachelor of Technology and Construction Management program, he feels as though the whole team wants everyone to do their best. "It feels comfortable when I'm on the court with all these guys. Off the court, the whole team is really welcoming and they treat me like they would anyone else," said Bhogal. As a recruited player and a left-side starter, Bhogal is striving to be the best he can be on and off the court.
"For me, every time I walk onto the court I want to do my best because I know I'm here to represent my school," said Pradeep on his mentality of the game. Secondary to that, passion and competition play a large role. "I saw how our team played and when I was on the court and I thought, 'okay, this is my first game and I'm going to do my best. I'm finally here at this stage, and I'm here to give it my all."
Bhogal also strives to help build the team up when they are feeling defeated, "Giving my best is me going for every ball, trying to not let the rally die out, bringing my own players up and in if everyone is down, you have to lift them up. It's a team sport and that's what we need."
Looking forward to the rest of their season, there is plenty of emphasis on general skills to help the team improve individually and together. For Nichol, the conditioning process will help improve all areas of life for the athletes even beyond the court.
"Through the demands we put on our guys in training and off the court we want our guys to see that hard work can help them achieve anything," he said. "We are trying to develop a standard for performance that we can apply to all areas of our program. It is a daily goal that all members must invest in."
