Virden Collegiate Institute’s Taylor Masson and Leah Richard were thrilled to take part in the 2017 Volleyball Manitoba Graduating All-Star Games and Banquet.
“Being a grad all-star was an honor,” Richard said. “The game we played was fun and was with a group of girls who you could tell were leaders on their teams.”
The events were held in Winnipeg on Dec. 9. On the boys’ side of things, Hamiota’s Mason Gurr was selected to play and teammate Bobbi Hunter received honourable mention honours. Sheldon Gurr was honoured as the “A” Boys Coach of the Year.
Masson and Richard, Golden Bears teammates, were split up for the A-AA-AAA girls’ game. Richard was on Team Black and Masson played on Team Gold.
“The caliber of the play was very fun, but also competitive,” Masson said. “We all worked our hardest while also having a positive attitude towards both teams.”
Richard said it was interesting playing with a team that had never practiced, but she noted it worked out well. For Masson, the best part of the weekend was getting to know girls from different communities and teams.
Masson and Richard were the only Grade 12s on the VCI team this past season. They were co-captains and did their best to lead the team, head coach John Chandler said. He said the duo will be hard to replace next season.
On the court, “Leah played in the middle, hit hard and was a good big block,” Chandler said. About Masson, Chandler said: “Taylor played left side and was a very consistent server.”
Richard said the graduating all-star game was a great way to finish the season. In regards to the sport, Masson said:
“Volleyball can be a very serious game. It requires a lot of effort, drive and motivation. The most important thing to remember is to have fun while playing the sport you love.”
Mason Gurr was an all-around player this past season for Hamiota. He played a demanding role as a right side hitter offensively and defensively, was a top serve receiver, scored points on a challenging float serve, and served as the setter if the setter took the first contact.
“Being a right handed hitter, you have to hit across your body and squaring up on your approach makes it awkward for most right handed hitters to be effective,” Sheldon Gurr said. “Defensively, Mason had to block against left side hitters, who are usually the best attackers on the other team.”
Hunter made his mark as a standout libero for Hamiota. He served as an alternate for the Graduating All-Star Games.
“Libero is a tough defensive position due to digging balls from crosscourt hits by the other team’s left side hitter and also as a relied upon passer in serve receive,” Gurr said. “Bobbi was a great role model, doing his best, on and off the court, to keep everyone’s attitude positive.”
Sheldon Gurr was honoured to be selected as the coach of the year in his division and to participate in the weekend event.
“To be recognized by the selection committee that the time and effort you put into a program is seen and rewarded, meant a lot. This year, being honoured with ‘A’ Coach of the Year at the banquet and able to coach my son, Mason, in the Graduating All-Star Game is a memory I will cherish always.”
