20/04/2020 11:00
Volleyball Ireland delivers first online camp
News from the National Federations
Dublin, Ireland, April 20, 2020. Ireland’s first online sports camp – delivered by Volleyball Ireland saw over 130 kids take part in a three-day education and activity bonanza that featured world class speakers from across the sports industry.
Delivered through Zoom webinars, the camp engaged kids and parents from 12 years old up providing fitness workouts, ball skill workshops, educational seminars and Q&A sessions with some of the world’s best players and Volleyball coaches.
The camp featured exclusive interviews and presentations with the following speakers:
• Cody Kessel, Team USA and BERLIN Recycling Volleys outside hitter – A holistic approach to being a world class Volleyball player
• Lauren Soderberg, Australian Olympic Beach Volleyball coach – What it takes to become an Olympian
• Vuk Karanovic, CEV Development Manager and former international player for North Macedonia (108 caps) – Playing and working a career in Volleyball
• Izzy Carey, UCLA Beach Volleyball star – You can only play as well as you train
• Alex Graves, Ireland National Team Captain – Court to sand transitions
• Hannah Thornton, Basketball International and nutritionist – Fuelling your body For Volleyball
• Jessie Carmody, Anti-Doping Specialist – Understanding anti-doping
The camp kicked off with a Q&A with Cody Kessel - a male USA player who is currently playing pro with Champions League team BERLIN Recycling Volleys. Cody discussed his career and dreams of playing in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Cody’s key messages: “Focus on the things you can control, don’t worry about noise”, “Be a holistic athlete, 24/7, eat well, sleep well, stretch”.
Cody talked through his favourite match when he played in the semi-final of the German Cup for underdogs SVG Lüneburg as they came from 0-2 down to beat his current club and powerhouse BERLIN Recycling Volleys. Cody highlighted some key aspects of his technique, such as what he works on in order to jump so high. He also talked about the importance of team culture and about how his Lüneburg teammates had the mission to “choose joy”.
Jessie Carmody provided an educational insight on anti-doping in sport
with great engagement from the participants asking about banned
substances and the testing process. They also followed an online
documentary about the Stanford College University Team.
On Thursday, Volleyball Ireland had the pleasure of welcoming Australian Beach Volleyball coach Lauren Soderberg who presented an inspiring talk on “What it takes to become an Olympian”.
Lauren provided some remarkable insights including some great words of wisdom:
• Talent only gets you in the door
• Winning is a terrible teacher
• Tear your losses apart
• Celebrate small successes
• Take responsibility for your own learning
• The standards you walk past, are the standards you accept
USC’s Victoria Garrick provided a TedTalk on the Hidden Opponent - and the importance of looking after your mental health.
Thursday evening featured a Q&A with Izzy Carey and Alex Graves, where preparation was again a consistent theme, under the slogan “You can only play as well as you train”.
Friday morning saw a change of pace with CEV Development Manager and 10-year professional Vuk Karanovic chatting about life as a professional playing and working in Volleyball. His 108 caps for North Macedonia prepared him for a career off the court. He reiterated the great “gift sport gives, it teaches discipline, team work and continuous improvement”. He reiterated that the group should have an open mind-set to different cultures and learning. “Volleyball can provide you with amazing experiences in different cultures around the world”.
The final guest speaker was nutrition expert Hannah Thornton who provided a brilliant insight on the importance of nutrition, particularly for teens - which is an area she specialises in after studying the subject in Colorado. Hannah emphasised “you get out of your body what you put in”. She also recommended Daniel Davey and David Gillick’s recipe books and she reminded all that everyone is different and need different fuels at different times.
A key theme from all of the guest speakers:
• Preparation is key. Work hard and train hard. Look after your body.
• Focus on what you can control
• Sport can provide you with wonderful experiences and opportunities
• Watch Volleyball, check out YouTube
• You are the master of your own destiny
Volleyball Ireland would like to thank all attendees and speakers for supporting a fantastic programme of activity.
|