By Dan Plouffe
There’s no denying the trend when it happens year after year, and this season when the first four choices of OFSAA berths went to Gisèle-Lalonde and Samuel-Genest (‘AA’), and De La Salle and Louis-Riel (‘AAA’), it became even more clear that French schools rule when it comes to girls’ volleyball in the city.
It doesn’t boil down to a French vs English thing at all in the view of those involved, it’s more that the climate exists for continued success at the schools that happen to be French.
“There’s very good coaches at all those schools,” notes Marcel Martin, who leads the defending-champion Gisèle-Lalonde into OFSAA as favourites. “We all have a background that can make the girls try to play their best, and we’re all very dedicated.”
It also helps that with senior schools that run from Grade 7-12, players can play together on a scholastic team for two more years before hitting high school age.
“That makes a big difference,” says Samuel-Genest’s Eric Germain, whose school’s Grade 7 girls practice together twice a week. “I also think it’s a bit of a culture thing. At the French schools, we really push volleyball and we don’t push basketball as much. If you look at city finals, in basketball, it’s mostly English schools, and if you look at volleyball, it’s mostly French schools.”
Louis-Riel coach François St-Denis explains that volleyball can be a good sport for schools with smaller student populations because teams don’t require many more than six players, unlike some other sports.
“Right now the quality of female volleyball in Ottawa is amazing,” St-Denis adds. “Every league game is close. That says a lot about the teams and the excellent programs, and it prepares the girls really well for tough teams at OFSAA. They don’t panic if they’re in a bit of a tight spot because they’re used to it.”
Sports-études fuels excellence
De La Salle’s Yan Leroux believes that the sports-études programs at Louis-Riel and Franco-Cité have pushed everyone to reach for higher levels, including his squad that begins practicing in the spring for the next winter’s season.
“It’s a religion at our school,” smiles Leroux, who leads the program with his brother, Yves. “And we’re crazy coaches. We love that sport. It’s a passion.”
And the last piece of the puzzle to the French schools’ success, they say, is that the Maverick Volleyball Club is largely based in the east end, where there is a greater Francophone population.
“I guess they help a lot with their development,” says Louis-Riel player Karina Czechowski, who simply loves the social dynamic volleyball provides. “In a team, you just meet so many great people. I’ve made so many friends and I just keep playing with them.”
With Glebe claiming a ‘AAAA’ play-in berth over Franco-Cité, the national capital will have strong chances of top finishes at all the OFSAA provincial finals.
“The biggest sport at our school is volleyball. We’ve had good teams since the opening of the school,” notes Gisèle-Lalonde player Sabrina Roy, whose squad lost just one player from its Ontario-champion team from last year. “It’s going to be a good year, I have a feeling.”
Visit SportsOttawa.com’s Facebook page for photo galleries from the ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’ city finals.