Pioneers could dominate for years to come
The Queen Elizabeth Regional High Pioneers won the provincial 4A high school girls’ volleyball championship this year, and that could be the start of bigger things to come.
The Conception Bay South-based team, coached by Krista Pitcher, defeated Corner Brook Regional High 15-25, 25-22, 1512 to win the provincial crown.
The Corner Brook team was coached by Melissa Oates, Pitcher’s coach when she played at Memorial University from 2003-08.
“It was kind of funny that I was coaching against my old varsity coach,” said Pitcher.
So does that mean the student is now better than the teacher?
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Pitcher said with a laugh.
“I actually learned a lot from Melissa. She’s a fantastic coach.”
Pitcher, who has been coaching the Pioneers’ high school team for the past seven years, started coaching in the provincial program when she was 19. She said she started thinking about being a coach during her time with MUN’s varsity team.
Queen Elizabeth was her first head coaching position,
“I’ve always been interested in coaching kids,” said Pitcher, who jumped at the opportunity to coach when Terry Mosher retired.
The team got an additional boost when Mosher returned to lend a hand midway through last season, and Queen Elizabeth went on to win the U18 provincial crown.
Mosher was Pitcher’s coach when Queen Elizabeth won three straight provincial 4A crowns, the last coming in 2002.
“He’s helped train our team,” said Pitcher. “He has a very good technical background and basically he helps the players to think on the court and make good decisions. He’s a phenomenal coach and I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Building a championship team that’s capable of holding on to a title isn’t easy, but it is rewarding, according to Pitcher.
Pitcher says the players are all, “exceptional student athletes. They take training very seriously.”
She said she’s impressed how they are able to juggle sports, study and work on a regular basis.
“It takes a lot of discipline, commitment and time management skills.
“Chemistry is also important. You want the kids to get along together,” she said.
“They are teenage girls, so there’s obviously issues that arise from time to time. However, part of being a coach is being able to manage those different personalities. You try to bring out everyone’s strengths and get past the differences.”
Popular sport
High school volleyball is very popular at the school and Pitcher also credits the MAX volleyball program as the reason Queen Elizabeth has developed stronger athletes today.
“The athletes train with extremely talented coaches at a young age so they develop their skills early and by the time they reach high school, they have the basic skills so they can play the game better.”
The Pioneers team, which also has a Volleyfest title to its credit, has sides entered in the U17 and U18 tournaments in February.
The Pioneers team includes four Grade 12s, six Grade 11s and one Grade 10, so they should be just as imposing next season.
“We’ve got a lot of Grade 11 talent. We’re optimistic that we will have a strong squad for the next couple of years,” said Pitcher.