2011-2012 SEASON

Barrie Rotary Fun Run/Walk Sport Association Challenge

Hi Elites! As discussed at the Annual Banquet, please be reminded of the 25th annual Rotary Club of Barrie's Fun Run taking place on May 30th 2012 at 6:00 pm at the Southshore Community Centre at 205 Lakeshore Drive. Remember, this year the Rotary Club is holding a "Sports Association Challenge" with prizes to the Sports Association that has the most member's turn out.

If you would like to help out your Elites, as well as the Rotary Club of Barrie, come on out on the 30th and show your support. All the details are on the flyer attached to an email you will have received from the club. Just click the link below to register.

http://www.barriefunrun.com/

Hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Barrie Elites Volleyball Club Annual General Meeting

Please note that the AGM will take place on Wednesday June 6th, 2012 at 7:00 PM.
The location will be at the East Bayfield Community Centre.
Come out and meet the Executive of the club.
Bring your thoughts and ideas on how to improve things for the future.
If you want change then this is the place to start!!!
We are looking for additional committee members and new faces on the Executive.
Make this YOUR CLUB.
Get involved for your child's sake!!!
Some would say this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

SEE YOU THERE!!!

Elites Beach Program

The Elites Beach Program will be returning this summer with emphasis being placed on beach volleyball skill development and preparation for competition.

Cost: $50 for the summer
Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 15 to July 26
Time: 6:00-sunset, 7:30-sunset starting June 19
Location: Centennial Beach

Tuesdays Thursdays

14U, 16U, 17U, 18U
13U, 15U

Registration will take place at the beach during the first sessions.
Players still training for indoor will not participate until their indoor season has finished.

If you are interested in participating, or for more information, please email Steve Hawke at steve.hawke@hotmail.com

Elites' Milestones

15U Boys Take Tier 2 Provincial Silver - Posted:4/15/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 15U Boys Take Tier 2 Provincial Silver

Congratulations to the 15u boys who earned Silver medals this past weekend at the Provincial championships at Rim Park in Waterloo. On Friday, they lost some tough early matches against highly ranked Niagara and Storm teams that went to three sets. During Saturday's play, the boys again lost some difficult three-setters to place ourselves in a tough position heading into Sunday. The boys rebounded strongly, staying positive and battling through long rallies, definitively eliminating the Markham Stingers and Riverside Rage in straight sets to send us to the gold/silver match. There, we faced a tough Etibicoke team. We fought hard for three long sets before succumbing. The coaches are very proud of the way the boys were able to pull together when it counted and show mental toughness under the playoff pressure. Way to go, boys!

Ontario Provincial Championships 17U Girls - Posted:4/15/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - Ontario Provincial Championships 17U Girls

The 17U Girls team traveled to RIM Park this past weekend for their Provincial Championships. The first day, Friday the 13th certainly lived up to its name!! As the early matches were laborious and difficult to play and watch! Having had high hopes of finishing first in our pool.....we entered the second day, Saturday in third place! All credit must be given to the 11 team members who made a very conscious decision to clearly demonstrate to all that they had indeed come to play ball!! The matches on day 2 were quick, well played and exciting to watch, we ended the day 3 and 0. The early morning match on day 3, against the Etobicoke Titans warmed the team up well with a straight set win to move forward to the quarter finals. We played the Twin Bridges team from Sarnia, it was a hard fought match of 3 sets and we narrowly missed playing for gold; a very tough loss for all- but once again the girls demonstrated a real strength of character and the sign of true competitors, by definitively winning the bronze medal against the first seeded division 2 team - Toronto West. Congratulations Girls!!! - You should all be very proud of your efforts.

17U Girls take Bronze at 18U Tourney - Posted:3/24/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 17U Girls take Bronze at 18U Tourney

Congratulations 17UGirls on their Bronze medal win at the 18U tournament down at the University of Toronto this past weekend! After a somewhat ‘sleepy’ start during pool play – finishing last – we then woke up to have a strong afternoon, narrowly missing out on playing for gold with a 3 set match against the North Bay Lakers. The Bronze was never in any doubt as all players put in an excellent performance for a strong and determined finish.

All That Glitters is Not Gold - Posted:2/28/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - All That Glitters is Not Gold

On January 21 the Elites 13U Black team made the short trip up Highway 11 to Orillia to compete for the McGregor Cup. The Elites went in as the number two seed. The girls started quickly with an easy two set win against the Unionville Stingers. In a recurring theme, the girls then dropped the next pool game to the North Bay Lakers in three close sets. In the first round of playoffs, the Elites faced their rival Georgian Cubs. The girls played very well and beat the Cubs in two sets bringing them up against the top seeds. The Elites lost to the Etibocoke Titans in two very close games (27-25, 25-22). In another recurring theme the girls faced the team they lost to in the pool play in the last game of the day. Showing great character the Elites played their best game of the day and easily beat the North Bay Lakers in two sets to take home the Bronze medal. Congratulations for another great tournament Elites 13U Black!

12U Takes Silver - Posted:2/25/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

On February 25th, Rob Tynes and Jim Sera entered a team into a 12U competitive tournament in Cambridge. The team consisted of 4 girls from the 13U Blue team (Tyne Sera, Kendall Stephan, Megan Wheelans and Jakobie Freisen) along with 3 girls from the Elites house league (Hanna Graham, Carlee Feinstein and Abby Duncan). The girls had only practiced as a team 3 times before they took the challenge on. They came out strong. The girls quickly bonded as a team and faced girls that have been playing together in the OVA for 2 years. The team never got down and they battled hard, defeating the Mississauga Pakmen in the semi finals to move them into the gold medal game against Scarborough Tek Tonics. It was a hard fought game, and they came home with 2nd place. Congratulations girls!!!

16U Black Takes Bronze at 17U Tournament - Posted:2/25/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 16U Black Takes Bronze at 17U Tournament

Congratulations to our Girls 16U Black team who followed up last weekends Bronze medal performance at the season ending Championship 16U tournament with a Bronze medal at the 17U tournament hosted in Barrie. The girls finished first in their pool and cruised through the playoffs, defeating Aurora Storm with ease. Unfortunately, like last weekend, our girls ran out of steam in the semi-final match. However, like last weekend, the girls were able to re-group in the Bronze match winning easily over the Sting 25-16, 25-8. The girls are continually improving their team performance as they work through their final preparatory phase for Provincials scheduled for the end of March.

Region 5 Teams for Ontario Winter Games - Posted:2/21/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - Region 5 Teams for Ontario Winter Games

Congratulations to Lexi Pollard for being selected as a team member to represent Region 5 at the upcoming Ontario Winter Games in Collingwood on Mar 8-11, 2012. This is a great accomplishment for her to rise to this challenge. Have fun and good luck at the Ontario Winter Games Region 5 teams.

16U Girls Medal in Barrie - Posted:2/18/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 16U Girls Medal in Barrie

Congratulations to our Girls 16U Black who easily defeated Durham Attack 25-13, 25-9 in Championship level play to win the Bronze Medal in their last sanctioned tournament of the season. The girls finished first in their pool but could not sustain their outstanding play in the semi-finals. The girls play one more tournament before taking on the Provinces best in Waterloo next month.

14U Black Takes Gold - Posted:2/4/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

This past weekend the Barrie Elites 14U girls volleyball team travelled to Caledon to compete in the provincial sanctioned McGregor Cup. The team went undefeated in the tournament and defeated the host Orangeville ACTS Extreme to capture the Gold medal. The 14U Elites are the top ranked team in the Georgian Bay region and competes, provincially, against a pool of 102 teams. "With only one tournament remaining before our Provincial Championships scheduled for April, this tournament result will give the girls the confidence required when competing against the provinces best come the Spring", reflects head coach David Gross. Pictured left to right: (back row) David Gross, Gillian Hay, Lexi Pollard, Olivia Verdonk, Cierra Gross, Julia Diemert, Hannah Campbell (front row) Jazlyn Friesen, Sara Nastasiuk, Daniella Hopper, Maddison Nicholls, Laura Bodrug (absent) Taylor Watson

14U Boys Win Gold - Posted:1/18/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Saturday January 14 the Boys 14U team of the Barrie Elites won Gold. It was a long day of very close games and when it came down to the Gold Medal round we played a very tough team from Oakville called Lakeside. Lakeside won the first game 25 to 23 and in the second game the Elites answered back by winning 25 to 10 over Lakeside. So the match went to a third game where both teams were very determined to win and they gave a great show to all the fans with rallies lasting a long time and the score going back and forth until the Barrie Elites ended with a score of 21 to 19 to take the gold. BACK ROW Assistant Coach Agnes Bartosik, Colton Bortowski, Jacob Sera, liam Osborne, Nicholas Renda, Dario Zecca, Joshua Osborne, Cole Michels, Coach Neil Clune FRONT ROW. Ryan Chantler, Parker Clune, Jack Brown

16U Girls Black Defeat Provinces #4 FCVC - Posted:1/15/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 16U Girls Black Defeat Provinces #4 FCVC

This past weekend saw the Barrie Elites 16U Girls Black lose a close third set match (17-25, 25-17, 15-10) versus Halton Hurricanes to bring home the Silver medal at an invitational tournament held in Burlington. The Elites had handily defeated Halton in pool play (25-20, 25-16) but were unable to repeat the task in the final. The team's performance was highlighted with wins over the province's 4th ranked London with the match going 3 sets and the Elites dominating the perenial premier rated team 15-6 in the third set ... and earlier with the provinces "top 10" ranked Hurricanes. "The girls could not overcome the energy deficit accumulated from competing with the top ranked teams throughout the day. Their performance was worthy of a gold medal ... we just came up 5 points short in the end", reflected coach Gross. Another tournament highlight saw the Elites defeat Woodstock's 17U team in 3 sets. The Elite's silver performance, on top of previous Gold and 5th place finishes, is serving notice that they are a team to be recon with as they slowly climb toward the top of the rankings at the 16U age division which sees more than 90 teams competing provincially. (photo L-R) back row: Coach David Gross, Kathryn Marks, Kelsey Watson, Alisha Stidam, Kendra Wells, Anja Ceklic, Josie Fiegehen, Alisha Oliver, Coach Kerri Scott front row: Jenna Gross, Riley Watson, Abbey Dempster, Jenna MacPherson, Christine Woodliffe

Region 5 teams - Posted:1/15/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Congratulations to Kara Stephan, Morgan McDonnell and Devon Kerr. These three players were selected as players or alternates to represent Region 5 at the upcoming Ontario Winter Games. This is a great accomplishment for these athletes and the Barrie elites as Region 5 is an extremely competitive region. Good luck at the games!

North Bay Tournament - Posted:1/14/2012 - Click the picture to enlarge

Congratulations to the U15 girls Black team who brought home a gold medal from last weekends tounament in North bay! These young ladies dominated the tournament from start to finish, with all team members contributing to the win!

Second Straight Gold Medal for 13U Girls Black! - Posted:12/10/2011 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - Second Straight Gold Medal for 13U Girls Black!

The 13U girls travelled to a wintery North Bay, Ontario to play for the Challenge Cup December 10th. The tournament was held at the impressive Nipissing University athletic complex. The girls showed some rust in a straight set win against an over-matched Ottawa Fusion team. The girls then faced the same Georgian Cubs from the Provincial Cup. This time the Cubs turned the tables and won in three sets. The girls then faced the Elites Blue team. The Blue team played well but the girls won in two sets. The girls placed second in their pool and faced the Maverick Rattlers in the first round of playoffs. They won in two sets and moved to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Elites faced a scrappy Storm Vortex 12U team that refused to quit on any rally and any game. The girls prevailed in a hard fought, see-saw affair 18 – 16 in the third set to move into the finals. They now faced the Georgian Cubs who are rapidly becoming arch-rivals. It was a well played match and the girls came from behind in the second set to win in two straight.

U13G – North Bay - back row – Sophie, Danielle, Madison R, Leah, Amrika, Muskoka, Payton, COACH: Heather - front row – Madison P, Emily, Kenzie, Kiley - Absent: Sydney

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Girls 13U Black wins Gold at Provincial Cup! - Posted:11/12/2011 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - Girls 13U Black wins Gold at Provincial Cup!

With a small core of returning veterans and a strong crop of new players, the 13U girls travelled to Markham to play for the Provincial Cup. The girls placed second in their pool after beating the Waterloo Tigers and losing a close match to the Durham Attack Red. In the first round of playoffs, the girls faced the Georgian Cubs. In a well played match, the Elites prevailed in two sets and moved to the quarterfinals to face the Durham Attack Silver. Again the girls played very well and won in two sets moving them into the finals to face the Durham Attack Red. The Elites were able to avenge their earlier loss to the Attack with a hard fought three game victory.

U13G – Markham - back row – ASST: Siona, COACH: Heather, Amrika, Danielle, Leah, Sydney, Payton - front row – Sophie, Emily, Madison P, Kenzie, Kiley - Absent: Madison R, Muskoka

16U Provincial Silver Surprise for Stidam and Oliver - Posted:7/31/2011 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 16U Provincial Silver Surprise for Stidam and Oliver

Alisha Oliver and Alisha Stidam of the 15U Girls Black team didn't end up as beach partners until halfway through the season in July. Deciding to partner up for the Beach Provincial Championship ended up being a wonderful surprise for this duo. Scheduling conflicts resulted in the duo playing up in the 16U division, giving them an even greater challenge as a new partners. The first tournament the girls played together was tough as they started to figure out each others playing style. A respectable 5th place in the higher age group, with all sets close in scores encouraged them. However, a day at the Vaughan 15U tournament was a learning experience and pushed the pair back to playing 16U in Cobourg. Things finally started coming together for them and a 3rd place positioned this newly formed team with the positive momentum they needed going into Provincial Championships. The girls decided that they thoroughly enjoyed the stronger strategic play in 16U so they asked to end their season playing provincials in the higher age group knowing that it would be a tougher challenge. Day one at Provincials provided a challenge for them as they were tiered against teams all ranked much higher than them. Despite a grueling first day the girls refocused on day two. The wins started coming and they were back in it. Both the girls served strongly and they built solid leads throughout the day as they continued to work hard on developing their partnership skills. Making it all the way to the semi final game, Alisha Oliver's speed and dynamic diving saves and Alisha Stidam's virtually perfect ace serve in the third game, solidified their spot in the finals. The duo ended the day with silver medals and smiles all around for their spectacular performance. What a way to end their first beach volleyball season together!

15U Provincial Bronze for Watson and Woodliffe - Posted:7/31/2011 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 15U Provincial Bronze for Watson and Woodliffe

RILEY WATSON AND CHRISTINE WOODLIFFE: Bronze Medal Winners!! This was our first year playing organized beach volleyball and our first year as a partners. The season started in May playing pick-up at Tyndale almost every night with other Elites players and friends. We didn't have a coach but everyone we practiced with gave us tips and pointers. We entered 3 tournaments together and also played with other partners over the summer when our schedules didn't match up. We had our ups and downs over the season but we always made sure we took something away from each tournament to work on and improve for the next tournament. We entered the Provincial Championships ranked 16 out of 71 teams in the U15 division. Saturday proved to be a tough schedule, playing the 5th and 6th place teams first. The games were close but unfortunately we were 0-2 after those games. The third match turned out to be one of the most exciting matches we played all year. We lost the first game 19-21, won the next game 21-19 and then lost a thrilling third set 17-19 to leave us 0-3 after day 1, but we came away from the day feeling great about how we played in the last match. Sunday started out with a convincing win that set the tone of the day. After the round robin games we were ranked top in Division 2. After a bye in the first round we won our quarter finals match 21-16 and 21-14. Moving on to the semis we encountered a tough team and lost the match to the eventual gold medal winners of Division 2. After a long wait in 36 degree temperatures we played for the bronze medal. The first game was close but we prevailed 21-19. After a quick break we refocused and went on to win the second game and the bronze medal with a great 21-10 win. Everything seemed to come together in the last game as we had some great serves and hits and a few timely blocks. Winning the medal was awesome, but what was even more important was the improvement we made as beach volleyball players and how we came together as a team.

15U Girls 13th in Eastern Nationals - Posted:5/8/2011 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 15U Girls 13th in Eastern Nationals

This past weekend our 15U Girls Black travelled to Sherbrooke Quebec where 40 of the best teams from Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia competed in the 2011 Eastern National Championships. The girls finished second in their Day 1 pool, defeating both Durham Attack Black and the Ontario "Premier" team Interclub. Barrie, re-pooled for Day 2 competition, narrowly lost to the #3 ranked Etobicoke Titans 24-26 & 23-25 but cruised through both Durham Attack Red and the #10 ranked Ms Pakmen enroute to another second place finish in pool play. This set up an elimination match with one of Quebec's top ranked teams, "Anglais", Sunday morning. With a promising first set win, the Elites slowly relinquished the match losing in 3 sets. "It was an excellent result", commented head coach David Gross. "This was our girls first experience at a National Championship, and to come away with a 13th place finish and only 1 loss each day (3 losses in total) speaks volumes to the girls confidence and team performance." (back row left to right) Jenna Gross, Abbey Dempster, Josie Fiegehen, Riley Watson, Taylor Osborne, Kelsey Watson, Alisha Stidam, and Coach David Gross. (front row left to right) Coach Kerri Scott, Alanah Jewell, Alisha Oliver, Julia Hopper, and Jenna MacPherson.

Past Barrie Elite's Sam Pedlow King of Queens - Posted:9/10/2010 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - Past Barrie Elite's Sam Pedlow King of Queens

When Sam Pedlow was nearing graduation from St. Peter’s Secondary School, he applied to nine universities. At the very bottom of that list was Queen’s. “To be honest, I didn’t even know where it was,” Pedlow said with a chuckle. Ironically, over the past five years, Queen’s University in Kingston became the focal point of Pedlow’s life, where he developed into one of the most decorated men’s volleyball players to ever play the game. “I’m the only guy I know of to have won (Ontario University Association) medals in five straight years,” said Pedlow. Last year, Pedlow decided to return to Queen’s for a fifth year to finish his schooling and to complete some unfinished business on the court. A volleyball veteran, he was chosen to captain the young squad in his final season. Sam went from being one of the shortest guys on his high school team in Grade 11 to a star that blossomed first with the Barrie Elites under coaches Dave Gross and Doug Godin before growing into his talent under the tutelage of Willis. “Every coach hopes that the athletes they attract to their program will be determined, dedicated, unselfish and hardworking,” said Willis. “Well, Sam was all of that and more.

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House League a Great Success - Posted:11/18/2008 - Click the picture to enlarge

Barrie Elites - 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 !

On Thursday Nov. 18th at 6pm the Georgian Grizzlies Women's Volleyball Team would like to invite you to their match vs the Durham Lords. After the match the players will be available for a meet and greet to answer questions about playing at the next level and what it might take to get there.

2011-2012 SEASON

Barrie Rotary Fun Run/Walk Sport Association Challenge

Barrie Elites Volleyball Club Annual General Meeting

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