August 1, 2007 - The National
Capitals 17U team has announced their intention to travel to Den
Haag (The Hague), The Netherlands, in 2008 in what will
become the NCVC's first competitive foray into volleyball on the
European continent. The Dutch club, Volleybal
Vereniging Kalinko will billet
the CAPS during their stay in the Dutch capital. The trip is
expected to take place during the March Break, 2008. While in
the city, the CAPS will train and play against their Kalinko
counterparts when not visiting the plethora of tourist sites that
abound throughout the city and its surroundings. Daily side
trips to such cities as Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Delft will
no doubt be in the offing.
CAPS 17U Assistant Coach Chris
Miedema will organize the trip. This will represent his
third such volleyball excursion to The Netherlands, having taken a
boys club team in 1986 and his Ashbury College girls team as recently
as 2005. Coach Miedema also hosted a Dutch contingent in 1987
while with the Onion Patch Volleyball Club. He is
currently exploring the possibility of the 17Us playing teams from
other Dutch cities as well as from Belgium. Discussions have
been opened with:
Other opportunities are being explored.
Contact has been initiated with the Dutch club Volleybalvereniging Martinus in
the hope of setting something up with their top girls team. The
number one womens team in the Martinus club, which is based in
Amstelveen, outside Amsterdam, is made up entirely of Dutch National
Team members.
This year was considered the natural time
to take on such an adventure, as the 17Us will benefit from having
their National Championships in Ottawa and their Provincial
Championships within their region. As a result, travel costs should be
well below those of previous years. The final decision on
whether to undertake the trip will be made in September, after the
team's roster is finalized. In the meantime, the planning
process will proceed in order to make this exciting trip a reality.
Stay tuned for updates.
