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Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Indigenous volleyball players from five Canadian provinces will get a taste of some international action this weekend in Toronto.
The All Nations Volleyball Showcase will be staged at Toronto’s York University on July 27-28.
The six-team event will include both the women’s and men’s Maori national teams from New Zealand.
Also taking part will be four All Nations clubs - two women’s and two men’s teams – comprised of Under-20 Indigenous players from Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.
Members of the All Nations teams were recommended to tournament organizers in part for their efforts at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), held last summer, primarily in Halifax.
The eldest category for volleyball at the 2023 NAIG was Under-19 categories.
Current university and college coaches throughout Canada as well as representatives from the national Indigenous sport governing body, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, also had some input on those selected to the All Nations squads.
Gary Lynch, the manager of sport and athlete development for Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario, is one of the tournament organizers.
Lynch is not quite sure what to expect from the Maori entrants.
“We haven’t played them yet,” he said. “It’s kind of a mystery how they developed their team and if they will be on the same level as us.”
As for the All Nations clubs, their rosters include several players currently toiling for post-secondary squads throughout the country.
“It’s going to be a high-level event,” Lynch said.
No tryouts were held for those selected to the All Nations teams.
“But all of these provincial bodies held comprehensive tryouts 10 months ago (to pick their NAIG teams),” Lynch said. “So, I think it’s going to be very competitive.”
Lynch said plans for the All Nations Volleyball Showcase were initiated by Tyler Latu’ila, a New Zealand native who was recently named the head coach of the men’s volleyball team at Toronto’s George Brown College.
“They’ve been playing all over Asia,” Lynch said of the Maori clubs. “But I think the interest in this event is the celebrating of Indigenous athletes. So, (Latu’ila) got me involved right away.”
Latu’ila will serve as the head coach for one of the All Nations male teams. The other male head coach is Greg Solecki, a former member of the Canadian national club.
Meanwhile, the two head coaches for the All Nation female squads are Kerrie Buchberger and Cory Gratton.
Buchberger, who is Metis, was a member of the Canadian women’s squad that participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Gratton is the president of Saskatchewan’s governing body of the sport, Sask Volleyball.
Lynch is hopeful the All Nations Volleyball Showcase will lead to future competitions as well.
“We want to make sure this event goes well first,” he said. “But we’re hopeful that this can be an event we can continue to have moving forward.”
And perhaps one day this tournament will be hosted by the Maori teams.
“We would be really excited to take a group of athletes to New Zealand,” Lynch added.
All clubs will play two round-robin matches at the Toronto tournament. The top finisher in each category will advance to the championship final.
The two others clubs in each grouping will then square off in a semi-final contest to determine the other finalists.
Tickets for the the York University event will be available at the door. Only tournament passes, $20 each, will be sold.