May 9-11, 2008 - After a late
practice on Wednesday night, the 15U CAPS headed out for the overnight
charter bus ride to Moncton, NB - arriving Thursday around 1:00 pm.
A relaxed afternoon was followed by quick dinner at the girls'
favourite restaurant, Swiss Chalet, and the Opening Ceremonies.
The girls proudly followed the Ontario flag into the arena with their
fellow competitors - 124 teams in all. Cathy arrived in Moncton
at 3:30 am after a long flight delay - just in time to grab a couple
of hours of sleep before our first day of play. (When you see
her, ask her to tell you the story.)
Day 1: Preliminary Pool
Play
Our first competitor was CVC Gold
from Bathurst, NB. The CAPS came out quickly and played
consistently to an quick first win (25-11). The second game
started at a lumbering pace, but the girls settled down and took the
second set 25-20. That warmed us up for the next match
against Élan Blancs from Quebec City. We took the match
in straight sets (25-17, 25-11) based on consistent team play.
The last match of preliminary play saw us facing the Metro
Hurricanes from Halifax, NS. Game 1 started out close, but
the CAPS pulled away on great serving and hitting to a 25-14 win.
In the second game, the girls demonstrated their improvement at the
net, leading to a 25-19 win. The CAPS finished Day 1 first in
their pool, putting them in the top group for Power Pool play on Day
2.
After showers and a quick snack, the team
and parents boarded the bus for a look at the ocean. A few
braved the cold water, dipping their toes into the Northumberland
Strait at Parlay Beach. This was followed by a visit to the
large lobster (check out the pictures) and an entertaining shopping
experience at Frenchy's Boutique. Dinner at Lone Star and a
solid, much-needed night's sleep and we were ready for the Power
Pools.
Day 2: Power
Pools
Springtime in the Maritimes - rain and 5C.
The dampness in the 4-Ice Centre had cut into our bones. Parents
were in their coats - mittens would have been helpful. We were
up against Celtiques Rouges from Quebec - the number 3 team in
the province. It felt like we were playing an Olympic team in
the first set! The CAPS worked hard but were a little careful,
losing quickly (11-25). This made Day 1 look very easy!
But, the CAPS came back tough, got aggressive and fought for every
point in the second set. We didn't let them get ahead, leading
the whole way to a 25-22 win. The tie-breaker was on, parents
had warmed up. This was probably the hardest fought set of the
tournament, with never more than a 2 point difference between teams.
Cathy and Devon were very proud, saying that the girls ground out
every point to the final score of 21-19. What a win! As
co-captain Emma G put it, "Two months ago we never would have been
able to do this".
Our next challengers were the
Fredericton Reds Attack. The girls took an early lead,
looking very confident, and winning the game 26-16. The Reds
came out strong in the second, but we didn't let them get away.
The game was close all the way, with some long rallies and
unbelievable digging, but the CAPS held the lead to take the game
25-22.
Heading into our last match of Power Pool
play, the team found themselves undefeated in the tournament. We
played our close neighbours, the Les Griffons from Gatineau.
We kept the first game close at the beginning but let them get away
with the game to a 16-25 loss. In the second game, the girls
found themselves down 3-10 early. Persistence, some hard work,
and 8 unanswered points brought them to the lead at 11-10. They
game went back and forth, with the CAPS finally pulling out the win at
25-20. On to another 3rd game. Despite a good effort, the
CAPS lost this one 9-15. This put us second in our pool and into
Tier 1 for the final day of play. We were very proud of the
impressive play and the two-day record - their best of the
season.
The girls deserved a little R&R. They took advantage of the
amusements at Crystal Park near the hotel and then came back to the
hotel for a pizza and movie night. Parents and coaches took
advantage of the girls' quiet night to have a nice dinner at Creek's
Steak & Seafood. Early to bed for all in preparation for the
final round.
Day 3: Championship
Sunday
Happy Birthday Erica! Our
quarter-final match saw us pitted against provincial counterparts
Forest City Green. The CAPS were definitely in the game,
demonstrating that they are very capable of playing a Tier 1 team.
Forest City took advantage of a few miscalculations on the part of the
CAPS to take the lead (11-10) and never really looked back. The
first game went to Forest City 25-17. The CAPS came out ready to
play in the second game, leading all the way to 23-22.
Unfortunately, the girls found themselves on their way home when
Forest City came back to take the game 26-24.
Disappointed as we might have been not to be playing in the medal
round, this was the girls' best tournament of the season, our first
shot at Tier 1 and a rewarding experience for all.
In the girls' words:
"Best tournament of the
year."
"Intense!
Focus!"
"Everything just came
together."
"Pride."
"Dignity."
"Determination &
perseverance."
"A learning
experience."
"Every game was better than the
last."
"Really good learning experience.
We were so focused."
"Split hops work really
well."
"Tough losses and winning games
build character."
"The importance of
teamwork."
From Cathy: "The girls played
awesome all weekend. It's fun to see it all come together after
working hard all year, especially passing, defense and focus.
They pulled out games that they never would have been able to before.
It bodes well for the future of these CAPS gals."
From Devon: "This was a great opportunity for everyone on the
team. The girls were lucky to go to NB to bond. Travel
time brought the girls closer together and this showed in their
chemistry on the court. Since this was my first Nationals as a
coach, I couldn't have asked for a better team to travel with."
We'd like to thank Cathy and Devon for their continued support and for
making this a memorable experience for the team.
Thanks to the parents and siblings who made
the long trip to support the girls. A special thank you to Norma
Hart, Chris Rainville and Paul Martin - our scorekeepers. A
grand thank you to Lianne Normand for ensuring that team travel
arrangements were secure.
A final thank you goes to the City of
Moncton and the tournament organizers for making our first National
experience a pleasant one.
