Barrie Elites Volleyball Club

Coaches Needed!
The Barrie Elites Volleyball Club has coaching opportunities for some age groups. If you have the following abilites:

enjoy working with youth
volleyball coaching experience
enthusiastic, outgoing
NCCP accreditation preferred

Then we may have an opportunity for you! If you would like to be considered for a coaching position,
please contact our Coaching Director, David Gross (davidwendygross@hotmail.com).

Annual General Meeting - Tuesday June 15th

Thank you to all who attended our AGM on the 15th. It's the volunteers that keep the club moving forward every season. I'd like to thank Gail Sturdy for her volunteer service over the last few years. I'd especially like to thank Micheal Hawke for his years of service on and off the court, especially in the design and maintenance of our website. Micheal has decided to move on due to relocating.

Every season there is an urgent need for volunteers to come on board and help run this great club for the benefit of our young athletes. If you believe in the Elites and how we create positive change in the lives of our children, we invite you to contact any of the executive and offer us your time as a volunteer. We owe it to the original folks that planted the seeds for the club to see that the dream continues and gets bigger and better. The Elites remain a well-run and much respected youth organization because of the quality of our athletes and our leadership. Please consider becoming part of our leadership for next season to ensure that all our efforts are rewarded.

- John McClean, President 2010-2011

‘Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ ~ Margaret Mead

Elites' Milestones

Emily Dennis Selected to Attend the HPC - Posted:5/29/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - Emily Dennis Selected to Attend the HPC

We are proud to announce that Emily Dennis from our 17U Girls team has been selected to attend the High Performance Camp to be held by the OVA later in the summer. The HPC is Provincially driven with a focus on Elite Development. Only the top athletes in Ontario are chosen to attend the High Performance Centre. Congratulations Emily!

Mark Kaveckas Selected to Attend the HPC - Posted:5/29/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - Mark Kaveckas Selected to Attend the HPC

We are proud to announce that Mark Kaveckas from our 18U Boys team has been selected to attend the High Performance Camp to be held by the OVA later in the summer. The HPC is Provincially driven with a focus on Elite Development. Only the top athletes in Ontario are chosen to attend the High Performance Centre. Congratulations Mark!

Girls Alumni Receives Top Honours in the OCAA - Posted:5/5/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - Girls Alumni Receives Top Honours in the OCAA

Erin McClean (pictured), a rookie outside hitter on the Georgian Grizzlies Women’s Volleyball Team, was honoured at the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) Volleyball Awards Banquet last week at Cambrian College. McClean, a Massage Therapy student, was named to the OCAA East Region Second All-Star Team after finishing eighth in the conference in scoring average at 3.02 points per game. Erin also received the female Rookie of the Year Award at the Georgian College Athletic banquet. She ended the season with 154 kills, 40 aces and 5 blocks and was part of a young Grizzly team that featured eight first-year players and a total of five Barrie Elites VC graduates. Erin is a graduate of the Barrie Elites Volleyball Club playing for five years from 14U to 18U. Georgian Grizzlies finished in fifth place in the East Conference with a record of 14-6, losing in the playoffs to the Fanshawe Falcons in a tough five-set match.

Former Elites Garner Awards in North Bay - Posted:4/5/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - Former Elites Garner Awards in North Bay

Two former Barrie Elites players took home some hardware when Nipissing University and Canadore College held their awards ceremonies in North Bay recently. At Nippissing, Frankie Edgecombe provided solid offence and defence playing middle for the Lakers , and was chosen the Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile , over at Canadore, Collin Henderson had a solid year playing right side, (although he will move to the setter position next season) and walked away as the Panthers' MVP. Congratulations to these two Elmvale District High grads and best of luck next year !!

15U Boys take Bronze at Bugarski Cup - Posted:2/27/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - 15U Boys take Bronze at Bugarski Cup

Congratulations to the 15U Boys who brought home the bronze medal from the Bugarski Cup in Stratford. In a full team effort, the Elites went 6-0 in pool play which included a 17-2 come back against the top team in our pool! The winning streak continued until the semi-finals when, in 3 sets, the boys were defeated by a strong Wolfpack team. Regrouping for the Bronze medal match, the boys came out swinging - and came away with a win!! It was an excellent tournament for all players, with many putting in their best performance of the season! Well done team!!

17U Boys Win Second Bronze of the Season! - Posted:2/13/2010

Great Work by the 17U Boys! Last weekend in Hamilton the 17U boys continued their successful season as they brought home their second bronze medal in 3 events by defeating Riverside Rage 25-21, 25-27, 15-6 in the final. It was especially satisfying as the boys started the day slowly by splitting their two pool play matches. But, they got things rolling with a hard fought 3 set victory over Port Perry Panthers and then defeated a strong Element (Toronto) team 25-14, 25-14 before bowing in the semi finals to the highly ranked Aurora Storm. The boys were not going to be denied though as they rebounded with a strong final against Riverside, the team that defeated the boys in pool play. Congratulations to the team as they continue to improve realizing that success can only be had by outworking their opponent and executing the systems. Next action for the boys is March 6th...Lets Keep it Going!!

15U Girls Black earn Gold at Challenge Cup - Posted:2/13/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - 15U Girls Black earn Gold at Challenge Cup

A Golden Saturday! The 15U Girls Black team set the tone for the day by running through the opening games without losing a set to finish 1st in their pool. A win in the all-important 'crossover' game set them up for an undefeated, straight set roll to a gold medal. The most difficult match of the day came against a very enthusiastic 14U team that gave them a real run for their money in the semi's. The 15U Girls Black worked incredibly hard over the past month after a disappointing result in their previous tournament. An excellent way to show what you're made of girls! Championship Division, here we come! The members of the 15U Girls Black team would like to thank Coach Barry Gallant and the rest of the 15U Girls Blue team for graciously encouraging the call-up of two of their players due to injuries sustained by members of the Black team. We truly appreciate how difficult this was for your team.

17U Challenge Cup - Championship East - Posted:2/13/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - 17U Challenge Cup - Championship East

17U Strike Gold! Well they’re back where they started – in the Premier Division. At the Challenge Cup Championship-East tournament held at Eastview on February 13th, the 17U team was able to really showcase their talent. Blazing through the pool play without losing a match, they came up against some arch-rivals as they entered the playoffs. It was winner take-all as only the first place finisher could move up to the Premier division. Drawing on their strength from playing up in 18U tournaments, the 17U team made it to the Gold medal match against a very talented DRVC team. It went a very exciting three sets but the 17U girls prevailed in the third set, winning 15-8. As the season progresses, this team is gaining momentum as they near the provincial championships. In addition, the team has performed tremendous fundraising to send the girls to the National tournament in Abbotsford, BC this coming May.

18U Girls bring home the Bronze at Bugarski Cup - Posted:2/6/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - 18U Girls bring home the Bronze at Bugarski Cup

Congratulations to the 18U Girls for pulling out a performance worthy of a bronze medal at the Bugarski Cup in Kitchener. The girls missed out on first place in their pool by 1 point to the eventual gold medal winners Twin Bridges after splitting with them 25-23, 23-25. After a slow start in their pre-quarters match against Cambridge Hawks 92, they regained their composure to defeat them 2-1. Next was Halton Hurricanes 17U, whom they made short work of in 2 sets. In the semi-finals, the girls started to show signs of fatigue after having to play 3 matches in a row, losing to Hawks Black in straight sets. Finally, the girls took down Halton Hurricanes Blue easily in the bronze medal match in straight sets. Congratulations!

16U Girls take Silver at Challenge Cup - Posted:2/6/2010 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - 16U Girls take Silver at Challenge Cup

Congratulations to the 16U Girls team for taking Silver at the Challenge Cup on February 6th. After a disappointing pool play resulting in a last place finish, the girls fought back to earn the right to play in the gold medal round. Getting past the Wildcats was a hard fought exciting game, both for the players, the coaches and the parents. The Wildcats had relied on tipping the ball just past the blockers but the Elites were quick to adjust and were digging up what the Wildcats were tossing down. Set one was lost to the Wildcats but the Elites weren’t out and came back to take the second set with incredible serving, amazing digs and true desire to win. In the third set, the Barrie Elites 16U team continued to hit and dig, while the Wildcats seemed to opt for freeballs waiting for the Elites to make a mistake – but it didn’t work in their favour as the Elites took the third set as well. Next up was the Peel Selects, who the team had faced in pool play. After losing the first set to the Selects, our girls were determined not to lose this chance to play for gold and came back in the second set to take the game 25-8. The third set saw the 16U girls continue with consistent serves, amazing digs and smart hits to take them to the gold medal round. At the gold medal game, the Elites faced the Stingrays, the other team from their morning pool play. Unable to dig up the balls being dumped in, the girls lost in two straight but were happy with having the silver medal around their necks. Congratulations ladies on a hard fought and well deserved silver medal!!

14U Girls' are Golden - Posted:12/5/2009 - Click to expand...

This past weekend our 14U Girls' competed in their OVA opener in Stouffville. "Our goal was to finish top 4 which would qualify us for the Championship~Tier 1 Division," summarized Coach Gross. He smiled, "Winning the Gold was a nice present going into the Holiday season." The girls had a very successful 13U season, medalling in every tournament including the Provincial Championships. "This is a new season with new and upgraded developmental expectations . . . but the girls, to this point, are up for the challenge," reflects Gross. Team members: (back ~ left to right) Josie Fiegehen, Kelsey Watson, Jena Macpherson, Alisha Stidam, Alanah Jewell, Kelsey Twigg, (front) Riley Watson, Carly McLaughlin, Jenna Gross, Alex Hay, Tori McLaughlin, Julia Hopper

Three Elites Alumnus take part in the Battle of the Bay - Posted:11/25/2009

Three former members of the Barrie Elites VC found themselves on opposite sides of the net as the Nipissing Lakers took on the Canadore Panthers in OCAA volleyball action on Wednesday night. Nipissing came out on top in " The Battle of the Bay " by a 3-1 margin. The Lakers find themselves near the top of the pack in the OCAA West division, with Elites alumni Frankie Edgecombe ( starting middle) and Taylor Bielby ( setter ) providing strong contributions to an already potent lineup. Canadore, who find themselves in a rebuilding year with only 4 returning players, are being led by rookie Collin Henderson ( starting RS ), another former Elites player.

Grizzlies in Elite Company - Posted:11/19/2009

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Five girls from Barrie Elites playing together on Georgian College squad Cohesion with teammates can take years to perfect. Fortunately for the Georgian Grizzlies, these girls have already put in the time. This season's edition of the Grizzlies women's volleyball team features five former members of the Barrie Elites, who graduated from that program last year. Natalie Buck, Veronica Harrison, Rachel Jennings, Erin McClean and Bailee Yasher are all in their first year at Georgian College and playing together on the school's 2009-10 volleyball team. To further breed familiarity, Brad Graham, the team's head coach, has led them for the past two seasons with the Elites. Coaching the same group for the third consecutive season has helped Graham, who has coached at Georgian for 21 years, in working with them. "It allows me to push them a little harder," Graham said. "I know what they're capable of." .......
Click here for the full story...

Inaugural House League a Great Success - Posted:11/18/2008 - Click to expand...

Barrie Elites - Inaugural House League a Great Success

The first session of the Barrie Elites House League wrapped up at the Holly Community Center. All the players got to show off their newly acquired skills in a round robin tournament ( including perhaps the most important skill ..... the "high five" !!) Many thanks to Barrie Parks and Rec , and a HUGE thank you to my student coaches - Lyndsey , Robin , Vicki and Collin !! You were awesome !

Welcome to the Home of the Barrie Elites Volleyball Club

The Barrie Elites Volleyball Club is an executive-based, not for profit organization. We offer competitive volleyball for the elite level boys and girls aged 12-18 in the Barrie and surrounding area. The club was created in 2004 by a group of parents and coaches who believe that a club should work cooperatively to create an environment where:

athletes, parents, and coaches foster an interest, appreciation, and love of volleyball at the grassroots level.

young athletes have the opportunity to develop their skills through playing at competitive levels with access to regional, provincial, and national programs and competitions.

athletes can reach their full potential both on and off the court through excellence in coaching and community.

the club operates as a true volunteer-based non-profit organization where all financial information is freely available to every member.

volleyball becomes a more recognized sport in the community.

We will endeavour to provide the best volleyball experience that we possibly can. We also want to provide an opportunity to develop volleyball skills, build friendships, and teach team building skills.

The Barrie Elites Volleyball Club is a member of the Ontario Volleyball Association. The teams participate in tournaments during the months of October to April. The Ontario Volleyball Association establishes the location of each tournament and the tournaments are usually played in the Greater Toronto Area, although it is possible to travel to other locations in Ontario.

In order to achieve our objectives, the club has two areas of player development:

First, the Barrie Elites offer competitive volleyball and participates in the tournaments offered through the Ontario Volleyball Association. Tryouts are usually held in September of each year. The specific tryout dates usually appear on this website in mid-August

Secondly, we run a house league program in partnership with the City of Barrie Parks and Recreation Department for those who are too young to participate at the competitive level but would like to begin building their volleyball skills.

Our coaches are considered the best in the area. We encourage all our coaches to continue their training by obtaining their Coaching Certification (at least Level 1) and we provide an assistant coach for each team, when possible. All coaches and assistants volunteer their time throughout the season however the club does provide each coaching staff with a small honorarium to offset their traveling costs.

Contact Information...