Truro well represented in Canada Games volleyball

‘It’s a real honour for an athlete to be selected to represent Nova Scotia’

When the Canada Summer Games take place in Winnipeg from July 28 to Aug. 13, Truro will be well represented.

Truro players selected to the Nova Scotia Canada Summer Games female volleyball team are Kieren Hume, Rebecca Worden and Catherine Callaghan. Carrie Peck is the team’s manager as well as an assistant coach. Truro’s Lauren and Hilary Sears are team support staff.

Five local players were selected to this province’s men’s team – Nicolas Faulkner, Ryan McEachren, Matt Sandeson, Sam Lilly and Thomas Vickers.

This past volleyball season has proven to be amazing for Peck and Hilary Cormier, as they coached teams to three provincial titles over a sixmonth period.

They coached CEC to the NSSAF Division 2 female championship, the Truro Cougars female club 16U & 17U to the division 1 provincial championship, and Truro Tide (male) to the Volleyball Nova Scotia division 1 provincial title.

Peck is pleased with the large number of Truro volleyball players heading for Winnipeg to represent their province.

“I believe all these Truro players heading to the Canada Games has a lot to do with the calibre of the local volleyball program and the dedicated coaches and athletes,”

Peck said. “Players in Truro begin playing volleyball at a young age. It’s a real honour for these athletes to be selected to represent Nova Scotia. I know the local community is very proud of each one of these young players.”

Jason Trepanier, who has been involved with volleyball most of his life, is the executive director of Volleyball Nova Scotia.

“These players fall in love with volleyball and they just want to be the best they can be,” Trepanier said. “They realize something special can happen at the Canada Games

and they want to be prepared to make that a reality. I talk with parents who are amazed at what these kids have done, from working out at 5.30 a.m. in the morning to whatever else they have to do. They also work out with our mental performance consultants and they eat healthy.”

Worden, 17, Truro, is a Grade 11 student at CEC. She has played volleyball for seven years and played for CEC this year, second-place finishers in the Division 1 provincial senior girls championship.

“Following the Canada Games team tryout when I found out I’d made the team, it was just a wave of emotion,” Worden told me.

“I hadn’t been that confident I’d make the Nova Scotia team so it was a real happy moment. This will be my first Canada Games ever – I’m thinking about Winnipeg and I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience. Of course, our players are thinking it would be nice to win.”

McEachren, 17, Valley, is in Grade 11 at CEC. An outside hitter, McEachren has played volleyball for four years and was a member of this year’s CEC Cougars male high school team, provincial champions.

“We had a strong CEC volleyball team this year, with five of our players making the Canada Games team,” said McEachren. “We all felt pretty good about winning back-to-back championships at CEC, it was kind of incredible. Thinking back to the Canada

Games team tryout – it was May 24 in Bedford. It was a twoday process and they did not announce who made the Nova Scotia team until the end of the final day. I was really happy to learn I made the team, I was underage coming in – so yes, it felt really good.”

Paul Worden is the president of Volleyball Nova Scotia. Rev. Worden, also the minister at the First Baptist Church in Truro, is a national-level referee, having refereed collegiate national volleyball championships, Volleyball Canada national championships and Canada Games championships.

“I feel a real sense of pride being part of the Truro volleyball community,” Worden said. “Led by figures such as Bob Piers and Harvey MacEachern, our young people are able to grow and show their character through sport. I’m very pleased, I know in looking back it was my active role in volleyball that grounded me through my early adult years. Volleyball helped shape the perspectives I carry today.”